(Winona)The second I step into the farmhouse, the noise hits me like a freight train. Henry is wailing from his highchair, Abbey and Sarah are locked in a heated argument at the craft table, and Bobby’s lying facedown on the couch muttering something about the injustice of salad for dinner. River stands near the sink with a unicorn sticker stuck to her shirt. Kit is pacing across the living room barefoot, holding a toy walkie-talkie and trying to negotiate peace terms between the girls. Yeah. Long day for everyone. “Mama!” Henry’s sobbing slows the moment he spots me, his arms shooting up. He grabs at the air with his hands. “Mama.”“Hey, buddy.” I drop my bag and scoop him up, pressing his sweaty little face into my neck. His hiccuping sobs slow instantly, his tiny hands clutching my collar. I bounce him gently, scanning the chaos. “So... I see today went smoothly.” Kit drops into an armchair with a groan. “Oh yeah. Textbook. We had routine but that was a major fail.” River t
(Lisa)The USB is shoved in the back of the cupboard. I don’t need to watch it to feel it. Lance’s voice, his thoughts, his truths—maybe. Or maybe it’s just his grin and some awkwardly stupid joke about death.You never know what you’ll get with Lance.I still haven’t answered Winona’s last text. I just can’t. She’s going to know something is up as soon as we meet in person. How can I do this to her?I can’t tell Winona. How could I? After what she’s lost? After that brutal, hollow look in her eyes when she told me about the hysterectomy?She said she was okay. That she’d accepted it.She was lying. I know it. And if I tell her I’m pregnant now? If I admit I’m carrying Lance’s baby and that I don’t want to be a mother?It would be a gut punch she doesn’t deserve.Tears sting my eyes. I swipe them away and force myself back to the files.Project Lighthouse—Pilot Program ResultsI curl up on the couch, surrounded by a fortress of papers and files, all scrawled with his handwriting. No
(Cass)The estate is always buzzing, a whirlwind of activity that makes my head spin. Between the kitchen, the constant flow of guests, and the never-ending lists of things to do, there’s always something in motion.But my only day off this fortnight is tomorrow and I can’t wait to get out of this kitchen. The tension in my neck that no amount of stretching is going to fix. The tension in my whole body that can only be fixed by one thing and my rechargeable collection ain’t gonna cut it.I need something real, something to blow off the steam that’s been building for weeks.I’m making my way out of the estate’s kitchen when I see Viktor lingering by the rose arbor archway, watching me. He knows I have to go through it to get to the cottage. I can’t help but feel a flash of irritation. If he insists on being my uninvited shadow, he can at least be useful and scratch my itch.He wants it too, but he’s all concerned about if it’s right and proper. I’m not interested in dancing around it a
(Lisa)The room is packed—board members, investors, benefactors. All eyes on me. Some skeptical, some expectant. Some probably wondering why the hell they bothered to be here. I grip the edges of the podium, forcing myself to stay steady. I tried to prepare a polished speech. But I couldn’t. So here I am, just winging it. I’m going to speak from my heart and hope that’s enough. I take a breath. Then another. I’m shaking inside but I’m going to do this. For the man I loved more than anything in this world. For Lance.“I know why you’re all here,” I start, my voice even but firm. “You want to know what happens now. What happens to the foundations Lance built. I know you’re all on the verge of taking away your support.”I feel the shift. But I don’t want to make them feel guilty. I want to restore their faith in their decisions to maintain their support.“You want to know if it’s worth keeping these charities that champion against suicide alive… after the man who started them took hi
(Winona)I knock on Lisa’s door. I can hear voices, so I chose the right time to pop in.I’m here to make sure she is okay. These unanswered texts aren’t on and I’m going to get to the bottom of it. Maybe she’s just over my crap and needs a rest from it. That’s fine.I can’t blame her but I’d prefer she just said as much.Also I need to chat about life. I’ll wait to see if it feels right though. The door opens and Lisa smiles.Logan is leaning on the kitchen island.“Hey,” I say carefully.“Winona! I was about to call you… Come in. I have news!”“And here I was thinking you were avoiding me.”“Sorry about that. It’s been hectic.”“All good. What’s got you so happy?”“It’s happening, Winona,” Lisa says, her eyes lit with excitement. “They’re locking in their commitments, doubling down instead of pulling away.”“The charities?”She nods. “Yes. I addressed them this morning.”I should be thrilled. I am thrilled. But she did it without me. I wasn’t expecting that yet. I nod, smiling. “Of
(Winona)“Alright,” I say lightly. “As long as you know you don’t have to handle anything alone.”Lisa’s lips press together, something flickering across her face, but she doesn’t take the bait.“How are you going? Jayden has gone and you’ve put in a full week in the office. Been a while.” Lisa asks as Logan takes a seat.“I tried taking Henry to the office with me like Jayden used to. Never again.” I shake my head remembering the disaster that was.“It’s all new to you there. Of course it would be hard to have Henry and navigate people who are all strangers to you.”“All strangers… I wish. You don’t even know…”“Oh my god! What?!” Lisa is leaning in now.“Lance, that asshole, left me with a Chief of Marketing. It’s like he asked ‘who would Winona want to work with the least right now?’”“Who?! Who is it? Do not say Judy is back from the dead.”“Ugh. No, but almost as bad. Phillip.”“Fuck! Phillip, phillip?”I nod.“Wow. I mean… what the actual?”“I Know right? But I cannot fault him.
(Jayden)Nexus Global is thriving under my leadership, more efficient, more streamlined than ever. Viktor has been instrumental in that, and Astrid, well… she’s exactly who I need at my right hand. In short, she’s amazing. I respect her as a professional.But none of that stops me from checking my phone every five minutes. My family group chat is flooded with pictures from Winona—Henry covered in mashed banana, Bobby proudly showing off a garden project, Abbey and Sarah huddled over some craft disaster that looks suspiciously like an art explosion gone wrong.Kit and River seem to be handling things well. Winona keeps telling me not to stress. That things are running smoothly. I know she’s trying to keep me from feeling like I’m missing out. It doesn’t help. I want things to be like they were before. Before I got those fucking photo’s from my mother. Before Lisa and lance turned up. Before a beat my best friend to a pulp. Before he took his own life and that of my mother’s.The no
(Winona)I step in front of Phillip and he tries to touch my back as he follows me into the restaurant. I quicken my step so he just misses. I do not want him touching me.We settle at the long table with so many VIP’s my head almost spins. I take a breath and thank them all for coming as I take my seat before Phillip can be gentlemanly and pull out my seat or anything.A glass of champagne is poured for me and I take a sip.Then I hear my phone in my purse. I pull it out. God, it’s seven o’clock already.Incoming video call – Jayden & Kids. Shit. I take a quick sip of wine and push back my chair, standing up. “Excuse me, I need to take this.”I don’t wait for acknowledgment, just step away, weaving through white-clothed tables and murmured conversations until I reach the terrace. The night air is crisp, grounding. I answer the call, forcing a smile. “Hey, family.” The screen fills with Henry’s chubby cheeks and he’s held by Kit. Abbey’s bright eyes light up her frame. Bobby and S
Readers, I’ve been back through all your comments and it really touches me that so many of you cared about these characters. I want to send a very special shout out to mitzi.goodson and Theresa for your active love of the story all the way and for commenting regularly. I love you guys and I love all the readers #hearteyes# Also I have discovered a mistake in the upload of Chapter 553. Only half the chapter seems to have been uploaded and I have now fixed that. I know you’re asking about if you’ll see these characters again…right now, I’m letting them rest but I hope to update you on them in the future. Right now I’m focusing on my new stories which I know you’ll also love.In the next one, After waking from a 5 month coma, Ava Lancaster watches her beloved daughter die. Ex-husband Zach Lorne, allowed the mother of his first child, cunning Sienna Sinclair to use little Lila as a medical pawn. Consumed by grief, Ava sets their mansion ablaze—clutching Lila’s body while Zach pleads outs
(Winona)Lisa sits on the couch between me and Jayden, her fingers curled around the USB stick.“You don’t have to,” I remind her gently.“I know,” she replies. “But I want to. I can’t move forward if I don’t hear him out.” She hands the drive to Jayden.Jayden leans forward and plugs the drive in. The screen flickers.And then there he is.Lance. Black eye blooming from Jayden’s attack over hall pass week, bruised knuckles, the same crooked grin he always wore.“Lisa,” he says, “I’m so sorry. I wish this could have been different.”I glance at her. She flinches but doesn’t look away.He shakes his head. “No big poetic intro. No music. No tragic montage. Just me.”His smile cracks slightly.“First, I want to say this isn’t your fault. You didn’t fail me. You didn’t love me wrong. In fact, you’re probably the only person who ever loved me right.”Lisa’s breath hitches beside me.“I wasn’t built for longevity, Lisa. You knew that. Hell, I practically had an exit sign blinking over my he
(Winona)Viktor stands with his hands by his side while Jayden finishes up his announcement.I watch on, proud of them both. Not only staunch in business but as friends.“I’ll still be involved on a higher level, but day-to-day, Viktor’s your guy,” Jayden says, firm and confident. “Effective immediately, he’s the new CEO of Nexus Global.”There’s a brief pause before the quiet, respectful claps ripple through the room.Viktor just nods. “Thank you,” he says. No long speech. No dramatic reaction. Just two words. Classic Viktor.Jayden glances my way and walks over.“Proud of him,” I say quietly. “And of you.”“He’s ready,” Jayden replies. “Hell, he’s been ready for a while now. He taught me almost everything I know about Nexus Global.”Viktor lingers by the window, posture steady. Astrid steps up beside him, saying something low. He replies with a brief nod and the smallest of smirks.Jayden leans into me and murmurs, “did you see that?”I arch an eyebrow. “The nod or the smirk?”“Both
(Winona)I see the moment his eyes catch mine in the window behind Astrid. He blinks like he’s seeing a ghost. Too late. I’m already across the restaurant floor, my heels pounding each step out in deliberate warning, the sound sharp against the quiet hum of late-night conversations. Heads turn. I don’t care.His face shifts from confusion to panic as I advance—his mouth parting slightly, eyes darting to Astrid like he’s trying to figure out if he’s imagining this. He’s not. I’m here. I saw everything.I saw the kiss. I saw the closeness after. The lingering smiles, the laughter, and the way Astrid’s hand stayed on his like they were sharing secrets. Like she belongs to him. You don’t need sound to understand body language.That kiss wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t a friendly peck on the cheek. It was enough for me to wonder if they’ve been playing me for a fool for weeks. Maybe months.Jayden stands just as I reach the table, knocking his chair back in a clumsy scrape. Astrid rema
(Jayden)Astrid raises her glass, the candlelight catching the rim. “To surviving another quarter without firing anyone major.”“To the rest of us surviving the grueling schedule of the Ice Queen herself.”“You did okay.”“Just okay?”“Better than okay. You have quite the work drive, Jayden. Gus was right to leave Nexus in your hands.”“Not one of you thought that at first. You all hated me. Especially Hugo. I think he still might, actually.”“Oh, you are not so bad, after all.”We clink glasses. The wine’s sharp, dry—like her. The restaurant is dim, ambient, tucked just off the canal. Astrid insisted it was the best late-night spot in Brussels. So far, I can’t argue.The food was incredible, the service seamless, and the company? Easy. A little too easy.This dinner has gone longer than I expected. I expected an answer from Winona to my text. But it hasn’t come. The conversation just flowed so effortlessly tonight.No drama. No awkward silences. No carefully chosen words. Astrid, wh
(Winona)It’s nearly 1 a.m. when I step off the jet into the crisp Brussels air. I haven’t slept. I haven’t eaten properly. My thoughts have been chewing on each other for nine hours straight.I hear my phone notification, but I see Cass and I’m so damn happy. She’s about to launch the rest of her life and I’m excited for her.“It’s so good to see you.” I say as I run towards her and give her a hug.“You look like hell,” she says as she grins and hugs me back.“Oh, thanks for the compliment. You look like death yourself.”“Just finished a12 hour shift, what’s your excuse?”We walk out to the private parking area. Having a private jet is so convenient.“I can only blame stress and paranoia,” I tell her as we put my case in the back seat and get into her car.“Paranoia?”“Yes, about where Jayden and I stand in out marriage lately. I’m not sure I’m what makes him happy. All we do is fight, it seems.”“Okay… ah, so me telling him you’d have been better off never meeting him probably didn’
(Jayden)It’s nearly ten. The office is quiet, except for the soft hum of fluorescent lights above the boardroom. Astrid and I have been going through projections for Q3. Numbers, strategies, deadlines. All things that used to matter more than they do right now. My family call is bothering me. It’s not that Winona had a sudden business trip, that’s expected, it’s just the way we interact lately. Going through the motions. Not speaking up on how we feel in case it triggers an argument. I’m as much to blame.“You missed an adjustment here,” she says, tapping the edge of my laptop.“I didn’t miss it,” I say, not looking up. “I just didn’t apply it yet.”She raises an eyebrow. She knows I’m distracted. I’ve worked with her long enough to recognize the look that says I’m full of shit.“You want my input or just someone to nod along while you pretend to work?” she asks.I lean back in my chair. “You always cut right through it, don’t you?”“Of course.”She’s right. She doesn’t have patie
(Winona)The family call starts like any other.Except this time, I’ve told the kids I’ll be away and lied about where I’m going.Now I have to convince Jayden it’s an unexpected business trip.Bobby’s got a stack of papers next to him, pretending he’s not glancing at them while he listens to Jayden. He’s been working on some design options for the school vegetable garden.He’s become quietly obsessed with getting it right.Sarah is asking about when she can next visit the Nexus office again. Abby’s wearing one of Henry’s bibs and announcing herself as the ‘baby boss’ while trying to feed Henry a cracker he doesn’t want.Henry is slamming his hands on the table, shrieking with defiance, and Kit is doing her best to keep the screen steady while holding him.Chaos. Beautiful, familiar chaos. Welcome to the Brennan zoo.Jayden is calm, smiling, fully engaged. He’s asking Bobby about his team at school, praising his leadership skills. He tells Sarah he misses her drawings and promises to
(Winona)Phillip is at his desk when I walk in, finishing up a call. He looks up and gives me a half smile, casual but watchful.I cross the room but remain standing. “I won’t keep you long. I just… I wanted to let you know I’m stepping down in an active capacity from Vault. Effective immediately.”Phillip’s face shifts from polite curiosity to astonishment. “Wait—stepping down how?”I nod. “I’ll remain the owner. But I’m not going to be overseeing day-to-day management or strategic decisions anymore. I’m handing all of that to you. If you want it. CEO, President, call it what you will—I’m out.”He studies me carefully. “That’s… a big move, Winona. You’ve always been a control fre… ahh, hands-on.”I give him a quick grin. “Nice save.”“I’m talented, what can I say? But you being hands-off, I’m not sure that’s even possible.”“I’ve realized I can’t keep devoting so much energy to business. My family needs me. My kids need me.”“Is this what Jayden asked you to do?” “No. He’s been exc