LOGIN~ Thea’s POVThe massive hundred-inch television screen was entirely black, but the image of Aunt Caroline’s weeping, perfectly powdered face was permanently burned into the back of my eyelids.I sat perfectly still in the center of Stellan’s massive bed, my knees pulled tightly to my chest. The thick, charcoal duvet was wrapped securely around my shoulders, but I couldn't stop shivering. It wasn't the room's temperature. It was a deep, violently cold tremor vibrating through my bones, born of absolute, paralyzing terror.They wanted to declare me incompetent. They wanted to strip away my fundamental human rights and lock me in a pristine, polite prison where I would never be allowed to make a single choice for myself again.And they were using my love for Stellan as the lock on the cage.On the mahogany nightstand, my cell phone vibrated with the energy of a dying insect. It had been ringing continuously for hours. Maya. Unknown reporters. Legal correspondents. Distant family memb
~ Stellan’s POVThe amber liquid in the tumbler caught the glaring, artificial light of the executive war room before I hurled it with a blind fury.The glass shattered against the far mahogany wall, sending a violent spray of three-thousand-dollar scotch raining down onto the plush carpet.My chest heaved, my breath tearing through my teeth in ragged, uneven pulls as I stared at the massive hundred-inch monitor dominating the room. The broadcast was muted, but the closed captions scrolling across the bottom of the screen were a digital execution....emergency petition with the state of New York. Immediate legal conservatorship... full, unconditional custody of the Mercer estate.Caroline Mercer’s weeping, perfectly powdered face was frozen on the screen. The sheer, unadulterated audacity of her lies was a toxic poison flooding my veins. She had stood on the steps of the Surrogate's Court and weaponized my protection, twisting it into a narrative so vile it made my blood run entirely
~ Thea’s POVI woke up to a house that was completely, terrifyingly quiet.I pushed myself up against the headboard, the charcoal sheets pooling around my waist. The morning light filtered through the heavy velvet curtains, casting long, pale shadows across the hardwood floor. I looked toward the window.I slipped out of bed, my bare feet padding softly against the cold floor, and pulled the curtain back.The sprawling grounds of the limestone estate were empty. The imposing wall of black-clad tactical mercenaries was gone. The armored SUVs that had blockaded the circular driveway had vanished. The main iron gates, which had been sealed shut like a vault just yesterday, were standing wide open.Stellan had kept his word. He had dismissed the army. He had removed the titanium locks.I turned around, leaning my back against the cold glass of the window, and looked at the heavy duffel bag sitting by the velvet armchair exactly where I had dropped it.Yesterday, that bag had represented m
~ Thea’s POVThe interior of the SUV was suffocatingly quiet, the only sound the low, powerful hum of the engine as Graham navigated us away from the media circus and back toward the estate.Thea was asleep.The sheer, catastrophic emotional toll of the morning had completely short-circuited her nervous system. The moment the doors of the vehicle had locked, sealing the flashing cameras and the screaming reporters outside, she had collapsed against my side. Her head rested heavily on my chest, her dark hair spilling over my unbuttoned collar. Her breathing was shallow and uneven.I sat perfectly still, my arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders, staring down at her pale, tear-stained face.My heart, an organ I had spent thirty-five years encasing in impenetrable ice, was tearing itself to shreds in my chest.I was a man who solved problems by dismantling them. I bought companies to gut them. I destroyed my rivals with calculated, ruinous precision. But looking at the dark circles bru
~ Thea's POVThe heavy mahogany doors of the Dean’s suite clicked shut behind me, sealing the suffocating, judgmental silence inside.I stood in the empty hallway for a fraction of a second, my hands trembling violently as the adrenaline that had fueled my terrifying display of Vaughn-level arrogance began to rapidly evaporate. I was tired."Thea!"I jerked my head up. Maya was sprinting down the hallway, her curly hair flying wildly around her face. Liam was right behind her, his expression grim. My tactical security detail instantly shifted, their hands hovering near their holstered weapons, forming a wall between us."Stand down," I commanded the lead guard, my voice cracking slightly. "Let her through."The guards parted just enough for Maya to slip past. She practically threw herself at me, grabbing my shoulders with a frantic, desperate grip. Her brown eyes were wide, bloodshot, and brimming with terrified tears."What happened?" Maya demanded, her chest heaving. "What did they
~ Thea’s POVAs Graham steered the heavy vehicle toward the main iron gates of the university, the suffocating reality of my exposed life pressed in from all sides. The sidewalks were completely overrun. A thrashing sea of reporters, paparazzi, and aggressive onlookers crushed against the police barricades, their camera lenses pressed greedily toward the glass. The muffled cacophony of their shouted questions and the blinding, strobe-light assault of camera flashes turned the morning into a waking nightmare.“Thea! Is it true? How long has he been touching you?!”“Did Stellan Vaughn force you into his bed?!”“Are you pregnant with his baby?!”I stared straight ahead, my hands folded tightly in my lap to hide their trembling. I was wearing my dark jeans and the heavy grey sweater. I knew this was coming.They were calling me a victim. They were painting me as a fragile, manipulated child who had been lured into a billionaire's trap.They had no idea that I had screamed for him to ru
~ Thea's POVGet a grip, Thea.I scolded myself, smoothing down the front of my blazer. I could still feel the ache in my hips from the kitchen counter this morning, a dull, pulsing reminder that while I was playing the role of an intern, I was currently naked under my skirt, carrying his signature
~ Thea's POVThis was a desperate attempt to flee from Ethan as fast as possible.I didn't get why he was still following me, when I strictly told him not to. I scrambled into the elevator, my breath hard, and hit the button for the lobby forcefully.The elevator doors finally slid shut on Ethan’s
~Thea's POVI woke up tangled in Stellan's arm, locked around my waist, his chest pressed to my back, his breath slow and warm against my neck. I gulped, feeling my heart race at the warmth oozing off him.His scent, cedar, raw sex, filled my lungs, addictive and filthy. I wanted to stay buried in
~Stellan's POVI am a man who understands the value of a contract. In business, a signature is a promise of profit. In my penthouse, a signature is a promise of possessing something fully.Thea Mercer thought she had it all under control.Did she really think that her friendship with Maya was a wa







