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
M ADAME BRO WNE'S POV “Hello,” I said, my voice hoarse. I could still feel the prick of glass on my palms, the soft pain but I overlooked it. The entire room reeked of sweat and alcohol. I waited a long minute before the person on the other end finally responded me. On the other end of the line, I could hear grunting and loud cursing. My patience soon waned once I checked the waiting time and saw it had been 40 seconds already.I scowl angrily, pulling the phone as I stretched my index finger to press the end call button. Before I could press it, the call was picked and a husky feminine voice beamed out from my speakers. “Hello, this is Poison speaking, if it's another loan company, I swear too God I am going to freaking come and deal with y'all myself.” I heard the familiar voice of one of my girls, Poison, my go-to actually.She was the perfect one for the role. “Hey, this ain't no loan shark company, it's Madame Browne.” I said and listened closely as a hushed silence followed m
LUCAS'S POV“On your knees!” I ordered watching from the high chair as she did as ordered. The soft flickering sound the crackling fire made braced my ears as I chuckled.“Why did you do it? Why did you have to ruin all my sheerchard work for what? Only for the president to find out years later.” I thundered, my voice lashing through the thin silence in the air.Madame Browne moved slowly, my nails pressing hard into her flesh. She was on her knees as I had ordered, her head tilted downwards in fear. She was shaking like a winter leaf, her eyes lit up in confusion.“I still don't understand any of your words, what do you mean by I ruined all of your hardwork I promise you, I didn't do shit!” She cursed underneath her voice.The anger in me raged harder with each passing second, the sight of her filling me with irritation. “You don't still understand? Well, I'll give you a hint.” I growled, my teeth tighly.I tilted my gaze upwards, hesitating for a secondary as I stared at the guards
L U C A S 'S P O V I watched the president with cold eyes, it had been hours now and I wasn't going to fall for his pretend sleep. The truth was about to get out, but I wasn't really sure if he knew what I thought I knew.I made sure I scrubbed out all traces to the incident, how did the president found out about it? I scrub my hair roughly, thoughts pulsing through my brain. I freaking hated the fact that they were all still here.I wanted some alone time with the president, just the two of us. I need to find out all he knew. The thought of having him tell Xavier and Ella was haunting, sending chills though me. I came back to New York for one thing and that didn't include going to jail.No!I'd traced out all the evidence, even the police were clueless as to who the perpetrator was. How did he find out? Anger and restlessness seeped into my bones as I turned my gaze to stare at the two other people in the room.Xavier and Ella.They were still here and I could tell they were already
ELLA'S POV “The part I hid all these years?” The president's tone was etched with fear, for the first time, I saw fear glistening in his green eyes.Never had I seen his breath hitch, his back arch and his pupils dilating. With every step, Mr Lucas McKinney took, the room erupted slowly in an air of shunned tension.“Which part?” His voice was smooth, like granite but also daring. The president immediately broke into laughter, “Don't mind my jokes Lucas, I was just taking Xavier into the old room.” The president's voice made me shocked. I frowned. Was all of this a joke?I was about jumping into conclusion but once I saw him laughing hysterically, I knew he was pretending for Lucas. Lucas was also laughing alongside, his presence a threat.As the president laughed, I noticed his chest heaving abnormally. His eyes were brimming with tears which I pushed back under the guise of a laugh. “How did you know we were here, uncle Lucas?” I asked him softly, swallowing softly as I tried to
ELLA'S POV “The truth?” I asked, confusion written boldly all over me.What did he mean by the truth? I scrunched my nose gently as I reached out to help adjust his pillow. “What do you mean by the truth, Mr McKinney?” I asked him again, this time, he actually responded to me.“I have to tell Xavier— he deserves to know.” He said and his voice faltered halfway into a dry cough that had him jerking his chest. Just a s he said those words, Xavier ran into the room, confused at to where the confusion in the air was coming from.“What's happenin— grandpa, you're awake!” Xavier's jumped for joy with the glass of drinkable water in his hands. He walked over to the bed and I took the cup from him to give the president.Mr McKinney took the glass from Xavier and after taking a long sip of the water, he placed the cup back on the nearby table. After doing that, his voice croaked out, “X… Xavier.”His pale fingers stretched to reach Xavier's face, his lids flickering weakly. He was shaking but
ELLA'S POV “It’s a long story but if you don't help the president now, we could have a different story to tell.”My heart thumped hard against my ribcage as my eyes met the president's figure. His skin was already pale, his entire form unconscious. Fear gripped me on all four edges of my body as I gasped out.A shiver trudged up my spine. I tried to stay calm in the moment, it was good Ivy wasn't around, she went to do her homework and I wouldn't want her to be disheartened by the sight of her great-grandfather unconscious.“Grab me a long fabric we have to make sure to free his airways to atleast revive him.” I ordered Xavier as I rushed over to a side of our bedroom where I normally kept my hospital kit and opened it. I checked his heartbeat and was shocked to find out it was beating quite well.Just as I pulled off the heart rate monitor, I proceed to take the long linen fabric had brought. “We have to tie it over his chest, first we have to take away all jewelries and heavy fabri
THE PRESIDENT'S POVI wasn't planning to bring out the 21 day challenge to Lucas but since the situation elevated quickly, I had to pull out that one last card. I thought it'd scare him, push him backwards and make him have double thoughs about becoming the next president but instead, it fueled his interest.The desperation in my son's eyes as he accepted the offer was scary, even to me but I decided it was smart not to allow it reflect. I tilted my head to look at Xavier's s I flash him a signal, he pushed me in the direction of the door.The wheelchair was very comfortable I must say. It wasn't that bad. I considered it a free three month rest rom walking and having someone, Xavier, push me around. I had pushed me discharge date just to be at the McKinney mansion.The tension might seem a lot heated but since we're in my pov, I'll tell you this for free, things aren't as they are. Lucas was dangerous, i knew dark secrets of my own son I deserved to preserve from the world.Our rival
LUCAS'S POV.My heart skipped a beat at the president's words. What did he mean by conditions? I held my breath, waiting patiently for the next series of words that would slip out from the president's lips. I pant slowly, my chest heaving as discomfort pooled down my arms. I wasn't quite yet sure what to believe, was it his words or the pungent feeling in my veins that told me this was another one of his games.“Accepted.” I said, dragging the word. The president’s expression didn't change like I was expecting. His breath didn't shuder, his pupils didn't dilate, It was almost like it was all real.“And what is that, if I may ask?” I took a step further, noticing the change in the air. The president was seated comfortably on the wheelchair, his composure unfazed.The thin stripes of light from the fireplace in the room striked a side of his face, giving the contempt in the eyes a brighter glow that had me pulsing. He stared up at me, his head tilted upright. I swallowed softly, a str
MADAME BROWNE’S POV I couldn't believe my eyes.The president was alive.Fury washed through me in waves as I gazed back at his impending figure. The president sat comfortable on a wheelchair, his gaze firm like a king surveying his kingdom. Xavier was the one pushing him around and the sight of the both of them standing there made me furious.I thought Lucas said he should be dead by now. To even think that I was actually about to start celebrating when he told me the news only to realize that it was all a lie. The president had survived the attack and as always, my plans had been ruined.I bit hard into my lower lip as I clenched my fists, the sharp pain that came from the pressing sensation of my fingernails on my palms jolting my head upright. The president had a sneer on his face as he was wheeled back into the room.His presence caused my heart to nearly skip a beat. My breaths came hitching out, ragged puffs coming out of my nostrils. I tried to contain the shock in my veins b