"When Mandy marries billionaire Lucas Vanderbilt, she thinks she's found her happily ever after. But their lavish lifestyle and fairy-tale romance come crashing down when a tragic accident sparks false allegations and shattered trust. As Lucas turns against her, Mandy's world collapses. His grandmother, the formidable matriarch of the Vanderbilt empire, offers her a way out: escape to a new life abroad. But Mandy's heart refuses to let go. She's determined to clear her name and reclaim her love. Will she overcome the darkness of deceit and betrayal, or will the price of love be too high to pay?
View MoreLucas's POVThe sight of Mandy crumpled on the ground, blood seeping through her shirt, sent my world into chaos. I dropped to my knees, my hands trembling as I pressed against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Her breathing was shallow, her face pale, but she was alive. “Stay with me,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Don’t you dare give up now.” The figure standing in the shadows stepped forward, slow and deliberate. My heart pounded as the light hit their face, revealing someone I never thought I’d see here—Elliot. “You,” I spat, rage boiling inside me. “What the hell are you doing here?” Elliot’s smirk was infuriatingly smug. “What does it look like, Lucas? Cleaning up your mess, as always.” “What are you doing?” My voice rose, echoing in the hallway. “You sold us out?” He shrugged, his nonchalance turned a dagger to my gut. “It’s not personal. Just business. You and Mandy were playing a game you didn’t understand, and I had to make sure I ended up on the winning
Mandy's POVThe world felt like it was closing in on me as I sat in the dark room, my hands bound to a cold metal chair. My mind raced, struggling to make sense of what was happening. How had they gotten to me? I tried to stay calm, but panic was creeping up. The thought of Lucas being out there, looking for me, gave me some comfort, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was part of something bigger. My father’s death. Horizon. The betrayal. It was all connected, and now I was a part of it—whether I wanted to be or not. Thank goodness Emily isn't anywhere stuck in the middle of these.However, I strained against the ropes, but they were too tight. My thoughts drifted to Lucas, to his face when he’d found the note. I’d seen the fire in his eyes, the rage that would push him to do whatever it took to get me back. But what if it was already too late? What if this was the beginning of the end? Suddenly, the door to the room creaked open, and I froze. A man stepped in, his prese
Lucas's POVThe weight of the folder in Mandy’s hands felt like a ticking time bomb. Grandma Claire’s revelation about Mandy’s father and nine was still hanging in the air, suffocating us both. Mandy’s eyes darted across the documents, her expression shifting between disbelief and determination. Her father and mine had been working to dismantle Horizon from the inside? And their death wasn’t an accident? The pieces were falling into place, but they painted a picture none of us were ready to see. “We can’t keep running,” Mandy said suddenly, her voice steady but sharp. “If our father was willing to risk everything to take them down, then so are we.” Her words hit me like a jolt. This wasn’t the same Mandy I’d known years ago—the woman who once shied away from confrontation. She was fierce now, resolute. But her determination also scared me. So, I placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to ground her. “Mandy, we can’t rush into this. If we make one wrong move, we’re done.” She s
Mandy’s POVThe room felt like it was closing in on me. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think straight. Lucas’s father had been involved with Horizon Enterprises, the very same Horizon that had been hunting us down for months. My mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of this new reality. The betrayal was overwhelming—Lucas’s own flesh and blood, the man who had always been the picture of integrity, had been part of the enemy all along. I could barely look at Lucas as the weight of the revelation hit me. His father. The man who had always been the foundation of his strength, the man Lucas had trusted above all others, had been secretly working with the very people who wanted to destroy us. It didn’t make sense. It couldn’t be true. But Ma'am Elizabeth's words echoed in my mind, and the look on her face had been one of utter fear. She wasn’t lying. “Lucas…” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Your father… he was working with them. He was part of Horizon.” He didn’t resp
Lucas’s POV The man stepped out of the shadows, his face partially illuminated by the dim streetlight. I froze, my hand instinctively tightening around Mandy’s arm. “Elliot,” I said, my voice cold. Elliot was a name I hadn’t spoken in years—a former business partner who had disappeared after a falling out that nearly cost me my company. Now, here he was, standing in front of me, looking far too comfortable in the chaos. “We need to talk,” he said, his tone calm but edged with urgency. I didn’t move. “Talk about what?” He glanced at Mandy, his gaze lingering for a moment before shifting back to me. “Not here. It’s not safe.” Mandy stiffened beside me, and I could feel the tension radiating off her. “Why should we trust you?” she asked, her voice sharp. Elliot’s lips curved into a faint smile, though there was no humor in it. “You don’t have to trust me. But if you want to survive, you’ll listen.” With that, I exchanged a look with Mandy, her unease mirroring my own. A
Mandy’s POVThe picture on Lucas’s phone was burned into my mind. As his family was unaware of the danger closing in.The tension in the room became much more suffocating as Lucas paced back and forth with his jaw clenched so tight I thought he might crack a tooth. His phone was still in his hand, the screen dark now, but the threat it carried lingered like a storm cloud. “We can’t stay here,” he said finally, his voice low and steady, though the fury behind it was unmistakable. “They know too much and they’re watching us.” I nodded, my heart thundering. “Where do we go?” Lucas stopped pacing, his sharp gaze locking on me. “Somewhere they can’t follow. But first, we need to figure out what they’re after.” I hesitated, my mind racing. The thought of leaving felt like admitting defeat, but staying was a risk we couldn’t afford. “I might have a lead,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. Lucas frowned. “What kind of lead?” “My dad had contacts,” I explained, my fingers twi
Lucas’s POVThe cryptic message sat on my phone screen like a ticking bomb. “‘The betrayal is closer than you think. Trust no one,’” I repeated, my voice grim. And Mandy sat across from me, her face pale and eyes shadowed with exhaustion. “What does that even mean? Who would send something like that?” I shook my head, the knot in my stomach tightening. “I don’t know, but whoever it is, they want us paranoid. And it’s working.” As the weight of the situation pressed down on us, the silence filled the room. So, I stood abruptly, pacing to the window overlooking the city. The lights below seemed distant, as a stark contrast to the chaos brewing in our lives. “We need answers,” I said, turning to Mandy. “And I think I know where to start.” Her brow furrowed. “Where?” she asked, as I grabbed my laptop from the desk and settled onto the couch.“Horizon Enterprises has always been a shadowy operation, but no one’s untouchable. If there’s a connection to us, it’ll be in their financ
Mandy’s POV The headlights tailing us didn’t feel like a coincidence. My stomach churned as Lucas glanced at the rearview mirror for the third time in under a minute, his jaw clenched. “Someone’s following us,” he muttered, his voice low but tense. Peter, slouched in the backseat, groaned. “They don’t give up, do they?” “Stay down,” Lucas ordered, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. “Mandy, call Ethan. Tell him to prep the security team.” I fumbled for my phone, my fingers shaking as I dialed Ethan’s number. The car behind us stayed close, the headlights glaring through the rear windshield like a predator stalking its prey. “Ethan,” I said as soon as he answered. “We’re being followed. Get the team ready.” “On it,” Ethan replied, his tone sharp. “Are you okay?” “For now,” I said, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to stay calm. “Just be ready.” I hung up and looked at Lucas. “What do we do?” “We lose them,” he said simply, his voice steady even as he
Lucas’s POV However, the morning after the mysterious phone call, Mandy was quiet but focused as she’d barely slept, and I could see the weight of everything pressing down on her. I didn’t push her to talk. Instead, I focused on what needed to be done. Though we were meeting someone who could give us answers—a man who had once worked alongside her father at Horizon Enterprises but had managed to distance himself from the mess. It wasn’t easy tracking him down, but I had my resources. “Are you sure about this?” Mandy asked as we pulled into a secluded parking lot behind a rundown diner. I glanced at her, taking in the tension etched across her face. “No. But we don’t have many options.” She nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line. “Let’s get this over with.” The diner was almost empty, save for a few regulars nursing their coffee. In the far corner sat our contact, a wiry man in his late fifties with sharp eyes that seemed to miss nothing. He looked up as we approached,
Mandy’s POV Standing at the top of the stairs, I watched in horror as Mary, my husband’s older brother’s pregnant fiancée, tumbled down the stairs, screaming in pain. She was my husband’s older brother’s pregnant fiancée We were both heading downstairs to join the family party when she suddenly fell and began to roll down the stairs. I panicked and froze, not knowing what to do. This whole scene looked like I pushed her down the stairs. Before I could do anything, some guests from the party saw the scene and drew more attention. “Someone, call an ambulance!” one of the guests yelled. Today was supposed to be a special day. My husband's family, which was one of the richest in the city, was hosting a grand party. A lot of celebrities and business people attended. But now it had turned into a nightmare as everyone turned to look at me with anger in their eyes as if I was the devil himself. My heart began to race. “You did this. You’re a monster. You’re the devil himself...
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