Team Daniel

Rachael’s POV“I’m team Daniel.”Bella announced it like she had just made a major political declaration.I stared at her from across the living room.“You cannot have teams for my life.”Bella sat up straighter on the couch.“Yes, I can.”Jonathan quietly set his keys on the kitchen counter.Bella pointed dramatically toward the door, as if Daniel might still be standing in the hallway.“I mean, did you see that?”I rubbed my forehead.“See what?”“The hug!”“It was a normal hug.”Bella gasped like I had just insulted her intelligence.“That was not a normal hug.”Jonathan walked toward the bar area, loosening his tie slightly.Bella turned toward him.“Tell her.”Jonathan picked up a glass.“Tell her what?”“That it wasn’t normal.”Jonathan poured himself a drink before answering.“I’m not sure I’m qualified to judge the emotional significance of hugs.”Bella pointed at him accusingly.“You’re avoiding the question.”“I’m observing,” he corrected calmly.Bella leaned back against th

Nightmares

Bella’s POVI knew it was a dream.Not at first.At first it felt too real.The hallway was familiar.Long.Quiet.Cold in that strange way large houses sometimes felt at night.I stood at the end of it barefoot, staring toward the front door.The lights were dim.Everything looked slightly blurred around the edges, like the world hadn’t finished loading properly.But the door was clear.Wide open.And Jonathan was standing there.My chest tightened instantly.“Daddy?”My voice echoed strangely down the hallway.He didn’t answer.He was facing the door.His back to me.Suit jacket on.Phone in one hand.Exactly the way he used to look when he left for long trips when I was little.A horrible, familiar feeling started creeping into my chest.“Daddy?”I took a few steps forward.My feet felt heavy.Like the floor was pulling me backward.Jonathan still didn’t turn around.He was talking to someone.Quietly.Too quietly for me to hear the words.I moved faster now.Panic starting to clim

No acting required

Rachael’s POVI stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before reaching for my phone.I didn’t need to unlock it to know what I would see.But I did anyway.Two messages.From Daniel.“You really do owe me one.Hope I didn’t ruin your story.”I exhaled softly.Of course he would say something like that.Casual.Unbothered.Like last night hadn’t been a carefully balanced disaster waiting to collapse.My thumb hovered over the screen.I should ignore it.Delete the number.Pretend none of this had ever happened.That would be the smart thing to do.Instead, I locked the phone and dropped it beside me.Not deleting it.Not replying either.Just… leaving it there.Like the problem would somehow solve itself if I didn’t look at it long enough.A knock sounded against my door.Before I could respond, it opened.Bella walked in.Barefoot. Slightly messy hair. Still in her oversized sleep shirt.She didn’t say anything at first.Just looked at me.“You look like you didn’t sleep,” she said.

The Resurface

Rachael’s POVBy the time I got back to the penthouse, it was quiet.Too quiet.The lights were dim.Clinton was gone.Relief flooded through me instantly.Sharp… immediate… almost overwhelming.Then…“Finally.”I froze.Bella sat on the couch.Wide awake.Watching me.“You’re late.”“I know.”She stood up.And walked toward me slowly.Then suddenly grinned.“You actually went.”I blinked.“You’re not angry?”“Why would I be angry?”“I missed Clinton.”Bella shrugged.“Good.”“That’s not good.”“That’s great.”She smiled wider.“For once, you chose yourself.”Something about the way she said it felt… proud.Like I had passed some kind of test I didn’t even realize I was taking.I set my bag down slowly.“You don’t understand.”“Then explain.”“He came for the list.”“And?”“I wasn’t here.”Bella tilted her head.“And the world didn’t end.”“Bella.”“What?” she said lightly. “You act like Clinton is going to cancel the wedding because you were late.”I didn’t respond immediately.Becau

Stealing my father

Rachael’s POVI stared at the message for a long moment.‘Delivered?’My fingers hovered over the screen.Then I typed.‘What do you mean?’The reply came almost immediately.Of course it did.‘The guest list.’I blinked.That was it.Nothing more.No follow up.No explanation.Just… that.My chest tightened slightly.Because for some reason…That wasn’t what I had expected.‘I’ll send it today,’ I typed.A pause.Long enough to feel intentional.Then…‘Make sure you do.’I stared at the screen for a second longer before locking my phone, waiting for another notification.The conversation was normal.Simple.Exactly what it should be.And yet…It didn’t feel that way.My dad and mom were locked up in his room, probably too embarrassed to face this scandal again.“Still thinking about it?”I looked up.Jonathan stood by the entrance of the living room.Watching me.Not casually.Carefully.“I’m fine,” I said.He didn’t move.“You don’t look fine.”“I didn’t sleep well.”“That’s not wha

Statement Flowers

Rachael’s POVMy phone kept ringing, texts kept coming in The penthouse hadn’t settled.Not really.Even hours after the chaos of the morning, something still lingered in the air.Tension.Unanswered questions.Too many thoughts moving at once.Just as I stepped into my room, my phone rang again. Daniel?Could he have heard of what was going on?I picked up the phone without overthinking it “Hello?”“You sound like you didn’t sleep.”“I didn’t,” I admitted.A small pause.“Bad night?”I walked further into my room, closing the door behind me gently.“Complicated morning.”“That sounds worse.”“It is.”“What happened?”I leaned against the edge of my desk, exhaling slowly.“My father’s case is trending again.”Daniel didn’t interrupt.Didn’t rush to respond.He just listened.“Every blog… every headline… it’s everywhere again,” I continued. “Like someone just decided to remind the world all at once.”“That doesn’t sound accidental.”“It’s not.”“You’re sure?”“Yes.”“That’s a sad th