Thalia's POV I left the kitchen and headed to the dining table, relieved to find a bowl of fruit already set out, I grabbed an apple and a handful of grapes and slid into one of the chairs, eager for a moment of peace.Tobias strolled in a few moments later, balancing a plate with two sandwiches, his dark hair was a mess, but his grin was alarmingly bright, no doubt due to the horror I witnessed. "Good morning, Thai" he said, his tone cheerful, behind him, Katherine entered, her presence as commanding as ever, her neutral expression always sent a spark of anxiety through me, like she knew something I didn't."M-morning, Tobias” I stammered, my voice slightly shaky." Lilith mentioned you slept in the library last night, everything alright?" Tobias asked, pulling out a chair and sitting down across from me. His concern was genuine, but his question caused a faint blush of embarrassment to creep over my cheeks as the events of the library with Andrei replayed in my mind."Yes" I answe
Alexander's POVI was in the room I shared with Thalia. It shouldn't have mattered, I thought I could sleep there and act indifferent to everything it meant. I was wrong. By midnight, the walls closed in, suffocating me with memories—albeit short— But I didn't want to think about them. The air itself was heavy, and every breath seemed to claw at my chest. I left the room and made my way down the dim hallway.I found myself in Zach's room, further down the hall, it was the nearest occupied space—not by Zach himself, but by his lingering presence. Empty, lifeless rooms disgust me more than rooms that reek of memory and attachment, I couldn't bear the barren emptiness of the other rooms.Zach's room was different, even in his absence, since he was staying with Nolan, much to my disapproval—it still carried the scent of someone living. Mother hadn't returned home last night either, the idea nagged at the back of my mind—Silas might have gotten to her, done something unspeakable—but by mo
Thalia's POVAfter wandering around the manor for a bit, I returned to my room, feeling a bit relaxed. Once inside, I decided to change. I peeled off my skirt and replaced it with a pair of fitted denim jeans, next, I grabbed a warm brown jacket and wrapped a soft scarf around my neck, and then I pulled my hair into a quick twisted ponytail. On the dresser, my phone buzzed with a notification, picking it up, I saw a new message from Bella. I sighed heavily, my jaw tightening What now? For a second, I considered ignoring her, but curiosity won and I opened the message. "Hello there, Thalia. I know you don't want to talk to me after all that I did, but I'd really appreciate it if you'd at least try"I stared at the screen, debating whether to respond, part of me wanted to delete the message and block her number, but instead, I typed a curt reply; "Where are you?"I hit send, feeling equal parts irritated and intrigued, shoving my phone into my pocket. I glanced at the mirror one la
Alexander's POV Sierra's words struck like a thunderclap, leaving the house in deafening silence as she stormed down the stairs and slammed the front door behind her. "Alex, I..." Mother began, her voice trembling with the load of an excuse she hadn't yet found. Before she could continue, Cassandra's voice rang out from the top of the stairs, cutting through the tension like a knife. "Lorraine?" Cassandra called out, her tone sharp and demanding, her figure appearing at the top landing. Behind her, Liam appeared, his brows furrowed as he placed a steadying hand on her shoulder "Alex? We heard yelling. What's going on?" he asked, his voice calm but tinged with concern. Cassandra didn't wait for an answer, she started down the stairs, her movements purposeful, her gaze locked on Mother, who visibly flinched under her niece-in-law's scrutiny. Liam followed closely behind, his posture protective, his eyes darting between all of us.Mother looked at me, her eyes pleading—begging me
Thalia's POV "How could I let this happen?" My voice cracked, barely above a whisper, as I stared down at the table. Grace pulled up on her computer. "It wasn't your fault, Thalia." Grace replied gently, but I shook my head, unwilling to accept her reprieve."No" I said, my tone firmer now, though my voice wavered, "I remember when you came to me and showed me what Brandon was doing, I saw the proof. And I—I hid the documents. I let him do this" My voice faltered, fading into the quiet of the office. Grace stepped closer, her expression resolute."Yes" she admitted without hesitation, her words sharp and piercing "but it doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done" Her eyes locked onto mine"So you let him do it—fine. The question now is, what will you do to undo it?" I drew in a shaky breath, her words passed through me in the whirlwind of my own thoughts, he stepped aside, giving me space to approach the computer screen, where the stark proof of the company's current state stared
Alexander's POV I hadn't noticed when Father entered the room. He knelt behind Mother, helping her to her feet. She was still sobbing uncontrollably, her body trembling as she clung to him. Zach stood stiffly, anger radiating off him in waves, but his girlfriend tugged at his arm, trying to pull him aside, the air in the room was thick—tension simmering and ready to boil over. Father steadied Mother as she cried into his chest, her hands gripping his suit jacket as though it were the only thing keeping her upright, he murmured something softly to her before leading her out of the room. A moment later, he returned, his expression firm, his presence commanding. "Zach" Father said, his voice low and authoritative, the kind of tone that left no room for argument "You will apologize to your mother" "What?!" Zach snapped, incredulous “Father, she interacted with the enemy!" "And she has apologized" Father replied, his tone unwavering. "You know your mother, Zachary. She acts from emot
Thalia's POV I stood outside the penthouse door, my keycard trembling between my fingers. There was a gnawing feeling deep inside me, twisting and tightening, it was nauseating which was why I left the charity gala early and I only hope the feeling was good news for Brandon and I My husband, Brandon wasn't feeling well so he couldn't attend the gala with me, an unfamiliar silence enveloped, the minute I entered the house, no hum of activity, no vacuum running, and no dishes clinking. Just absolute silence, I know Brandon is resting but something just felt off. Shaking off the unease I headed toward the kitchen and poured myself a cup of water, it should calm my nerves before I speak to Brandon so we could take a test together. Then I heard it. Muffled voices, a soft moan, sounds I shouldn't be hearing in my home of all places. I slowly ascended the staircase, the silk of my evening gown brushing against my skin. The sounds became clearer with each step. Intimate. Familiar. My
Two days later, I was a sobbing mess, not only did Brandon take sixty percent of my fortune but he has fifty percent of the company shares.Call after call, text after text, headline after headline I couldn't respond to any of them I found a motel outside of town and hid there.My world, my marriage, my family's fortune—it was all gone. I had nothing left, not even my pride. The betrayal stung at me like a decayed wound. The memory of that evening replaying in my head on an endless loop. My phone buzzed on the table, shattering my almost comfortable quiet. I hadn't answered any calls since that day, so I decided to answer this one, enough of sulking around.I reached for my phone but didn't recognize the number I still answered anyway. "It's Thalia speaking" I said, though my voice sounded distant and extremely croaky even to me. "Thalia Asplundh" The voice on the other end was calm, careful, and unsettlingly familiar. I sat up straighter recognizing the voice, and tension rippled
Alexander's POV I hadn't noticed when Father entered the room. He knelt behind Mother, helping her to her feet. She was still sobbing uncontrollably, her body trembling as she clung to him. Zach stood stiffly, anger radiating off him in waves, but his girlfriend tugged at his arm, trying to pull him aside, the air in the room was thick—tension simmering and ready to boil over. Father steadied Mother as she cried into his chest, her hands gripping his suit jacket as though it were the only thing keeping her upright, he murmured something softly to her before leading her out of the room. A moment later, he returned, his expression firm, his presence commanding. "Zach" Father said, his voice low and authoritative, the kind of tone that left no room for argument "You will apologize to your mother" "What?!" Zach snapped, incredulous “Father, she interacted with the enemy!" "And she has apologized" Father replied, his tone unwavering. "You know your mother, Zachary. She acts from emot
Thalia's POV "How could I let this happen?" My voice cracked, barely above a whisper, as I stared down at the table. Grace pulled up on her computer. "It wasn't your fault, Thalia." Grace replied gently, but I shook my head, unwilling to accept her reprieve."No" I said, my tone firmer now, though my voice wavered, "I remember when you came to me and showed me what Brandon was doing, I saw the proof. And I—I hid the documents. I let him do this" My voice faltered, fading into the quiet of the office. Grace stepped closer, her expression resolute."Yes" she admitted without hesitation, her words sharp and piercing "but it doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done" Her eyes locked onto mine"So you let him do it—fine. The question now is, what will you do to undo it?" I drew in a shaky breath, her words passed through me in the whirlwind of my own thoughts, he stepped aside, giving me space to approach the computer screen, where the stark proof of the company's current state stared
Alexander's POV Sierra's words struck like a thunderclap, leaving the house in deafening silence as she stormed down the stairs and slammed the front door behind her. "Alex, I..." Mother began, her voice trembling with the load of an excuse she hadn't yet found. Before she could continue, Cassandra's voice rang out from the top of the stairs, cutting through the tension like a knife. "Lorraine?" Cassandra called out, her tone sharp and demanding, her figure appearing at the top landing. Behind her, Liam appeared, his brows furrowed as he placed a steadying hand on her shoulder "Alex? We heard yelling. What's going on?" he asked, his voice calm but tinged with concern. Cassandra didn't wait for an answer, she started down the stairs, her movements purposeful, her gaze locked on Mother, who visibly flinched under her niece-in-law's scrutiny. Liam followed closely behind, his posture protective, his eyes darting between all of us.Mother looked at me, her eyes pleading—begging me
Thalia's POVAfter wandering around the manor for a bit, I returned to my room, feeling a bit relaxed. Once inside, I decided to change. I peeled off my skirt and replaced it with a pair of fitted denim jeans, next, I grabbed a warm brown jacket and wrapped a soft scarf around my neck, and then I pulled my hair into a quick twisted ponytail. On the dresser, my phone buzzed with a notification, picking it up, I saw a new message from Bella. I sighed heavily, my jaw tightening What now? For a second, I considered ignoring her, but curiosity won and I opened the message. "Hello there, Thalia. I know you don't want to talk to me after all that I did, but I'd really appreciate it if you'd at least try"I stared at the screen, debating whether to respond, part of me wanted to delete the message and block her number, but instead, I typed a curt reply; "Where are you?"I hit send, feeling equal parts irritated and intrigued, shoving my phone into my pocket. I glanced at the mirror one la
Alexander's POVI was in the room I shared with Thalia. It shouldn't have mattered, I thought I could sleep there and act indifferent to everything it meant. I was wrong. By midnight, the walls closed in, suffocating me with memories—albeit short— But I didn't want to think about them. The air itself was heavy, and every breath seemed to claw at my chest. I left the room and made my way down the dim hallway.I found myself in Zach's room, further down the hall, it was the nearest occupied space—not by Zach himself, but by his lingering presence. Empty, lifeless rooms disgust me more than rooms that reek of memory and attachment, I couldn't bear the barren emptiness of the other rooms.Zach's room was different, even in his absence, since he was staying with Nolan, much to my disapproval—it still carried the scent of someone living. Mother hadn't returned home last night either, the idea nagged at the back of my mind—Silas might have gotten to her, done something unspeakable—but by mo
Thalia's POV I left the kitchen and headed to the dining table, relieved to find a bowl of fruit already set out, I grabbed an apple and a handful of grapes and slid into one of the chairs, eager for a moment of peace.Tobias strolled in a few moments later, balancing a plate with two sandwiches, his dark hair was a mess, but his grin was alarmingly bright, no doubt due to the horror I witnessed. "Good morning, Thai" he said, his tone cheerful, behind him, Katherine entered, her presence as commanding as ever, her neutral expression always sent a spark of anxiety through me, like she knew something I didn't."M-morning, Tobias” I stammered, my voice slightly shaky." Lilith mentioned you slept in the library last night, everything alright?" Tobias asked, pulling out a chair and sitting down across from me. His concern was genuine, but his question caused a faint blush of embarrassment to creep over my cheeks as the events of the library with Andrei replayed in my mind."Yes" I answe
Alexander's POV "I need the truth" I said, my gaze locking with his "And nothing but the truth" Father leaned back slightly, his brows furrowing "Alright, Alex" he said, his voice grave."Go on". I took a deep breath, steeling myself "We've had this conversation before, I trusted you when you told me not to believe the rumors" My tone turned colder. "But now they've come back, in a way we can no longer ignore, so tell me Father, did you or did you not have Jeremiah and his family killed?”The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Father physically recoiled as though I had spat acid in his face, his jaw tightened, and for a moment, he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. His hand trembled briefly before he ran it through his hair. "Alexander..." His voice was a mixture of weariness and something I couldn't quite place. He shook his head, his movements almost phantom-like, and then nodded faintly as though deciding on the weight of his next words."I'm going to tel
Alexander's POV I stayed outside until my thoughts stopped circling around her and the thousand things I needed to do. If Thalia planned all of this as revenge, if she orchestrated this entire game to get back at my family for what we did to hers, I needed to know. I needed the truth. And there was only one person who could give me that. The burden of my decision settled like iron in my chest as I walked back into the room. Inside, Patrick and Liam were hunched over the laptop, their heads almost touching as Zach leaned over to show them something on the screen. Callum stood by the corner, carefully removing pins from the vision boards, while Nolan stacked papers into neat piles on the desk. As I stepped in, all their heads turned toward me, a collective pause stretching in the silence. I cleared my throat, directing my question to whoever had the answer."Which house is Father in?" Zach straightened, his brows furrowing slightly before he answered "He's back at the manor" I nod
Thalia's POVAndrei's gaze lingered on me for a moment longer, his eyes sharp, assessing "Good" he said finally "Maybe this will help you." Before I could ask what he meant, his lips crashed against mine, catching me entirely off guard, the kiss was rough, almost desperate, and it consumed every rational thought I had. I froze, unsure of how to respond, but then, something deep inside me, something buried and starved, churned. I responded. My fingers found their way into his hair, pulling him closer, my heart raced, and my breaths came in sharp, uneven gasps as the world narrowed down to the heat between us. At some point, without realizing it, I moved to straddle his lap, my body pressing against his as if drawn by some invisible force. Andrei kissed me like he was starving, and God help me, I let myself sink into it, his hands were in my hair, his lips demanding yet purposeful, every move he made left me breathless, for one fleeting moment, the world outside of this kiss ceased