Semua Bab PRETEND PRINCESS: Bab 101 - Bab 110

Zara's POVI heard the quiet sound of a door opening — soft, deliberate — and it snapped me out of my vicious cycle.3:00 AM.My heart jumped up into my throat."Mom?"Silence.The door groaned open and in walked a dark shadow, wide shoulders, filling my doorway like some kind of dream-creature.My gasp got stuck in my throat.Oh my God."Don't freak out, it's just me."That voice.Zed?"What the hell—" I gaped, shock slicing the room like a knife. "How did you even get through security? How did you. why are you here?"**He stood there, still, an odd softness in his eyes that had no business being there. The scent of him drifted into the room — like old books, warm skin, and something sweet, something heavy and male that lingered."I knew you weren't okay," he shrugged. "My clients don't just walk away from a job halfway through. That's not your style."Of course.Of course that was it.The money."I'll send your bloody payment once the sun rises. Now, beat it, Zed."But my voice trem

Zara's POVIt was already 3:30pmI had overheard my mum knocking a few hours earlier, saying she was off to work. I hadn't responded. I didn't get up. I just lay in the bed like some kind of lifeless object, watching shadows creep on the walls. My only friend was the heavy lump in my chest.Zed had left about thirty minutes earlier, informing me he was going to get snacks, something stupid he claimed I "had to try." He was crazy.And for getting myself tangled with him like this I was a lunatic.Because here I was — smearing my class, my name, my damned childhood, messing with someone like him.We did not have sex.I kissed him.And kissed him again.Then. like some pitiful, isolated idiot, I paid him an additional five thousand just to hold me.Hold me.God, how pathetic. Made me sick to my stomach.A light knock on the window shattered my cycle of self-loathing. I turned my head slowly, and there he was once again. Zed.Back already.I rolled my eyes but pulled myself upright, my ni

Zara's POVRaw, unadulterated excitement coursed through my veins like lava as I tore through the city streets to Creed's house. Every red light, every bump in the road seemed to be personally sent to stop me, but nothing could quell the fire that burned inside. I was on pins and needles. I was alive.I could barely maintain my seat in the car.The night had finally arrived.I wanted to be the first to tell him.I wanted to be the first face he saw when the truth smacked him in the face of his stunning, clueless face.I wanted to be standing there, front row center, when his heart shattered and the tiny dream world he'd built around his precious Yuyu crashed down in front of his eyes.Ved moved out of the way — I made sure.I did it perfectly well. As usual.I got to Creed's house around five.A little too early, yeah — but I didn't mind. I wanted to wait.I wasn't waiting to mind, not for this one.The office let out at six. He'd've been home at six-thirty, seven latest. Eight at a s

Creed's POVThe conference room gradually filled — a steady stream of confused, concerned, half-irked employees abandoning their workstations because of one woman's behavior. Zara's voice had echoed loudly through the intercom a few minutes prior, her voice crisp, authoritative, impossible to ignore:"Everyone, report to the conference room immediately. This concerns the integrity of the company and your future. Move."It was the kind of tone that would get your blood cold for a second — not because she was dominant, but because she sounded like she was going to burn the whole building down.I walked towards her, fighting through the growing crowd, my heart thudding against my flesh. Something made the air heavier, and tension wrapped around everyone's neck like a vine. And she was there — Zara, standing directly in front of the main presentation screen as if it belonged to her, her face pulled tight with that same self-satisfied smirk I remembered all too well."Zara," I stated my vo

Lily's POVThe supermarket smelled of tomatoes, discount floor cleaner, and something sweet baking in the next aisle. I was supposed to be focusing — carrots, lettuce, and a little garlic for Grandpa Roman's soup — but my eyes kept drifting towards the ice cream aisle like a church sinner.I could almost feel the chill tub of chocolate fudge ripple in my hand. One. I could push it into the cart, under the pile of health food. No one would notice. No one had to know.But then my chest tightened.Grandpa.His face flashed before me — pale, confused, his eyes fogging over in those moments when he didn't even know my name. He was declining. The seven hours a day I could care for him between work, errands, and sleep were no longer enough. He needed constant care… and I was failing.I swallowed the guilt and picked up a bag of spinach when something sharp, something intimate hit my nose. A scent. New cologne, with something masculine and citrus notes. My airway stopped.It couldn't be.Not