LOGINAlessa’s POV Four years ago, I stood in a boardroom and dismantled my brother's life in front of cameras.Today, I couldn't find my passport because my mother had reorganized my suitcase while I was in the shower."The linen trousers," my mother said firmly, holding them up. "They're breathable. You'll be in Australia in July, Alessa… it's their winter, but you'll still be warm and you need the waistband room."I was rubbing a hand against my six month old bump. "I packed those already.""You packed the navy ones. I'm talking about the cream ones." She said. "I don't need two pairs of linen trousers-""You absolutely need two pairs." She was already folding them into the bag. "And the wrap dresses. All three of them. They'll accommodate the bump beautifully and you won't have to think about it."From the other side of the bed, Josephine, my mother-in-law, looked up from where she was reorganizing my shoes.“Take the sundresses instead," she said. "The wrap dresses are lovely but th
Alessa's POVJaime was standing at the gate with his hands loose at his sides, he looked thinner than I remembered but my heart remained unwavering. Jason stepped forward and squared his shoulders."You need to leave," he said."I know," Jaime said. "I will. I just need a minute."Jason scowled. "You don't get a minute.""Jason." My voice came out quieter than I intended.He looked back at me and his jaw was clenched tight. I touched his arm once, gently.A sigh left his throat and he bobbed his head, conceding. I looked at Jaime. "Say what you came to say."Jaime exhaled. He looked down at the ground for a moment, then at me. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know that doesn't fix anything and I'm not here because I think it fixes anything.”His lips were pressed tightly. "I just needed you to hear it from me. I'm sorry for all of it. The way things ended and the things I didn't say when I should have.""Jaime.” I whispered. “You don’t have to do it.”"You don't have to say anything." He sh
Alessa’s POVI looked at the reports still spread across the table."Alessa." She warned."I'm going," I said, and started stacking papers.She watched me with the expression of someone trying very hard not to smile. "He's been waiting for this for a while, you know."I smiled. "Lisa.""I'm just noting." She said with a shrug. "You're just noting nothing." I closed my laptop. "Go home.""I love how you think that tone still works on me." She was already packing her own bag, betraying that she had been waiting for this moment. "You look nice, by the way. The blue works.""Goodnight, Lisa."She winked. "Have fun.""Goodnight-""Text me.""Lisa."She left, laughing. I sucked in a breath and pulled out my compact mirror, checking my face and fixing my makeup.When I was done, I grabbed my coat and bag, heading downstairs. Jason was outside, leaning against the building with his hands in his pockets and looking at the street. He turned when the door opened, and a bright smile envelope
Alessa's POVThe boardroom smelled the same as it always had and I had sat in this room hundreds of times. I knew every face around this table.Today, some of those faces were not happy with me."What you did," Gerald Fitch said, setting his pen down, "was bypass every established protocol for internal misconduct. There are procedures, Miss James. You ambushed your own brother in front of cameras.""He ambushed me in a burning building," I said pleasantly. "I thought we would try it my way."There was a ripple around the table, and I caught some people trying to hide their smiles. "The reputational damage alone-“ Gerald snapped."Is significantly less than the reputational damage of forty-three million dollars in undisclosed transfers coming out through a regulatory audit," I said. "Which it would have, eventually. These things always do." I looked at him steadily. "I chose the version where we controlled the narrative. That distinction matters to shareholders and it will matter in
Alessa’s POVThey started to whisper, the camera clicked faster but I didn’t move. "JR Corps was built on a principle that was established before I was born and it was for this company would stand for integrity." I kept my gaze moving across the room. "I want to talk to you about what happens when someone inside this company decides that principle is an obstacle."I looked at Jason at the side of the room. He gave the smallest nod.The screens behind me came to life and then a recording of Jason’s voice filled the entire eoom. As he spoke, murmurs filled the room, board members rose to their feet and even my family were shocked. I didn't look at him. I kept my eyes forward, and raised one hand. "There's more."The noise subsided and I nodded. "Exactly one week ago, I was abducted." My eyes found Jason as I kept speaking. “And I was left to die in a burning building. The individual who coordinated my abduction was a woman named Laura. And the individual who contracted her…”I fin
Alessa's POVThe mirror on the wall told me things I wasn't ready to hear.The bruise along my jaw had faded to a sickly yellow-green. My wrists and head still ached with a low persistent throb that the painkillers did nothing to help. I looked at myself for a long time then I straightened my shoulders. I had a press conference to attend. I heard the knock before I could respond, the door opened. "Alessa." He stepped inside, and he actually looked concerned. "You look better. How are you feeling?""Strange," I said. "Everything still feels very far away. The doctors say that's normal."I lied to everyone and told them I lost my memory, pretending not to remember anything that happened three weeks ago. So now, they all saw me as fragile. It was working, I needed them to believe that for my plan to work. He sat on the chair beside my bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "The press conference today," he said, gently. "Are you sure about this? It's too soon."I need t
Jason's POVI knew I should keep my eyes on the road but my gaze kept drifting to Alessandra in the passenger seat. The silver dress caught the light every time we passed under a streetlamp, and the way her hair was styled made her neck gleam in a way that I wanted to run my tongue through. She s
JAIME’S POVI leaned back in my office chair, my phone pressed to my ear, eyeing the framed photo of my children on Sara’s fifth birthday and the sight of her dimpled face brought a smile on my lips. "The partnership announcement is everywhere," Jeffery's voice spoke through the speaker. "Bloomber
"You look absolutely pathetic," Polly said beside me with a click of her tongue.The weekend sun was beating down mercilessly on the sprawling lawn of my family's estate, and it felt like a personal attack on my throbbing skull. I squinted behind my oversized sunglasses, clutching my third glass o
Julien’s POVI stood on the balcony, keeping my voice low enough with my phone pressed against my ear. "What move is Jaime making now?" I asked. "Has he been reaching out to Alessandra again?"Laura sighed on the other end and answered with infuriating casualness. "He texted her a few times and sh







