KAELON’S POVThat little son of a bitch!“Damn it!" I hissed.The moment I stepped out of Aaron’s room, my hands clenched into tight fists. My jaw ached from how hard I was grinding my teeth. The little bastard had actually done it. He had mentioned her. His mother. The woman who had shattered my heart. The one who had left me for another man. The one I had once thought I would spend forever with.Martha Rhys!That name had no place in my life anymore, and yet Aaron had thrown it in my face like a blade meant to cut deep.The hallway stretched long and empty as I made my way downstairs. Servants moved out of my path, sensing the storm brewing within me. I barely registered their presence. My blood roared in my ears. I had wanted to turn back and put Aaron in his place, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten under my skin.Instead, I walked out of the mansion, the crisp morning air doing little to cool the fire inside me. My car was already waiting, my dr
VIV’S POV“What’s taking them so long to begin this godforsaken interrogation?” I murmured to myself.The detention room smelled like sterilized secrets and old betrayal. Cold, too. Clinical. The air-conditioning hummed with detached cruelty, as if reminding me this place had no warmth for me. I sat still, spine stiff, hands folded neatly in my lap, my wrists bare where a slim silver bracelet had once rested—confiscated the moment I walked in. Or rather, was brought in almost forcefully.Two agents sat across from me, not in suits, but in those awful business-casual shirts and slacks meant to appear unthreatening. They weren’t. One tapped a pen against a notepad like it was a metronome keeping time until I snapped. The other stared at me with the unwavering focus of someone trying to dissect me cell by cell.“Vivienne Prescott,” Pen-tapper began, “Can you explain how private visuals of President Kaelon Blackwood and your stepsister, Liv Bennet found its way online, originating fro
AARON’S POVThe moment the door shut behind Vivienne, a suffocating stillness descended over the Blackwood mansion. I laid frozen in the center of my bed, surrounded by shadows and silence, the kind that pressed in on your skin and made your heartbeat sound like thunder. The door clicked shut behind the guards who had escorted Viv out, and I twisted the lock with a finality that made my knuckles sting.The envelope she’d flung at me like a weapon lay on the floor, its contents scattered like the remains of a cruel truth bomb. I didn’t touch it at first. I couldn’t. I turned away, clenching and unclenching my fists like I was trying to hold onto the last remnants of my control. But that envelope called to me. Not out of curiosity, not even out of anger—just this aching need for answers I wasn’t sure I wanted.I stood up from the bed and dropped to a crouch and picked up one of the glossy photographs. My fingers trembled as I turned it over.Kaelon and Liv.They seemed to be the Bl
KAELON’S POVParis.It was almost midnight when I landed, but the city didn’t feel asleep. Lights blinked like stars in the wrong place, taxis honked like they were having arguments with the universe, and I... I was just a man racing against the fear of being too late.I dialed her number the second my feet hit the ground. It rang once, then went straight to voicemail. I redialed, again and again, hoping each time she’d pick up. She didn’t. Her silence echoed louder than the jet engines behind me.I didn’t wait. I rang my security team in Paris. I should have done that before I touched down."Find her," I barked into the phone to Elias, my head of security immediately he picked. "I want to know where she’s staying, what name she checked in with, if she changed her hair or her damn perfume. I don’t care what it takes. Just find Liv. Now!"No matter what happens, Liv can’t stay away from me. Won’t stay away from me. Thankfully, Evelyn had prepared everything. A black Range Rover waited
LIV’S POVI didn’t realize I was crying until I felt the warm patch spreading over Kaelon’s shirt. My face was buried in his chest, my fists clenched at his sides like I was holding on for dear life. His scent wrapped around me; clean, crisp, and familiar. It was stupid, how something as simple as a smell could undo me. But it did.I jerked back like I’d been burned."I... I can't," I whispered, stumbling backward as I reached for the door. My heart thudded in my chest like a trapped bird, desperate and confused. Kaelon didn’t stop me, didn’t say a word as I slipped inside and shut the door between us. I rested my back against it, my breath coming in sharp, broken waves.God, I had done it again.I shut him out.But this time… This time it felt different. The way he looked at me, the way his arms had wrapped around me like I was the most precious thing in his world, and the way he said it.He loved me.I sank to the carpet, pressing my fingers against my lips like I could hold the me
Liv“Fuck! I'm cumming Aaron.." My steps slowed and I could hear my heartbeat ringing in my ears.Wasn't that Vivi’s voice?All I wanted to get from our suite was a breather from the fake smiles and loud music of the hall. I never expected to be greeted by such a heart wrenching sight. You might be wondering what the hell is going right? Well, it's supposed to be my fucking bachelorette party. As well as his bachelor party.We are SUPPOSED to be married by morning.Aaron had been adamant—we weren’t going to do separate parties like everyone else. He didn’t want a bachelor party without me.I also didn't want a bachelorette party where I would have to plaster on an unwilling smile, wave and say, “Thanks for coming," to strangers.So here we were, throwing a joint party, dancing among his friends and family, in the glamorous ballroom of his father’s hotel. I continued down towards the suite and stopped in front of the door. My heart raced as I got closer, and then I heard Vivi’s
KaelonThe moment her lips crashed into mine, I was stunned. I hadn’t seen it coming, not from her—the woman I had just found up on the rooftop, screaming her lungs out like her world had come crashing down. I stood there, frozen for a beat, feeling her hands grip my collar, pulling me closer. I could taste the alcohol on her lips, bitter and sharp, but beneath it... there was something else. I pulled away. “Whatever caused you to be like this is not worth it. After tonight, trust me you'll feel better." I wasn't going to have someone kill herself at my hotel and worse on my son's wedding day. She smiled, said nothing but leaned in again and continued assaulting my lips with the most stimulating kiss I have had in a long time.I knew I should push her away. Hell, I wanted to push her away, but something about the way she kissed me—the desperation, the raw emotion—tugged at something deep inside me. I hadn’t kissed anyone like this in years. Decades, even. It wasn’t just about lus
LivFuck me!I would love to live in my dreams and never wake up. But that was not going to be possible in any way. I had the most amazing sex of my life in my dreams. The man did look older, almost a bit familiar, but I could not exactly place where I had met him before.But I do wish I could find him again.My thoughts were disturbed by the light that streamed through the curtains, burning through my eyelids and dragging me back to reality. My head pounded like someone had taken a hammer to it. But that did not bother me as much as what I was about to do today.As I blinked my eyes open, the first thing I noticed was the unfamiliar sheets, the coolness of the fabric beneath my skin. Panic surged through me.I sat up, my heart racing as memories from last night began to flood my mind. The rooftop. The kiss. Him.It was not a fucking dream!“Oh, God...” I muttered, my voice thick with the remnants of sleep and regret. How did I end up here?I scrambled out of bed, the world spinning s
LIV’S POVI didn’t realize I was crying until I felt the warm patch spreading over Kaelon’s shirt. My face was buried in his chest, my fists clenched at his sides like I was holding on for dear life. His scent wrapped around me; clean, crisp, and familiar. It was stupid, how something as simple as a smell could undo me. But it did.I jerked back like I’d been burned."I... I can't," I whispered, stumbling backward as I reached for the door. My heart thudded in my chest like a trapped bird, desperate and confused. Kaelon didn’t stop me, didn’t say a word as I slipped inside and shut the door between us. I rested my back against it, my breath coming in sharp, broken waves.God, I had done it again.I shut him out.But this time… This time it felt different. The way he looked at me, the way his arms had wrapped around me like I was the most precious thing in his world, and the way he said it.He loved me.I sank to the carpet, pressing my fingers against my lips like I could hold the me
KAELON’S POVParis.It was almost midnight when I landed, but the city didn’t feel asleep. Lights blinked like stars in the wrong place, taxis honked like they were having arguments with the universe, and I... I was just a man racing against the fear of being too late.I dialed her number the second my feet hit the ground. It rang once, then went straight to voicemail. I redialed, again and again, hoping each time she’d pick up. She didn’t. Her silence echoed louder than the jet engines behind me.I didn’t wait. I rang my security team in Paris. I should have done that before I touched down."Find her," I barked into the phone to Elias, my head of security immediately he picked. "I want to know where she’s staying, what name she checked in with, if she changed her hair or her damn perfume. I don’t care what it takes. Just find Liv. Now!"No matter what happens, Liv can’t stay away from me. Won’t stay away from me. Thankfully, Evelyn had prepared everything. A black Range Rover waited
AARON’S POVThe moment the door shut behind Vivienne, a suffocating stillness descended over the Blackwood mansion. I laid frozen in the center of my bed, surrounded by shadows and silence, the kind that pressed in on your skin and made your heartbeat sound like thunder. The door clicked shut behind the guards who had escorted Viv out, and I twisted the lock with a finality that made my knuckles sting.The envelope she’d flung at me like a weapon lay on the floor, its contents scattered like the remains of a cruel truth bomb. I didn’t touch it at first. I couldn’t. I turned away, clenching and unclenching my fists like I was trying to hold onto the last remnants of my control. But that envelope called to me. Not out of curiosity, not even out of anger—just this aching need for answers I wasn’t sure I wanted.I stood up from the bed and dropped to a crouch and picked up one of the glossy photographs. My fingers trembled as I turned it over.Kaelon and Liv.They seemed to be the Bl
VIV’S POV“What’s taking them so long to begin this godforsaken interrogation?” I murmured to myself.The detention room smelled like sterilized secrets and old betrayal. Cold, too. Clinical. The air-conditioning hummed with detached cruelty, as if reminding me this place had no warmth for me. I sat still, spine stiff, hands folded neatly in my lap, my wrists bare where a slim silver bracelet had once rested—confiscated the moment I walked in. Or rather, was brought in almost forcefully.Two agents sat across from me, not in suits, but in those awful business-casual shirts and slacks meant to appear unthreatening. They weren’t. One tapped a pen against a notepad like it was a metronome keeping time until I snapped. The other stared at me with the unwavering focus of someone trying to dissect me cell by cell.“Vivienne Prescott,” Pen-tapper began, “Can you explain how private visuals of President Kaelon Blackwood and your stepsister, Liv Bennet found its way online, originating fro
KAELON’S POVThat little son of a bitch!“Damn it!" I hissed.The moment I stepped out of Aaron’s room, my hands clenched into tight fists. My jaw ached from how hard I was grinding my teeth. The little bastard had actually done it. He had mentioned her. His mother. The woman who had shattered my heart. The one who had left me for another man. The one I had once thought I would spend forever with.Martha Rhys!That name had no place in my life anymore, and yet Aaron had thrown it in my face like a blade meant to cut deep.The hallway stretched long and empty as I made my way downstairs. Servants moved out of my path, sensing the storm brewing within me. I barely registered their presence. My blood roared in my ears. I had wanted to turn back and put Aaron in his place, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten under my skin.Instead, I walked out of the mansion, the crisp morning air doing little to cool the fire inside me. My car was already waiting, my dr
KAELON’S POVThe early morning sun streamed through the large windows of my bedroom, casting long, golden streaks across the floor. I adjusted the cuffs of my crisp, tailored shirt and straightened my tie, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand. Today was not just another day. Today, I was setting things in motion.I turned toward the door, where one of the house servants stood patiently, waiting for my instructions."Take this to my car," I ordered, gesturing toward the small travel bag beside me. "Put it in the trunk."The servant nodded, picking up the bag swiftly before heading downstairs. I exhaled, rolling my shoulders back to relieve some of the tension building in my body.But there was one more thing I needed to do before I left.Aaron.As I walked down the hall, my footsteps were muffled by the thick, ornate carpet. The air felt heavy, charged with the kind of energy that only existed before a storm. I pushed open his bedroom door without knocking.Aaron was awake. The
KAELON’S POVThe road stretched endlessly ahead, but my mind was stuck in one place, Liv. My knuckles turned white against the steering wheel, my grip tightening as I replayed the conversation with her father in my head. He had been calm, almost too calm, telling me he would only listen to Liv’s decision. It wasn’t the answer I had wanted, but it had given me something—resolve.I wasn’t giving up.As soon as I pulled out of the long driveway leading from the ranch, I grabbed my phone from the passenger seat and dialed Evelyn’s number.She answered on the first ring. "President Kaelon.""I need you to track Liv’s last visits," I said, my voice sharper than intended. "Find out where she went before she disappeared. And give me an update on Viv."There was a slight pause before Evelyn responded. "We’ve made some progress, but we still need more. If you want to take her down, we have to be thorough.""Then hurry up and gather enough evidence," I snapped, my patience hanging by a thread.
LIV’S POVThe airport was a sea of movement, voices blending into a chaotic hum, yet I felt utterly disconnected from it all. My suitcase rolled noisily behind me as I walked toward my gate, my fingers clutching my phone like a lifeline.Vio’s name lit up the screen, and without hesitation, I pressed the call button. The phone barely rang before she picked up."Finally!" Vio’s voice burst through the line, exasperated and urgent. "Liv, you have no idea how insane things got after you left. Kaelon managed to take down the original post, but the damage was already done."“Hush Vio, give her a breather.” That had to be Rose’s voice if my hearing was still intact.I exhaled sharply, bracing myself. "What else did you find out?""It wasn’t some slip-up, Liv. This was intentional. Someone leaked it from within his company. Someone wanted to ruin you."My stomach knotted. My mind immediately went to Viv. It had to be her. The thought of her smug smile made my blood boil."And Kaelon?" I aske
KAELON’S POVI sat in my office, staring blankly at the swirling ice in my untouched glass of whiskey. The silence around me was deafening. The weight of Liv’s absence crushed my chest with every passing second. I had lost her.And it was my fault.My phone buzzed, snapping me from my thoughts. I grabbed it, half-hoping it was Liv, but it was Evelyn, my assistant."Sir, I just got word that Aaron’s condition has stabilized. The doctors want to speak with you."I let out a heavy sigh, rubbing a hand down my face. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”I grabbed my coat and left, my steps heavy as I made my way to the hospital. When I entered Aaron’s room, he was lying on the bed, his eyes closed, his face pale. The doctor stood at the foot of the bed, glancing up as I approached.“President Blackwood,” the doctor greeted. “Your son had a severe breakdown. His anger escalated to a dangerous level, and we had to sedate him to prevent further harm.”I swallowed the lump in my throat. “What’s the