LOGINJORDAN"Is there anything else you'd like to order?" Ella asked, looking at me.I glanced down at the menu, the same menu I hadn't been paying any attention to."I think I'll go with whatever you've ordered.""Alright." She smiled before turning to the waiter. "We'll have just that."The waiter nodded and walked away.I exhaled slowly, tugging at my tie. I was already regretting every decision that had led me to this restaurant.For starters, being too much of a coward to stand up to my own father.My gaze drifted toward the entrance, where two bodyguards stood outside. My father had assigned them to keep an eye on me, as if I were some rebellious teenager instead of a grown man."I'm really grateful you finally agreed to meet up," Ella said, picking up her glass of wine. "We should get to know each other before the engagement party."I looked at her."Are you..." I paused, narrowing my eyes slightly. "Are you actually happy about being engaged to me?"Ella chuckled as though I'd aske
ASHLEY“Tch.”I almost laughed as I stirred my coffee, remembering my encounter with the man I'd met at the bar last night.No.I shouldn't call him a stranger anymore.Garrett.I'd bumped into him again this morning in the elevator, and I still hadn't gotten used to the irony of discovering that the handsome stranger I'd shared a drink and an awkward conversation with was actually my new neighbor.What were the odds?I sighed and left the break room, my thoughts immediately shifting when I spotted a woman in designer clothes walking toward my office.I slowed.Wait.Wasn't that Ella Warner?Jordan's supposed fiancée?The word fiancée sent an unwelcome jab through my chest.I quickly pushed the feeling away.Why was she heading toward my office instead of Jordan's?I quickened my pace until I caught up with her.“Excuse me?”I didn't bother softening my tone.She stopped and turned around.Her eyes traveled slowly from my shoes to my face, assessing me before a pleasant smile settled
JULIANSebastian and Selene got back together?Of course they did.I squeezed my eyes shut, holding the steering wheel tighter as the realization settled over me.After everything I'd told her, she still forgave him.Everything.The doubts I'd planted. The recording I'd played. Every carefully chosen word meant to make her question him.And she still went back.I let out a bitter laugh.Is that love?Or is it simply foolishness dressed up as devotion?Either way, it changed things.I'd been so close.So damn close.Sebastian was supposed to be vulnerable. Distracted. Unstable enough for the board to question whether he was still capable of running Kingsley Group.And I was supposed to be the obvious choice to step in.But now?Now he had Selene.And somehow, that woman had given him something I couldn't afford to let him have.Stability.Confidence.A reason to fight.I started the car and pulled away from the curb.Fine.If one plan failed, I'd find another.The board didn't need to
ASHLEYI chopped another carrot, then glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall for what felt like the hundredth time.11:20 a.m.Zara still wasn't home.If her things hadn't been scattered around my apartment, I might have convinced myself she'd simply left. But she hadn't. She'd disappeared without answering a single call or replying to any of my messages.I knew I'd said some things last night that I shouldn't have, but she couldn't just stay out all night in a city where she barely knew anyone.I dropped the knife onto the cutting board and reached for my phone, already dialing her number again.Before I could press call, the doorbell rang.I hurried to the door and pulled it open.Zara stood on the other side.She was wearing a hoodie I recognized immediately.My eyes narrowed. "Why didn't you pick up my calls?""Are you going to let me in, or are you going to lecture me about how irresponsible I am?" she asked.I stepped aside.She walked in, and I shut the door behind her."So..
SEBASTIAN"Did you find out who arranged the meeting?" I asked, striding beside Vincent toward the conference room."It was Julian." I stopped for half a second.Of course it was.I exhaled slowly before continuing down the hallway.Everything Selene had told me about Julian still felt unbelievable. I couldn't understand why he would lie to her, let alone deliberately manipulate her into believing I wanted a divorce.And now, as if that wasn't enough, he'd gathered the entire board of directors without even informing me.We reached the conference room, and I didn't waste another second. I pushed the doors open and stormed inside.Every head turned.The directors stared at me, surprise flashing across their faces."What on earth is going on here?" I demanded, forcing my voice to remain calm.Silence.They exchanged uneasy glances, as though none of them wanted to be the first to speak.Julian finally leaned forward in his chair. "We were discussing the future of Kingsley Group."I turn
SELENEMy eyes fluttered open to the warm glow of the morning sun spilling through the curtains.For a moment, I lay perfectly still, savoring the unfamiliar sense of peace settling over me.Then I rolled onto my side.The other half of the bed was empty.A small frown creased my forehead.If it weren't for the faint ache in my body and the fact that I was still naked beneath the sheets, I might have convinced myself that everything that happened yesterday had been nothing more than a beautiful dream.I smiled to myself before reluctantly climbing out of bed.I pulled on one of Sebastian's shirts and headed downstairs.The delicious sound of something sizzling reached me before I even made it to the living room.I followed the sound into the kitchen."Forward the report to my email."Sebastian stood with his back to me, phone pressed to his ear as he carefully lifted fried chicken from a pan."When will you arrive here, sir?" Vincent's voice came through the speaker."Before the after







