Laura “Did you slap him in the face?” Ava asked, eyes wide with amazement, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. “That was really strong,” I said with a chuckle, stroking the palm of my right hand as I thought about it. “You should have seen his face. He was more in shock than in pain, not bel
I ended up putting my hand on her belly. “Is my nephew or niece growing up well?” I asked with a smile. She giggled. “The doctor said that everything is fine with my pregnancy; it’s been ten weeks now,” she said, excitedly. “How cute! The baby will soon be jumping in your belly; Annie loved doin
LauraI decided to leave my hair blonde as it already was. I decided to keep it that way from now on as a memory of Richard and also to represent this change in my life. Furthermore, I could fail countless times, but I wasn't afraid to start over from scratch. I took a deep breath, looking at my im
They were quiet but still had hostile looks directed at me. I didn't care and spoke again. “I carry the weight of Richard's death in my hands, and if one day life wants to charge me with it, I will be ready to accept it. But until that happens, I plan to make Richard's name proud, and I plan to make
Laura“Laura Thompson? So, are you back to work?” Asked the male voice on the other end of the line, it was Mr. Gardner, owner of one of the best-canned foods processors in the region. Hextec had received several requests for marketing in recent months because of the reference we had with Nemesis an
Laura“We were surprised by Hextec's excellent work on the project surrounding the launch of W.J's new jewelry line,” Albert Williams said. “That was a critical and challenging time for us because I had just taken on my family's legacy after a few years since the death of my father, so my team and I
“It’s okay, Lindsey. You can go home,” I said to her with a nod, but without taking my eyes off Kendall. Lindsey was hesitant at first, but in the end, she reluctantly left. “And why wouldn’t I celebrate?” I asked Kendall, who was in front of me; she wasn't welcome, so I didn't offer her a seat. “B
Laura I was still devastated after Kendall's recent visit to the Hextec offices. That night when I got home, I left the girls talking and having quality time in the living room, and I preferred to go to bed after taking a shower, claiming that I was in a good mood and very tired, and I was indeed.
“Why do you keep hanging out with them, Abby?” he asked, and now there was a note of concern that annoyed me even more. “You know Madison’s not good for you. She uses you, and you let her.” “It’s none of your business,” I shot back, my voice sharp. “I do what I want, Caleb. Bye.” I hung up before h
Abby POV It was a lazy Sunday, and I was at the mall’s food court, waiting at the counter to pick up snacks for myself and the “new friends” I’d managed to latch onto. The smell of grease and cheap coffee filled the air, and the hum of conversations mixed with the muffled pop music from the speaker
Caleb, Abby, Madison, Nadia—they all spun through my head like a broken carousel. I wanted to tell my parents everything, collapse and ask for help, but the thought of seeing disappointment in their eyes—or worse, them trying to intervene at Oxwell to “save” me—made me swallow the words. I had to fi
Annie POV It was the weekend, and I was at home, trying to take deep breaths and pretend everything was okay. The Oxwell campus was a few hours away, giving me temporary relief from the chaos my life had become. Here, with my parents and the twins, I could at least try to be the old Annie—the exc
Max POV Walking beside someone who’d once meant so much to me felt strange. I couldn’t stop thinking that our breakup had been a waste, couldn’t stop remembering how happy I’d been with this guy, only to ruin it all because of my ego, because of a toxic fixation I had on Albert. Conrad Adams walke
Max POV was stunned when Albert told me that, my mouth even went dry because I wasn’t expecting to hear it. Conrad Adams was back. He was my boyfriend in my early twenties. I met him through Albert, who was close friends with him during the dark days of his family’s company. Conrad was a good guy
Max POV I was driving through the city with the radio on low, just a background murmur to keep the silence from swallowing me whole, when my phone buzzed on the dashboard. Zoey. Of course it was her. The girl had already wormed her way into my house like a high-heeled parasite, and now, apparently,
Annie POV After the moment at the mall, I returned to the dorm with a tight chest, carrying the bags with the blue dress Summer had insisted I buy. The plan was to distract myself, but Madison’s words—“racist,” “canceled piece of trash”—spun in my head like a broken record, mingling with Nadia’s re
When I met her last week at a council meeting, I could tell she’d be a challenge—confident, charismatic, the type who knew how to play the game. “Ugh, Madison Goodwin is here too. What a rotten day,” I grumbled, rolling my eyes. Of course Abby would get close to Madison—she was her adopted cousin.