Semua Bab Trade Breaker: Bab 21 - Bab 30

Solo leaned her head against the cool glass of the car window, watching the streets whiz by in a blur as she rode back to her apartment. Charles sat beside her, his fingers scrolling through his phone. Now and then, she could feel his concerned glances, but she didn't have the energy to reassure him. All she wanted was to be back in her apartment, alone with her thoughts."Everything alright?" Charles asked, breaking the comfortable silence."Yeah," she smiled as she rubbed her stomach. "Just…a lot to process.""Understandable," he said, his tone gentle. "You're handling all of this well. Most people in your situation would fall apart.""I don't know if 'handling' is the right word," Solo mused, her thoughts trailing back to the appointment earlier. Her children's heartbeat still echoed in her mind—steady, strong, and undeniable. She had made peace with her future, but the past still lingered in her mind.The look Charles gave her was half teasing, half serious. "You're stronger than

The evening air in Florence carried a light chill as Solo adjusted her dress in front of the mirror. The upcoming House of Ricci event loomed large in her mind, but her thoughts were elsewhere—in the email she had received about the impending arrival of an investor from New York. It gnawed at her, a creeping sense of unease that she couldn’t shake."New York," she whispered, her knuckles turning white as she tightened her grip on the vanity chair. Even after all this time, the city's name was a minefield of memories—too many remnants of her life with Dominic. Florence was supposed to be her fresh start, but the past always sneaked back when she least expected it.As Solo stepped out onto her balcony, the sounds of Florence at night enveloped her. The distant hum of Vespas, the laughter from nearby cafes, and the smell of fresh pasta wafting through the air should have brought her peace. But tonight, it only served as a reminder of how far she had come and how fragile her new life was.

Tension filled the room as Inigo entered the hotel's lounge, hosting the event. His usual confident demeanor was replaced with something more serious. Solo closed the distance between them, trying to steady her nerves. She could sense something on his mind. After all, this was a social gathering for the House of Ricci, but there was something more to his presence tonight."Inigo," she said, her voice soft, "what's wrong? Why do you look so concerned?"Inigo glanced around the foyer, his eyes lingering on the people scattered around in the background. His expression was unreadable, but the flicker of concern in his eyes deepened and didn’t go unnoticed."let's find somewhere quieter where we can talk," he said, returning his gaze to her and pulling her toward a quiet corner of the room. "I know the event is about to start, and with everything you’ve been handling...I just wanted to make sure you’re okay."Solo offered a small, reassuring smile. "I’m fine. Just...busy, there’s a lot to

Dominic sat on the edge of his hotel bed. Exhaustion had settled in his bones. The afternoon sun filtered through the hotel window, casting long shadows across the floor at his feet. The flight back to New York was just a few hours away, but he couldn’t pack. His search for Solo had yielded nothing. Each lead Jake had provided led to a dead end, every hope extinguished before it even began. The empty room felt like a reflection of his emptiness—a void that had grown deeper with each passing day of this fruitless search.He rubbed his hands over his face, exhaling. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. He had come to Italy full of determination and hope that somehow he would find Solo, confront her, and make things right. But that hope had eroded with each passing lead and every cold trail.His phone buzzed on the nightstand, and he reached for it without much interest. Jake’s updates had become routine—confirming what Do

The night was like a delicate thread, pulling tighter with each passing moment. Solo could feel the intensity of Sloane Mercer’s gaze on her, even as the crowd shifted and swirled around them. His presence was so closely tied to her past it had made the air in the room thick and hard to breathe.She clung to Charles’s arm, trying to steady her racing thoughts and nerves. The House of Ricci event had been meant to solidify her position, to show the world that Solaire Dale was a force to be reckoned with. But now, with Sloane’s arrival, the past she had tried to bury seemed close to being unearthed.The loud crash of a fallen vase startled everyone. They all turned to see a red-faced woman standing in the wreckage.Charles leaned closer, his voice low. “Are you alright?”Solo nodded, though she wasn’t sure if she meant it. “I’ll be fine. Thank you.”In truth, she wasn’t fine. The encounter with Sloane had rattled her more than she wanted to admit. His smile and smooth words reminded her