MasukCLARKThe moment Victoria sat back down, I already knew I wasn’t staying in that room.The summit hall was still buzzing behind me. Applause rolled in, sounding loud and messy. Whispers followed right after. People leaned toward each other, pretending they weren’t gossiping while clearly doing just that. Phones were already out. Messages were being sent. Opinions were being formed in real time.Cameras kept flashing, hunting for reactions. They chased faces, looking for shock. They chased her.Victoria Hale didn’t look back. She didn’t need to.She sat there calmly, legs crossed, hands relaxed on her lap like she hadn’t just bent the room to her will without stepping on the stage. That was her gift. Bring in control without effort. Or at least, without any visible effort.I felt it in my chest. Pride. Want. Fear. All at once.And I knew if I stayed another second, I would either stare too long or lose my temper. So I moved.I slipped out of my seat and headed for the side exit before
VICTORIAThe duplicate walked the summit stage like she owned it.Her back was straight. Her steps were smooth. Her smile was calm and practiced. Cameras followed her every move, flashing nonstop like fireworks. The crowd leaned in, hungry for whatever version of me she was selling.I sat in the front row now, legs crossed, hands resting lightly on my knee, looking relaxed and unbothered. At least on the outside. Inside, I watched everything.She paused too long before turning. I never paused there. She lifted her chin a second too late when the lights changed. I always moved with the lights, not after them. Her smile was just a little too tight at the corners. Mine never was.These were tiny things, invisible to everyone else. But I saw them all.Around me, investors whispered even as they smiled politely. Editors leaned toward each other, phones angled low as they typed. I heard my name again and again, sometimes followed by confusion, sometimes by excitement.“Which one is real?”“
VICTORIAThe global fashion summit started the way all big events did. With noise, lights, and people pretending not to be nervous.I stood behind the black curtain, listening to the crowd on the other side. Cameras clicked nonstop. Voices rose over each other in different accents. This wasn’t just New York. This was Paris, Milan, Tokyo, Dubai, all packed into one massive hall. Every major buyer, editor, and investor that mattered was here.And they were all watching.I rolled my shoulders once and checked my reflection in the dark glass panel beside me. All I saw was a calm face and steady eyes. There were no cracks. I looked like the woman they feared, not the one they tried to break.Good.Isabella stood a few steps away, phone in hand, already fighting online fires before they fully started. She looked tired but still alert, like she always did when things were about to explode.“Livestream numbers are insane,” she said quietly. “Every rumor page is tuned in.”“Let them watch,” I
VICTORIAI didn’t say it back.The words hung between us heavily, like something fragile. Clark stood there, waiting. He didn’t push or move closer. He just watched me with those steady eyes of his that always made me feel seen in a way I didn’t fully enjoy.Love was messy. Love made people stupid. I had already been stupid once.“I know,” I said instead.His brow creased. “That’s all?”“Yes.”Silence stretched awkwardly. “You’re not surprised,” he said.“No,” I replied. “I saw it coming.”“When?” he asked.“The night you chose to stay even after you realized I wouldn’t soften for you.”He let out a slow breath. “That wasn’t a different condition.”“I know.”He stepped closer anyway. Close enough that I could smell him. He smelled clean, warm, and dangerous in a way that made my body react even when my mind stayed calm.“You don’t feel it?” he asked.I met his gaze. “I didn’t say that.”“But you won’t say it.”“No.”“Why?”Because love was a weakness people liked to dress up as stren
CLARKI didn’t find out what Victoria traded until hours later.That was the problem. With her, the danger was never loud. It moved quietly. Isabella was safe. That part mattered. I watched her walk into the secure house with shaky hands and stubborn pride, alive and angry and breathing hard. She didn’t cry. She never did when it counted. She just nodded at me and said, “She paid for this.”I didn’t like how she said it. I didn’t like how calm Victoria was when she arrived afterward.She walked in like she had just closed a normal meeting. Her hair was neat. Her face was blank. Her eyes were sharp. Too sharp, in fact.“What did you give him?” I asked.She took off her coat slowly and handed it to a guard. “Good evening to you too.”“I’m serious,” I said. “Daniel doesn’t let people walk away just like that.”She looked at me then. Really looked. Her mouth curved into a little smile that didn’t look soft or kind.“You’re worried,” she said.“I’m supposed to be,” I replied.“That’s not
VICTORIAThe moment Isabella said the word gun, something in me went very still.I didn’t panic or let fear cloud my thoughts. I was focused.I didn’t raise my voice. I didn’t ask useless questions. I didn’t tell her to fight or stall or be brave. Isabella didn’t need that. She needed me to be sharp.“Put it on speaker,” I said calmly.There was a pause. Then I heard a small shuffle in the background.“It’s on,” a man said. It wasn’t Daniel. This was a different voice, and it sounded confident and annoying at the same time.“Good,” I replied. “Now tell me where you are.”The man laughed. “Straight to business. I like that.”“I don’t,” I said. “Talk faster.”There was another pause. I could hear Isabella breathing. She was brave, holding it together like this.“For now, all you need to know is that she’s alive,” the man said.“That’s not enough,” I replied.“It should be.”I leaned back in my chair and crossed my legs. Clark stood across the room, already moving, while trying to read m







