KAI POV I sat in the back of the car on the way back to my hotel. I pulled out the letter that Lilith had written to me. And in the dim light, I read it. Dear Kai, I am one of the last people you would expect to contact you. I left without a word all those years ago and I would like to start by saying that I would have given anything for our circumstances to be different so that I could stay with you. At the very least, I would have liked to tell you the reason for leaving. Please know that I did it solely to protect myself and my family. I need you to contact me as soon as you are able. I have some important news that you would want to know. At the very least, you have a right to know. This is not a plot to rile you up and I am hoping that you will regard the emotions with which we met each other and contact me despite me leaving. I understand that you have a life and people who may not approv

It was two in the morning when I could muster up enough self-control to place the call.“Kai.”My father said nothing else, and I knew he had known all along. I would bet he knew exactly where I was at that moment.‘Know thy enemy.’It was one of the basic rules of business.‘And you will know how to defeat him.’“I am not going to ask you how long you have known, or why you never told me. I think I can figure that out on my own. For now, I am only going to tell you one thing: stay away from them.”There was no immediate response.“What exactly is that you think you know, Kai?”I clenched my teeth. “I know enough and in the next forty-eight hours, I plan to know it all.”He snorted. “Let me tell you what you know. You know that a woman you spent a short time with years ago, and for whom that time didn’t end as she would have liked.

Kaiden and I settled into our room before making our way downstairs. Kai had informed us before he left that it was dinnertime, and we were to meet him in the formal dining room that was just off the kitchen. I only hoped that I remembered where it was.We would be dining with Kai and Emma, a very daunting thought. Emma Rivera was the matriarch of her impressive family, albeit a fairly unconventional one, given my experience of her with her on two previous encounters. She certainly did not meet the expectations one would have of a political socialite.Kai was in the dining room, facing one of the windows, hands in his pockets. He turned suddenly upon our entrace, greeting us with what seemed to be excitement before he seated Kaiden and them me for dinner. I could have sworn I felt his hand on the small of my back as he did, but I couldn’t imagine a reason for him to do so.He disappeared into the kitchen as Kaiden and I looked at the impressive spread of f

It was a beautiful evening, mom served an early dinner out by the pool. Summer, to my mother, meant lots of barbecues and summer cocktails. My father and I were grilling while Kaiden helped mom and Lilith prepare the salads and got stuck into the drinks.Kaiden was happy with just a glass of fruit juice that mom prepared for her as it looked exactly like the cocktails the adults were having.As we ate, it appeared my father had decided to stay silent and Lilith was somewhat ignoring his presence. However, as they both contributed to the same conversations and there was no obvious tension, I didn’t want to intervene. But one wrong word and I would kick my dad out.Surprisingly, Dad was incredibly attentive to what my mother needed, topping up her drink from the cocktail jug, serving her food, and making sure she was comfortable. He was in suck-up mode and I could imagine the berating he had received the night before after his deplorable behavior at the dinn

LILITH POV:For my son, I had tried to keep my emotions at bay, but I wasn’t sure how much more my heart could handle. I could do anything for my son to be happy and healthy and loved. But I wasn’t sure how much more I was capable of giving while my heart was being trampled on.How could a smart man like Kai be so stupid and thoughtless and think that his actions wouldn’t invoke some sort of reaction in me? That kiss… It was brief but beautiful.I ran towards the greenhouse which was the farthest from the house, needing to find some space away from everyone to help calm myself down. And if I was honest, to yell and scream as my anger grew by the moment.“Lilith?” I heard Kai’s desperate yelling as I passed through the door.A few moments later, I heard his footsteps on the concrete floor. “Lilith? Sweetheart?” he continued as I kept my back to him, my arms wound around my middle as if trying to