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Chapter 23

Author: T.O
last update Last Updated: 2025-01-30 04:34:07

NOLAN’S POV

The house was quiet when I woke up with light creeping in through the curtains. I sat up, rubbing a hand over my face before reaching for my phone. I had a few missed calls from my father’s assistant, a couple of messages from Leo, and one from an unknown number that made my brow scrunch up.

Ignoring it for now, I threw the covers off and headed for the shower. Today was going to be long between the meeting with Glinda, the briefing for the gala, and whatever new problem was bound to arise.

As I stepped under the warm water, my thoughts drifted to last night. Anastasia had been different—less guarded, more... real. The way she had laughed, the way she had argued, even the way she had rolled her eyes at me felt less forced. It was unsettling how natural it had been, how much I had caught myself enjoying it.

By the time I was dressed and headed downstairs, I found Anastasia already in the kitchen, her back turned as she reached for a mug. She was dressed in a fitted white bl
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