Ella's POVI stood in the kitchen, absently wiping the counter as my brain had become a mess of thoughts and emotions that churned within me. I didn't know what to think or feel anymore. That conversation with Claudia still swirled in my head-twisting, nagging, like some splinter buried deep beneath my skin. She had planted seeds of doubt so effortlessly; her words circled my mind like vultures, waiting for me to break. I hated how easily she'd rattled me.Xavier was just a little too good to be true, no? The heart of it all? Every cold flirtation, every calculated look he threw my way, it all felt too perfectly set up, too staged in his head. Would a person like him ever be able to care about a person like me? I scowled at my reflection in the window. Foolish. I'd been so foolish to even hope—My phone buzzed on the counter, and I came out of my spiraling thoughts. I let out a sigh, wiping my hands with a towel that was lying nearby, and picked it up. The notification on the screen w
Xavier's POVI woke up in a start, the harsh sunlight slicing through the window, piercing through my bleary eyes. For a moment, I just lay there, disoriented-just feel the softness of sheets beneath me and the lingering scent of cheap perfume hanging in the air. Confusion clouded my mind in attempts to piece together remnants of last night. My body felt like it was made out of lead-as if I'd taken a hit from a freight train. I blinked hard, forcing the fog to clear, but the details of the previous evening danced just out of reach.I leveraged myself up onto my elbows and looked around. It was a luxurious hotel room, as one would expect; still, there was a something missing-a certain eeriness in the stillness of the air. Swinging my legs over the edge, I planted my feet onto the cool hardwood floor. A dull throbbing pulsed in my head and I groaned as fragments swam in my head. Claudia. What the hell happened?I reached to my feet, and the weight from last night came crashing down. Sta
XAVIER'S POV I strode into the office, my steps purposeful and measured. The power coursing through each cell in my body seemed to hum off me like an uncontrollable energy source. The moment I strode through the threshold, heads turned-secretaries, junior executives, all of them. Their gazes clung to me, whispers surely circulating behind my back, but I didn't care. Their petty thoughts were irrelevant. Not today.Claudia had overplayed her hand.And she was going to find out what happens when one tries to outplay me.The instant I stepped into my office, her scent, her energy, hit me-nervous. She paced by the window, her back to me. I didn't need to see her face to know she was scared. Good.I silently shut the door, the sharp click of the lock turning her to ice. It was then that she slowly turned around, and the instant our eyes met, her fear became palpable. Stiffening from head to toe, she parted her lips to say something- some weak defense, no doubt. I could almost smell the re
Ella's POVThe air felt heavy today-that kind where everything weighs one down and the whole world has come to a standstill. I sat on the couch, my arms loosely hugging Ivy, nestled against me, with her tiny frame so innocent and warm. Her laughter echoed through the room as Cocomelon played from the TV, bright colors and songs lighting up the screen.She pointed to the screen, giggling, "Mommy, look! JJ!"But I really wasn't there. My mind was elsewhere, clouded by that whirlwind of emotions spinning inside me, chaotic pieces I couldn't control, let alone make sense of.This just wasn't supposed to be this hard.The coolness of the ring on my finger touched my skin like a cold reminder of a lie that I had committed to. A contract, a deal-what was the meaning of all that? Had Xavier ever seen me-really seen me-beyond the terms and conditions of this mess that we so called a marriage?"Mommy, JJ!Ivy's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Yes, sweetheart, I see him," I said, forcing a
Ella's POVThe silence in the car was suffocating, save the soft hum of the motor and Ivy's occasional babbles from the backseat. I couldn't look at her, not yet. I had to keep my thoughts straight, had to remind myself of the facts.Three months. Three months of pretending this was something it wasn't. The contract had been clear-stay at my place for three months, keep up appearances, and then we'd move into his mansion. That's all it was, a deal. And now it was over.I tried telling myself I could keep things neutral-keep things at room temperature between us. No warmth, no heat, no emotion. Xavier was just a man I had agreed to marry for the sake of convenience, for Ivy's future. Nothing more. I really needed to stop pretending it was something else, that this was something real.But it still ached, an ache heavy in my chest, twisting with every breath I took. It wasn't supposed to hurt this badly, I kept reminding myself. It wasn't supposed to feel so personal. I knew what I was g
Xavier's POVThe harsh glow of the studio light felt like a spotlight on my every flaw. So many times, I have done these interviews; each and every time, I continued to chip away into my façade so carefully constructed. Today wasn't any different. The scandal that shook the soil on which I stood continued to buzz around me, a storm I couldn't outrun. It was relentless, just like the humming of a fly that refused to be swatted away."Xavier," the voice of the host cut into my daydream. "What would you like to say to the allegations concerning your family's business dealings?"I took a deep breath, forcing a smile that really felt more like a grimace. "Those allegations are baseless. I've worked hard to establish my own reputation, separate from my family's past. I assure you, my focus is on the future, not the mistakes of the past."The words came, practiced and polished, easily rolling off my tongue. Inside, though, I was a tempest-a maelstrom of emotions with every question asked, t
ELLA'S POV Stepping into Xavier's mansion was like stepping into a world too big, too overwhelming for my life. The sheer scale of it all made my heart pound in my chest. As the door closed behind me, the silence inside pressed in against my ears, a contrast to the noisy thoughts racing in my head. Ivy tugged on my hand, her innocent eyes wide with wonder at all the grandeur surrounding us.It was cool, the air crisp-each breath a thoroughly conditioned perfect simulation-but it did little to quash the bubbling unease in my stomach. The taut smiles of the staff greeted us, no more than courteous and rehearsed, their words soft and formal. A woman clearly used to such introductions stepped forward, offering to take me to my room. She strode ahead down the hall, Ivy and I trailing until the luxury of the mansion seemed to swallow us whole.When we finally reached my room-no, my suite-I was literally out of breath for a second. Large was an understatement: a room fit for royalty, with a
ELLA'S POV"Don't let this get to you, Ella." The president's face twisted into a mask of pure concern. His words reverberated at the back of my mind as I nodded my head slowly, my eyes scanning his for any hint of emotions and surprisingly, I met the soft glints of compassion in his eyes.Rising from the chair I was sitting on, I turned and headed out of the room with my head wrapped in thoughts. Could Xavier really be telling the truth? If yes, would I be able to give him my heart this time around?As I glided deeper into the horizon of the hallways, my heartbeat raced harder as I ran my fingers through my dress. Stopping in front of the elevator, I stretched taut my fingers and pressed the button causing the automated doors pull apart.The elevator ride was a matter of seconds before I finally arrived at my floor which was on the secondth. The hallways were quiet— save for the soft clip-clap of my heels against the bronze tiled floors. I made a stop at Ivy's room and opened to the