Sierra’s POV Leila’s words echoed in my mind like a haunting tune I couldn’t shut off. The smugness in her voice, the footage on her phone, and the poisonous grin she wore as she claimed her pregnancy—it all circled around me, clouding every shred of reason I had left. Her words were like daggers. Jordan’s baby? I gripped the edge of the taxi seat, staring out at the quiet streets of Crystal Bay, but the world outside was nothing but a blur. I was too tangled up in disbelief to notice the bright lights or the hum of passing cars. How could this be true? How could my sister—my own blood—be capable of this? And Jordan… I couldn’t even say his name in my head without anger bubbling up. Was he part of this, or was Leila lying? The evidence on that phone was there—raw and damning. But no matter how many times I replayed the scene, I still couldn’t make sense of it. When the taxi pulled up to the Pierce mansion, I stepped out on autopilot. My legs felt like jelly, and every step I took
Sierra’s POV The moment I hit redial again, my fingers trembled as I pressed the phone to my ear. Once. Twice. Voicemail. Again. And again. “Come on, Jordan,” I muttered, pacing the narrow space between the bar’s dimly lit booths. My pulse quickened with each failed attempt. The low hum of conversation and clinking glasses around me faded into the background, swallowed by the growing panic building in my chest. Across the table, my friends exchanged concerned glances. One of them mouthed, “Are you okay?” I waved them off with a quick nod, not ready to explain the whirlwind unraveling in my head. Jordan had to be fine. He was Jordan Pierce—unshakable, invincible. But the icy knot twisting in my stomach wasn’t convinced. I didn’t even realize I was outside until the sharp night air hit me, cutting through my thin jacket like a blade. My fingers fumbled over my phone as I dialed his assistant’s number. The line barely rang before a crisp, professional voice answered. “Mr. Pierce’s o
Sierra's POV I sat cross-legged on the couch in my room, staring at the one point on the coffee table as Jordan’s voice poured through the line. His words were a mixture of desperation and resolve, as if he were teetering on the edge of something monumental. He just called after what felt like an eternity of no communication. “Sierra,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. “You have to believe me. I didn’t do what they’re saying. None of it. I swear to you.” I took a shaky breath, my fingers gripping the edge of a throw pillow. “Jordan, it’s not about whether I believe you,” I replied softly. “It’s about the world out there. The headlines. The evidence piling up against you. It’s... it’s overwhelming.” “I know it is. I know.” His frustration was palpable, like static through the phone. “But I’m going to fix this. I’ll prove to everyone that they’re wrong. I just need time.” Time. It felt like the one thing we didn’t have. Every passing day seemed to bring another damning accusati
Jordan's POV When I first heard the rumor, I thought it was a sick joke. People will say anything these days, twisting the truth into knots just to see if it can hang someone. But this? This wasn’t just another headline or baseless accusation. They were saying Sierra was dead. Dead. The word felt like a slap, leaving a stinging numbness that spread through my entire body. My phone slipped out of my hand, clattering to the table. I stared at the screen, the text from some anonymous source still glowing like a beacon of doom: Sorry for your loss, man. Heard Sierra didn’t make it. No. This wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be. I grabbed the phone and hit call, my fingers shaking so badly I almost dropped it again. Her number went straight to voicemail, which wasn’t unusual. But today, the silence felt deafening. “Sierra,” I said when the beep came. My voice cracked. “It’s me. Call me back. Please.” I hung up and stood there for a second, trying to steady my breathing. The room felt to
Jordan's POV The drive back to my apartment was quiet, the kind of quiet that crawls under your skin and makes everything feel heavier. I didn’t want to leave the hospital, not while Sierra was still fighting for her life. But the doctor had insisted—said I needed rest, said Sierra wouldn’t be helped by me collapsing from exhaustion. Rest? Yeah, right. Like I could sleep knowing Sierra was hooked up to machines, teetering on the edge of life and death. The elevator ride up to my floor felt like it took hours, my feet dragging as I walked toward my door. I shoved the key into the lock and pushed it open, already planning to collapse on the couch and maybe stare at the ceiling for a few hours. But when I stepped inside, I stopped cold. Leila was there. Sitting on my bed. Her legs were crossed, her short, silky dress riding up just enough to show she was making no effort to be modest. She leaned back on her hands, a smug smile on her face, like she’d been waiting for me. “Hey, Jord
Jordan's POV Leila didn’t say a word for what felt like forever. She just stared at me, her lips twitching slightly, her eyes narrowing as if she was trying to process the conversation she had overheard. The call from the hospital replayed in my mind, filling me with equal parts relief and urgency. Sierra was awake. She was alive. I had to get to her. But before I could take a step toward the door, Leila moved, her voice cutting through the silence like a blade. “She’s awake?” she asked, her tone laced with something sharp and bitter. I didn’t answer. I didn’t owe her an explanation. “Jordan!” she snapped, her voice rising. “Did you hear me? Sierra’s awake?” I finally turned to face her, my expression flat. “Yes. And I’m going to the hospital to see her.” Her mouth twisted into something between a sneer and a grimace. “Of course she wakes up now,” she muttered, almost to herself. Then, louder, she said, “You don’t need to rush off. She’s fine, isn’t she? The nurse said she’s re
Jordan's POV The phone felt like a weight in my hand as I paced my living room, each step echoing in the silence. My heart pounded hard enough to drown out the world outside. I’d been holding in my frustration for too long, and it spilled out now, fast and furious, aimed at the man on the other end of the line. “Why are you doing this to me?” I demanded, my voice sharp, raw. “You’ve taken every piece of my life and twisted it until I barely recognize myself. This isn’t journalism. This is a hit job.” Roger Fields, the media powerhouse who had turned my life into clickbait, responded with the kind of calm that only made my blood boil hotter. “Mr. Pierce, we report stories that matter to the public. That’s what we do. If the narrative isn’t flattering, maybe that’s on you, not us.” I stopped in my tracks, glaring at the floor like it was his face. “Don’t give me that ‘public interest’ garbage. This isn’t about reporting the truth, and we both know it. You’re being paid to ruin me, an
Jordan's POV The scream ripped out of me, raw and jagged, like it had been caged in my chest for years. It echoed across the steel beams of the bridge, swallowed up by the night and the relentless roar of the river below. My throat burned, my lungs strained for air, but none of it mattered. The water beneath me was endless and dark, thrashing as if it was alive, daring me to take that final step. The weight in my chest felt unbearable, dragging me forward, urging me to just let go. My hands tightened on the cold metal railing, the chill biting into my palms. The wind whipped at my face, numbing my skin but not my thoughts. “Just let it end,” a voice in my head whispered. The shame, the humiliation, the constant battle I was losing—it would all stop. The headlines would fade, the gossips would die, and I’d finally have peace. But then another voice pushed through, louder, sharper. Sierra. Not the frail, fragile Sierra lying in a hospital bed. No, this was the Sierra I knew before
Jordan’s POVThe back and forth with Leila lasted for a solid thirty minutes. I looked at my wristwatch, Andrew had been gone for about an hour. Now that I had more authentic info, I knew where to start. Leila’s tracker was still on. That was a sign that Dominic hadn’t gotten to her yet. If he had, he would have broken her phone or thrown it out. When I called Andrew, he said he still had Sierra. I wondered why it was taking so much time. Andrew was a faster driver compared to Sierra. As a matter of fact, Sierra had just learned how to drive before we got married.About twenty minutes later, Leila had snapped out of it. She was in the passenger’s seat of my car with her hands tied in front of her and her seatbelt in place. If she was going to try something funny, it was going to be with her legs, and I knew she had no special training whatsoever. My phone rang about the same time. It was Andrew. Good news, I hoped.“Boss, you might want to see Sierra’s tracker. She’s turned the car
Jordan’s POVLeila was working with Dominic.I was livid. She even had to stoop to the point of dragging Jeremy into her dirty game. How could she use her father like that? I sprang forward in an attempt to hold her in place before she noticed me. My right foot hit a metal rod causing Leila to look up at me. I watched her face morph into horror, as if she had just seen a ghost.If she wasn’t careful though, she was going to be one too.Leila jumped out of the van, running away from me, scared that she had been caught. She was certainly no match for me, but I loved that she was playing the predator and his prey game. I enjoyed the thrill of having to hunt her down.When I thought I was in on her, she took a gun out of her back pocket and pointed it at me.“Bitch!” I snarled “You almost ruined my marriage. You’re going to regret lying to me and my wife.”We began to turn in circles, with Leila still pointing the gun in my face. I was getting tired of her drama already. My plan was to d
Andrew’s POVOne of the guards called me to let me know that they couldn’t find Sierra. I didn’t know how I was supposed to tell that to Jordan, but I had to. Perks of the job. Obviously, he was mad. I would be too. The next thing I did was open up Sierra’s location on my phone. She was still in Crystal Bay which was a good thing, but according to the map, she was driving out of town.My bodyguard instincts kicked in. I was trained for moments like this. If Sierra was frightened out of Crystal Bay after visiting Charlotte’s, then something wasn’t adding up. Even if they had a disagreement, it wouldn’t have been that deep.I left Leila’s at the front of her parent’s house and started driving towards Charlotte’s. If I didn’t like the woman, trust me, I wouldn’t have been so bothered. There was just something about her. She was the second person I’d met who could easily read me.To many people, I was indecipherable. I knew Sierra thought the same thing too because I never really gave he
Jordan’s POV“What do you mean by she’s gone?” I gripped my phone tightly in my hand. “The men lost her. They were right behind her, following her when she came out of Charlotte’s. They noticed some moments later that she had tricked them.” Andrew explained cautiously, knowing I was going to flip.“What the f**k do you mean by Sierra tricked them? How the f**k can one person trick several trained bodyguards?” I growled. That didn’t even make any sense.I opened my phone to see where Sierra was. Good thing she still had her phone with her. I could tell she was heading out of Crystal Bay. Where in the world was she going to?I got into my car and started following her. I was going to look for her personally. I didn’t want to hear cock and bull stories anymore. I called Andrew and told him to find out from Charlotte what must have caused Sierra to want to leave.As I passed by Charlotte’s house, I saw police men coming in and going out of her house. And it just clicked. Charlotte had be
Sierra’s POV Jordan didn’t come after me. It wasn’t as if that would have changed anything, but maybe it would have made me feel more important. I gave Andrew the stink eye as I grabbed the car keys off his hand and got into the car. I knew Jordan had his guys tailing me, otherwise, why would he allow me to leave like that? At that moment, I was thankful that I learned how to drive when papa insisted. It had been a while since I had been behind the wheel, but I was too upset to mind. Thankfully, I got to Charlotte’s in one piece. I came out of the car and headed for the front door. It was slightly ajar. “Charlotte?” I called. Andrew had dropped her off not too long ago. Did she go somewhere? After calling out to her multiple times and not getting any response, I called her phone. I could hear her phone ring. It was in her living room, but she wasn’t there. I could hear splattering, but I didn’t know where it was coming from. When I turned to climb the staircase to the bedroo
Jordan’s POV When I got the intel that some of Lorenzo’s guys were spotted leaving Crystal Bay, I knew where they were headed. My villa. I called Andrew to change routes, but his number wasn’t going. Then, I called Sierra, hoping she’d answer as well. When she did, I wasn’t surprised at the tone with which she spoke to me. I owed her an explanation, one I promised myself I’d give her as soon as this whole Lorenzo situation boiled over. I dealt with Lorenzo so bad that he wouldn’t be able to get back up for a long time. I instructed Andrew to take the ladies to my safe house. The following morning, I texted Andrew to let him know it was safe for the ladies to return. Lorenzo’s guys were still outside the villa. I had my guys keep an eye on them, in case they decided to try something funny. Lorenzo had been blowing up my phone since the day I burned down his warehouses. I wasn’t ready to deal with his drama, so I didn’t let his relentless calls bother me. I needed Sierra brought
Sierra’s POVThat explained why Andrew was nervous as hell. It was Charlotte! I felt like Albert Einstein. The first thing I got to know about Andrew was that he liked my friend! I almost giggled. The man never gave anything away. If he thought he was doing a good job at hiding it, then he was, of all of us, the most laughable. If the situation we were in wasn’t critical, I would have teased Charlotte.“You look awful,” I said to her. “Are you okay?” I probed further.“Gee, thanks, best friend.” Charlotte eyed me playfully, forcing me to laugh. Trust Charlotte to make you laugh in the middle of a war.“You haven’t answered me, lady.” I reminded her.“Nothing. I was just worried, that's all. Your bodyguard was already at my door when I heard gunshots. He dashed back into his car and the guys who were shooting at him followed suit. I watched everything happen and I started to panic.”I remember Charlotte telling me how she didn’t like violence because watching people being violent mad
Sierra’s POVJordan left me in our room, saying he had “business” to attend to. When I asked him what business he was talking about, he said something about having had enough of Lorenzo. I decided not to pry. I thought he was going to be away for a few hours, but it was getting darker and Jordan wasn’t back. Andrew wasn’t around either so Jordan had a different guard stationed outside our room. Whatever I needed, I simply had to ask him. When I asked him where Jordan was and what he was doing, he didn’t even look in my direction to acknowledge that I was, at least, saying something. I was upset, yet I was trying to be very understanding. At least, Jordan didn’t leave me stranded. He had told me earlier that he might be a while. He could have filled me in that it was going to be longer than a while though. I was getting irritable. I decided to take a moment and look back on how my day went.I had received a threat message from Lorenzo, the same man who wanted my husband dead, if I wa
Jordan’s POVI gathered my army in the underground basement. It was time to go to war and they had to be ready. I left Sierra in our room and told her to remain there until I got back. I wished I had time to explain to her, but that would have to wait. “Lorenzo has been acting like a bitch and it’s payback time. I need y’all to put your houses in order. We’re going to war,” I told themI had my tech guys give me the locations for Lorenzo’s warehouses, I planned to destroy about three of them that day. Depending on how Lorenzo reacted, I was going to destroy one warehouse every day until his business ran dry.I had another two find out the people who had been tailing Andrew earlier that day. They were going to be scapegoats for the others. I told the guards I had already stationed in different parts of the house to maintain their places. I couldn’t leave my house unaccounted for.When I got the locations, I created three groups of four people each and sent each group to each location.