Edward POVHer skin was flushed with heat as she lay beneath me, breathless, her thighs still trembling from the force of her release, her skin flushed with heat.Her body quivered from the aftermath of my touch. I smirked, watching her. She was Mine. I felt so intoxicated by the way she moaned, the way she gasped, the way she fell apart in my hands.Oh God, I missed this.I Missed her. Missed every inch of her body, the way she said my name when she was lost in pleasure, the way she responded to my touch..It had been so long, too long. All those Years of pretending I didn’t need her, of forcing myself to move on. They were of no use because no matter how many women I touched, how many lips I kissed, no one ever felt like this. Like home.I traced the outline of her hips as my fingers moved down the curve of her waist, and memorizing her all over again. Vanessa looked softer now, more womanly, but she was still the same Vanessa that once consumed every inch of my life.Still kneeling
Vanessa POVThe golden brightness of the rising morning sun outside cast a faint light around the hotel suite As I stirred, the silk sheets wrapped over my legs, causing me to blink out of slumber. The warmth alongside me should have been soothing, but Edward's raspy breathing and rigid physique in his slumber revealed a different story. He was having a dream, no, a nightmare. I sat up, pushing my hand on his moist, exposed chest, and felt his racing beating beneath my palm. Edward’s brow furrowed, and droplets of sweat stuck to his skin as he murmured something i couldn’t understand. Then his entire body shook, his hands gripping into the covers.I leaned closer. I said in a whisper, running my fingertips over his jaw, "Edward." Wake up.” Sharp, rapid breaths rose and fell in his chest as his eyes burst wide, wild and disoriented. He just gazed at me for a time, his body still rigid from whatever torture his fantasies had been. His features softened, and recognition flared in his
Daniel POV The roses should have arrived by now. I sat behind my desk, drumming my fingers against the polished surface, my phone screen still open to the delivery confirmation. A hundred pink roses, Vanessa’s favorite. A simple gesture—an apology without words. I wasn’t naive enough to think a bouquet could erase last night. The way she walked away, how she didn’t even spare me a second glance. I had been too stunned to react. Too blindsided by Wendy’s theatrics. I shook my head in annoyance, I should have know this was coming. The landline in my office rang, drifting me out of my thoughts. “Mr West, Miss Hawthrone is in the lobby and would like to see you.” My secretary announced. Of course she was. Before I could even command for her to be let in, she stormed in like a hurricane, the floors became noisy as her shoes clicked on them. “You sent her pink roses?” She yelled, throwing her purse on my office desk. “How romantic” I didn’t even look up, her energy an
Vanessa POVPink roses stood in a crystal vase on the kitchen counter, delicate and lovely. Mandi received them from the Mansion gate and set them there. But for all the attention I had given them, they could have easily been invisible.My mind was elsewhere.On Liam.My thoughts tangled in worry as I sat on the edge of my bed, swaying my legs in a back and forth motion.Today had felt off. It became even worse when I got that text about my son. Ever since the Easter dinner, a gut feeling had been driving in and out of my thoughts.I picked my phone up, going through the daily security report updates. Liam’s body guards had sent their usual updates from school. The things he did, the people he Interacted with, daily schedule, lunch time, everything seemed normal.And yet…Something felt off.Eagerly, I dialed the head security’s number, taking Deep breaths.“Ms. Coleman?” The deep voice of one of my trusted guards came through.“I want you watch Liam closely and double security at
Tuesday April 16th Daniel POV The silence was deafening. Vanessa hadn’t responded to the roses. No text. No call. No message through Mandi. Just silence. I sat in front of my desk, watching my phone with hope that her name would pop up on it. But deep down, I already knew. She wasn’t going to acknowledge it. She’s distracted, I told myself. Probably dealing with Liam. It’s not about you. But the thought felt off. It didn’t feel right to me. I exhaled sharply, leaning back into my chair. The atmosphere around me was so busy. My workers roamed about, my assistants came in and out requesting my signature for contract approvals, but in the midst of all this my mind was absent. My mind was still on her. Wendy had made sure the entire city knew about our so-called engagement, splashing it across every media outlet that would listen. But Vanessa? She hadn’t even batted an eyelash. She didn’t care. The thought burned more than I wanted to admit. “Sir?” I snapped
Vanessa POVMy workplace came alive with the hum of sewing machines, the rustling of fabrics and my harsh commands at my apprentices. I glanced at the time, 12 noon.My fashion house was growing, but my thoughts were far from the designs in front of me. I tapped my pen on my note book, attempting to focus.Daniel sent me more flowers, so the scent of pink roses lingered all around me. However, I had barely given them a second glance. My mind was elsewhere.Liam.My head replayed the conversation with his bodyguards this morning. No suspicious activity, not a sight of anything wierd. But I didn’t feel better. This morning I got an anonymous text that disappeared minutes after I read it.“You should watch your son more carefully. Accidents happen every day.”I swallowed hard, shaking the memory out of my head.No. I refuse to panic.I had increased security, and decided to keep this from Edward, but was that really enough?A sudden commotion outside my office door yanked me out of my t
Edward POVI just left that business exhibition, and Daniel really got on my nerves. He had so much confidence in winning Vanessa over, like was waiting for me to mess up so he can swoop in and play hero. But no.Not on my watch.The minute my phone buzzed, I thought of ignoring it. I was already at the company, energized for a full day. But something in my gut told me to check. The second I saw Vanessa’s name, a prickle of concern spread through me. She rarely called this early. I answered immediately. “Vanessa?” There was a lull, only her irregular breathing on the other end of the queue. My hold on the phone intensified. "What's wrong?" I demanded. "It's Liam," she whispered, her voice straining. "Something happened at his school." I was already on my feet before she had completed her statement. "What do you mean? Is he hurt?”A sharp inhale. Then, in a voice that was trembling, she whispered, “Yes.”The world tilted.“Where are you?” My voice came out deadly calm, but insi
Edward POVI drove like a man possessed.Liam’s sprained ankle and scraped elbow haunted me, his tiny voice trembling as he whispered, ‘The man pushed me.’ ‘He told me to be a good boy.’That wasn’t random. That was a message.And I was going to find out who sent it.The security footage was a disappointment—grainy, the stranger keeping his head down. But the car he got into… that was a lead.I stopped my car at one of the high-rise buildings downtown, my jaw clenched tight.“Welcome Mr. Silver,” a man in a dark suit greeted me as I stepped out. “We traced the vehicle’s plates. It was a rental—picked up yesterday under a fake ID. But we found something.”I followed him inside, tension coiling in my chest like a spring. In the dimly lit surveillance room, my investigator Jonathan, pointed at a screen.The footage showed the car pulling into a garage. Seconds later, the driver got out and entered a building.“Pause it.”He did. I leaned forward.The man was tall, wearing a baseball ca
Vanessa POVEven at night time, I couldn’t sleep. My eyes remained wide open.With the distant hum of the lively New York city and the occasional thuds from running up through staircases, it felt like the walls themselves were holding their breath. I lay in my king-sized bed, staring at the ceiling, the silk sheets tangled around my legs.Sleep wouldn’t come. It had been this way for days.I turned over and reached for my phone on the nightstand, half-hoping to find a message from Edward. Anything. Even a simple “Are you okay?” would have been enough.But my screen was empty.Nothing.Biting my lip, I opened my messages anyway and typed:You up?I hovered my thumb over the send button. Then, at the last second, I deleted the text.No.I wasn’t going to chase him.Not tonight. He was under pressure, a theft in his company, the weight of protecting Liam and I. It was a lot to handle.I could easily go to his room to check if he’s there but that could escalate things. But No.I rolled on
Edward’s POVThe glass in my hand was sweating. I hadn’t even touched the damn drink yet. Whiskey, neat. My old go-to when I wanted to forget, when I wanted to feel something burn before the numbness settled in. It was a little past midnight, everyone at home was asleep. But I was restless.I sat in the back of my sleek, black rolls Royce, fingers drumming against the leather seat as the city lights flickered past the tinted windows. New York was still buzzing, as always, pretending like nothing was falling apart. But for me, everything in my world was unraveling—and fast.Kaz was back. My company was compromised. Vanessa… she wasn’t mine the way I wanted her to be. And Daniel. Fucking Daniel, always a step closer to her heart than I was.“Sir?” My driver turned his head slightly. “We’re here.”I looked up. The red neon sign of Club Volta buzzed above the entrance, hazy in the misty night air. The place where I first laid eyes on Vanessa after 5 years. Where her fire and defiance sla
Vanessa’s POVThe ride back to the mansion was quiet, too quiet. Liam had drifted off to sleep in the backseat, clutching his buzz light year action figure to his chest, while Edward kept his eyes on the road, jaw clenched, knuckles white on the steering wheel. I could tell something was wrong. Not just the fatigue etched into his face, but the way his posture had shifted—like a man bracing himself for impact.I’d overheard part of his phone call earlier. Just a few clipped words. More updates about Kaz, he fled. not in custody—but it was enough to churn my stomach. I didn’t press him about it when we left Daniel’s penthouse. I didn’t need confirmation to know that the man who haunted my nightmares had once again slipped through the cracks.The mansion came into view, warm lights glowing through tall windows. It was supposed to feel like coming home, but all I felt was dread creeping into my chest. The moment the car stopped, Edward turned to me, eyes softening slightly.“I’ll carry h
Daniel POVSunday, 29th AprilThe late morning light sliced through the penthouse windows, casting sharp lines over the hardwood floors. Vanessa was still upstairs with Liam, cocooned in a thin bubble of calm that I didn’t want to break. Edward had stepped out to prepare the mansion for their return, since Vanessa and Liam were going back today. Kaz had fled New York so it was safe for them again, but my senses told me otherwise. The past few days have been intense and overwhelming.The world outside didn’t stop spinning just because we needed peace.I grabbed my jacket, left a note by the coffee machine—just in case—and slipped out of the penthouse without a sound. The hallway was quiet. My security detail stood outside the door, nodding once as I passed. They knew the drill by now: stay close, stay alert, stay ready.Ten minutes later, I was buried behind my desk at Westborne inc’s satellite office on the East Side, trying to plow through enough paperwork that I had to clarify befor
Vanessa POV The clock on Daniel’s living room wall ticked too loudly.It was almost noon, but time felt suspended—caught between the silence of waiting and the heaviness of fear.I stood by the window, arms folded tightly across my chest, watching the clouds roll in over Manhattan like bruises. Rain threatened in the distance, but all I could feel was the chill of dread creeping up my spine. Edward left for a business meeting and hadn’t come back yet. I tried to tell myself that was okay—that he was probably stuck in traffic, or giving the police a statement, or just… breathing. But deep down, I knew something had happened.I had sensed it in his voice earlier.The call wasn’t long. I’d only caught the tail end when Daniel stepped out of the room, but I heard the tension. The clipped tone. The sharp inhale before he hung up.Kaz.He’d found him. I didn’t need confirmation—I just knew.“Mommy?”I turned. Liam stood behind me, clutching a stuffed bear to his chest. His curls were messy
Edward’s POVThe sun hadn’t risen yet, but the city was already beginning to stir beneath me. I sat behind the wheel of my car, parked a block away from the rundown building that Detective Slater had mentioned over the phone. A warehouse near the East River, supposedly condemned but still lingering with shadows. I tightened my grip around the steering wheel, knuckles white. My private investigator Jonathan, sat in the passengers seat.The moment Slater called Daniel, I was already slipping on my coat. The name Kaz had my blood running cold.“You sure this is the place?” I asked again into my Bluetooth headset.“I don’t joke about guys like him,” Slater responded, his voice crackling with static. “Anonymous tip came in. They said someone matching Kaz’s description has been hiding out here the last few nights. No security cams in the area, but the timing lines up.”I stared at the building, its brick walls crusted with grime, rusted metal doors barely holding onto their hinges. “What
Vanessa POV The room was dark, but the silence didn’t comfort me. It was the scream in my head that woke me—loud, raw, too real. My chest heaved as I sat up, drenched in cold sweat, heart thundering. For a second, I couldn’t breathe. Kaz. His voice echoed in my mind like a jagged replay, his hands pinning me down, his threats crackling like fire through my veins. Even the shadows around me seemed to shift like they belonged to him. I turned to check Liam. My darling son was fast asleep, curled in a blanket and unaware of the chaos around us. Safe. For now, I reached for my phone, then stopped. It was just after 4 a.m. I blinked into the dim light, my eyes adjusting slowly. My limbs trembled as I forced myself out of bed and tiptoed into the hallway, my body stiff and sore from the nightmare’s grip. Still, the unease in my chest didn’t lift. It was like a hand was clutching my heart. I didn’t want to go back to bed. My feet moved almost instinctively, padding across
Vanessa POV Wendy Hawthorne walked in like she owned the damn place. I blinked, stunned, as her heels clicked sharply against the hardwood floor of Daniel’s penthouse, her designer trench coat billowing like she’d just stepped off the set of a soap opera. She paused dramatically in the entryway, clearly expecting an audience. Her brunette hair styled in waves gleamed under the warm lights, and her lips curled into a half-smile when she saw me. “Well, this is a surprise,” she purred, setting her oversized sunglasses atop her head. “Didn’t expect company, Danny. Though I suppose you’ve always liked strays.” Daniel, who’d been clearing the table with a dishtowel still in hand, stiffened beside me. “What the hell are you doing here, Wendy?” he asked, voice sharp with irritation. Wendy swept into the dinning room like she hadn’t heard him, her gaze flitting between the dimmed lights, the warm plates on the dining table, and finally—me. “I see you’ve been entertaining.” “Ans
Daniel POV The soft chime of the elevator echoed through the penthouse as I opened the door, just in time to see Vanessa and Liam stepping out with Edward trailing behind them. My gut twisted a little—maybe it was the sight of Liam holding Vanessa’s hand, or maybe it was the way Edward’s gaze landed on me with that ever-present rivalry in his eyes. Vanessa looked exhausted, though still striking as always—her eyes guarded, her steps careful. Liam clutched a small suitcase in one hand and a toy car in the other, his eyes darting around the hallway like a curious little explorer. “Welcome,” I said, stepping forward. My voice came out smoother than I felt. “Liam, I got something for you.” The little boy tilted his head suspiciously, but I could already see the curiosity winning. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small treat bag—soft chewy caramels, the kind that didn’t stick to your teeth, thankfully. His eyes lit up. “Can I have one, Mommy?” Vanessa smiled faintly. “J