LOGINARIA'S POVSleep had to be the one thing I could do for hours without getting tired of. It was only after a maid woke me up for lunch that I found out I'd slept for ten hours straight. Ten hours. I couldn't remember the last time my body had felt that peaceful, that completely disconnected from the chaos of the world.“Ugh!” The bed smelled like Xavier. I buried my face in his pillow for a moment before finally dragging myself upright.Out of boredom, I played games on my phone, watched two movies I'd already seen, and did laundry I wasn't allowed to do.Now I was sitting across from the maids in the kitchen with a bag of chips, chatting away while they made dinner. Xavier had chosen to leave the house for work without informing me. I'd woken up to an empty bed and a cold pillow, so I figured I might as well make myself useful.Or at least entertained.“So you're Betty, Sophia, Daniella, Celine, and Ashley.” I pointed at each of them in turn. “Correct?”They all nodded, excitement glo
XAVIER'S POV The door to my office flew open without warning.“Reed, are you out of your damn mind?” I snapped, rising from my chair.“I'm sorry, sir, but you need to see this.”He crossed the room in long strides and held a tablet inches from my face. The look in his eyes was enough to extinguish the rest of my anger.Something was wrong.Reed adjusted his glasses as he leaned closer to me. “A reporter from Vanguard has been working with Dean the whole time. Way before Mrs Weston got arrested.”I looked up from the tablet. “What?”“Bradley Peterson,” Reed said, handing me his tablet. “Veteran reporter at Vanguard Media and one of their most recognizable faces. He's been with the company for nearly a decade.”I raised a brow. “And?”“The problem is, this isn't the first time the reporter crossed the line. He publicly harassed Mrs. Weston when she was brought to the precinct.”I gasped. “Are you kidding me right now?”He scrolled through and played the recording.My fist clenched ben
IAN'S POVI brought out a cigarette from its pack and lit it up, dragging the smoke deep into my lungs. The boy across from me hadn't moved. He stood with his hands clasped in front of him, eyes downcast, breathing shallow. Waiting patiently for my order.I exhaled a slow stream of smoke and looked up at him.“Come here.”He dropped to his knees and crawled towards me. His palms pressed against the cold marble, head bowed to the floor, his whole body trembling.He stopped at my feet and placed his hands on his thighs.I reached down, grabbed a fistful of his hair, and yanked his head back. His eyes met mine: wide, frightened, hungry. I blew the smoke directly into his face, but he didn't flinch, just breathed it in like it was the only air he needed.My favourite type of toys? I love them submissive, needy, eager to please, hopelessly devoted, and just a little bit obsessed.And this one was getting my attention.I wrapped my hand around his neck and crashed my lips onto his.He open
XAVIER'S POVIan leaned forward and spat out his vodka. “She wants to come to Italy? Why?”“To see her lovely husband, of course.”“Xavier.” He glared at me. “That's what she wants, Ian.” I swirled the whiskey in my glass. “She thinks Italy is romantic and Milan is a fun place to be.” I smirked. “What a coincidence, right?”“Talk her out of it.” His voice was firm. “There are many other countries that are perfect for honeymoon. I'm not ready to…”“I can't.” I dragged my hand through my hair. “I can't say no to her.”“Xavier, you're not getting it.”“No, Ian.” I set my glass down. “You're not getting it. We just settled an argument that lasted six hours. Six hours. All because I tried to talk her out of working at Weston Holdings.” I looked at him through the screen. “I'm sorry, but I can't talk her out of this one.”He opened his mouth to argue.“Listen,” I cut him off. “It's been over a month since we got married. Three years since you last saw her.” I held his gaze. “Don't you mi
ARIA'S POVAfter several attempts to get me into bed with him, each one more creative than the last, I finally escaped Xavier to take a shower and have some alone time while he worked in his office.The bathroom was warm and quiet, steam already curling up from the hot water. I turned on the shower and stepped under the spray, letting it wash away the tension from the day.I poured shampoo into my palm and worked it through my hair, massaging my scalp slowly. The smell instantly filled the air. I took my time, rinsing and repeating the whole process till I felt it was clean enough.Then I grabbed the scented soap and washed down my body.By the time I stepped out, I felt like a new person, clean and totally refreshed.With a soft towel in my hands, I dried my hair until it fell in damp waves around my shoulders. Then I pulled on a pink nightdress and padded barefoot toward the kitchen.The maids were still cleaning up from dinner, moving softly in the background. I leaned against the
ARIA'S POV“Uh oh.” Zara slid her glass away and reached for her purse. “That’s my cue to leave.”“Zara, don't you dare…”She was already standing from her seat. “You're on your own, bestie.”“ZARA!”But she was gone before Xavier even got to me.Traitor.I turned back to face Xavier, lifting my chin even as my heart pounded violently. He stopped right in front of me, close enough that I could smell his cologne. His eyes dropped to the empty shot glass on the table, then back to my face.“Alcohol.” He picked up the bottle and examined the label. “Really, Aria?”“I told you, Xavier.” I drank another shot. “I don't care what you think.”“Clearly.” He set the bottle aside and pulled out Zara’s abandoned chair, sitting across from me. His knees brushed against mine beneath the small table. “I understand that you're upset, but let's go home and talk about this.”I crossed my arms. “No.”He glanced around the lounge, at the people watching, the phones pointed in our direction, the whispers
ARIA’S POV The hours blurred together until I completely lost track of time.At some point, the cold metal around my wrists stopped feeling uncomfortable and started feeling normal. That terrified me more than anything else.I sat quietly in the hard chair while officers walked past the room every
ARIA’S POV Driving back to the mansion turned out to be a terrible idea. We realized that the second the gates came into view.Reporters crowded outside the estate like vultures waiting for something dead to rot. Camera flashes exploded nonstop in the dark while journalists practically climbed ove
ARIA’S POV Right now, I should be thanking God.Honestly, I should be on my knees with my hands lifted toward the heavens in gratitude. For the first time in my twenty-five years of existence, it felt like someone else was finally fighting my battles for me.Dean Weston was suffering. And a cruel
XAVIER’S POV “Stay out of the way!”The doctor's sharp voice echoed through the hospital entrance as a gurney burst through the sliding doors. Nurses rushed around it while doctors barked instructions over one another.For a second, everything moved too fast.Dean was the first to chase after them







