126. TALKS

KATERINA

The luxury apartment Vincent had whisked me away to was perched on the edge of nowhere. Surrounded by rolling hills and endless skies, it was the kind of place that felt completely detached from the rest of the world. No business deals, no corporate empires—just silence, interrupted only by the occasional breeze rustling through the trees outside. It was peaceful, idyllic, a far cry from the life we were both used to.

And yet, even in this sanctuary, I couldn’t turn my mind off. My thoughts kept wandering back to my revenge plan, to the people who had crossed me, and the power moves I was supposed to be making. Vincent had somehow convinced me to take a break. To lie low, to let the storm pass for a moment. It was infuriating, in a way, that he knew exactly how to get me out of my own head.

Vincent was now leaning back against the headboard, the soft morning light framing his sharp features. Even here, in the intimacy of my bedroom, his presence was magnetic—his jaw set, his