[Avery's POV]"Like hell I'm going to just let you leave after what you've done!" Gregory snaps, grabbing me and throwing me against the floor, so pain shoots through my chest. "I think it would be better to call the police for breaking and entering.""Breaking and entering?" I repeat, trying to ignore the pain I'm feeling. "And what evidence do you have that this is what is going on here?""How else do you explain it?""She's here with me."Eyes widening, I watch as Atlas exits the elevator and looks around at the scene that is taking place."Why are you not in bed?" He continues, shooting Gregory a glare. "What the hell have you done?"For a moment, Gregory remains silent as he looks from me to Atlas and back."What did you just say?" He asks slowly. "Because I don't think I heard you correctly.""Then let me say it clearer," Atlas responds. "Avery is here like this because she is with me."There it was. The truth was out in the open, and there was no going back from this point. Gre

[Avery’s POV]"Vacation?"My eyes widen as I take in Atlas as he hovers over me with a broad smile on his face."That’s right," he announces, leaning down and kissing my lips. "You’ve been through so much these past few months; I thought it would be nice to take you somewhere to unwind. What do you say?"What could I say? After everything, a vacation sounded lovely, but was now really the time for that?Another two weeks had passed, and I was fully healed and able to go back to work at the strip club, but Atlas insisted instead of doing that, I should go back to Jennings International so that I could help with overseeing the cooperation between them and The Franklin.Though I was hesitant about that given my grand exit from the company, but in the end, I would never grow if I didn’t go back to work in a place that had to do with my major. I would simply remain in debt and look like I was leeching off of Atlas when our relationship was made completely public."Doesn’t your cooperation

[Avery’s POV]I examine myself in the full-length mirror, taking in the flowy white dress with sparkling rhinestones that Atlas had bought me for the evening and trying to ignore the imposter syndrome that was suddenly taking place.I knew that I said I wanted him to announce our relationship to the world for a sense of security, but now that the moment had arrived, I was suddenly nervous beyond belief."Little minx," his voice calls as the man himself enters the room dressed in a form-fitting black suit with a white button-down beneath it and a black bowtie. His salt and pepper hair is slicked back, allowing the perfect view of his handsome face and piercing blue eyes. "Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet now.""Kind of," I admit, keeping my gaze on his reflection as he approaches. "What if I embarrass you?"In a way, I felt like a little girl playing princess, and when I truly walked into his world, I realized that I didn’t truly belong."You’ll be fine," he assures me, zipping u

[Avery’s POV]The sound of a phone buzzing again and again, begging to be picked up, rouses me from my sleep, making it impossible to continue.Sighing, I reach out in an attempt to grab it, only to find that my hand comes down on a solid figure."Ignore it."Atlas’ soothing voice fills all my senses, and for a moment I want to, but I know that I have put out many resumes in hope of finding work.Prying my eyes open, I begin to look around until I find it sitting on the dresser just across the room."Didn’t I say ignore it?" Atlas asks as I attempt to get up. "I’m sure it isn’t important."Frowning, I fix my gaze on his and try to determine exactly why he is so insistent that I ignore my phone like that."Did something happen?" I ask, feeling a sudden sense of foreboding begin to rush through me."Have you completely forgotten last night?"Last night….Suddenly, images of the banquet and that man's words slammed into me."Shit," I hiss, realizing just how whiny I had been afterwards.

[Atlas’ POV]"How about this one?"I stare down at the ring that is on display. It is the fifth or sixth one that the showroom worker has shown me, but it still doesn’t quite seem to call to me.After making it clear to the press and the world that Avery was my future wife, I came straight to the jewelers without thinking, and I had been here since, continuing to look through ring after ring in hopes of finding the one that would look perfect on Avery’s finger.Although we had only been together for a few months, I felt maybe this would be enough to show just how serious I was about her and about us.Since Trent had spoken to her, it was becoming increasingly clear that Avery wasn’t very confident in our relationship, and I wanted to do whatever I could to ease her worries."Well?" The clerk asks, snapping me out of my head. "What about this one?""No," I respond, taking in the square diamond with an emerald inlay around it. "This one still won’t do.""Then let me find another that ma