LOGINSHAWNI 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
MIRANDAA shattered glass perfume bottle exploded against the wall, raining sharp shards and expensive floral liquid down onto my marble floor.I screamed—a raw, ugly screech that tore through my throat—as I violently swept my arm across the vanity table, sending makeup palettes, luxury jewelry boxes, and designer mirrors crashing into a chaotic heap. Powders burst everywhere. Lipsticks rolled across the floor. A crystal jewelry organizer shattered beneath my bare feet, but I didn't even feel the sting.I was ugly crying, my face entirely twisted with a monstrous, suffocating rage. Thick black mascara and heavy foundation ran in dark, messy streaks down my cheeks as I violently kicked an upholstered ottoman.“I will burn them to the ground!” I shrieked into the empty room, threatening fire and brimstone on Elara, on Killian, and on their arrogant families.“I will make every single one of them pay for this!”My voice cracked so badly that the last words came out broken and hoarse.Su
KILLIANI was so fucking restless.Sitting rigidly in the spacious leather backseat of the luxury sedan with my parents, I subtly shifted my weight, my muscles locking up as I carefully placed my hands directly over my crotch to hide the painfully visible growth straining against the fabric of my tailored trousers. I tightly held back a heavy, frustrated sigh when the low, distinct sound of my mother snickering softly with my father cut through the quiet interior of the vehicle.I silently cussed myself a thousand times over for not taking my own personal sports car for a drive tonight. But after leaving Elara’s residential wing, I had been so completely, deeply trapped inside my own head that I hadn't even thought to protest when my mother had playfully grabbed my arm like I was a blushing bride and walked me directly into the family car.My mind now was entirely, violently consumed by the image of Elara. More specifically, the raw, undeniable yearning I had seen pooling in her beau
ELARAThe air outside the Grand Pavilion was beautifully quiet. The night itself felt almost magical.Above us, the sky stretched like a vast velvet canvas, sprinkled with thousands of crisp stars. A cool evening breeze drifted across the estate grounds, rustling the heavy leaves of the oak trees and carrying away the last faint notes of the orchestra still playing somewhere behind us.Because Killian had deliberately guided us through a more private service exit, we were entirely alone.And for the first time all evening… We belonged only to each other.We walked side by side down the neatly paved stone path, the distant sounds of laughter and celebration fading further and further into the background.Peace settled over me.Not the exhausted peace after a long workday, or the relief that came after surviving another board meeting.No. This was different. It was a deep, quiet contentment.And I loved it. I loved simply being beside him.My thoughts spun wildly as his steady hand rema
ELARAHearing my friend’s name, Tug blanched even further, his jaw dropping as he took a second-time staggering, unstable step backward, his bodyguards instantly following suit like frightened children."No," he gasped out, violently swallowing a full two seconds later as the reality of Fredak’s wr
ELARAMe, a loudmouth?And as if that’s not enough, Know my place?Haaa! Who and what gave him the right to tell me my place?Does he even know the place?Sure as hell not, because if he did, he wouldn’t be this stupid. He wouldn't be this vocal with his misogyny.A cold, lethal smile spread across
ELARA“Miss Elara, nice to make your acquaintance,” the leader spoke first, his voice a low, greasy rumble, as he casually slipped his thick hands into the pockets of his combat trousers.I leaned back slightly, letting my eyes travel slowly over his features to take his exact measure. He was the
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







