Victoria's POVTwenty minutes. Twenty agonizingly long minutes waiting in the stifling silence of the limousine, listening to the muffled, curious murmur of the guests outside the chapel.Then, I saw them. Two black sedans, kicking up a cloud of dust as they sped down the gravel road like hellhounds were on their tail.My heart didn't flutter with relief. It pulsed with cold, pure satisfaction. He came. Of course, he came. Alexander Reed could be a stubborn fool, but he wasn't stupid enough to publicly humiliate the Pierce family."He's here!" Lila shrieked, practically smashing her face against the tinted window. "Oh my god, the drama! Arriving at the very last second like some tragic romantic hero!"But when Alexander stepped out of the first car, my satisfaction curdled into something darker, something more delicious.He looked… ruined.His pristine white dress shirt was a wrinkled mess, his tie hung loose and crooked, and his usually impeccable hair was a dark, tousled wreck, as i
Victoria's POVI woke up after a sleepless night in my suite at the Pierce mansion. My eyes were swollen, my skin pale—signs of a night spent awake, waiting for a call that never came. The clock read 6:47 a.m. In a few hours, I would be Mrs. Alexander Reed.If he showed up.I picked up my phone for the tenth time since waking up and dialed his number. Straight to voicemail. Again."Dammit," I muttered, throwing the device onto the king-size bed covered in white silk.At exactly 7:01 a.m., the door to my room opened without ceremony. It was the women from the Atelier de Beauté Éclatante from Paris—five impeccably dressed French women carrying makeup cases that cost more than luxury cars."Bonjour, Mademoiselle Pierce! Nous sommes ici pour—""Madame Reed as of today," I interrupted, my voice sharp as glass. "And you are one minute late. Start now. I need to be impeccable for the helicopter taking us to the Hamptons."The head makeup artist, Geneviève, a middle-aged woman with platinum h
Victoria's POVThe phone slipped from my hand and fell onto the plush white rug in my room. Calling Alexander... the screen said, for the fifth time in a row. Nothing. Nothing. And nothing again."He's not answering," I said to the maid, who was arranging flowers on the nightstand. My voice sounded thin, even to my own ears."Mr. Reed must be busy with the final preparations for tomorrow, Miss Victoria," she said, without even looking at me. "There are so many details for the wedding of the year.""He should be busy with my bachelorette party!" I grabbed a silk pillow and threw it against the wall. It didn't make the satisfying thud I wanted. "Michael isn't answering either. What the hell is going on?"The maid just sighed, tiredly. Everyone in this house always seems tired of me. I picked up the phone from the floor and dialed my father's number."Daddy?" I said as soon as he answered. "Where are you? You're not with Alexander, are you?""Victoria," his voice was calm, flat. Always f
Sophia's POVI didn't move. I didn't blink. I didn't breathe. I stood still in the middle of the living room, staring at a fixed point on the wall, as if I had turned into a statue. Something strange happened inside me—it wasn't pain, nor anger. It was... nothing. A complete void, as if my heart had simply stopped beating.Emma approached, her eyes full of concern. "Sophia?"I didn't respond. I couldn't. It was as if my voice had vanished along with any feeling I still had for Alexander Reed."Shit," Michael murmured, looking at his phone. The call was still active, the sounds of the party continued to echo through the apartment."Alexander?" Michael said into the phone, trying to sound normal. "Dude, I... had a problem with the flight. It was delayed. I might not make it in time.""Ah, what a shame!" Alexander shouted, clearly drunk. "You're missing an epic party! The girls here are... wow! Victoria has no idea!" He laughed, a cruel and shameless sound. "But it's part of it, it's my
Sophia's POVMy head was throbbing. Michael's words hammered in my mind; it was all too much at once. The memory of my hand touching his chest was still warm. A strong wave of nausea rose in my throat. I curled into myself, wishing I could disappear. That man was a contradiction. I didn't know what to believe anymore.The apartment door suddenly opened.Emma walked in. She was carrying a stack of legal folders. Her face was tired. It lit up when she saw me, then froze completely when she saw Michael. The blood seemed to drain from her face.The folders slipped from her hands and fell to the floor, scattering papers everywhere. "Mi-Michael?!" Her cry was one of pure shock and terror. She moved like lightning, placing herself between us and shoving him away from me. "What are you doing here? How did you find us? Get out! Get out now!"She was trembling all over. She was a living shield, her eyes filled with a protective fury I had never seen before.Michael looked at me with genuine des
Michael's POV The touch of her hand against my chest was like an electric shock. I could feel the heat of her skin through my shirt, and the frantic beating of my heart sounded like a drum in my head. She was there, curled up on the floor, so small and hurt, and I just wanted to fix everything. But how? The truth was dangerous. I remembered the phone call. The icy voice of Senator Pierce on the phone. "You are persistent, Michael Carter. I admire that. But persistence without intelligence is suicide." He paused, and I felt the danger in his voice. "But I'm not going to tell you where Miss Morgan is. Be content with that." I took a deep breath, holding the phone tightly. "Senator Pierce, you are certainly an intelligent man and you know very well that I wouldn't call you without an ace up my sleeve." He laughed, a low, humorless sound. "Well, well, if things haven't just gotten more interesting? Do you think a miserable rat like you can make a Pierce tremble? Such audacity." "I d