ログインVivienne’s POV“THE INVITATIONS are already out,” I said.Lila didn’t respond right away.She stood across from me near the far end of the lounge, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if she was holding something in place that threatened to come undone. The light from the tall windows behind her cast a pale glow along her profile, softening the tension in her face but not hiding it.Jacob stood slightly behind her, close enough to reach her in a second, far enough to let her stand on her own. His posture was relaxed in appearance, but I knew better. Every line of his body was alert, coiled, watching me as if I might shift from ally to threat at any moment.Smart man.Too late, though.The game had already moved far beyond caution.“You’re telling me there’s no way to stop it,” Lila said finally.Her voice was steady, but there was str
Jacob’s POV“I LOVEyou,” I said.The words came out before I could measure them.Not planned. Not softened. Not adjusted into something safer.Just the truth, dropped into the space between us while the engine ticked behind me, still hot from the ride, the smell of gasoline and metal wrapping around everything like it always did in this place.Lila didn’t answer right away.She stood a few steps away from me, just inside the garage, her chest rising and falling too fast, her hands still slightly trembling from the ride. Her hair was loose from the wind, strands clinging to her cheeks. Her eyes were wide, not with fear, but with everything she hadn’t said yet.I watched her carefully.Every second stretched.Not because I doubted what I said.But because I knew what it would cost her to say it back.“You don’t get to take that
Lila’s POV“YOU’RE not leaving the estate tonight,” Adrian said.The moment the words left his mouth, something in my chest tightened so sharply it almost felt like instinct instead of fear.I had just stepped into the hallway outside my room, my hand still hovering near the doorknob, when I saw him standing there. He wasn’t leaning or waiting casually. He was positioned directly in my path, shoulders squared, expression calm in a way that felt rehearsed.Like he had been waiting.For me.I forced myself not to step back.“Why?” I asked.My voice came out steadier than I felt, but I could hear the slight tension beneath it. The kind that only someone who knew me well would catch.Adrian did.His lips curved faintly, not quite a smile.“Because,” he said, taking a slow step closer, “it’s no lo
Lila’s POV“SOMEONE TOLDAdrian,” Jacob said.The words didn’t feel like a possibility.They felt like a conclusion.My chest tightened as soon as he said it.I was standing in the middle of the garage, arms wrapped around myself, the faint scent of oil and metal grounding me in a way the estate never did anymore. The air here was heavier, warmer, real. It didn’t pretend.Unlike everything else.I looked at him.“What makes you so sure?” I asked.Jacob didn’t answer immediately. He moved instead, stepping toward the workbench where the laptop still sat open. His jaw was tight, his shoulders set in that controlled way he got when something was already spiraling in his head.“Look at this,” he said.I crossed the space slowly, my pulse already picking up.The screen showed a live feed.&nb
Adrian’s POV“THEY THINK they’re clever,” I said.The words left my mouth low and measured, but the irritation beneath them was sharper than I preferred.Across the desk, the head of my private security team didn’t react. He stood still, hands clasped behind his back, posture straight, waiting.Good.At least someone in this house still understood discipline.I leaned back slowly in the chair, letting my gaze drift to the monitors mounted across the far wall. Multiple camera feeds flickered quietly. Hallways. Entrances. Grounds. The estate looked calm from a distance.It always did.That was the illusion.“Run it again,” I said.The man nodded once and reached for the tablet in his hand. With a few precise movements, the footage shifted. The timeline rolled backward.There.I leaned forward slightly. “Pause.”The frame froze.Lila.Standing near the east corridor, her expression unreadable from the angle. But her posture… Different. Subtle. But I knew her.I studied the image. “She’s
Lila’s POV“WE DOit at the wedding,” Jacob said.The words settled into the room like a decision already made.I stood near the center table, my hands resting lightly against its edge, feeling the cool surface press into my palms. The space around us was quiet, sealed off from the rest of the estate. One of the older conference rooms my father used for private meetings. Fitting.Unsettling.Because it felt like he should be here.Instead, it was us.Jacob leaned forward slightly across from me, his expression focused, grounded in a way that made everything feel more real. More immediate.Marco stood to my left, flipping through a set of printed documents with controlled precision. His movements were sharper than usual. Tighter.And across the table, Vivienne sat like she belonged exactly where she was. Relaxed. Observant. Watching all of us like w
Lila’s POV“I LEFTthe boxes on the second shelf for you.”Marco’s voice carried softly through the library doorway as he set a stack of folders on the long oak table.“Thank you,” I answered, brushing dust from my palms
Lila’s POV“WHY AREyou still awake?”The words came out of my mouth before I even realized I was speaking.Jacob turned his head slowly, cigarette paused halfway to his lips. The singl
Lila’s POVTHE ESTATE study was too quiet for a house that large.Morning light filtered in through tall windows, catching dust motes that drifted lazily above the desk. Everything smelled faintly of leather and polished wood. It was the kind of room meant to project authority, permanence, and lega
Lila’s POV“TAKE YOURtime with that page. There is no rush.”Marco’s voice was calm, unhurried, the kind of tone that made a person breathe a little easier without realizing it.I looked up from







