EthanA hand clapped against my shoulder, and I turned to see an old friend grinning at me.“Ethan! Congratulations, my friend. You’ve done so well for yourself. And to have Cole Buckman himself at your engagement party… that’s really huge, man.”I gave him a tight smile and nodded politely. “Thank you for coming,” I murmured, and soon he moved on to greet someone else.But my head wasn’t in the room. Not really.My thoughts were still stuck on what I had just seen… or rather, what I had just heard.Who would have thought?Just a few minutes earlier, I had been standing near the balcony, eyeing Jason across the hall. I’d been meaning to speak to him about business, and had started moving toward him when I saw it.A brief glance.Jason’s eyes met Cole’s, and in that one silent exchange, something passed between them. They didn’t even need to speak. They just… left. Together.It was strange enough to make me pause. My instincts instantly kicked in — I felt there was something those two
SkylarAmber and I stood near the wine table as we sipped our drinks, slightly apart from the crowd.“You know… you really shouldn’t have doubted me,” she said suddenly.I arched a brow at her. “About what?”“About Amelia.” Amber’s lips curved in a knowing smile, but her eyes were serious. “What if she had actually deceived you all and her meeting with Cole wasn't even a coincidence?”I exhaled slowly, glancing at my fruit wine. “I don’t know, Amber… Sometimes I still found it hard to believe that someone who looked so innocent and pure could be… that deceptive. I mean, I even pitied her once when I heard her sad story.”Amber scoffed — loudly enough for a couple of guests near us to turn briefly. “And that’s the problem. The most dangerous ones are usually the ones who wear masks of innocence and purity. They act harmless so you lower your guard, but once they drop that mask… you’ll see how ugly they are on the inside.”Then she added, “I sincerely wish that Cole could just send her
ColeThe day of Ethan’s engagement party had finally arrived.I heard my father and Vanessa had gone all out for the event. I also knew that this event was a place for my father and Ethan's supporters to gather, so I was anticipating seeing some of them today at the party and also reminding them that, even with the support of the Rothem family, they did not stand a chance.But my thoughts froze the moment I saw her.Skylar was slowly descending the staircase, and for a second, I forgot about the party, about Ethan, about everything else. This was the first time — thanks to Amber’s influence — that I’d actually let Skylar choose her own dress instead of having my designers prepare something for her.And I had to admit… she’d done more than well. She looked breathtaking. The dress she chose brought out her elegance in a way I hadn’t quite expected, and yet it still held a quiet confidence that was all hers.For a brief moment, I was pulled back to the first time we’d gone to the family
ColeI was deep into a stack of reports, while my mind kept ticking through the next set of calls I had to make. I didn’t notice the time until my phone rang.It was the internal line from my secretary.I reached over and picked it up, my eyes still on the papers.“Yes?”“Sir, your wife is here to see you,” she said.My pen froze in place.Skylar?I glanced at the clock.Wasn’t she supposed to be shopping with Amber? She had told me that morning that they were going shopping for the engagement and probably wouldn’t be back till early evening.“She’s here?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.“Yes, sir.”“Let her in,” I said without hesitation. Then I added, “And next time, there’s no need to alert me when she comes. She can always come in.”“Yes, sir.”I set the phone down and looked toward the door, wondering why she’d be here so suddenly.A few seconds later, the door opened, and Skylar walked in.The first thing I noticed wasn’t her clothes, her hair, or even the shopping bags she d
AmeliaI heard it — a soft, sharp gasp — from somewhere behind us.It was quick, almost like someone had accidentally let the sound slip out, but I caught it. Lorenzo caught it too. Our eyes met for a moment. His narrowed.“Who’s there?” His voice was calm but heavy with authority. Then he turned his head slightly toward his men. “Find whoever it is!”Two of his men moved without hesitation toward the sound.I frowned, feeling uneasy. I had been careful — so careful — about these meetings. I didn’t even take Cole’s car this time. I didn’t want anyone knowing where I was going or who I was meeting. If someone had followed me here…Lorenzo’s gaze lingered on me, his expression unreadable, before turning back toward the street. “Stay close.”I obeyed, though my thoughts were running wild. Recently, Lorenzo had been summoning me more often. Every time, it was somewhere different — a hotel, a private club, a random apartment. I was growing tired of it. But I knew I couldn’t say no. Not yet
Skylar If there was a record for the number of times someone complained in a single day, I was sure I had just broken it.“This is the third store, Amber,” I said for what felt like the hundredth time, dragging my feet as she inspected yet another gown like her life depended on it. “Why am I going through all this stress when it’s not even my engagement party?”Amber didn’t even look at me. She was holding up a long, glittering gown, her head tilted slightly as if she was analyzing some priceless treasure in a museum.I crossed my arms and added, “And don’t think I’ve forgotten—the last time, you dragged me to that spa day you swore was ‘essential.’ Now it’s shopping day again. At this rate, next week will be a full beauty bootcamp.”Finally, Amber glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. “Skylar, I’m trying to make sure you look absolutely stunning that day. Everyone should see that you’re doing way better than when you were with Ethan. I'm your fairy godmother, remember?”I groaned and r