FAZER LOGINELARA“Good heavens! What Killian Voken does to my little sister… I swear I should personally kill him. This cannot be healthy…”What?I snapped my head up from my lap, my laughter cutting off mid-breath as I stared in absolute surprise at the tall figure leaning against my office door. It was Julian. He was standing there with his arms crossed loosely over his chest, a thoroughly amused, teasing glint in his eyes as he watched me.Why was Julian always intercepting cute moments like this? If this continues, he would be the one being killed… by me.I quickly cleared my tight throat, firmed my lips, and dropped my smartphone onto the mahogany desk surface. But the smile just completely refused to leave my lips. It returned the next second, and I gave up warring against it.Julian let out a loud tsk then, shaking his head in mock disapproval as he stepped into the office proper, smoothly shutting the heavy door behind him.My cheeks instantly blushed a deep, hot crimson. “What on eart
ELARAI pressed the teddy bear back into its place at the corner of my desk, smiled at it for a moment that was probably too long, and opened the premium lunch pack. My mouth instantly watered as the rich, savory aroma of pan-seared truffles and premium steak hit the air, causing a low, appreciative moan to escape my lips in the quiet office.Needing to hear from him immediately, I grabbed my smartphone. I paused for a fleeting second, my thumb hovering over the screen as a practical thought crossed my mind. Was he currently locked in an important international meeting right now? My mind instantly teased me back—Does that even matter?I laughed softly, shaking my head. Not really. No matter what ungodly hour my messages arrived, or how critical his business surroundings were, Killian always replied to me within the next second. It didn't matter if he was standing right in the middle of a multi-million dollar corporate presentation. Or if he was negotiating with a client.I knew t
ELARAMy heart felt impossibly, weightlessly light.A permanent smile had taken up residence on my lips since morning, helpless and wide, and every single time I attempted to drag my focus back to the corporate files spread open across my desk, my eyes betrayed me. They drifted—inevitably, shamelessly—back to the objects cluttering my workspace like a small, intimate exhibition.The heavy car keys first. Midnight-black, engraved with a custom crest, resting against the polished wood like something out of a dream I hadn't dared to have yet. Then the flowers—lilies and orchids bundled together in a lavish arrangement, their fragrance so rich and sweet it had been softening the air in my office all morning. Beside them sat an exquisite gourmet lunch that had been hand-delivered less than fifteen minutes ago, still warm. And anchoring the entire scene, right at the corner of my desk, a plush, round-bellied teddy bear, cream-colored and soft, with a love letter looped around its neck on
SHAWNI stepped out of the bathroom, steam curling at my heels, and immediately checked the time on the guest room wall clock.10:00 AM.I frowned, a sharp line cutting into my brow. Shouldn’t the old man be at the headquarters today? It was a Thursday—a prime business day. He should be locked in a boardroom, desperately trying to keep the Linday empire afloat or orchestrating ways to handle the fallout from Elara’s sudden ascension. Or… had he been completely sacked from his positions too?I shuddered at the dark thought, a cold sweat breaking out on the back of my neck. I desperately hoped not. If the old man fell, the hefty weekly allowance he consistently transferred into my private bank account would vanish with him. As a matter of fact, the wheels in my mind started turning with a sudden, electric velocity—I might actually need to use that money today after all.The realization amped my system, injecting a rush of adrenaline into my veins that made me hurry through my dressin
SHAWNThe burning sting of the cheap whiskey coated my throat, but I barely felt it anymore. I tilted the bottle back, draining the last few drops before carelessly tossing it across the floor. It rolled lazily until it clinked against a growing mountain of green glass and empty liquor cartons strewn across the rug.The bedroom looked entirely like a wasteland, a chaotic mess of discarded clothes, stale takeout boxes, and heavy dust. It was very much stinking, a suffocating mixture of sour alcohol and unwashed linens, but I hadn't brought myself to care even a bit. For three solid weeks, I had stubbornly refused to open my door to let the maids in to clean the space—except to bring me drinks, or to let my nagging family witness my decay. I just couldn't move. The world outside was moving forward at a terrifying pace, but inside this dark square, time had completely stopped dead.I had even stopped Toby from helping me a week after that shameful engagement party. I had violently thro
MIRANDAI stared at my father in shock.Grovel? Beg?No. No. Not my father. Not the great Senator Mark Davis.Not the man people bowed to the moment he entered a room. Not the man whose name alone made ministers straighten their backs.He couldn't possibly mean—But then I looked into his face again. And something in me cracked.My father looked at me with bitter hatred, as though I were not his daughter at all but a problem he had been forced to endure.“You better kneel before Elara and beg for forgiveness,” he said coldly, every word cutting deeper than the last. “And if I lose this election because of you?”His voice shifted—lower now. Terrifyingly calm.“I swear to God, Miranda, I will spend the rest of my life reminding you exactly who destroyed this family.”The silence that followed was suffocating.And suddenly, for the first time since this nightmare began, my rage weakened.Because standing before me was no longer the powerful father I had always known.He wasn't invincible
ELARAMy assistant must think I have lost a nut in my brain with the way I kept smiling over and over again like a buffoon since I walked into the office this morning. To make matters worse, I had practically skipped into our space.I knew how ridiculous I looked because when I turned around, seco
ELARA“Killian, I can’t possibly accept these,” I managed to choke out, my voice trembling as I tried to push the box back toward him. “This is too much. Millions of dollars for a mere surprise? It’s completely insane. Take them back.”But Killian didn't even blink. He kept his eyes fixed on the ro
ELARAStanding before the full-length mirror in my bedroom, I smoothed the soft, lightweight fabric of the beautiful sundress down the curve of my hips, a breathless, giddy excitement thrumming like a wild current directly beneath my skin. Today was Sunday, and Killian was taking me somewhere… a
ELARAThe sight before me was… interesting. And… hurtful.The latter would certainly explain the tight, agonizing grip that instantly clamped around my chest, suffocating the air right out of my lungs the moment I saw Killian’s hands on another woman, holding her tight against his broad chest. I







