Serena’s POVThis is bad. Really bad.I sit in the corner of a quiet cafe, my hands wrapped around a warm cup of coffee, but it doesn’t bring me any comfort. Across from me, Bill is fuming, his jaw clenched so tight I’m surprised he hasn’t cracked a tooth. James, calm as ever, is sitting next to him
Serena’s POVDamn, I need to focus.We’re in the middle of another sparring session, Bill and I, and every time he moves, my mind betrays me, focusing more on the way his muscles ripple than on his punches. The tension between us has been building for weeks, and now, it feels like it’s about to boil
Serena’s POVI can’t think. I can barely breathe.Bill’s lips crash against mine again, hungrier this time, more demanding. His body is pressed so tightly against mine that I feel like I’m melting into him. Every part of me is on fire, burning with a need I’ve been pushing down for so long, but now
Serena’s POVI’m lying on the mat, staring at the ceiling. For a moment, I’m out of breath. My pulse is still racing, and every nerve feels like it’s been reset. I barely even feel the coolness of the mat beneath me. Bill lies next to me. Neither of us says anything and I feel the warmth of his arm
Serena’s POVBill’s mansion feels different tonight like the walls are holding secrets. I can sense it even as I sit on the edge of the leather couch, scrolling through the same cryptic message over and over.He’s closer than you think. Just five words, but they keep me up half the night.Bill paces
Bill’s POVThe morning is too quiet, the kind of stillness that doesn’t sit right. I’m up early, wandering through the mansion as James dives into his work on the laptop. The tension in his eyes is unmistakable, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he scrolls through Kevin’s financial records. I
Serena’s POVMatt’s message pings on my phone, and something about it stops me in my tracks. There’s an urgency in his words, like he needs me to meet him right now, no questions asked. I don’t know what he wants to say, but the way he wrote it — short, almost desperate — it leaves no room for me to
Serena’s POVI take a deep breath, trying to keep myself steady, but before I can ask him anything more, Matt speaks.“Serena, I love you.” His voice is soft, but the weight behind those words is intense. He’s looking right at me like he’s been waiting a lifetime to say this. “I didn’t tell you befo
Calvin’s POVThe Lancaster estate feels colder than usual today, and it’s not because of the weather. The vaulted ceilings and polished marble floors echo with the tension that always seems to fill the air when the family gathers.This isn’t a casual dinner or a holiday reunion. It’s a “concerned di
Stevie‘s POV“Calvin, I can’t just say yes.”The words tumble out before I can stop them, hanging in the air between us. His eyes, which had been so hopeful, cloud over with something I can’t quite place—disappointment, maybe, or worry.We’re sitting in my apartment, the baby gear shoved into the co
Stevie‘s POVThe lens feels foreign in my hands at first, like it’s judging me for neglecting it for so long. I twist the focus ring back and forth, snapping shots of random things in my apartment: the pile of laundry I still haven’t done, the chipped paint on the windowsill, the vase of wilted dais
Serena‘s POVI can’t focus. Not on the new campaign proposals sitting in front of me, not on the email from our partners in Paris, and definitely not on the cup of tea I made an hour ago that’s gone cold on my desk.All I can think about is Stevie.Her face, flushed with anger, tears glistening in h
Calvin‘s POVThe buzz of my phone pulls me out of my focus, its vibration rattling against the glass surface of my desk. It’s another alert, no doubt tied to the leak at Etoile de Collin. The headlines have been relentless: “Scandal Rocks Global Launch,” “Is Etoile de Collin Losing Its Shine?”I don
Stevie‘s POVThe click of my camera is the only sound in my apartment. The blinds are half-drawn, letting in just enough light to paint soft streaks across the floor. I’ve spent the last hour taking photos of mundane things — a chipped coffee mug, the shadow of my old ficus, the crumpled blanket I t
Calvin’s POVThe call comes in just as I’m reviewing a financial report in my office. It’s Serena, and I can tell immediately from her clipped tone that something’s off.“Calvin, we have a situation,” she says, not bothering with pleasantries.I lean back in my chair, setting the report aside. “What
Serena’s POVI tap my pen against the edge of the conference table, staring at the open file in front of me. My head’s buzzing, not from caffeine—I haven’t had nearly enough of that today—but from the words staring back at me in black and white.“Are you sure about this?” I ask Grace, my PR director
Calvin’s POVI’ve been staring at her address on my phone for ten minutes, trying to work up the courage to get out of the car. It’s ridiculous. I’ve faced down corporate takeovers and boardroom ambushes without flinching, but this? This feels harder.Stevie’s apartment building looms in front of me