LOGINJayden's POVI left the table before anyone else.Didn't say much. I didn't need to. My father was still seated, taking his time the way he always did after dinner. My mother had gone. Joanna was already on her phone.And Mia was still sitting there.I didn't look back.I sat on the edge of the bed and just stayed there for a moment.The evening kept replaying. Not all of it. Just pieces. The kind that sticks without asking permission.Mia showing up at that table wasn't something I planned. Joanna did that. My mother probably knew. Nobody told me and nobody was going to apologize for it either. That was just how things worked in this house.What bothered me more than Mia being there was how she acted like nothing had happened. Like two nights ago wasn't a thing. Like she hadn't shown up at my hotel room uninvited and I hadn't sent her out. She'd sat beside me tonight smiling and talking and reaching for things across the table like she belonged there.She didn't belong there.I pulle
Ellie’s POVI walked out of the gym without looking back.The hallway was cool and quiet and I kept my steps steady. One foot in front of the other. That was all I needed to focus on right now.The deal was done. Terms agreed. Two years and then freedom. That was what I wanted and I'd gotten it.So why did the air feel heavier out here than it did in there?I pushed the thought away before it could settle and kept walking.I heard them before I turned the corner into the living room.Joanna's voice came first. Then laughter. Then another voice underneath it that made my feet slow without my permission.I knew that voice.I straightened up and walked in.Joanna was on the couch, relaxed and unbothered the way she always was in her own space. And beside her sat a woman I had only heard through a wall. Never seen face to face.Until now.Mia was the kind of beautiful that walked into a room already knowing what it did to people. Polished. Put it together. Everything was arranged just rig
Ellie's POVI woke up to silence.I turned over slowly. The room was empty. I sat up and looked around. No sign of him. Like he'd never been there at all.He had left the room yesterday and hadn't returned. I remembered my threat. I was sure he was going to return to the room today. But none of the things he took away with him was here. I got up, freshened up and stood in the middle of the room for a moment. Part of me wanted to walk to the guest room and check. See if he'd gone back there after I slept.I stopped myself.I wasn't going to walk around this house looking for my arrogant husband. That wasn't who I was.I headed downstairs. Irina was at the foot of the stairs arranging flowers on the side table. She looked up when she heard me."Good evening Mrs Ellie” "Good evening Irina." I kept my voice easy. "Have you seen Jayden?""Yes ma'am. Mr Spark has been at the gym after he returned from work”The gym. Of course."Thank you."I found it on the far side of the ground floor. T
Jayden's POVThe drive back from the office was quieter than usual.More presentations went well today. More companies were coming to invest. The investment group was closer to signing than they'd been this morning and I should have been focused on that. On the deal. On what came next.Instead my mind kept drifting back to breakfast.That smile.She'd sat across that table like she owned every inch of the room and smiled at me like she already knew how the day was going to end. Did she already know she could use my father against me? And I'd walked out thinking I was ahead of it.I wasn't.I'd barely set my bag down when one of the house staff approached me."Mr Spark. Your father would like to see you in his study."I looked at him for a moment. Then nodded.I knew this was coming. I just didn't think it would be waiting at the door for me.I knocked once and pushed the door open.My father was at his desk. He looked up, gestured to the chair across from him. I sat.He didn't rush.
Ellie's POV I walked upstairs to my father in-law's study room where he called for me. I had gone back to my room after breakfast, when he sent the maid to call me. She led me into the study room. I noticed how big it was. I moved slowly to the side, as I touched most of the books. I've never seen a study room this big and spacious. My father's own was nothing compared to this one. The bookshelves were neatly arranged. He didn't have to. I noticed the books were arranged accordingly. This is huge and lovely. “Ellie” Mr Spark called, as he walked behind me to the place where his table and chairs were. That was a different room itself. Yes! They're billionaires, but they do have a very good taste. I'd give them that and still commend them. I walked with him and he directed me to a chair to sit as he sat on his chair opposite mine with a table across. The chair felt too straight. The table between us was too wide. I folded my hands on my lap and sat like someone waiti
Jayden's POVI shut the door behind me harder than I intended.What a gut. I'd barely known her a day and she'd already locked me in my own bathroom. My own bathroom. In my own house.I stood in the hallway for a moment, jaw tight.She was something else. I'd give her that.I started walking. The further I got from that room the clearer my head became. But not clear enough. Her words were still following me down the corridor.Cheater.I almost stopped walking at that.I didn't cheat. Mia came to my hotel room uninvited. I sent her out. Nothing happened. But somehow Ellie had already drawn her conclusions and handed me a verdict before I could say a word.How did she even find out about Mia? Did she hear something? Or was she just guessing and I'd walked right into it by saying nothing?I exhaled.The thing is, I couldn't even be fully angry. Because from where she was standing it probably looked exactly like what she said it was. The groom disappears on wedding night. Shows up the nex







