LOGINSADIE’S POV
“Watch me.”
His words slithered between us like a match striking flame, sparking something I had fought for years to bury.
Before I could push him away, Damon moved—faster, stronger than I remembered.
His hand slid from my arm to my waist, dragging me back against him, and with one sharp step forward he drove me against the cottage wall. The impact knocked the air from my lungs, the cold wood pressing hard into my spine.
I gasped, palms braced against his chest, but it only made his body press closer. He wasn’t crushing me—not yet—but the sheer force of him, the dark wall of heat and muscle, pinned me in place.
“Let me go,” I demanded, though my voice came out low, hushed, betraying the way my pulse thundered.
DAMON'S POVIt was ten at night. The office was empty except for the low hum of the air conditioner and the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. I was about to leave when the door burst open without a knock.Theo stepped inside.I froze—not from surprise, but from the audacity. Still, I kept my face straight, unreadable.“You lost?” I asked coldly, slipping my hands into my pockets.“We need to talk,” he said, his voice tight.“About what?”“Sadie,” he replied. Then, after a beat—“and her son.”I tilted my head slightly, feigning confusion. “Son?”It had been a month since I left that city… the city where Sadie and Daven lived. A month since I last saw her eyes—haunted, but soft when she looked at me.A month since I told myself leaving was the right thing to do.Theo’s lips curved in a humorless smile. “Don’t pretend you don’t know. I might not be around Sadie all the time, but I’ve known her longer than you. Better than you. And I know you didn’t come to the gala last month for b
BELLA’S POVRandall chuckled beside me — low and condescending. The sound crawled under my skin.“So now you finally see it,” he said, lazy and satisfied. “The picture’s bigger than just Damon, Bella. You’ve been too distracted chasing his ghost.”“Don’t you dare lecture me,” I snapped. “You promised me Damon — and everything that comes with him.”He only laughed darker. “I promised you power. Damon was just the bait you chose to bite.”Something in me wanted to break—to scream, to throw something at him— but the look in his eyes warned me off.Randall was enjoying this: my unraveling, my fury, my need for control. I refused to make it easy for him.“Fine,” I said through clenched teeth. “Then help me finish this. You said you couldn’t find Sadie — find her now. If that brat is truly Damon’s son, we erase the problem at the root.”Randall rose smoothly, circling the desk until he was close enough for me to smell smoke on his breath. He brushed a stray hair from my face with mock tende
BELLA'S POVI hated the smell of this place. Randall’s office reeked of cigars, whiskey, and old money — the kind of stench that clung to men who thought they owned the world.The Empire Prince building towered over the city like his personal kingdom. On paper, it was all legitimate business — luxury investments, real estate, entertainment. But underneath that glittering name, everyone knew what really kept the empire alive: gambling clubs, drugs, escorts, the kind of darkness that thrived behind velvet curtains.Even my father had once fallen into his web. Now, he was nothing more than one of Randall’s obedient pawns.And me? Maybe I wasn’t any different.I slammed the door shut behind me, anger pulsing hot and bright in my chest.“What the hell is wrong with you?” I snapped, my heels clicking against the marble as I strode to his desk. “You promised me you’d find Sadie. You promised me you’d end her. But she’s still out there breathing, isn’t she?”Randall didn’t even look up. He sa
DAMON'S POVLeaving the city where Sadie and Daven lived was the hardest thing I’ve done in years.Every instinct in me wanted to turn the car around to see them again, to make sure they were safe, to just… breathe in the proof that they were real.But I couldn’t. Not yet.I had to be discreet. Careful. Because if my suspicions were right — if Theo was truly working with my father to eliminate me — then knowing that Sadie meant something to me would put her and Daven directly in their line of fire.And I couldn’t risk that. Not again.If they discovered how much she still meant to me, or how easily that boy had carved his way into my chest, everything would spiral out of control.So I did what I’ve always done best — controlled the narrative, one move at a time. No mistakes. No traces. Because the stakes weren’t just mine anymore. Their lives were on the line.I needed to calculate everything with precision — every step, every word, every silence.When I went to the city where Sadie l
SADIE’S POVA chill crept up my spine.The way Damon’s voice dropped when he mentioned the private investigator made the air around us feel heavier, darker.He told me how the man had been tracing old records, digital footprints, and connections that somehow led back to Theo. How certain things didn’t add up. How someone had tampered with proofs, the security feeds — erased traces from years ago.I tried to swallow, but my throat was dry.“You’re saying Theo was behind Grandpa’s death… and your accident? Why would he do that?”Damon’s expression didn’t change, but his silence said everything. When he finally spoke, his tone was low, measured, like he was forcing control over something far more dangerous.“I still don’t know his motive. It’s possible he was working with my father.” His eyes narrowed. “All I know is—even Matthew can’t be trusted anymore.”“About Matthew…” I hesitated. “He was threatened. By your father.”His head snapped slightly, eyes darkening. “Threatened? For what?”
SADIE'S POVHis body caged me against the wall, one arm braced beside my head, his breath steady but heavy with something that felt dangerously close to longing.My heart was already betraying me—pounding too fast, too uneven. I hated that I still wanted him.I could feel every thread of the old pull—the one that used to undo me with a single look.But I couldn’t do this anymore. Not when every memory of him still hurt, not when his wedding ring still gleamed like a cruel reminder between us.I pressed my palms against his chest and slid sideways, freeing myself from his hold. My tears broke before I could stop them, hot and silent, falling down my cheeks.How could I ever trust Damon again? After everything? Why did it feel easier to fall back in love with him than to protect myself from him?He was still married—to Bella. That should’ve been enough to stop everything.But before I could move farther away, he reached for me, his fingers wrapping around mine. His grip was firm, but th







