Lindsay The next morning, I got ready, ready to make some change in the painful situation I found myself in. Feeling threatened and intimidated by Laura's perfection, I put on my most expensive dress, so I didn't feel too humiliated and to think that despite everything that was happening, at least
Lindsay You can call me crazy for opening up a way for my husband's ex to talk to him again like this, but I knew Gideon would only listen to me if Laura talked to him first. I needed to try again, I wasn't going to be defeated like this. “So, Laura. Would you do this for me?” I asked her with fe
Laura I watched Lindsay leave, and my heart broke. I couldn't say that he was my best friend, but after all the time we spent, working together and growing this company, of course I felt an emotional attachment to her, after all we were talking about Lindsay. Furthermore, I sighed resignedly, feel
Young Williams' story began years ago, when he still couldn't understand his father and the complicated life he led as an influential billionaire... When Albert woke up that autumn morning, he rolled around in his big bed lazily, already imagining how his day would go—boring as usual. He got up gru
"Can't you cancel the academy, Bathory?" “Again, Williams? Why don't you close the gym at once?" He replied sharply. "Wow, you're thick today, huh?" "Like my dick!" "Like what...?" That was the voice of Emily Rosebery Williams, Albert's mom, who looked at them curiously. They had just arrived in
The hard truth behind the scenes Albert liked to drive himself, so as soon as they were in the car, he started the machine, the wheels gliding smoothly along the well-maintained road in upscale Manhattan. Max was silently fiddling with his cell phone while Albert drove smoothly. "Why don't you jus
"Don't be naive; you know how dangerous this world is. Hell is paved with good intentions." "I'm full too, just not with good intentions." Albert got out of there in such a hurry that Max had no way of reaching him. Sometimes he couldn't stand Max and everyone else in the world; there were things
"Young Williams." One of the shareholders spoke. "I even understand your position, but what guarantees us that this radical change may not lead to the ruin of this firm?" Several shareholders expressed their agreement with that issue, a buzz began to form there. "I assure you, we've been studying t
Annie POV Peter Morton’s face was just inches from mine, staring at me. The electric blue of his eyes was so close I could see his irises dilating and contracting. “You okay, Lady Ann?” he asked. I sighed with a small smile, half in delight. “It’s been a while since anyone called me that.” Actual
Annie POV The masked boy—who I didn’t want to admit was Peter—took me to an upscale, comfortable hotel where I could spend the night safely, away from everything, and try to regain my composure and figure out what to do next. “You can stay here,” he said calmly, though his voice still carried a hi
Annie POV The masked boy led me through the dark campus, his hand firm in mine as we ran away from the ballroom. My legs trembled, the blue dress swishing with each step, and tears still streamed down my face, hot and relentless. The sound of the shouts, the judgments, still echoed in my head, bu
“No choice?” He cut me off, his tone incredulous. “Are you serious? You chose to help Madison make that video. You chose to plug it into the projector. And now Annie’s out there, broken, while you try to run from the responsibility. This doesn’t fix anything, Abby. It wasn’t supposed to end like thi
Abby POV I was there, tucked away in the shadows of the ballroom’s corner, my heart still racing as I watched the chaos I’d helped create unfold. The giant screen kept playing that horrible video, distorted and manipulated clips of Annie echoing through the room like a final verdict. People poin
Annie POV I was still on the dance floor, the warmth of the masked boy’s body against mine, my head resting on his chest as the slow music guided us. The sound of his heartbeat against my ear was almost hypnotic, and I let myself get lost in that feeling I couldn’t quite explain. He’d just said s
I swallowed hard, Caleb’s words coming back to haunt me. “Have you ever stopped to think that maybe we’ve gone too far?” He’d said that at the mall, and I’d hung up on him, but now they echoed in my head. Annie had hurt me, yes. The fight in the dorm, the way she called me fake, like I was trash she
Abby POV I was leaning against the wall of the ballroom, the cup of punch in my hand already warm and forgotten, as I watched Annie dance with that masked boy. The soft lights of the ball cast shadows over them, and even from so far away, you could feel something in the air—a chemistry almost tangi
Anne POV I was there, trying to at least pretend I was enjoying the party with Summer, letting the loud music and spinning lights distract me from the weight pressing on my chest. Summer danced beside me, throwing her arms up with that endless energy of hers, and I tried to keep up, forcing a smile