ログインLila’s POV“STAY WHERE I can see you,” Adrian said, his tone almost casual.Like it wasn’t an order.Like it wasn’t something that settled over my skin and tightened there, invisible and deliberate, the same way his hand did a second later when it found my waist.Not asking.Not hesitating.Placing.I forced myself not to react.The ballroom had been transformed for the rehearsal dinner. Long tables dressed in white linen stretched across the polished floor, gold accents catching the glow of chandeliers overhead. Crystal glasses lined up with precision, reflecting warm light that made everything feel softer than it actually was. Staff moved quietly along the edges, adjusting placements, refilling glasses that weren’t empty, ensuring everything looked effortless.It was perfect.It felt like a stage.And I was standing exactly where Adrian wanted me.His h
Lila’s POV“IF YOUopen that door, you’d better have a reason,” Jacob said coldly.His voice cut through the silence just as the handle turned fully.For a split second, everything inside me locked.My breath.My thoughts.My body, still pressed between him and the wall, his hand firm at my waist, his other braced near my head like he had every intention of keeping me exactly where I was.The door opened.And it wasn’t Adrian.Marco stepped in.He stopped the moment he crossed the threshold.The shift in the room was immediate.Heavy.Obvious.Unavoidable.His gaze moved from Jacob to me, then back again, sharp and assessing in a way that missed nothing. He didn’t speak right away. He didn’t need to. The tension in the room spoke for itself.I moved first.Instinct.I slipped out
Lila’s POV“DON’T BEgentle with me,” I said, my voice barely steady.The words hung between us, fragile for only a second before something in Jacob’s expression shifted in a way that made my breath catch.His hand was still on my jaw.Firm.Unyielding.Not hurting me, but not careful either.Like he had stopped pretending he needed to be.His eyes searched mine, dark and sharp, as if he were trying to decide whether I understood what I was asking for.“You don’t mean that,” he said quietly.“I do.”The answer came faster this time.Stronger.Because I did.Because the fear that had been building inside me all night had nowhere else to go.Because Adrian’s voice was still in my head, still wrapped around my thoughts, still trying to pull me back into something small and con
Lila’s POV“SAY ITagain,” Adrian murmured against my ear.His voice slid over my skin like something deliberate, something practiced, something meant to sound calm while it tightened around me like a slow, invisible grip.I did not move.I could feel him behind me. Close enough that the heat of his body pressed faintly through the thin space between us. Close enough that if I leaned back even slightly, I would be touching him.I kept my spine straight.“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, forcing each word to come out steady, even though my pulse had started to climb.A soft breath left him, almost like a quiet laugh.“That’s not what you said before,” he replied, his tone thoughtful, as if he were replaying something in his mind. “You were more convincing five seconds ago.”I swal
Lila’s POV“TOMORROW,”Jacob said quietly.The word did not feel like a promise. It felt like a countdown.I stood in front of the tall mirror in my room, fingers pressed against the cool surface as if I needed something solid to keep me from drifting. Behind me, the estate stretched wide and silent, too quiet for a place that was about to host a wedding, a memorial, and a war all at once.Tomorrow.The word settled deep in my chest, heavy and unmoving.I watched Jacob’s reflection instead of my own. He stood near the door, arms crossed loosely over his chest, posture relaxed in a way that only made him look more dangerous. His presence always carried that same contradiction. Calm on the surface. Something far more violent underneath.“Tomorrow,” I repeated, softer, as if saying it differently might change what it meant.“It’
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
Lila’s POVTHE GARAGE smelled like oil and cold concrete, the kind of place that kept secrets simply by being too loud and too quiet at the same time.I had gone down there because I could not sit still anymore.After the estate event the other day, after the whispers and the way everyone had watch
Lila’s POVTHE ESTATE felt heavier after the challenger went public.Not louder. Not chaotic. Just dense, like the air before a storm that refuses to break.I spent the morning pretending to read emails while my thoughts looped around the same question. How much of this was happening because of me,
Lila’s POV“SMILE,”Adrian murmured beside me. “This is your night.”The words sounded like instruction, not encouragement.I lifted my chin anyway as the doors to the east hall opened fully, light spilling
Jacob’s POVI DID not go back upstairs right away.After Vivienne’s voice cut through the basement air and her flashlight swept the concrete like a claim, I did what I had learned to do years ago. I stepped aside. I created space. I made it look like nothing had happened.Lila disappeared first, us







