로그인Genevieve“So that leaves only one realistic option,” says Christian, standing tall in the center of his living room.“What’s that?” I ask, keeping my voice soft, almost fragile. I’m seated on his plush leather couch, having patiently listened to him spend the last twenty minutes discounting other ridiculous options that were never really options at all.It’s half past six. I’m back at Christian’s condo for the second time today. After our frantic morning meeting, I drove straight back to Grace Park to execute the most nerve-wracking part of my day: slipping back into the house and carefully returning Julian’s laptop and that damning green journal to their exact, dusty spots on his home office desk. Then, I forced myself to sit at my own computer and pretend to do some work on the charity website from home—or at least, I tried to. In reality, I was just staring blankly at the screen for hours, eagerly wondering what brilliant master plan Christian would come up with.“And mind you, I’
SarahThe blush creeps from my cheeks all the way down to my chest. I meet the eyes of my friends, unable to form words as I recount the simple sentence he’d written. How do only eight words have me wishing our party was already over and he was making good on his promise?“Is it romantic?” Winnie asks whimsically.My lips rub together coyly. “You could say that.”In one fluid movement, Emma leans forward and snatches the note from my hands. She quickly reads over the note, throwing it back into my lap with a loud groan. “I get hey you up texts and you get shit like this? Not fair,” she whines.Winnie grabs the note from my lap, doing it a lot gentler than our friend just did. Her cheeks get pink immediately as she hands it back, her eyes wide.“That wasn’t for either of you to read,” I murmur, pulling the present into my lap.“I’m glad I did. Next time a man sends me a dick pic as foreplay, I know what I’m missing out on.”I ignore the conversation between the two of them as I pull at
Sarah“Are you sure this looks bridal?” I spin in front of the mirror, catching the eyes of my best friends in the mirror. My hands run down the silk dress, marveling at the way it hugs my curves perfectly, but still leaves a little to the imagination.“You look hot as fuck,” Emma chirps from behind me. She picks up a pair of my red bottoms, raising her eyebrows as she inspects the heel.“I think you look stunning,” Winnie agrees.“Is it chic enough? Formal enough? I didn’t know when Marcus suggested an engagement party that it would be this…elaborate.”Emma hums. “Keep telling yourself that, Mar. You’re marrying into old money; every occasion is an excuse to throw a party.”I grab a pearl studded headband from the armoire in the far closet. I haven’t slept in my bed since the night Marcus and I returned from the business trip, but I’ve been insistent on keeping my closet up here instead of moving all my things in with Marcus. It’s nice to have a space that feels like my own, to have
Christian Gavin is quiet, his eyes closed tightly as he sits on the weathered park bench in Wrightwood Park. His hands are pressed flat together in front of his lips, almost as if he’s lost in deep, silent prayer.We’ve been going over this exact same puzzle for the last three hours. We started over a tense lunch, moved on to a few heavy beers, and now we’re just walking the winding paths of the park near his high-end condo in Lincoln Park. To get his help, I had to completely violate our sacred vow never to share real names—that ironclad wall we built years ago to keep our individual scams entirely separate from each other. Until this afternoon, he’d only ever known Genevieve as “Number Seven” and Julian as “Number Seven’s husband.”But running through all my options with this nightmare of a new development, it was just too damn hard to keep using clinical titles. Especially with a third player—Julian’s relentless ex-wife—crashing into the equation.So now, Gavin knows the whole tru
Sarah“It was good to see you again.” My words come out so quick they sound all jumbled as I stand up from my seat. I give them both an apologetic smile. I was really looking forward to catching up with them, but I’m seconds away from losing Beck’s retreating form in the crowd of diners.“We’ll speak with you later, darling,” Beck’s mom says, giving me a soft smile. I give them one last wave before I rush toward the exit. Beck disappeared in the few seconds it took me to say goodbye to his parents. When I fly out the front doors of the building, I’m disappointed when I don’t see Beck anywhere. My heart thumps in my chest as I look in every direction, trying to find where he went.Fighting past the panic of where he went, worried about how angry he was and him being alone, I pick a direction and search for his body through the throng of people. He’s nowhere in sight. I stop in front of a narrow alleyway, pulling my phone from my handbag in hopes I’ll be able to get ahold of him.I’m a
SarahMarcus’s Parents are seated at a secluded round table in the back corner of the restaurant, bathed in the soft, amber glow of a low-hanging chandelier. Even from a distance, the family resemblance is striking. Arthur Kane possesses the same sharp, aristocratic jawline as Marcus, though his hair is dusted with silver, and his posture carries the heavy, unyielding gravity of a man who has commanded boardrooms for forty years. Beside him sits Eleanor Kane, a woman who looks as though she were sculpted from fine porcelain. Her pearls are flawless, her tailored cream blazer immaculate, and her posture perfectly rigid.As we approach, Arthur looks up first. A sharp, knowing smile cuts across his face. Eleanor’s gaze follows, her eyes instantly dropping to our intertwined hands before sweeping up to take in my outfit, my hair, and my expression.My stomach does a nervous little flip. *Here we go.*“Marcus,” Arthur says, rising to his feet with a powerful presence that mirrors his son's
Sarah The meeting had been a bloodbath. Or rather, a clinical dissection. Marcus had excused himself almost immediately after the papers were signed, claiming a "pressing engagement" and instructing Ezra to wait for Sarah. It was a calculated move—a silent permission for the inevitable collision t
JulianThe crystal chandelier in the foyer rattled as Genevieve’s voice hit a pitch that could have shattered glass.“Julian, don’t you dare walk away from me! We are not finished!”Julian Sterling didn’t even break his stride. He adjusted the heavy gold link of his cufflinks, his face a carved mas
MarcusSarah looked stunned, clearly not expecting that to be his answer. Marcus used her silence to his advantage. Leaning forward, he gripped one of the legs of her barstool and dragged it closer. Her hands flew to the armrests to steady herself as he pulled her in until their knees bumped.“Here
SarahThe ground was swept from underneath Sarah's feet, completely catching her off guard.“Marcus!” she screamed, smacking his back with all her might. “Put me down right now.”His footsteps didn’t falter for a single beat. He continued down the hallway, undeterred by her slaps or her attempts to







