LESLIE’S POVIt’s been two days since we returned home, and I find myself staring blankly at the TV screen. The vibrant colours of the show flicker in front of me, but my mind is elsewhere. Kian is busy at his company’s office, and Cole is with him, diving headfirst into the chaos of relaunching his
TRAVIS' POVFor a moment, time stands still. I can hardly believe my eyes. It’s been years since I last saw her, and the world around us fades into a blur. The memory of her laughter, her spirit, floods back to me, like a forgotten melody. She looks different—stronger, maybe—yet somehow still the sa
LESLIE'S POVToday is the day. I can hardly contain my excitement as I stand in front of the mirror, the soft glow of the vanity lights illuminating my reflection. The dress I chose—a sleek, deep emerald green that hugs my curves just right—feels like the perfect choice for this happy occasion. I wa
LESLIE’S POV [THIS MIGHT BE CONFUSING OWING TO HOW THE LAST CHAPTER ENDED BUT PLEASE READ TO THE END] *It’s bad, Leslie.*—COLE I suck in a breath as I read Cole’s message that just popped up on my screen. I don’t need him to fully clarify what’s bad; I already know what the problem is. It’s the sa
LESLIE’S POV Six hours after the two phone calls I made, the car Cole sends to pick me up pulls into the underground garage of Kian’s old company building. It’s late evening and the sun will set in another hour—the very time the launch is supposed to be wrapping up. The driver kills the engine wh
That’s until I literally feel a shift in the air. It’s ominous and the hair on the back of my neck rises like my very own siren for danger. I feel a presence behind me but before I can turn to see what it is about, a body presses into my back. A strong arm comes around my face and a palm drops over
LESLIE’S POVRoman’s car–a black and sketchy Cadillac Escalade with tinted windows–is parked in the same underground garage that I was in mere minutes ago. He must have been waiting there for me. It’s a big car, hard to miss amidst the dozens of smaller cars parked in the garage but I never paid att
LESLIE'S POVI gape at him, mouth open. He cannot be serious, can he? “Wha…what?” The word leaves me stunted and stuttered as I stare at him. He’s peering down at me and the way he looks at me makes me feel hot in the most ugly ways. He is looking down at me like a prey or a pawn that he just has t
CHAPTER 64 [ Caged, Not Sheltered ] ~SOPHIE~ There were many questions; like how on earth she was in a place that was at least an hour's drive from her family’s mansion, and why she was chugging down cheap beer when I have only ever seen her enjoy the finest wine. The longer we stood there, wo
CHAPTER 63 [ Edge of Insanity ] ~SOPHIE~ In between the endless nightmares that were triggered by the events of the past week and waiting for Travis to reach out to me again, I had been pushed to the edge of insanity. I thought it couldn’t get any worse, but it did. It got worse. And now I
CHAPTER 62 [ Sugar Daddy ] ~SEBASTIAN~ (2) I’ll be damned if I have to suffer because my father was trying to correct his misdeeds. “Do you have a better plan?” My mother faced me squarely, an unimpressed look in her eyes. “Can’t we just ignore him? He’s too weak to do anything by himself any
CHAPTER 61 [ Daddy Dearest ] ~SEBASTIAN~ (1) “I am going to move into the estate with Sophie.” Daddy Dearest knew how to drop a bombshell—the kind that takes a while to recover from. It was also the kind that makes me wonder if all the drugs he’s been pumped full of in the past month have made
CHAPTER 60 [ The Hell for Bad Fathers ] ~SOPHIE~ I stared at him, convinced I’d misheard. “You want me to what?” My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I couldn’t help it. “Move back in,” my father repeated, his tone calm, as if he hadn’t just said something insane. Did he even hear
Hello, everyone! Adeola here… Although a new chapter will follow this note, please bear in mind that you would have to read the last five chapters ( which are 367-371 on the overall book, and 54-59 on Travis’ and Sophie’s book) to understand the chapter. Those last five chapters have been worked on
CHAPTER 59 [ For Lost Time ] ~SOPHIE~ I thought I was well prepared—that I could stand face to face with Sebastian and not feel like my heart was going to explode. But no amount of preparation changed that. My heart was still pounding as I stared at his smug face. I steadied myself despite that,
CHAPTER 58 [ Home So Soon ] ~SOPHIE~ The moment Sebastian disappeared down the street, a crushing silence fell over me, broken only by the unsteady rhythm of my breathing. My fingers twitched at my sides, my entire body locked in place as if moving would make the moment real, as if accepting tha
CHAPTER 57 [ A Masterpiece ] ~TRAVIS~ Returning to the city in the company of Elaine’s family was an exercise in patience—one that I had already run out of. Three days of forced pleasantries, insufferable small talk, and veiled attempts at control had drained what little tolerance I had left. I