Laura “We have to sit down with her and talk to her; She needs to know what's going on,” I said after thinking about his words for a second. “Are you going to tell her we’re getting married again?” he asked, all suggestive as always. I gasped in surprise. It was incredible how Jason still manag
Suzy Lewis drummed his fingers on the steering wheel of the car while we were parked somewhere on Wall Street, right under the buildings that housed Hextec's facilities. We had just gotten there, and I was thinking about how I would approach Laura to get what I wanted. “I've only seen Laura Thomp
Suzy She was smiling at me now, but a little restrained. “I think he and I can reach a consensus that will be a win-win for everyone,” she commented with a nod. “And I wish all the happiness in the world for you two. Besides, Annie deserves to live with her parents nearby,” I added my speech with
Laura “Can you explain to me clearly what’s going on? Stop circling around!” My best friend, Ava, was arguing with me on the other end. “Are you saying you were in a business meeting when you realized your period was late? My God, Laura. How could you have forgotten something so simple?” “For the
Laura It was a friend calling, Albert Williams. I had already worked with him on some projects relating to my company and his, and every time we had worked together, things had gone well. It was almost 7 p.m., so I didn't know why he would be calling me at that time, especially my personal number.
Laura “So you’re telling me to enjoy my new sister, but also at the same time be mindful of her, right?” Albert Williams asked on the other end of the line. I was still in the office of the room there in Jason's mansion, still assimilating what Albert had just told me about Suzy, so she is an heire
Laura “Okay, Suzy. Please remain calm. I don't mean to attack you or judge you or anything like that; I'm just trying to understand mom's side of her getting involved with... your dad," I tried to explain my side in a calmer way because I didn't want to create a strife between us as a thing as unne
Laura The next day, Jason did what he promised the night before, and at lunchtime, he came to my office at Hextec. “As I told you yesterday, I'm here to take you to lunch,” he said after he entered my office room. I giggled at the sight of him standing there in front of me. “So this is what it me
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.
Annie POV I was still trying to process everything that had happened at the square. Caleb’s words—“I hope you suffer”—mixed with Nadia’s ultimatum about my revoked candidacy had left me in pieces. My dream of leading the student council, something I saw as the first step toward following in my mom’
Annie POV I was still sitting on the bench in the square, the echo of Caleb’s words reverberating in my head like thunder that wouldn’t fade. "I hope you suffer." He had shoved the bouquet of pink flowers against my chest and stormed off, leaving me with a mix of shock, anger, and something that