LOGINAva reached across the small square table and gently wiped the dark sauce from the corner of the little one’s lips with a napkin. Her movements were careful, almost ritualistic, as though slowing her hands might somehow slow the world outside. When she drew back, she nudged the plate of sliced duck closer to him, her voice soft but firm.“Eat slowly,” she reminded him with a faint smile. “Don’t rush, you’ll choke.”They were seated in a modest late-night restaurant tucked into a quiet London street—nothing fancy, just warm yellow lighting, wooden tables polished smooth by years of use, and the comforting hum of low conversation around them. It was the sort of place people stumbled into when they were too tired to cook but still needed something warm in their stomachs.The little one had eaten little since the flight. Though he had slept through most of the journey, it had been the shallow, fitful sleep of exhaustion rather than rest. Only now, with steam rising gently from the dishes
Back in her room, Ava moved with swift, practised efficiency.She opened her suitcase and didn’t hesitate—documents, wallet, phone, keys. Everything essential went straight into a backpack. She slung it over her shoulders, then crossed the room and went into Marcello’s bedroom.From the wardrobe, she grabbed the first suitable outfit she saw—jumper, trousers, trainers—stuffed them into the bag, then gently lifted the quilt.Marcello stirred faintly as she wrapped him in it, his small body warm and pliant against her chest. He didn’t wake. He trusted her far too much for that.Cradling him securely, Ava turned and left the room, her steps light but purposeful as she descended the stairs.The mansion was hushed, steeped in the deep stillness of night. The servants were asleep; only the guards remained at their posts by the entrance.As soon as she appeared with the child in her arms, one of the bodyguards stepped forward, concern flickering across his face.“Miss Vega?”Ava didn’t slow.
Her heart clenched painfully.Ava bit down on her lower lip, hard enough to taste blood, her fists curling at her sides as she turned away from the terrace. She moved down the stairs quickly—too quickly—her steps echoing sharply in the quiet corridor as her pace edged close to a run.She only stopped when she reached the door to the second-floor bedroom.Pushing it open, she found Finn just rising from his seat, his movements a shade too hurried.“Miss Vega,” he greeted, a fraction of surprise flickering across his face.Ava’s gaze dropped instantly—to his hand, which slipped into his pocket with an unconscious smoothness—and then to Marcello, who sat on the edge of the bed, looking faintly flustered, his hair slightly mussed.“What are you two doing?” she asked evenly.“Ah—” Marcello lifted a hand to his mouth and yawned exaggeratedly, his voice sleepy and innocent. “I’m tired. Good night, Uncle Finn.”“Oh—yes, of course.” Finn seemed to snap back to himself. He straightened and smil
Ava walked slowly along the fourth-floor corridor, her footsteps muted by the thick carpet beneath her shoes. The hallway seemed unusually long tonight, stretching ahead like a quiet trial she had already accepted but could not avoid.At the very end lay the terrace.The hanging garden there was dimly lit, its main lights switched off. Only small decorative lamps glimmered among the shrubs and flowering vines, casting soft halos of light that gave the place a dreamlike, almost deceptive tranquillity. Leaves stirred gently in the evening breeze, brushing against one another with a faint, whispering sound.She followed the narrow stone path between the flowerbeds until she saw him.Alexander stood beneath a tall mimosa tree, one hand tucked into his trouser pocket, the other holding a wine glass. His head was tilted slightly upwards, eyes fixed on the night sky as if searching for something that refused to answer him. Moonlight filtered through the leaves above, dappling his shoulders a
On the second floor, in the quiet of the guest bedroom, Ava stood alone on the balcony, her arms folded tightly across her chest. Beyond the stone balustrade, the evening sky burned in layers of rose, amber, and violet, the clouds lit from beneath as the sun sank slowly out of sight.She stared at it without really seeing it.Fate.She loathed that word.Fate had taken her mother far too early and replaced her with Araminta—cold, calculating, and cruel beneath a veneer of civility. Fate had pressed her family to the brink of ruin and left her powerless enough to accept terms she should never have had to consider.If he had not been him—If she had not been her—If Alexander Vanderbilt had not been the all-powerful heir to a merciless dynasty, and if she had not been a woman with nothing left to bargain but herself… then none of it would have happened. She would never have agreed to those nights. Never have allowed herself to be cornered into submission simply to save her father from R
Did he think she wanted to be sitting on top of him? If it weren’t for that damned strand of hair, she wouldn’t touch him even if someone paid her.Ava pushed herself up at once, straightened her clothes with brisk, irritated movements, then glanced down at him. “Are you alright?” she asked quickly, tone clipped. “I didn’t hurt you when I bumped into you, did I?”As she spoke, her eyes were already searching.Where was it?She scanned his chest, the grass, the folds of his jacket—nothing. Perhaps it had fallen when she collided with him.Her heart loosened slightly.Then—The corner of her eye caught it.A short, dark strand, half-hidden beneath the edge of his collar, swaying gently with the breeze like it was mocking her.Damn it.Even the universe was conspiring against her today.Suppressing the urge to swear, Ava stepped closer again, schooling her expression into one of concern. “That’s good,” she said lightly when he murmured that he was fine. She lifted her hands and brushed at







