Sierra’s POVI didn’t want to overdo it on the subject of my suspicions about Jordan’s health, so I chose to set it aside for the time being. The weight of the situation was getting too suffocating, and I felt that the tension was towering above us, pulling us apart. But I wanted to put it out of my mind, even just for a while. I wanted to remember us before it all, the levity we shared, the connection that felt so effortless between us.Without thinking too much about it, I leaned in and kissed him passionately yet fiercely. It was an act of defiance in the face of uncertainty, a small reminder to both of us that there was still a lot of love we hadn’t dug into, despite how everything else seemed. When his arms wrapped around me, I felt like the world had disappeared, and his lips were warm and soft. It was only us, locked in that moment, where all that mattered was right now. But that moment didn’t last.I was startled as applause cut through the bubble we’d made. I withdrew sligh
Sierra's POV Finally out of college, I have my life set out for me, dreams I had kept hidden within me was ready to be revealed. I do not want to be a restaurant owner like my parents, I want to have a big fashion house where the whole Crystal bay would see and be marveled of. I just have to find a way to convince mom and dad that this is what I want to do and I don’t have to take a position in one of the famous restaurant in Crystal bay Who wouldn’t want to work at Enchanted Crystal Restaurant? I know, I know but I really want to do something else, my passion. Summoning all the boldness one can summon, I finally stepped into the living room where I met father and mother seated. They both looked at me and I gave them a nervous smile. Have they been waiting for me? Did they know I’ve been outside? “Sierra, just the lady we’ve been looking for,” Mother joked and I forced out a smile again. “Yeyyy, I’ve been meaning to see you both too” I responded as I dropped my bag and sat down.
Sierra's POV "I hereby pronounce you man and wife." The words echoed in my ears, their weight sinking into my bones. I was officially Mrs. Jordan Pierce. I still couldn’t believe it; I continued to stare at the man before me. “You may now kiss the bride” the priest announced and my heart began to race. I turned to face the man with a forced smile, I watched him take a step forward only for him to pause. With wondering eyes, I watched as he pulled out his phone from his pocket, “Hm,” that was the only thing I heard him say, I watched before my eyes how he walked away like he wasn’t in the middle of his own wedding. What just happened? I was staring with wide eyes, as many other men in the audience followed behind him, including his Best man. I was in a daze when someone came forward and addressed the crowd, “Well, huh… the wedding is over… You can go over to the hall and eat… and be merry” As if it was a normal thing, I watched people walking out, I stood there in a daze, and my
Jordan's POV "Tell everyone I’m coming." I instructed my assistant, who had called to inform me about the Chinese investors waiting for me. As I stepped out of the mansion, I noticed Sierra at the car, adjusting her dress while struggling to open the front passenger door. "What are you doing?" I demanded, seeing her wrestle with the handle. She had never been this serious as she is now. She looked up, defiant. "I'm going with you to work." I raised an eyebrow, exasperated, and shut my door, walking over to her. "This must be some kind of joke. Go inside." I ordered, my voice sharp. But she crossed her arms, lips pressed together in that stubborn look she’d mastered. “You’re not leaving me alone in that empty house, Jordan. I refuse,” Her insistence sparked something between annoyance and reluctant admiration. “The meeting I’m going to is not some corporate affair, Sierra. We’re headed underground,” I warned, my voice dropping low. But she didn’t flinch or back down. I had never
Sierra's POV I heard the commotion inside but stayed back, my heart pounding. Moments later, the door swung open, and Jordan stepped out, his hair disheveled, his knuckles bloodied. He looked like he was barely holding himself together. What must have gone wrong? "Let’s go." His voice was clipped, giving me no room to ask the questions. I followed without a word, feeling the tension radiating from him as we moved through the building. The workers averted their eyes, sensing the cold in his behavior. The journey back home was as silent as the one we had while we were going, but this time, he was so angry I could see and feel it. He kept making calls on our way back home, instructing his people and ordering them. I didn’t understand much until he mentioned that he had killed someone and expected them to come for revenge. My heart dropped to my stomach, he killed someone when he went in there? I thought it was only a harmless business meeting? Hours later, we arrived back at the ma
Sierra’s POV I heard wrong I thought Jordan said he loved me? No, he doesn’t. I heard wrong. I was wrong to believe everything he said last night and even believe that he ever loved his wife. How could he do this to me? I was seated in my father’s house with Leila’s phone in my hands as I stared blankly at the screen, tears rolling down my cheeks. Jordan wouldn’t, I had said to Leila until she showed me the video. It was real, it was true. *Flashback* I was stunned when Jordan told me we’d be going shopping together earlier this morning. It was a side of him I’d rarely seen—a softness hidden beneath that hard, protective exterior. Part of me felt like I was being given a glimpse of something precious, something he didn’t share easily. As we strolled through the mall, Jordan kept his hand wrapped protectively around my waist. I could feel the eyes of strangers on us—mostly men whose gazes lingered a bit too long. But with him beside me, I didn’t flinch. In his presence, I felt s
erra’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
erra’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’
Sierra’s POVI didn’t want to overdo it on the subject of my suspicions about Jordan’s health, so I chose to set it aside for the time being. The weight of the situation was getting too suffocating, and I felt that the tension was towering above us, pulling us apart. But I wanted to put it out of my mind, even just for a while. I wanted to remember us before it all, the levity we shared, the connection that felt so effortless between us.Without thinking too much about it, I leaned in and kissed him passionately yet fiercely. It was an act of defiance in the face of uncertainty, a small reminder to both of us that there was still a lot of love we hadn’t dug into, despite how everything else seemed. When his arms wrapped around me, I felt like the world had disappeared, and his lips were warm and soft. It was only us, locked in that moment, where all that mattered was right now. But that moment didn’t last.I was startled as applause cut through the bubble we’d made. I withdrew sligh
Sierra’s POVMy pulse quickened when he took a step back, his hand still hovering, near my waist, but no longer on me. The warmth that had radiated off him now felt insubstantial, like the heat of a dying fire. The air was bleaker with his words. “It’s nothing, really,” came out of his mouth again, but no longer thickly.I followed him closely, a blend of concern and anger rising within me. Something was wrong and it was something he wasn’t saying. His effort to shove me away with faux nonchalance only drove my determination to find the truth. I wasn’t going to let this fly.“You know, if you continue to insist it’s nothing, I’m just going to start worrying more,” I said, my tone friendly but the words solid. “And I won’t stop until you explain what’s really going on.”His eyes flashed to mine, a silent plea within them. The silence, the silence between us too real, too ever-present. He parted his lips to say something, then closed them again, as if the words were lodged somewhere in
As we left the bar, I held tight to Sierra's hand. I didn't need to check behind me to know that Elara was still watching us. That gaze on my back burned like a warning I couldn't ignore. None of it sat right with me, even as my mind was already working through the pieces. It was not a coincidence that Elara and Dominic showed up here. Coincidences, the way I knew it, were not possible. Someone had been picking through my company's systems looking for information, and then a message was sent confirming our insolvency. Now, Elara was giving cryptic comments to Sierra like she somehow knew that something was going to happen. The timing was too perfect. Excusing myself, I stepped a few centimetres from the bar, pressing my phone to my ear as I heard Ethan's voice come through. His tone was even, but I heard the slight tension underneath it. That was Ethan–always cool, never letting anything get away unless it had to. But I knew him well enough to know when something was wrong. "Boss,
I took out my phone, opened the email Ethan had just sent, and read the message closely."It's confirmed. They're out of town. Make sure she leaves the resort unguarded. He won't be able to halt what's coming."I felt my stomach knot tightly.This wasn't just about me. It was about Sierra.She was a mere pawn in a business transaction. Someone was fixing on her, and the note made it very clear that I was part of whatever was coming."Sierra must have sensed my change in attitude because she squeezed my arm. "Jordan? What's wrong?"I breathed in slowly, willing my face to stay neutral. "Nothing we can't handle."She squinted — she was onto me already. "Don't do that. Don't brush it off."I sighed and took her by the arm away from the bustling lounge area and down a quieter corridor. When we were alone I turned my phone screen toward her. "Read this."She grabbed the phone, reading the message with her eyes. I observed her brows tugged down at first, then her mouth falling open slightly
Sierra’s POVI blinked my eyes open, my body still half-asleep, and found Jordan standing at the foot of the bed, his hands tucked casually in his pockets. His visage was placid, but the shine in his eyes showed me he’d been watching me simmer for some time.“Why are you up before me?” I mumbled, my voice hoarse, stretching slowly beneath the sheets.Jordan quirked an eyebrow, his lip twitching up at one corner just barely. “Did you forget I’m an early bird?”I sat up on one elbow, staring at him, incredulous. “What? Even when we have time away together? Where are you rising to?”He shrugged, his expression playful. “Have you forgotten so soon? Today we signed up with one of the guides for a tour around the resort. It’s in about an hour.”I raced through my mind, trying to remember. Then it hit me. “Oh,” I said sheepishly, falling back onto the bed in a groan. “Right. You were kidding when you said that, right?”“Of cour
Author’s POV“Tunnel B is currently quite safe, "Diego reported, hurrying until he was even with Ethan. “But the supports in Tunnel C may need reinforcement after the blast. That is going to cost us both time and manpower.”"Even so, do it, " said Ethan without hesitating. “Safety first. Under no circumstances may we resort to skipping the rules."The boss hesitated for a moment before nodding, “Okay, understood.”But then Ethan stopped and turned to him. “Diego, I need your trust. I know everything seems to be on edge and some of the men are questioning whether we can handle the Morettis. But this mine has seen darker days than this and so have we."Diego's face softened and he gave a small smile. “If anyone can hold us together, it’s you, Ethan.”With a quick nod, Ethan moved on with his rounds, working out in his head how to reinforce the site next.Around midday, Ethan called his men together for a conference. Standing on a few boxes stacked on top of each other, he gazed out over
Author’s POV“Yes, boss!” a worker responded, hastily calibrating the heavy machinery.Ethan nodded approvingly. And they were getting closer, but the burden of responsibility weighed heavily upon his shoulders. He thought about pulling out his phone to brief his boss, Jordan, who technically owns the site, on the day’s developments.Jordan, though, was on his first vacation in years—an unusually earned getaway after months of frenetic work. Ethan had vowed not to bother him unless he absolutely had to. While considering his options, a low rumble interrupted his thoughts.Engines roared unmistakably across the valley. Ethan tensed, squinting down the road to the site. Two headlights cut through the darkness and got closer, details blurring.“Boss,” Diego, a young and enthusiastic worker, called as he approached. “That doesn’t paint the face on the supply truck.”“It doesn’t,” Ethan said, in a grim tone. “Everyone, get back from the main site and keep your heads down. Now.”The workers
Author’s POVThe heavy bag swung back and forth beneath Lorenzo Moretti’s unrelenting assault. Every jab was exact, his knuckles piercing the leather with such power that they reverberated through the reinforced chains. A play of dark light on his hard muscle from the private gym, each taut tense move the triumph of practice he had perfected through all these years. Sweat was dripping down from his temple, and his breath was measured and short.Lorenzo didn’t hear the door open, but he knew the sound of those familiar, measured footsteps. He spoke between punches, without breaking the rhythm. “You never thought you would cross over into the world, big brother.”Carlos Moretti stood by the door, a fitted suit recounting a man who had never worked a lunch shift in a bar a day in his life at a gym filled with raw metal and scorch marks. He was propped against the wall with a sly grin on his face, observing his younger brother at work.“I was curious,” Carlos said evenly, his voice as mu
Sierra’s POVIn the middle of the conversation with Dominic in our room, my phone rang out, slicing through the tense air like a knife. I winced at the harsh noise, looking down to see Amelia’s name pulsing on the screen. A sense of dread was pooling in my chest, my stomach twisted as I picked it up.“It’s Amelia,” I said to Jordan, who was frozen on his feet on the other side of the room. He nodded slightly, pushing me to respond."Amelia," I said quickly. "Is everything okay?"Her voice sounded steady but tinged with concern. “Sierra, I’m sorry to bother you, but… Luca’s having another nightmare. This one was really bad."My breath hitched. "What happened?" I whispered, my voice scarcely above a whisper.She sighed heavily. “He cried that there were shadows everywhere. He kept saying they wanted to take him away. I did everything I could to soothe him, but he’s still rattled. He keeps asking for you."I was swept over by a tidal wave of guilt, crashing like foam upon every fold of m