NORA'S POV The cab ride from Charles de Gaulle Airport to my apartment felt longer than the entire flight from New York. Paris loomed heavy around me, the city of love and dreams now shrouded in shadows of worry and dread. The last time I’d been here, it had felt like a refuge, a new start. Now, it felt like a prison I was walking back into, chains and all.I unlocked the door to my apartment, exhaustion weighing on me like a physical force. My mind was so clouded with everything that had happened—the whirlwind of leaving Sam, the chaos of Milo’s threats—that I didn’t immediately register the woman sitting in the middle of my living room.
SAM'S POV I sat in my office, leaning back in my chair, staring at the ceiling as the weight of the past few days bore down on me like an anvil. My phone lay face down on the desk, and I hadn’t had the courage to pick it up, to see if there were any missed calls or messages from Nora. She was in Paris. Gone. And I was here, in New York, feeling more powerless than I ever had in my life. My chest tightened at the thought, a hollow ache that gnawed at me relentlessly.The door swung open, and Jacob sauntered in, his usual cocky demeanor making my teeth grind. He flopped into the chair across from me, his gaze flicking around my office before settling on me. “You look like shit,” he commented, a smirk playing on his lips. &l
NORA'S POV I moved to open the door, but my mother’s hand shot out, stopping me. Her eyes had gone cold again, wary. “Who is it?” she whispered.I shook my head, my nerves frayed. “I don’t know,” I said, my voice trembling.Slowly, I twisted the doorknob and pulled the door open. My heart stopped.Daniel stood in the doorway, his hair disheveled, his eyes wide with relief and something else—something I couldn’t quite place. He looked out of breath, as if he’d run all the w
SAM'S POVThe boardroom went dead silent as Milo Romano swaggered into the room. His sleek black suit was immaculate, but his eyes glittered with a dangerous glee that made my blood boil. I shot up from my seat, the chair scraping loudly against the marble floor.“What the hell is this?” I roared, slamming my hands on the polished table. My voice echoed, filled with raw fury. “Who let this scum into the Bennett building? Are we really sin
SAM'S POV The world tilted and spun around me, disbelief and rage twisting together in a storm I could barely contain. My father’s words echoed in my head, louder and louder, until I could barely breathe. Call Nora? The audacity of it, the sheer betrayal, made my blood boil.“Are you serious?” I demanded, my voice cracking as I stepped toward my father. The rest of the boardroom faded into the periphery, the faces of my uncles, aunt, and cousins blurring as all my focus zeroed in on William Bennett. “You never cared about Nora when we were married,” I said, my voice rising. “How many times did you even call her back then, when she was part of this family? And now you want to drag her into this mess when
NORA'S POV I was shocked and for a heartbeat, all I could do was stare at my phone, my heart pounding in my chest.“You there Eleanora?” The voice was unmistakable, deep and commanding. William Bennett. A man who had once been a towering figure of respect and admiration in my life, almost like the father I had always wanted. I could practically see his steely blue eyes and the way his mere presence could command a room. As a child, I had idolized him, as had every boy in the Bennett family who aspired to be like him. Genevieve had been adored by him, treated like royalty, the beloved princess of their empire. I remember
SAM'S POVThe boardroom buzzed faintly as my father held the phone to his ear, his face unreadable. He was speaking to Nora. Every fiber of my being wanted to snatch the phone from him, but William Bennett didn’t tolerate interruptions, not even from his son.“Eleanora,” he said again, his voice firm but laced with a practiced charm. “You’re in Paris, I take it?”I could hear the faint sound of her voice through the receiver, soft and hesitant. My chest tightened painfully.“Yes,&rdquo
NORA'S POV The apartment was quiet, the kind of silence that bore down on me, heavy and oppressive, you could have heard a pin drop. I stood in the middle of the room, my hands clasped tightly in front of me, trying to steady my breathing. My mother sat on the edge of the couch, her expression unreadable, while Daniel leaned casually against the wall, his arms crossed, watching me like he was trying to figure out what I was about to say.This is it, I thought, bracing myself. This is the moment I decide.Before I could speak, my phone buzzed loudly on the coffee table, cutting through the silence like a knife. I frowned, reaching fo
NORA'S POV The Bennett mansion felt impossibly large and unbearably empty. No matter how grand the chandeliers glowed or how pristine the marble floors shone, the house seemed cloaked in darkness. Every corner whispered reminders of what was missing; Zoe and William. There was just so much grief in the walls of the mansion. I couldn’t sit still anymore. The silence pressed down on me, my thoughts swirling endlessly as guilt, anger, and fear battled for control. I had failed my daughter, failed to protect her when she needed me most. And now, she was out there, with strangers who might mean her harm.I pushed open the door to
SAM'S POV The phone slipped from my trembling hand, clattering onto the floor. My legs felt unsteady, like they might give way beneath me, but the flood of emotions surging through my chest refused to let me collapse.Your father is dead, Samuel…The words repeated in my mind like a cruel echo, each time cutting deeper. My chest felt tight, my throat raw as I struggled to breathe. My father couldn’t be dead. William Bennett was larger than life…indestructible, unyielding. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.
NORA'S POV The first thing I noticed was the unusual quiet.I shifted in my hospital bed, wincing at the dull throb in my head from the attack. The sterile walls of the room offered no comfort, and I tried to shake off the unease that had settled over me. Normally, there was a nurse bustling in to check my vitals or update me on Zoe, but this time, there was only silence.The door creaked open, and I sat up a little straighter, relief flooding me as I saw a nurse enter followed closely by a doctor. But their faces… they were pale, drawn, and tight with worry.
SAM'S POV Charles’s words hung in the air, heavy and sharp as a blade.“I don’t want it,” he said, his voice cracking with a mix of defiance and despair. “I don’t want to be the heir.”Jacob froze, his eyes narrowing in disbelief before they blazed with fury. “What did you just say?” he demanded, his voice low and trembling.“You heard me,” Charles shot back, his fists clenched at his sides. “I don’t want it. I never did.”
NORA'S POV The quiet of the hospital room was both a blessing and a curse. The soft hum of machines and the distant chatter of nurses offered some comfort, but it also left me alone with my thoughts.I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my body still aching from the surgery. The nurses had reassured me that Zoe was doing well, her breathing steady and strong. They said she was a fighter, but that didn’t stop the worry from gnawing at me.I worried about Zoe, about the future. About Sam.He’d called to tell me he was with Jacob, and though he’d assured me it was just a conversation, I couldn’t shake the dread pooling in my stomach. Jacob was dangerous, and the thought of Sam walking into a trap made me restless.I sighed, closing my eyes, trying to will myself to sleep. But just as the edges of slumber began to creep in, the sound of the door opening jolted me awake.At first, I thought it was a nurse or Sam returning, but when I turned my head, my breath caught in my throat.Elias R
SAM'S POV The room was unbearably still, the rhythmic beep of Zoe’s monitor the only sound. I turned toward the doorway, expecting a nurse, but instead, it was someone I hadn’t expected to see so soon.Charles.He hesitated in the doorway, his sandy hair falling messily over his forehead, his suit jacket slightly too large for his thin frame. His blue eyes—uncertain and conflicted—darted around the room before settling on Zoe’s bassinet.Nora stood from her chair, her protective instincts immediately kicking in as she moved slightly in front of Zoe. “Who are you?” she asked, her tone firm but puzzled.“Charles,” I said again, my voice drawing Nora’s startled gaze. “This is Jacob’s son.”Nora’s expression shifted from confusion to shock as she looked at him. “You’re… Jacob’s…”His voice cracked, and he glanced down at his shoes before looking back at Zoe. “I’m sorry for intruding,” he said quickly. “I just…I wanted to make sure she’s okay.”Genevieve turned sharply from the window, he
NORA'S POV The hospital was a blur as I rushed through the corridors, my heart pounding in my chest. The fear I’d felt since leaving the Moretti’s castle hadn’t left me, clinging to me like a shadow. I had to see Zoe. I had to know she was okay.The NICU doors came into view, and I barely slowed down as I pushed through them. My breath caught as I spotted Sam and Genevieve, both bent over Zoe’s incubator.Sam’s large hand rested on the side of the incubator, his shoulders relaxed, a soft smile tugging at his lips. Beside him, Genevieve—stoic, guarded Genevieve—was smiling too, her fingers delicately tracing circles on the glass as if she were drawing strength from the sight of Zoe’s tiny, fragile form.Relief washed over me, so powerful that my knees buckled. I grabbed the edge of a nearby chair to steady myself before running toward them, tears streaming down my face. “Zoe!” I sobbed, my voice trembling.Sam looked up sharply, his smile vanishing as he stepped back from the incubator
GEN’S POVThe sound of the clock ticking on the wall filled the room as I slipped my phone back into my pocket. My hands were steady, but my chest felt tight, as if the weight of my decisions was finally starting to press down on me.The assassin had confirmed our rendezvous for later that night, and I was ready to hand over the first payment. Everything was in motion, just as I’d planned. Charles Bennett—the so-called heir—would soon be nothing more than a memory.For a brief moment, I allowed myself to think about Jacob. I could still see him as he was when we were children
SAM'S POV The words hung in the air like a stone waiting to fall.“Zoe’s in danger.”My chest tightened, and my hand instinctively moved toward my phone. “What do you mean she’s in danger?” I demanded, my voice sharp, rising with panic.Charlie shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his slight frame seeming even smaller under the weight of my glare. His gaze darted to the floor, h