LOGINJulian's pov. "What makes you think you're special?"Clara's smile disappeared almost immediately, as she slowly lowered her hand.The playful look on her face turned into a frown before she forced a small chuckle. "Oh, come on, Julian," she said, leaning back and resting her hands on her lap."I know you've been under a lot of stress lately with the company. You're just busy.""Being busy doesn't mean I want unexpected visitors interrupting my workday, Clara," I said firmly. She stiffened slightly, her eyes searching my face for what I couldn't quite figure out.But I knew, this wasn't the reaction she had planned for. She glanced down at her red dress, then back at me with a deeper frown. "Are you angry with me?"she asked softly, her voice dropping into that quiet soft tone she usually used when she wanted me to comfort her.I didn't answer right away. My eyes shifted to the bouquet of red roses resting right on top of my desk. A week ago, I might have thought it was a sweet
Julian's pov.I didn't even bother looking up from the thick stack of documents on my desk when the door was pulled open. "What is it this time?" I asked, pushing a few strands of hair out of my face. My assistant, Mark, stepped into the room holding a document against his chest with a pale look on his face. "Mr. Vance, I'm sorry to disturb you, but we found several errors in the company's account that need your immediate review. The numbers aren't balancing." He said, his voice trembling slightly. I threw my pen onto my desk, before saying, "Are you being serious right now, Mark? What exactly do I pay you for if something this simple has to be brought directly to my desk? Figure it out!""Sir, I tried," Mark said, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's just... usually, Lady Nora goes over these reports first. She always catches the missing entries before they reach your desk."The room went silent immediately, hearing her name felt like a slap across my face. My hand on the des
Nora's pov. "With respect, ma'am, this isn't about running," Officer Patel said. "It's about keeping yourself safe.""He's right, Nora," Maya said, turning to me. "You're not staying here tonight. End of discussion."I looked around the living room, my gaze falling on the sealed plastic bags on the coffee table. The apartment felt different now, it seemed bigger and made me uncomfortable. But still, I didn't want to leave. Yet the thought of having an intruder in my house made my stomach turn in fear. "Okay, I'll go ahead and pack some thing's." I said softly. Maya let out a sigh in relief, "Thank you."Officer Hargrove picked up one of the sealed plastic bags before looking up, "We'll test all of this for fingerprints at the station. If anything comes up, or if we get a lead on Clara, I'll call you immediately.""Do you think you can actually find who sent it without an address?" I asked, fiddling with the hem of my trousers. "It's hard to say," Hargrove admitted. "We'll also re
Across the city, in a slightly bright apartment, the light from a laptop screen shone directly on Clara's face. Takeout boxes and discarded papers were scattered across the space around her.The moment her phone beside her buzzed, she immediately picked it up and seeing it was a text from the investigator she hired, her lips stretched into a smile. 'Ma'am, we have eyes on the target. She has been hired as the lead architect for the Kensington cultural museum expansion. The budget is about forty million dollars. Marcus Hayes is a primary shareholder.'Clara read the text over and over again, her knuckles turning white as her grip tightened around her phone. "That crippled nobody is leading a forty-million-dollar project?" she whispered into the empty room, the hatred in her voice was unmistakable. She slowly stood up and paced around the messy room for a few seconds before stopping in front of a full body mirror. She stared at her reflection, raising her hand to touch her hair. "No
Nora's pov. I lifted my pencil for a moment, staring down at what I had just finished drawing. Just as I made to continue, my door was suddenly pushed open. "Nora?" Professor Vance's assistant called out, stepping into the office. "Professor Vance would like to see you in his office. He has Mr. Hayes on the phone for you." I frowned, Maya had told me specifically that Marcus Hayes was a primary investor and key stakeholder at this firm. Why would he be asking for me? I wiped my sweaty palm on a napkin, adjusted my dress before taking a deep breath. I made my way down the quiet hallway and toward the conference room. "Excuse me." I muttered, pushing the door open and stepping inside. Professor Vance looked up from his desk with a small smile on his face. Behind him, the wall-mounted screen displayed Marcus Hayes. "Ah, Nora. We've been waiting for you. Please take a seat," Professor Vance said, gesturing toward the leathered chair beside him. "Good afternoon, Mr Hayes
NORA’s POVThe morning light in London was soft and grey, filtering through the tall, sparkling windows of my new apartment in Kensington. Outside, the classic red double-decker buses rolled past historic stone buildings, and the damp air carried the quiet, steady rhythm of a city that never stopped moving.I stood by the kitchen counter, holding a warm ceramic mug of tea between my hands. I looked down at my left leg. The damp English weather always brought a dull, familiar ache to the deep, jagged scars along my thigh and hip—the permanent reminders of the night I pulled Julian from the burning wreckage of his sports car.For three years, that pain had been a constant companion in a gilded cage. Julian had treated it like a fragile glass liability, using my physical vulnerability to keep me locked away in his penthouse while his sense of moral debt slowly suffocated my soul. But here, in London, the ache felt different. It wasn't a prison sentence. It was simply a part of my sto







