ELOISE “Lovely! You look like a princess!” Bonnie smiled alongside me in the mirror. Nina gave me a thumbs-up in approval. Then, we went shopping as per our schedule. We selected various designer bags and jewelry based on Nina’s choices, as usual. She mentioned that pearls, stone stud necklaces, and earrings, such as diamonds, would be necessary. I almost had a heart attack seeing the price tags I rarely encountered in my life, but the card my father provided us with was without a spending limit. We also picked out some watches, although I wasn’t sure where I’d use them, as I was fine with the one I already had. Lastly, we bought a couple of coats from Burberry that caught our fancy, even though I already had some in my wardrobe. I offered Nina some garments to take with me. After shopping, we happily dined at a casual seafood restaurant, chatting as if we were lifelong best friends. We laughed over trivial subjects unrelated to the Cunninghams. During our conversation, I discove

ELOISE Adam was here in Edinburgh, but how? How did he know where I was? Wait. Maybe he was just pranking me. He liked to play games, he liked… Oh, crap. I jumped out of bed and grabbed a hoodie from my wardrobe. Carefully, I knocked on the next door to wake Nina. She intentionally stayed in the room next to mine so I could call her when I needed something. She promptly answered the door for me, looking like I had woken her from a good night’s sleep with her scrunched-up face. “I’m sorry for waking you, Nina. I need your help.” “Is something wrong?” She rubbed her eyes. “Nothing’s wrong. Kinda.” I slipped into her room and closed the door. “Someone I know from New York is coming here in a few minutes.” She frowned. “What? That’s impossible. Maybe he’s just playing with you.” “I thought so too, but he’s not the type, and he’ll be here in less than ten minutes. Can you help me get to the gate?” “Have you been crying?” She examined my face, furrowing her brows. “No, I’m just

ELOISE His words settled in the air like the world had slowed down. I blinked, my mind struggling to catch up with his unexpected confession. He seemed to want to control everything around him and do whatever pleased him, yet he told me he wanted me. Not Zoey, nor anyone else. It was suddenly a lot to take in, and my heart pounded as I processed his words in my brain. I caught my chest with my palm to calm it down. “You want me?” the words escaped my lips like a breath, almost in disbelief. I searched his eyes for any sign that he might be playing with me, but I found his deep ocean-blue eyes staring back at me with a hint of vulnerability instead. He adjusted himself in his seat and cocked his head in discomfort. “I don’t know what this means or where this is going. I just know that being around you is different. You’re the source of my headache recently, so I’m rectifying that.” I swallowed the lump building in my throat. “What about Zoey?” He grimaced. “What about her? She’s

ELOISEThe Cunninghams, including myself, gathered in the living room as part of my schedule. I thought it’d be a small group with just my dad, Davina, her obscene brother, Mr. Ross, and Nina. But to my surprise, m grandmother showed up with her two unmarried daughters, Ailisa and Rona. Rowena Cunningham embodied refinement and strict adherence to rules, the kind my father would look up to. I could see it in how she casually shooed her son away with a hand wave. Her indifference toward Davina was clear, ignoring her daughter-in-law into an uncomfortable shadow. This was the first time I actually felt bad for her. Even I felt a surge of nerves just seeing Rowena enter through that door. I’d only seen her in the pictures Nina showed me. Thanks to her thorough lessons, I could distinguish who’s who.A conversation started between Dad and Rowena. She seemed to carry a bit of arrogance in her demeanor. Her mannerisms and the way she dressed in an emerald velvet dress, a matching designer

ELOISE I was forced to sit with the baron in the backseat of his limo while Nina and Mr. Ross's car drove ahead of us. I gazed out of the tinted window, silently hoping that this moment would pass quickly so I wouldn't have to endure close proximity to this man. The city lights blurred into streaks as we navigated the busy streets, and I pretended to remain unaffected. I just hope Adam was on time so I wouldn't have to force myself to be the baron's arm candy. After what seemed like an eternity, Callum finally broke the silence. "You must be thrilled." "Thrilled about what?" I replied. "Thrilled about this arrangement. Malcolm and I usually attended these social gatherings. You'll find it quite enjoyable, I assure you, especially since you might be expected to attend some of these parties." I turned to him, my brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" "Oh, Logan still hasn't told you," he said, shrugging. "That's rather surprising." "What is my father not telling me?" He smirked and