MIA’S POVI stand at the school gate with a smile on my face as I watch the children coming out. Their laughter fills the air.It’s been a while since Wendy and I properly hung out. A lot has been happening and this has affected my relationship with my daughter. Even though I saw her this morning, I miss her. The thought of holding her again makes my chest ache. Then I spot her with her little pigtails bouncing as she scans the crowd. Her eyes light up when she sees me, and before I can even call her name, she’s running toward me."Mummy!" she squeals, throwing herself into my arms.I scoop her up, holding her tight as her arms wrap around my neck."My baby," I murmur into her hair, breathing in her sweet scent. "I missed you so much.""I missed you too!" she says, pulling back just enough to beam at me. Her happiness is contagious, and I find myself smiling back. All my worries fade in this moment. All that matters is her."How about we get some ice cream before we head home?" I sug
ALEXANDER’S POVMy fingers hover over the keyboard as I reread the email sitting in my inbox."I can give you the information you need about Camille. Contact me."No signature. No name. Just the promise of answers.Who can this be?Camille. The woman has been tormenting us. Every lead I’ve chased has been a dead end. Every contact I’ve reached out to has come back empty-handed because of her "powerful connections". It’s infuriating. People like Camille don’t just appear out of nowhere. There’s always a trail—something to follow.But with her? Nothing.I clench my fists, staring at the email as if forcing it to reveal its secrets. For all I know, this could be a trap, a ploy to throw me off her. But what if it’s not? What if this is finally the breakthrough I need? My heart pounds in my chest as my finger hovers over the mouse, ready to click.And then, just as I press the button, the screen goes black.“Damn it!” I shout, slamming my palms on the desk. My laptop shuts down completely,
ELI’S POVFor days, I think of how the hell I’m going to get this document from Mia. Camille has asked me to do the impossible. There’s no way I can get close enough to Mia to do this.I stare at the photo of it, the one Camille sent me earlier. It’s grainy, but I can make out the important details—the faint blueprints, the scribbled notes that could mean anything or everything. I don’t know what it is about this document, but I can’t shake the feeling that it holds the key to everything Camille wants. I’ve tried to find another way, any other way. But there’s only one place the document is likely to be: with Alexander. And that’s a problem. How the hell do I get it from him? Their mansion is basically a fortress. Nobody goes in without a fight or their permission.But maybe, just maybe, if I do this right, I can get through. I don’t want to betray Mia so, I have to think of a plan. I have to think of something that will benefit both of us.I stare down at the picture of the documen
ELI’S POVI shove my hands into my pockets as I make my way to the warehouse. I take a deep breath as I push open the creaky door. I’ve got one goal tonight: end this.Camille stands in the center of the room, poised like a queen in her court. Her heels click against the concrete as she turns to face me. She smirks when she sees me. She looks as confident as ever.“Eli,” she purrs, tilting her head. “Right on time. How predictable.”I don’t bother responding. Instead, I pull the folder from my jacket and toss it onto the table between us. “There. That’s everything you asked for.”Her eyes are filled with amusement as she picks up the document, flipping through it leisurely. “You really outdid yourself this time. I have to admit, I never thought you had it in you. You actually got it. It was hard, wasn’t it?”“I did what you asked. It doesn’t matter how I did it”“How cute. I guess this means you’ve patched things up with your Mia, huh?”Her words are like nails scraping against my ski
ERIC’S POVI step into the supermarket with a frown on my face. My life has been hell lately, and this errand is the closest thing to a break I’ve had in weeks. Julia has been unbearable. She’s been clinging to me like a shadow…literally. She’s always watching, always scheming. I should’ve seen it before. I married a psycho.My hand clenches around the grocery list she shoved at me this morning. Milk, eggs, cereal—all the necessities she refuses to get herself. Still, I’m grateful for the outing. At least, for a moment, I can breathe without her presence suffocating me.I’m walking through the crowded shopping mal when I feel a small, solid thud against my leg. Looking down, I see her. A little girl, no older than five, looking up at me with wide, deep brown eyes. Eyes that look oddly familiar. My breath catches in my throat.There’s something about her… something I can’t quite place.“Sorry, mister,” she says softly. She clutches a small stuffed bunny in her arms. Its ears are worn a
ALEXANDER’S POVI’ve always believed that when you’re dealing with someone as ruthless as Camille, you have to be prepared for the unexpected. But nothing could have prepared me for the call that came in late that night. The voice on the other end was shaky, and filled with fear. It sounded as if they’ve been sitting on this secret for far too long."Alexander," the voice says. "I have information about Camille."I sit up straighter, immediately alert. My hand grips the edge of my desk. The blood in my veins runs cold. It’s the one thing I’ve been searching for—information that could expose everything about her."Who is this?" I demand.The voice hesitates for a long moment before answering, as if trying to think if they can trust me with what they're about to say."You don’t know me," they say, and there’s bitterness in their words. "But I know you. I know you’ve been digging into Camille, and I know what you’re trying to find."I lean forward “How do you know this?”“I was once like
ERIC’S POVThe image of Wendy’s innocent face keeps replaying in my mind. I’ve tried to focus on work, to push the thought of her out of my head, but it’s impossible. There’s something about her—something that calls to me. Something is urging me to uncover the truth. I know I should stay away, that my life is complicated enough as it is, but when I saw her with Mia… it shattered everything I thought I knew.I hired the best investigators, threw every resource at the case. My obsession grows with each passing hour. I tell myself it’s for closure, that I need answers. But deep down, I know it’s more than that. It’s something deeper. There’s a part of me that can’t shake the feeling that this little girl, Wendy is mine.I look through the details of Mia’s life after prison. The investigators are thorough. They help me uncover things I never knew, and it only deepens my desire to know more. After her release, Mia traveled to a state I never knew her to visit before. I can’t explain why, b
MIA’S POVEric just left my office, and I can’t breathe. The air feels thick, like I’m choking on all the secrets I’ve tried so hard to bury. My hands are trembling as I sit back in my chair, staring blankly at the door he walked out of.He knows.He has to know something.Why else would he accuse me like that? Like he’s piecing it all together. My stomach turns as I think about Wendy, my sweet, innocent Wendy and what this could mean for her.Eric can never find out she’s his daughter. Never. Not just because of the custody battle I’m sure he’d launch the moment he finds out, but because of Julia. That woman, no, that witch—would ruin Wendy’s life. I can already see it: Wendy being treated as some unwanted stepchild while Julia parades her fake smiles in public and spits venom at her in private. Wendy deserves better than that. She deserves love, stability, and happiness. I’ve worked too hard to give her that to let Eric and his wife take it all away.I grab my phone and dial my priv
MIA’S POVI step into the boardroom with Alexander by my side. The air is thick with tension, the kind that makes people hold their breath, waiting for something to happen. As soon as we enter, Camille's expression shifts from confidence to shock, but she quickly masks it with a scowl.She wasn’t expecting us. Especially not Alexander.A slow, smug smile spreads across her lips as she crosses her arms and leans against the long y table. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Mia and Alexander. Just in time for my leadership party. How thoughtful of you to attend."Her voice drips with mockery, but I refuse to give her the reaction she wants. Alexander stands tall beside me. I meet Camille’s gaze head-on, unbothered by her taunts."I must say," Camille continues, strutting around the room as if she already owns the place, "I expected resistance, but I didn’t think you'd have the nerve to show up and watch your empire slip right through your fingers."I smirk, tilting my head. "I wouldn’t be so
CAMILLE’S POVThe past two days have been nothing but preparation. Preparation for me to take over Alexander’s company. Ever since the attack, I’ve spent hours scrutinizing my men, watching their every move, searching for any sign of betrayal. But for the first time, I find nothing. No suspicious behavior, no hidden agendas. Just silence.Fine. It doesn’t matter.Tomorrow is what truly counts. Tomorrow, I take everything. The company will be mine, and I’ll get to watch as Alexander and Mia crumble under the weight of their own failure. Just the thought sends a rush of satisfaction through me. They took everything from me. Now, it’s my turn.A slow smile stretches across my lips as I reach for my phone, dialing one of the board directors.“Everything is in place?” I ask him. “Yes, ma’am,” he responds without hesitation. “Everything will proceed exactly as planned.”“Good.” I end the call. My fingers tighten around the phone as I let the victory settle in my bones.Tomorrow, everything
MIA’S POVLooking into Alexander’s eyes, every worry of mine is gone in an instant. There’s just something about him….something that keeps pulling me deeper even when I try to pull away. I don’t try to fight it. I can’t.Alexander leans down, capturing my lips in his again. Our lips move passionately against each other. His arms wrap around my waist, pulling me closer to him. Every kiss, every touch – it sets my whole body on fire but in the best way possible.Alexander lifts me up as if I weigh nothing, never breaking the kiss. I feel him go to the other end of the room and sit on the bed. I shove my tongue further down his throat, deepening the kiss. My whole body feels alive in a way it never has with anyone before. His touch is electric. His kisses are addictive. Alexander is like a drug that I can’t get enough of and I don’t even want to. As we kiss, the air around us feels charged with electricity. Every nerve ending of mine is standing at attention and goosebumps rise down my a
ALEXANDER’S POVMia's fingers are tight around my wrist as she drags me out of Wendy’s room. Her grip is so desperate that I can feel the slight tremble in her hands. I follow her without arguing because I know for Mia to act this way, it must be something serious. Earlier, she said something about Eric being convinced that he’s Wendy’s father but it’s still left me confused because she hasn’t explained yet. I need her to tell me what’s happening. That’s the only way I’ll be able to help.“Mia, what’s going on?” I ask the moment she pulls me into the hallway.She looks around as if to make sure no one else is within earshot. Then she turns to me. Her eyes are wide and filled with fear. “Eric knows.”Silence stretches between us as my stomach tightens. “Knows what?”“He’s convinced that Wendy is his daughter,” she breathes out.Shock slams into me like a fist. “What?”Mia nods frantically. “When he confronted me in my office, it seemed like he was just making assumptions but right now
MIA’S POVI slide into the backseat of the car. My fingers tremble as I gently touch my throat where Eric’s hands had squeezed. The skin there is still hot from the pressure. I wince at the memory of his grip, the raw anger in his eyes. I could practically feel the anger radiating off him. His actions shocked me even more.Even when we were married, Eric had never been violent with me. He’d always been... controlling, sure, but never like this.Now, it’s like a switch has flipped. I can see the fury in his eyes. He seems desperate to find out the truth. He knows something, and I can’t—won’t—let him find out the truth. Wendy cannot be his. I won’t let him take her away from me. Not after everything we’ve been through.I need to talk to Alexander. He’s the only one who can help me. He’s the only one who knows about sending the warden off.How else did Eric confirm that Wendy was his daughter if not through the warden? My mind is racing and the pieces of the puzzle seem to be snapping in
MIA’S POVThe moment Gina walked away, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. The best option was to fire Gina but she begged me not to. I put myself in her shoes. I don’t blame her. She was desperate.Besides, was firing her really the best idea? Gina knew a lot about the company and she could easily play into Camille’s hands out of spite. The best thing is to keep an eye on her.I sink back into the seat of the car. My thoughts keep circling back to the fake document. It was supposed to be a weapon, something to use against me, but Camille didn’t know it was fake. Camile didn’t have a clue, did she?Just as I’m about to slip deeper into my thoughts, my phone buzzes, dragging me out of my head. The number on the screen is unfamiliar, but I answer it anyway.“Mia,” the voice on the other end says.I recognize the voice immediately. It’s Eric.“I see you,” he says “You need to pull over. I need to talk to you.”I sigh, rubbing my temples. I don’t have time for his games. Not
MIA’S POVMy heart pounds against my ribs as I sit in the car, gripping the leather of my seat. Outside, my driver speaks to the stranger who has been following us. I watch them through the tinted window with my breath caught in my throat.Who is this person? And why are they trailing me?Then, the second car door opens, and someone steps out.Gina.My breath hitches. Gina? My secretary?What the hell is she doing here?She exchanges a few words with my driver. As she talks, I can see her hands trembling at her sides. Then I hear it in her voice as she speaks. Even her voice is shaking."I need to speak to Miss Mia alone." She says.Alone?We literally just saw each other at the office. Why didn’t she talk to me there? Why did she have to trail behind me like a mad man?I lower the window. My eyes lock onto hers, searching for answers. Gina looks terrified. Her face is pale and I can see beads of sweat glistening on her forehead despite how cold it is outside."Gina?" My voice comes o
ERIC’S POVI pace the length of my study. My fingers keep drumming against the desk as I stare at the countless documents spread out before me. I know Mia is lying. Wendy is mine—I feel it in my bones. But feeling isn’t enough. I need proof. And if Mia won’t give it to me willingly, I’ll tear the truth from her hands myself.The research is relentless. I’ve scoured every record, every connection Mia had in prison, looking for someone—anyone—who might know what happened during those months she disappeared from my life. And then, in the midst of my search, I stumble upon something I never expected: my own past. I find out a secret about my family that I never knew about.A scandal. A cover-up. A murder.My father, my perfect, untouchable father—was accused of killing a family of three. Not with his own hands, no. He built the unstable house they lived in and because of how greedy he was, he refused to renovate it with better materials. He let it crumble to pieces around them. And when t
MIA’S POVThe cold metal chair beneath me is uncomfortable. The air in the visitation room is thick and suffocating. My fingers drum restlessly against the table as I wait.As soon as Eli gave Camille the document, we knew Camille would try to double cross him. Turns out, we were right. Camille got Eli arrested. I need Eli’s help. So, I decided to come see him in prison.I tap my fingers on the table, waiting impatiently. Then, the door creaks open.Eli steps through, and my breath catches in my throat.He’s barely recognizable. His walk is slower, heavier. His cheekbone is bruised, his lip split, and there’s a faint discoloration around his eye that tells me he’s been in a fight—several, by the looks of it. His jumpsuit hangs off his frame.“Jesus, Eli…” The words slip from my lips before I can stop them.He smirks, or at least tries to, but it looks more like a grimace. “Miss me?”I shake my head, swallowing down the lump in my throat. “What the hell happened to you?”He exhales slo