(Winona)I’m in the kitchen, ladling the creamy chicken casserole into a dish of rice. It smells amazing. Jayden always loved this recipe. It feels like forever since we’ve had dinner with just the two of us.Soft, calming music flows through my headphones, and a gentle, soothing voice reminds me to breathe. Inhale peace, exhale stress. My heartbeat follows the rhythm, easing into a steady calm. Everything is as it should be.Dinner is ready, and Jayden will be landed, I think. It’s only a fifteen-minute drive from the city. We’ll finally have our time to reconnect, to talk, to share news that I’ve been holding onto with cautious hope.Lisa called and I talked to the kids who were having so much fun. I told them they could have a later night as long as their chores and study got done tomorrow.They all had a stuffed animal each and sticky faces from cotton candy. I’m not sure they’ll sleep at all from the sugar rush. But it’s fine this once. I’m so excited about telling Jayden my news
(Winona)“Guys, look, don’t say things you don’t mean…” Lance is up and trying to stop us arguing.“Jayden is the one acting like a mad man.”Jayden’s face hardens again. “Don’t turn this on me. You betrayed me, Winona. Of all the men in the world, you had to go with the two that would hurt me the most.”“It wasn’t about you, Jayden. This whole fucking world does not revolve around you.”“Your world sure as hell doesn’t. If it wasn’t for the photos I got, I’d never have known. You three would be laughing at me behind my back forever.”“I was going to tell you. Just not yet.”“Sure. Like I believe that. Well, now I know. Anything else you care to share with me while we’re at it?”I glare at him. My head is thumping, and I feel dizzy. I need to get calm, I need to think of the baby. My baby.I hold my head in my hands.“Maybe you need another hall pass week while Lance is here? Is Phillip on the next flight?”My breath catches, and I feel the sting of hot tears spilling down my cheeks a
(Jayden)I don’t even stop to catch my breath after heading back to the jet. I’ve called the pilot and organized a return trip. The sooner I’m away from here the better.My heart is still racing, my torn fists ache from the fight. The betrayal. The utter destruction of everything I thought I knew engulfs me.Finally, I’m at the airport private jet area. I get out of the car and make a beeline for the jet. It’s waiting, fueled up and ready to take me back to London.“Mr. Brennan,” the pilot greets. “Do you need anything else before we leave?”“I’m fine,” I snap. “Just get me out of here.”He nods, and I march past him, my phone clenched in my hand. I don’t want to talk to anyone. I don’t need anyone. Winona, Lance, Viktor. I can run my own life. Make my own decisions.I collapse into the seat, yanking out my phone to turn it off. I don’t want to talk to anyone right now. I recall the argument with Winona. I can’t remember the last time rage engulfed me like that.Those words just spewe
(Winona)The cottage is eerily quiet after the fight. The only sound is my own ragged breathing as I sit on the edge of the sofa, my head still spinning from hitting the step.The ache in my chest, both from physical pain and the emotional wreckage Jayden left behind, refuses to fade.Lance stands a few feet away, his face battered and bruised. Estate staff are tending to his cuts, wiping away the blood with practiced but concerned efficiency.He keeps glancing at me, eyes full of worry, but I can’t bring myself to meet his gaze.I’m trying to keep it together, but I’m unraveling fast. I’m hot and sweaty and each pulse rushes through my ears.“Do you have Klara’s number?”I unlock my phone and hand it to him. “She lives a three-hour drive away and she has her own family. But she will know who can come see me.”“Okay. Otherwise, I’m taking you to the nearest hospital.”“As if you’re in any condition to drive.”“Klara,” Lance says, into my phone, his voice thick with urgency. “I’m Lance
(Jayden)The three-hour flight goes by in a blur. I suspect I slept through most of it, lost in a drunken haze, but I can’t be sure. My head is pounding, a steady, merciless throb that matches the ache in my chest.The alcohol dulled the fire, but it’s like trying to put out a forest blaze with a glass of water. It’s only made the edges of my grief sharper, more cutting.The jet touches down in London, and I force myself upright, stumbling slightly as I exit. My vision swims, and I grab my briefcase just to have something solid to hold onto.The fight with Lance replays in my mind, every punch, every accusation. And Winona’s face—her eyes wide with shock, then hurt. The memory crushes me like a boulder, heavy and unrelenting.Viktor is waiting. Of course he is. He’s leaning against a sleek black SUV, arms crossed, his expression as impassive as ever. His eyes narrow as he watches me stagger down the steps of the jet.He pushes off from the car with that same unshakeable authority he a
(Winona)The room is suffocating, even though Klara has opened the windows to let in the evening air. I’m lying on the bed, trying to keep my breathing even. My blood pressure has come down, but Klara’s concern hasn’t.She sits beside me, her hand resting on mine, grounding me. The soft hum of conversation between Lisa and Lance fills the other room, but I’m barely hearing them.Lance and Lisa come into the bedroom, looking just as exhausted as I feel.Lance still has dried blood on his shirt, and his bruised face is swollen.“I’m going to London,” he says, his tone rough but resolute.Lisa stares at him. “You can’t be serious. Look at you! You’re in no shape to travel, let alone deal with Jayden. Have you even seen your face?”“I have to,” he insists, his eyes blazing with determination. “Jayden’s my friend—at least he used to be. I have to try and fix this before it’s too late. Before he does something even more destructive.”The determination in his voice stirs something inside me,
(Jayden)The morning light filters through the curtains of my hotel suite, glaring and unrelenting. My head throbs with the hangover from last night’s scotch-fueled spiral.Everything is a blur, yet the anger and pain from the fight remains vivid, slicing into me.I’m sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to gather the pieces of myself, when there’s a knock at the door. It’s firm and authoritative. Only one person knocks like that.“Come in,” I mutter, my voice rough and strained.The door opens, and Viktor steps inside. His gaze is steely, assessing me with that infuriating calm of his. He’s dressed sharply, not a hair out of place, but there’s a tension in his eyes.He looks at me as if he’s deciding whether I’m capable of doing my job.“Mr. Brennan,” he says, voice cool and even. “You look… unwell.”I let out a harsh, humorless laugh. “I feel worse than unwell,” I admit, grabbing a glass of water from the bedside table. It does little to soothe my parched throat. “What is it, Vikt
(Judy)London’s pulse beats with an energy I’ve always found exhilarating. I walk through the busy streets with a sense of ownership of life, bending chaos to my will, whether the people around me realize it or not. Life is mine, a chessboard on which I move my pieces, and today, I’m preparing to play one of my most significant moves.The queen can move anywhere she wants.Sliding into the back of my town car, I pull out my phone. The screen lights up with a string of updates from my contacts. Information from Gus’s estate staff flows to me like clockwork.A constant stream of intel I’ve worked hard to cultivate, weaving my influence so tightly into every corner of Jayden’s world that nothing escapes me. Even the smallest whispers reach my ears.Jayden, my brilliant but stubborn son, is back in London, and the ripples I set in motion turned into a tsunami. It’s a beautiful thing, really, watching how easily people fracture when you know which strings to pull.The fight. The accusation