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82. Common Reason

Author: Meminger
last update Last Updated: 2025-03-17 23:29:37

Bethany POV

The luxurious restaurant felt almost suffocating, with its golden lights and the muffled sound of elegant conversations surrounding me. I sat at a corner table, drumming my fingers on the white linen tablecloth, my stomach churning with anger and humiliation.

I had come here to meet a mysterious woman who had promised juicy information about Venus—information that, according to her, could ruin that woman’s career. I didn’t have anything personal against Venus, at least not until she started hovering around Josh, messing with what was mine. And after the dreadful weekend I’d just had, I was more than ready to take my anger out on someone.

My mind was still trapped in the humiliating scene from that morning, and as I waited, the memories swallowed me like a whirlwind. I had woken up next to Josh, still in his bed, my body warm against his, believing that the night we spent tending to him—after he stumbled in drunk and cursed at me—might have changed something.

I washed him,
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  • Traded For His First Love    2: A Fragile Morning

    Vivian POVThe morning light slipped through the gauzy curtains of our bedroom, casting a soft, dappled glow across the quilt where Ernest and I lingered, tangled in the warmth of each other’s arms. His breath was steady against my neck, his arm a comforting weight across my waist, and I pressed closer, reluctant to let the day pull us from this quiet haven. The world outside—New York’s restless hum, the demands of Williams Jewels, the shadow of Brian’s venom seeping into Graham’s heart—felt distant here, in the cocoon of our bed. Ernest’s fingers traced lazy circles on my back, his voice a low, teasing murmur. “Can we just skip the day, Viv? Stay right here, just you and me?”I smiled, brushing a kiss along his jaw, his familiar cedar scent grounding me like an anchor. “You’re gonna get us both fired, Mr. Williams. Some CEO you are.”He chuckled, his eyes crinkling with the boyish charm that had stolen my heart when we were kids, sneaking glances in the schoolyard before his family’

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  • Traded For His First Love    Epilogue: Life Ever After

    Reese POV New York, Months Later It was a beautiful spring afternoon, and Reese Hudson-Goodwin decided to prepare a brunch and invite her closest friends for the occasion. Life in New York was better than expected. Despite moving with apprehensions, the Goodwins quickly settled into the city with the help of their friends. Although Elliot had to return to London from time to time to manage his family’s business, when he was in New York, he worked remotely, giving him more time to be present in the lives of his beloved wife and adored children. He was loving it, even taking up gardening in the backyard of their new home. Avie was his best companion, as the little girl loved playing in the dirt and, above all, her father’s company. Reese, who had returned to using her pseudonym Venus and recently opened her new atelier, was celebrating the opening’s great success. The local media couldn’t stop talking about it; everyone wanted to see her work, and she finally felt truly welcomed.

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