Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 261 - Chapitre 270

Serena’s POVWhen the doorbell rang around noon, I knew it was Eleanor before the housekeeper announced her."You look terrible," was her greeting as she breezed past me into the living room, pulling a sleek laptop from her bag."Good to see you too," I replied dryly, following her.Eleanor's expression softened momentarily. "Sorry. I've been up for thirty-six hours straight tracking this down, and what I found..." She shook her head. "You need to see this."She placed the laptop on the coffee table and opened a video file. "I contacted everyone who was on that cruise three years ago. Called in favors, tracked down security footage. This is from the ship's monitoring system."The screen showed the upper deck of the luxury yacht where I'd attended that fateful charity gala. I recognized my younger self, wearing that emerald green dress I'd loved so much. The footage quality wasn't perfect, but good enough to see that I was standing near the railing, champagne flute in hand."Look who ke

Serena’s POVThe air in the house felt different after Olivia's arrest—lighter somehow, as if a long-held tension had finally broken. I sank deeper into the living room sofa, my body drained from the emotional confrontation. Eleanor sat beside me, her protective presence a comfort I'd come to cherish these past months."I still can't believe she hated me enough to..." I couldn't finish the sentence, the reality of Olivia's betrayal still too raw.Eleanor squeezed my hand. "Some people build their entire identity around another person's shadow. When that person shines too brightly..." She shrugged, her expression grim.The sudden commotion at the front door startled us both. Heavy footsteps approached—too urgent to be staff.Ryan burst into the room, his normally composed features tight with concern. His eyes found mine instantly, scanning every inch of me as if searching for injuries. Only when he confirmed I was physically unharmed did his shoulders relax slightly."Serena," he breath

Serena’s POVThe morning flew by in a whirlwind of designs, fabric swatches, and business decisions. By lunchtime, I felt completely immersed in work again, the creative energy revitalizing me in a way nothing else could.My phone buzzed with a text from Ryan: "How's your first day back? Vivian misses you. So do I."A smile spread across my face as I typed back: "Busy in the best way. Miss you both too. See you tonight."I attached a selfie of me surrounded by sketches, my hair slightly disheveled from running my hands through it while concentrating—a habit Ryan always teased me about.His response came quickly: "Beautiful. Even with pencil smudge on your cheek."I touched my face, finding the graphite mark he'd noticed. The fact that he found even my messy work mode endearing made my heart skip.Just as I was about to return to work, my office door opened and Julian stepped in, his familiar silhouette backlit by the hallway lights."Welcome back," he said softly, his eyes warming at t

Serena’s POVI walked back inside after clearing my head to find both men looking properly chastised. The testosterone levels had thankfully dropped to bearable levels, and we somehow managed to finish dinner with forced politeness. Still, I couldn't miss Ryan's tightly controlled expression throughout the rest of the meal.The moment we got into the car, his face turned to stone. The jealousy was practically radiating off him in waves.My dear husband was eaten up with jealousy. But Cedric's deliberate mention of Sophie had stung me too, so I let out a cold huff.That sound made Ryan glance over, his expression softening into something more uncertain."Are you angry?" he asked carefully.I responded with two more pointed huffs, turning my body away from him. If he could be jealous, so could I. Fight fire with fire, right?That finally seemed to rattle him. His hand reached out, gently but firmly turning me by the shoulder to face him."Serena," he said, his voice low, "didn't we agree

Serena’s POVThe London branch location had been secured weeks ago, and I wasn't flying solo. Several of Dreamland Studio's core designers joined me on this conquest across the pond, all of us brimming with excitement and determination. We were ready to plant our flag in European soil."I'm loving the natural light in this space," Maya commented, running her fingers along the edge of a drafting table as we walked through our newly rented studio. "Definitely gives off the creative vibes we need.""Right? That was exactly why I chose it," I replied, mentally checking off items on my never-ending to-do list. We'd only been in London for two days, but it already felt like we'd been running nonstop.After handling the basic setup - equipment installation, workspace arrangements, and team assignments - I finally had time to focus on the real reason we were here."Lucy, have you heard back from the Fashion Week organizers yet?" I called to my assistant, who was busy unpacking a box of sample