LOGINANYTAâS POVThree days after we landed, Clay stood at a podium in a midtown hotel ballroom and told the truth as honest as he could.I sat in the front row in a simple black dress, with my hands folded, watching him. The room was packed from wall to wall. Camera crews lined the back of the hall amd reporters filled every seat and stood deep along the walls. The air felt thick with anticipation, as everyone waited to hear The Owen Grayson speak.Clay looked steady in a dark navy suit I picked earlier for him. He looked very handsome, and Ai couldnât help the butterflies fluttering in my stomach.âGood afternoon,â he began, his vouce clear, a complete ray of sunshine. âMy name is Owen Grayson, and for the past ten years I have lived and worked under the name Clay Banner. Today I am confirming that identity and addressing the events of the past several months.âHe took his time to explained the long counter-operation against the remnants of his fatherâs Syndicate network. He spoke about
EVERETTâS POVI turned away from the crowd and walked.The noise of the terminal faded behind me as I moved through the flow of travelers. Cameras flashed in the distance for Clay and Anyta, and shouts followed them. I didnât look back again and walked with my head down,I reached the parking garage and found my car. The black SUV waited exactly where my driver had left it. I told him I needed a minute alone. He nodded and stepped away and I climbed into the driverâs seat, closed the door, and sat in the silence.I rested my hands on the steering wheel and stared straight ahead at the concrete wall. My mind would not stay quiet. I thought about Siena and Anyta, the two sisters who had my head in a spiral. I had lost every contact with Siena, with her flying to Europe without any goodbye. Siena and I had a complicated relationship, and I loved her more than I had ever loved anyone.Anyta was different, and the moment she had Teddy, who means everything to me, I forgot all about Siena.
ANYTAâS POVThe moment we stepped into the main terminal at JFK, the world exploded.Flashes went off like fireworks. A wall of cameras and reporters surged forward, held back only by airport security and a thin line of Clayâs private team. Shouts and voices overlapped in a chaotic roar.âOwen! Owen Grayson!ââAnyta, over here!ââIs it true you helped bring down Victor Crane?ââAre you engaged?âClayâs hand stayed firm around mine. He walked through the storm of people with a surprising calmness. I kept my chin up and matched his stride. I had faced the press before, but this felt entirely different.I was walking beside the man I loved, freshly engaged, and stepping into our future without any shame or fear whatsoever. The realization gave me the strength I needed to faced the cameras without flinching.Clay squeezed my hand once more, silently reminding me that we were doing this together. His expression beside me was the most unguarded I had ever seen in public, holding and looked
ANYTAâS POVThe silence stretched between us on the sunlit terrace.Clayâs hands held mine steadily, but I could see the uncertainty creeping into his eyes. I had been quiet for too long. Long enough that his expression had started to shift from hope to worry. I needed him to understand why.I took a slow breath and looked at him directly.âI hesitated because this is enormous,â I said softly. âAfter everything I have been through, trusting someone completely again feels so terrifying. I trusted my adopted family, Everett. Iâve trusted the world to be fair. It had all cost me more than I thought I could survive. With you, it is deeply different. But that also makes it scarier. Because if I say yes and something goes wrong, it will not just break me. It will break Teddy too, and I canât put my little boy through that.âClay stayed quiet, listening with full attention.I continued, my voice steady but honest. âYou need to know exactly what you are signing up for. Teddy is a wonderful li
CLAYâS POVThe words hung between us on the sunlit terrace.âIs right now too soon?âAnytaâs smile stayed soft, encouraging, her eyes warm in the morning light. Venice was beautiful, and the exact place to propose to a real diva, right here under the sunset with the golden light casting over us. It was nearly perfect, except that I didnât have a ring.I hadnât planned this at all to happen in Veniceâs especially.For the last ten years I had been the most careful, calculated man alive double checking every move and assessing every risk twice. And here I was on a hotel terrace in Venice, my knuckles still raw from the night before, heart hammering against my ribs like I was twenty-two again, about to do the most impulsive thing of my life.But looking at her, her beautiful hair catching the golden light, her gem of a smile Iâd spent years collecting, waiting any longer felt physically impossible.I took both her hands in mine. My thumbs brushed over her knuckles, careful of the small s
ANYTAâS POVI let out a long breath I didnât realize Iâd been holding for months. I finally felt free, kissing him without any care in the world.Clay pulled me close on the couch, breathing in our scents. For several minutes we just sat there, enjoying the weight lifted off our shoulders. I could almost cry from the excitement that finally, everything had ended. Victor was in custody, and even his guy who attempted to kill me got tied up instead. I hadnât felt this amount of peace in a long while.âWe should go back to the hotel,â Clay said softly, his fingers tracing circles on my arm. âWeâll do it the Venice way. Letâs stay in bed, order whatever we want, do whatever we like...â he said, grinning at me.I nodded against his chest. âIâd like that very much.âWe walked back slowly as the sky lightened. Venice was already waking up around us. The shutters to peopleâs windows opened, the first boats moved through the canals. Bakers carried fresh bread down the streets, filling the air
EVERETT'S POVI was already halfway out the door when she stepped into my path.âHonestly, mother, this is beginning to look like a pattern and I don't appreciate it.âIt was like she had a talent for bad timing, always appearing at the precise moment my patience was thinnest, my nerves stretched t
EVERETTâS POVâBloody hellâŠâI tossed my phone onto the cherrywood desk, and dragged a hand down my face.FrustrationâŠit seeped through my pores, tightening my core.My office had always served as a comfort spot in the company, but right now, even the plush decor and the coolness from the air condi
ANYTA'S POVAnd he did.I leaned into him just a little, letting myself enjoy it all, without worrying about anything as we sailed across the room while Clay chatted with people I had never met before, but knew were extremely important.Compliments came easily from most of them, to my surprise.âYo
AnytaThe first time I saw my face on the cover of a magazine, I thought it was just another society gossip piece. I had become used to murmurs and stares since I left the Ashbourne estate all those years ago. But when I opened the paper that morning, my stomach dropped.The headline read out to me







