Semua Bab I Let My Father's Best Friend Taste Me : Bab 21 - Bab 30

HARLOW'S POV I did not sleep on Saturday night.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw my father's face. The way he would look at me when he found out. The disappointment. The anger. The betrayal.Kael held me. His arms were warm. His chest was steady. But even he could not calm the storm inside me."It will be okay," he whispered into the dark."You do not know that.""I know that I love you. I know that I will not let him hurt you."I wanted to believe him. But I had seen my father destroy people. Business rivals. Former friends. Anyone who crossed him.And I had crossed him in the worst way possible."What time is dinner?" I asked."Seven.""What are we going to say?""The truth." He shifted so he could look at me. "We are going to walk in together. Hold hands. Tell him we are in love.""He will explode.""Then he explodes. But he cannot stay angry forever. You are his daughter."I pressed my face into his chest. "I am scared.""I know." He kissed my hair. "So am I."I looked up at hi

HARLOW'S POV The Grindstone felt different now. Before, it had been my escape. My place to hide from my father's expectations, from my failing grades, from the life I did not want. Now it was just a coffee shop. The same worn couches. The same sticky tables. The same bitter smell of old espresso. But I was different. Sage slid into the booth across from me. She had dark circles under her eyes. Steven had kept her up late again. "You look like shit," she said. "Thanks." "I mean it. Worse than usual." I touched my face. My skin was pale. My eyes were puffy. I had not slept well since the dinner at my mother's house. "Julian called me," Sage said. My stomach dropped. "What did he say?" "He asked if I knew about you and Kael." "What did you tell him?" "The truth. That you told me after it happened. That I tried to talk you out of it." I stared at her. "You tried to talk me out of it?" "Sparingly." She grabbed my hand. "But you are my best friend. I am not going to lie to y

HARLOW'S POV The office lobby was marble and glass. I had been here before. Dozens of times. Dropping off paperwork for my father. Picking up holiday gifts from the receptionist. Waiting for Kael to finish meetings so we could sneak out the back. But this time was different. This time, Kael was in a conference room with my father. And I was sitting in the lobby, pretending to read a magazine, waiting for them to finish. The receptionist smiled at me. "Can I get you anything, Miss Vance?" "Water would be great." She walked to the kitchen. I set down the magazine and looked at the conference room door. It was glass. I could see them inside. Kael at one end of the table. Julian at the other. Their mouths moving. Their hands gesturing. They were fighting. I could not hear the words. But I could feel the tension. The way Julian leaned forward. The way Kael sat back. The way neither of them looked away. The receptionist returned with my water. "They have been in there for two hour

HARLOW'S POV The email came at noon.Professor Chen: Your final project has been graded. Please see the attached file.I opened the attachment with trembling fingers. A plus. Again. The third one in a row.I stared at the screen. My chest felt tight. My eyes burned.I had done that. Me. Not Kael. Not my father. Not some professor who took pity on me.I had earned it.Kael was at work. I wanted to call him. But I wanted to tell him in person more.So I waited.The hours crawled. I cleaned the kitchen. I organized the books on the shelf. I folded the laundry that had been sitting in the basket for three days.At six, the front door opened.Kael walked in. His tie was loose. His hair was messy. He looked tired.But he smiled when he saw me."You are wearing my shirt," he said."Your shirts are comfortable.""I know." He set his briefcase down. "What is that smile for?"I held up my phone. "A plus. On my final project."His tired face transformed. He crossed the room in three strides and

HARLOW'S POV I should have known it would not stay peaceful; nothing in my life ever did. As the applause faded, conversations started up again and music drifted through the house. People raised their glasses and moved back into little groups. For a few minutes, everything felt normal. Dangerously normal. Kael kept one arm around my waist while relatives stopped to congratulate us. Some were genuine, while others looked like they were trying to figure out whether they approved of us or not. I was just beginning to relax when the front door opened. The sound barely registered at first, but then the room changed. You could feel it. Conversations slowed, heads turned, and suddenly everyone was staring toward the entrance. I followed their gaze. A woman stood in the doorway—tall, elegant, blonde, and beautiful. She wore a cream-colored dress and a smile that looked practiced. My stomach dropped. Beside me, Kael went completely still. The reaction was instant; his arm