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
Albert "Abby? Abby." He could hear Max's blurry voice calling him as if he were underwater. Albert had his head buried between his legs, having a mild crisis of despair. “Rick and the others are already worried. Are you going to come out of this toilette or not?" Max was still slamming the cabin do
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
“She’s an idiot,” Summer said, crossing her arms as she looked at me with concern. “You okay?” “Yeah,” I lied, grabbing a cup of punch just to have something to do with my hands. “I just… I just want this to stop, you know? For people to leave me alone.” Before Summer could reply, I felt him befor
Anne POV It was the day of the freshman ball, and I stood in front of the mirror in my dorm room, the blue dress Summer had insisted I buy staring back at me. The fabric draped lightly over my body, the delicate sleeves and simple cut highlighting my shoulders and collarbone in a way I knew was bea
“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