Stella’s POVThe hum of voices in the pub was a comfort, the familiar clink of glasses and the soft murmur of customers settling in for the night. I was behind the bar, cleaning the counters with a practiced hand, making sure every surface gleamed just right. I loved this place. It was mine—well, for the most part. No one could ruin it for me, not unless I let them.The door creaked open, breaking my focus. I glanced up, my fingers still wrapped around the cloth I was using to wipe down the bar. A tall woman stepped in, her heels clicking loudly on the hardwood floor as she moved with slow, deliberate steps. My first thought was: She’s overdressed for a place like this.Her gown was tight, so tight it hugged her every curve, and the material shimmered under the low lights of the pub. A rich shade of red that was far too eye-catching for someone who just wanted to grab a drink. She walked with confidence, almost as if the room had been made for her to step into, and she carried herself
Mona’s POV I was curled up on the couch, sinking into the cushions with the TV show playing quietly in the background. The soft hum of the screen filled the room, the characters bantering in their usual sarcastic way. My mind had wandered as I absentmindedly clicked through scenes. I was trying to lose myself in their world, one where problems didn’t exist, where the world didn’t intrude with its demands.But then it came. A knock.A sound so sudden, so sharp, it felt like a jolt straight through my chest. My eyes flicked towards the door. I scowled, irritation bubbling up before I could even stop it. I tried to ignore it, sinking deeper into the couch, clutching the remote in my hand like it could shield me from whatever was coming.Then—again. The knock, louder this time. It echoed through the quiet room, a heavy thud that made the walls seem to tremble. I didn’t move. I just stared at the door, my brows furrowed, trying to stay calm. Who the hell was this?“Ian, I hate noise,” I m
Mona’s POVIt had been over twenty minutes since I hung up with Ian. Twenty minutes. I glanced at the door again. No sign of him. I rubbed my temple, frustration bubbling inside me. Ian had promised he’d be back soon. But soon could mean anything, right? I had no idea what was going on, and that was driving me insane.I tried to shake it off. Maybe he was caught up with something, but something didn’t sit right. Why hadn't he told me anything about the police, about Inspector Ken showing up? What kind of trouble was he really in? I glanced back at the door again, wondering if I should just open it and ask the inspector more questions. But then the thought of standing in front of that silent, unblinking cop made me hesitate. I wasn’t exactly in the mood for another cryptic exchange.Instead, I did what any reasonable person would do in a time of crisis: I walked over to the window.I pulled back the curtain with a little more force than necessary and peered outside. There he was, stand
Ian’s POVI stepped into the small, sterile room, the floor tiles cold against my shoes. Mona trailed behind me, clutching a half-empty bag of chips, still chewing on a piece as if it could somehow absorb the absurdity of the situation. I let out a sigh and rubbed my temples, trying to shake off the headache creeping up from the back of my skull.Ken had led us here, his face a mask of indifference. I could tell by the way he glanced at Mona that he didn’t quite know how to deal with the situation, either. But there was no mistake that this wasn’t going to end well for me—no matter how much chocolate or chips Mona had at her disposal.Mona plopped herself down on one of the cold metal chairs, her bag of chips resting on the table in front of her. She shot me a look, as if daring me to try and pretend like everything was fine.Ken was already seated at the desk, flipping through some papers. The silence hung between us like a heavy weight, each second dragging by, stretching the tensio
Ian’s POVMona took a step forward, her voice trembling with anger. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You expect Ian to just hire you as a cook after everything that’s happened? After the way you’re acting right now?”The woman’s lips curled into a thin smile, and for a moment, I almost felt sorry for her. But only for a moment. “You don’t understand. I’ll forgive him. But only if he makes this right.”I turned to Mona, my mind spinning. She was fuming, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. “This isn’t how this works,” she muttered under her breath. “This isn’t how you get justice. You don’t hold him hostage and demand a job.”I shook my head, looking at the woman with the kind of exhaustion only someone who had been through this much could understand. “Listen, I don’t care what you think you deserve, but you don’t get to make demands like this. I’m not taking you on just to get out of your petty vendetta.”The woman took a step toward me, her voice dropping to a low
Flynn’s POV I stood at the entrance of the door to the man’s house, the one who had taken my sister from me. Her life, snuffed out in a heartbeat, and the police — those incompetent fools — claimed she had done it to herself. The autopsy confirmed it: suicide. But that wasn’t my truth. It couldn’t be. I would never accept that, not when I knew the man who had been in her life, the one who had caused her so much pain, was still breathing, still walking free. That was my problem. It should be his damn problem.I could feel my jaw tightening as the heat of my anger boiled over, a pressure building in my chest. I hissed, a sharp exhale that burned in my lungs, clenching my fists at my sides. I raised my hand to knock, my knuckles hovering in the air, but just as I was about to strike, I felt a tap on my shoulder.“Who are you?” A voice, cold, demanding, sharp with authority—familiar too. It was her. The loud-mouthed woman from the police station.Mona.The last time I had seen her, she w
Author’s POVMona’s fingers gripped the doorknob so tightly, her knuckles turned white as she stormed down the stairs, her heart thudding with frustration. The nerve of Ian, treating her like some servant just to get the job done. After all these years of holding the reins, now he was treating her like she was disposable. She could feel the anger bubbling up inside her as she reached the bottom of the stairs, practically shaking with annoyance.Slamming the door behind her, Mona whipped around, her hair flying like a wild storm. How dare he, how dare he, just dismiss her like that! It wasn’t like she had nothing better to do than watch Ian and Flynn stare each other down in that godforsaken house. She had a life, damn it.But no, it wasn’t the time for pouting. She turned back to the door. Maybe she could still catch a glimpse, listen in. She’d been around long enough to know that Ian’s cool façade was always hiding something, and that man—Flynn—had “revenge” written all over him. Mon
Author povFlynn stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the kitchen counter. The familiar scent of simmering spices filled the room, but her attention wasn’t on the meal she was preparing. Instead, she could feel the weight of Ian’s gaze from across the room, the soft hum of his disapproving presence growing louder in the space between them."I still don’t think it's necessary, Ian," Flynn said, her tone measured but firm. She wasn't going to give in to him, not this time. "I can handle the kitchen on my own, thank you very much. I’m more than capable of cooking without Mona’s help." Her voice carried a hint of finality, as though the matter was closed.Ian was quiet for a moment, his gaze unwavering. He leaned back in his chair, his arms folded across his chest, and the silence stretched thin between them. Flynn could almost hear the gears in his mind turning, considering his next words."I understand you're upset, Flynn," Ian finally said, his voice calm, yet there was an unde
Ian's POVThe office lights cast a sterile white glow over the room, but even that couldn’t sterilize the chaos that had just strutted through the door in five-inch heels and an attitude as bold as her lipstick."Mia?" I asked, eyebrows knitting together. "What are you doing here?"She shut the door with a slow, deliberate click, her red nails grazing the handle as if sealing the moment like a trap. Her heels clicked against the hardwood floors—each step a warning, each sway of her hips a challenge.“Come on, Ian,” she purred, her voice a silky dagger. “I’m here to see you. What’s with the long face? Miss me already?”I leaned back in my chair, folding my hands behind my head to keep them from balling into fists. I had paperwork to deal with, not ex-fiancées who thought the world still spun around them."Miss you?" I scoffed, chuckling under my breath. "You really are something, Mia."She ignored my sarcasm and strutted across the room like she owned it, her perfume trailing behind he
Vance’s POV“Did you just say you've fallen in love with someone else? That's crazy!” My sister exclaimed, sipping her juice without even minding the frown on my face.I stared at her, my pulse hammering in my ears, trying to process the weight of her words. Fallen in love with someone else? The idea sounded absurd, even to my own mind, but deep down, I knew it was true.She didn’t seem to notice the shift in the air. She sipped her juice, eyes darting around the room as if we were having the most casual conversation of all time. “Did you hear me?” she asked, her voice light and teasing. “You’ve fallen in love with someone else. That’s crazy.”I clenched my jaw and fought to control my breath. Of course, she had to say it out loud. But it wasn’t like I had the luxury of avoiding this anymore. The thing I had never planned on, never even considered, was happening.“Just shut up,” I muttered, trying to force the words through my teeth. “I’m trying to figure something out.”My sister’s e
Vance's Point of ViewFlynn was just about to turn and walk out, her back straight, her expression cool as ice, when my hand shot out and gripped her wrist. She froze, her breath catching slightly at the contact, and I could feel the subtle tension in her body. She was on the edge, ready to retreat, but I wasn’t done yet. Not when everything inside me felt like it was coming apart.“Hey,” I said, my voice low, but with an edge that betrayed my nerves. “Can we talk?”She didn’t immediately respond. Her eyes locked onto mine, cold and calculating, but there was something more behind that steel wall. I could see the way her pulse quickened at the edge of her throat, the slight shift of her stance, as if she was debating whether to pull away or stay.I didn’t want to let her go. Not yet. Not like this.“Vance,” she said after a moment, her voice cool, clipped. “What is it that you want? You’ve got your own mess to sort out with Mona, and I—"“I know,” I interrupted, trying to steady my br
Mona's POVThe audacity of him standing there in my house, that too with her around. Vance. Of all people. The very person who had played a role in the mess I was trying so desperately to escape. I stared at him, every fiber of my being burning with confusion and frustration. My fist clenched tighter as I struggled to hold back a slew of emotions. Was I angry at him? At myself? At this whole damn situation?"What the hell are you doing in my house, Vance?" I couldn't keep my voice steady. It cracked, betraying the mess of emotions swirling inside me. "Why the hell are you here, after everything that happened with Ian? After everything you've done?"He stood there, as if trying to figure out how to navigate the whirlwind of my wrath. His eyes were dark, but his face remained neutral. Too neutral. The way he stared at Flynn—standing just behind him, clearly waiting for a moment to pounce—had me seething.Is he… is he interested in her?The thought alone was enough to make my stomach twi
Vance's POVI hadn’t heard from Mona in days. The silence had been suffocating. Since the night she left the pub with that look in her eyes, everything had gone cold. Every call I made to her voicemail, every text went unanswered. It wasn’t like her to shut me out like this. She had been distant before, but this—this was something different.It was like she had slipped into another world, leaving me stranded in the wake of her absence. I couldn’t figure it out. Something had changed, and it was gnawing at me, distracting me. The more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became. I needed to see her, to know what was going on. To make sense of whatever had crawled under her skin.I decided to go to her mansion, to confront her face-to-face. The drive was long, my mind racing with all the questions I wanted to ask, but it didn’t matter. I needed answers, even if they would tear apart whatever fragile connection we still had.Pulling up to the iron gates, I felt a twist of unease in
Author povFlynn stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the kitchen counter. The familiar scent of simmering spices filled the room, but her attention wasn’t on the meal she was preparing. Instead, she could feel the weight of Ian’s gaze from across the room, the soft hum of his disapproving presence growing louder in the space between them."I still don’t think it's necessary, Ian," Flynn said, her tone measured but firm. She wasn't going to give in to him, not this time. "I can handle the kitchen on my own, thank you very much. I’m more than capable of cooking without Mona’s help." Her voice carried a hint of finality, as though the matter was closed.Ian was quiet for a moment, his gaze unwavering. He leaned back in his chair, his arms folded across his chest, and the silence stretched thin between them. Flynn could almost hear the gears in his mind turning, considering his next words."I understand you're upset, Flynn," Ian finally said, his voice calm, yet there was an unde
Author’s POVMona’s fingers gripped the doorknob so tightly, her knuckles turned white as she stormed down the stairs, her heart thudding with frustration. The nerve of Ian, treating her like some servant just to get the job done. After all these years of holding the reins, now he was treating her like she was disposable. She could feel the anger bubbling up inside her as she reached the bottom of the stairs, practically shaking with annoyance.Slamming the door behind her, Mona whipped around, her hair flying like a wild storm. How dare he, how dare he, just dismiss her like that! It wasn’t like she had nothing better to do than watch Ian and Flynn stare each other down in that godforsaken house. She had a life, damn it.But no, it wasn’t the time for pouting. She turned back to the door. Maybe she could still catch a glimpse, listen in. She’d been around long enough to know that Ian’s cool façade was always hiding something, and that man—Flynn—had “revenge” written all over him. Mon
Flynn’s POV I stood at the entrance of the door to the man’s house, the one who had taken my sister from me. Her life, snuffed out in a heartbeat, and the police — those incompetent fools — claimed she had done it to herself. The autopsy confirmed it: suicide. But that wasn’t my truth. It couldn’t be. I would never accept that, not when I knew the man who had been in her life, the one who had caused her so much pain, was still breathing, still walking free. That was my problem. It should be his damn problem.I could feel my jaw tightening as the heat of my anger boiled over, a pressure building in my chest. I hissed, a sharp exhale that burned in my lungs, clenching my fists at my sides. I raised my hand to knock, my knuckles hovering in the air, but just as I was about to strike, I felt a tap on my shoulder.“Who are you?” A voice, cold, demanding, sharp with authority—familiar too. It was her. The loud-mouthed woman from the police station.Mona.The last time I had seen her, she w
Ian’s POVMona took a step forward, her voice trembling with anger. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You expect Ian to just hire you as a cook after everything that’s happened? After the way you’re acting right now?”The woman’s lips curled into a thin smile, and for a moment, I almost felt sorry for her. But only for a moment. “You don’t understand. I’ll forgive him. But only if he makes this right.”I turned to Mona, my mind spinning. She was fuming, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. “This isn’t how this works,” she muttered under her breath. “This isn’t how you get justice. You don’t hold him hostage and demand a job.”I shook my head, looking at the woman with the kind of exhaustion only someone who had been through this much could understand. “Listen, I don’t care what you think you deserve, but you don’t get to make demands like this. I’m not taking you on just to get out of your petty vendetta.”The woman took a step toward me, her voice dropping to a low