LOGIN~ Camelia POV ~"You're insane, Gwen. If you think I'll let you blackmail me with that..." I tried to finish the sentence, but my voice shook too much, cutting me off.She rolled her eyes, the smug smile never leaving her lips. "Oh, Camelia. You can say whatever you want, but I know I've got you exactly where I want you." She took a slow step closer. "I'm sure you don't want me posting this video online. You don't want Luke, or even Asher, to be humiliated in front of the whole world."She clicked her tongue, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Do you have any idea what this would do to the Stone family's reputation? It would destroy them."My eyes filled with tears, blurring my vision. There were only two people in the world Gwen could have gotten that video from and that was Anya and Peter.The thought that my own flesh and blood had done this made my hands curl into tight fists. A single tear slipped free, rolling hot down my cheek. Just when I thought I had finally managed to put
~ Camelia POV ~I turned off my computer and rose from my chair, stretching my stiff shoulders. I felt much lighter than I had before. It turned out Becca's words were exactly what I needed to pull myself together and stop worrying.I grabbed my bag from the desk and walked toward the exit. After everything that had happened today, all I wanted was to go home, lock my door, and leave the stress of the day behind.But the moment I stepped out into the quiet corridor and headed toward the elevator, I came across Gwen.She was walking toward the elevators, her steps slow as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. It was obvious she had just come from Luke's office, and things hadn't gone well.A chill ran down my spine, and a strong urge hit me to turn around and go back to my office until she left the building. But before I could take a step back, she looked up and caught my eye.Gwen quickly wiped her face, lifting her chin to hide the fact that she had been crying. The sadness vanished,
~ Luke POV ~"Sir, here is the list of executive guests who recently checked into the hotel, just as you requested," Mila said, placing a file in front of me."Alright, I'll look into it later," I said. She nodded softly and turned to leave but I called her back. "Mila, is Asher still in his office?""No, sir." she replied, turning to face me. "He left a few minutes ago.""Okay," I said, resting my back against the chair. "I need you to inform the security unit to install a camera in his office. The stock market went down for the month. I need to know what he does in there and who he brings to his office.""Okay, sir," she nodded, then turned and walked out.Once she was gone, I swiveled my chair to the side, staring at the view of the city through the glass. A smile curled my lips as my mind pulled up the memory of the look in Camelia's eyes when I pulled her close and kissed her that night. She must have thought I was too drunk to realize what I was doing.I had given her the impres
~ Camelia POV ~After a while of staring at the door, hoping to see Becca walk in, I decided to get myself busy. I pulled a stack of files toward me and opened a document on my computer screen. I hoped that if I paid more attention to work, it would help keep my mind off the clinging feeling of Asher’s touch and the sudden reality of the wedding.I forced my eyes to trace the lines of text on the screen, staring at them long enough for the words to blur. But when the door finally creaked open, I blinked and realized I hadn't been paying attention to the work at all. The moment my focus slipped, my mind had gone right back to the previous night, to the way Luke had kissed me."Are you okay?" Becca asked as she walked in. She closed the door softly behind her and took a seat on the chair opposite my desk. "You didn't sound so well when you called.""That's because I'm not, Becca," I replied. My voice sounded weak and tired, even to my own ears. "I feel like I'm losing my mind."Becca le
~ Camelia POV ~ I let out a ragged breath and splashed cold water against my face. I tapped my cheeks softly, trying to force the bright flush down. "What the hell is wrong with you, Camelia?" I mumbled to my reflection. My mind drifted right back to Asher's office. I could still feel the weight of his hand sliding under my skirt, his fingers moving against my core, and the embarrassing way my body had melted for his touch. My skin burned just thinking about it. I felt like I was losing my mind, trapped between a heavy guilt and the lingering heat he had left behind. I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, then ran my hands down my dress to smooth out the creases. Taking one deep, shaky breath to steady my pulse, I walked out of the restroom. I had only taken a few steps toward my office when Luke's voice stopped me in my tracks. "Camelia?" I froze, fixing a stiff expression onto my face before turning around. Luke was walking toward me. I forced my posture straight, pray
~ Asher POV ~"What do you want?" I asked, pissed that Luke had ruined the moment just when I had gotten started.He walked into the office. His eyes drifted to the files on the floor, the ones I had brushed off the desk. He stared at the mess, his face tightening as if he suspected something had happened."You didn't come to inspect me, did you?" I asked.He looked up from the floor. "What the hell are you doing that files are on the floor?" He took a step toward me. "Do you have a girl in this office?""Do I have to answer that?" I leaned back against the edge of my desk."Yes," he said with a grunt. "This is a company, Asher. If you want to sleep with women, don't do it here.""So, you came to lecture me?" I scoffed, turning my face away from him."Mira told me Camelia was here because she wasn't at her office. That's why I came," he answered, his gaze moving away from me to scan the corners of the room."She's not here," I said. My hand rested at my side, my fingers clenching into
~Camelia POV~“Enough with the pretense,” Peter said, his eyes filled with so much hate toward me that I never thought he was capable of it. “What do you think? That I’m a fool you can lie to and I’ll just believe you and act like nothing happened?”“No, please, Peter, that’s not what this is about
~Camelia POV~The rest of the drive to Becca’s house was in silence. I rested my head against the window, trying not to think about everything.But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Every second felt like I was caught in a bad nightmare as my mind replayed all the moments. The fact Peter had stood
~Camelia POV~I didn't know how long I had spent crying and hating myself for not seeing my sister's true color until today.My body felt so weak that I could barely hold myself up from the floor, and the sting in my eyes clearly told me that I had cried out all the tears left in me. But I couldn't
~Camelia POV~A sharp pain ran through my head as I groaned softly, shoving my hand through my hair as if to will away the ache.The scent of lavender mixed with a manly cologne coming from the room made it even worse, especially with my sensitive sense of smell, which had turned out not to be my f







