Cole's POV.Hours later…The hotel room felt suffocating, despite the air conditioning running at full blast. The silence between Emily and me was deafening, but that didn't stop the tension from rising. I was sitting in the chair, a stylist working on my hair, while Emily sat across the room, her own stylist carefully applying makeup to her face. I stole a glance at her through the mirror. She was holding her head high, eyes narrowed, looking irritated as the makeup artist tilted her chin up, smoothing her skin with expert hands.Good. I liked seeing her like this. Irritated. Frustrated. It was the only thing that made this whole mess worth it.I couldn’t resist. A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips as I watched her, knowing exactly how to push her buttons.“You might want to tell them to work a little harder,” I said, breaking the silence. “It’s going to take a miracle to make you look like a loving wife.”She glared at me through the mirror, her lips curling into a tight, condes
Cole's POV.I could feel the nerves creeping up, even though I was doing everything in my power to act like I was fine. The situation had me on edge as the PR team ushered us to the waiting cars. The cameras would be rolling soon. The journalists would be eager, asking about our “fast” romance, how we managed to fall in love and marry in such a short time. The bullshit we'd have to sell tonight would be the final act in this ridiculous drama.Emily was standing beside me, her arms crossed, giving off the vibe that she was barely holding it together. Her lips were pressed into a tight line, the kind of line I’d seen a hundred times when she was pretending to be happy. If she only knew how little I cared about her discomfort. We both had a job to do, and I was about to make sure she remembered hers.I could tell she was putting on the perfect mask though. Her makeup was flawless, every inch of her looked like she was ready for a magazine cover, and I hated that she could pull it off s
Emily’s POV.The second the elevator doors shut, I felt the walls closing in. Not because of the tight space…but because of him. Cole Greyson. The one man I never wanted to be alone with.I folded my arms, letting out a sharp breath. “Perfect. Just perfect.”Cole leaned against the wall, adjusting his cufflinks like he hadn’t just ruined my entire night. “You’re welcome.”My head snapped toward him. “Excuse me?”“You said ‘perfect.’ I assumed you were thanking me.” His smirk was lazy, smug, infuriating.My hands curled into fists. “You seriously have zero self-awareness.”His eyes flicked toward me, cool and disinterested. “And you have zero gratitude.”A bitter laugh left my lips. “Gratitude? For what? For having to fake a marriage with the one person I hate most in this world? Yeah, thanks a lot, Cole.”He shrugged. “You didn’t have to say yes.”I stepped closer, fire burning through my veins. “You think I wanted this?”He tilted his head. “No. But you agreed. That’s on you.”I wan
Cole’s POV"Emily."No response.I shook her slightly, my heart hammering."Emily, wake up. Come on."Still nothing.Her breathing was shallow, her skin too warm. The terror, the shock…it had all been too much for her."Damn it," I muttered, running a hand through my hair.The elevator was still moving up, but I barely noticed. All I could see was Emily, lying there, her face pale, her lips slightly parted.For years, I told myself I didn’t care about her. That what happened between us was in the past. But seeing her like this? Completely defenseless?It did something to me.I clenched my jaw, reaching forward. Without thinking, I slid my arms under her and lifted her against my chest.She was too still. Too quiet."Just hold on, okay?" I muttered under my breath.The elevator dinged. The doors slid open.And suddenly, we were met with chaos.A cluster of hotel staff and security stood outside, their faces twisted in panic. Some gasped. Others immediately rushed forward."Sir! Mr. Gre
Emily's POV.A groan slipped out before I could stop it. My head felt like it had been used as a punching bag, and my body ached in places I didn’t even know could ache. My throat was dry, my limbs stiff, and an odd tingling sensation ran through my arms.I blinked against the harsh sunlight streaming through the large windows, trying to remember where the hell I was. My vision blurred for a moment, then cleared just enough to make out the luxurious hotel room…the honeymoon suite, to be exact.And then I saw him.Cole.Sitting in a chair near the bed, legs stretched out lazily, arms crossed over his chest, watching me like he had all the time in the world. His expression was unreadable, but there was something about the way his lips curled at the corners, like he was amused.My stomach twisted. Why was he here?"You’ve got to be kidding me," I muttered, squeezing my eyes shut as if I could make him disappear by sheer willpower."Good morning to you too, sweetheart." His voice was deep
Emily's POV.Cole, to his credit, didn’t react immediately. He stood by the window, shoulders tensing just slightly, before he turned around with the calmness of a man who had dealt with this kind of chaos before.He exhaled through his nose, then walked toward Vanessa, completely unbothered. "It’s fine," he said, addressing the staff. "You can go.""But, sir, we tried to stop her…""I said it’s fine," Cole repeated, giving them a pointed look.The staff exchanged hesitant glances before bowing slightly and retreating out of the room, closing the door behind them.Now, it was just the three of us.Vanessa looked like she was about to explode. Her hands were shaking, her breaths coming in short gasps, and her perfectly manicured nails dug into her palms.Cole reached for her, his voice lowering. "Vanessa, calm down."She smacked his hand away. "Don’t you dare tell me to calm down!" Her voice cracked with emotion. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"Cole sighed and ran a hand th
Emily's POV.The car ride was silent except for the soft hum of the engine. I stared out the window, watching the city come alive under the morning sun. Skyscrapers, pedestrians, coffee shops, life was moving forward, and so was I.Cole and his pathetic little girlfriend were behind me now, exactly where they belonged.I leaned back against the seat, rubbing my temple. My dress still clung to my body, wrinkled and ruined from last night. The expensive fabric felt suffocating. My makeup…God, I didn’t even want to look at my face. I probably looked like something out of a horror movie.“Straight home, Miss Hart?” my driver, Leo, asked from the front seat.I thought about it. Home. What was that even supposed to mean? The mansion I grew up in? The penthouse I bought to escape that mansion? Or the prison of a hotel Cole trapped me in?“No,” I said. “Take me to the Ritz. I need a suite.”Leo nodded, no questions asked. That’s why I liked him. He did his job without treating me like a fragi
Cole's POV.The world was burning, and I was standing in the middle of it, phone in hand, watching my life collapse in real-time.Every major news outlet, every gossip blog, every social media platform was eating up the scandal like it was the juiciest story of the year."Emily Hart Walks Out on Cole Greyson Just 2 Days After Their Wedding!" "Hart Heiress Flees Honeymoon Suite – Trouble in Billionaire Paradise?" "Cole Greyson Left Behind as His Bride Vanishes!"The photos were everywhere—Emily walking out of the hotel, her posture elegant despite her ruined dress, make-up and birdnest of a hair. Even her expression was unreadable. The press had caught her getting into a black car. And her wedding ring nowhere in sight.Meanwhile, I was stuck here, trapped in this disaster of my own making.I exhaled sharply, gripping my phone so tightly my knuckles turned white.This was bad.The internet was a wildfire, and I was at the center of it. People were talking…laughing, judging, feasting
Emily’s POVIt had been a few days since Smith came into my life, and I was already starting to realize something…being a big sister was hard. Like, really hard.I had no idea what I was doing.I was used to handling powerful men in business meetings, shutting down corporate sharks who thought they could intimidate me, and standing my ground in rooms full of people waiting for me to fail. But a four-year-old? That was an entirely different battlefield.Smith was quiet, too quiet. He hardly spoke, and when he did, it was short, simple sentences that left me scrambling to figure out what he was thinking. He wasn’t scared of me, not exactly, but he watched me like I was an unpredictable storm…like I could do something crazy at any moment, and he needed to be prepared.Which, fair. I was unpredictable.And I had no idea how to be soft.I never had siblings growing up. I didn’t know what it was supposed to feel like. Was there some kind of switch that flipped inside you? Some natural insti
Cole’s POVThe post-funeral reception was held at Richard Hart’s estate…a massive, sprawling mansion that screamed wealth and power.The kind of place where every corner had been meticulously designed to impress.Expensive art lined the walls. Crystal chandeliers hung from high ceilings, their lights low to match the somber mood. Waiters in black suits moved silently through the crowd, offering glasses of aged whiskey and champagne.But no one was here to drink.They were here to watch.Richard Hart was dead. And now, the question that lingered in the air, unspoken but loud, was…what happens next?I kept my eyes on Emily.She stood near the grand staircase, her posture rigid, her hands clasped together. The funeral had drained the color from her face, but there was still a fire in her eyes. A sharp, unyielding fire that dared anyone to challenge her.She wasn’t grieving like a daughter who lost a father.She was calculating.Because Emily Hart knew better than anyone that grief wasn’t
Cole’s POVThe church was packed.Rows of people, all dressed in black. The men in expensive suits, the women in elegant dresses that screamed wealth and power. It wasn’t just a funeral…it was an event. The kind only reserved for men like Richard Hart.Billionaire. Business mogul. Ruthless strategist.And now, a dead man.White lilies surrounded the altar, their scent thick in the air, almost suffocating. The coffin sat in the center, gleaming under the dim lights of the church. A masterpiece of craftsmanship, polished to perfection. Everything about this funeral was excessive, grand, like Richard had planned it himself.I kept my eyes on Emily.She stood at the front, beside her mother, her back straight, her jaw tight. She wasn’t crying. She hadn’t cried once since her father died. Not at the wake. Not today. Not in the days leading up to this.But I knew her.I knew what restraint looked like.She was holding it all in.She wore a long, black dress, the fabric hugging her figure in
Emily’s POVThe rain was everywhere. In my hair, in my eyes, soaking through my clothes like a second skin. The wind howled so loud it felt like the whole world was screaming, but nothing was louder than the storm inside me. My pulse pounded in my ears, my breathing was uneven, and my body ached from the bruises and cuts Mateo had left on me.But none of that mattered.Because right now, all I saw was my father’s blood on Mateo’s hands.His grip on my arm was tight, his fingers pressing into my already sore skin as he dragged me toward the edge of the cliff. My boots struggled against the wet ground, slipping on the mud, but he yanked me forward without care.“Fucking hell, you are the most difficult young woman I’ve ever dealt with,” Mateo growled, his voice strained with frustration. His grip tightened painfully, his breath ragged. “Never in my life have I gone through this much shit just for a pussy.”I saw red.I twisted in his grip, my free hand swinging up. Slap. The sound crack
Cole’s POVFew hours earlier.The second my phone rang, I knew something was wrong.I was already on edge, my gut telling me that something didn’t sit right. Emily was supposed to be safe at the cabin. It wasn’t a permanent place, just a temporary stop while we figured out our next move. But the second I saw the name flashing on my screen…one of my men guarding her…something inside me tensed.I swiped to answer. “Talk.”Heavy breathing. Then a voice, rushed and strained. “Boss, we’ve got a problem.”My grip tightened around the phone. “What kind of problem?”A pause. Then, “Two of our guys are dead. Execution style. Emily was taken.”Everything around me blurred. The chatter in the car, the hum of the engine, even the weight of my gun resting on my thigh…it all faded.“What?” My voice was low, deadly.“We didn’t see them coming. It was clean, professional. They hit fast and hard. Emily’s gone, and we’ve got no idea where they took her.”I exhaled through my nose, trying to keep my ang
Emily’s POVThe sound of the gunshot still rang in my ears, but my brain struggled to process what had just happened.My father…Richard Hart…lay sprawled on the cold concrete floor. Blood spread from his chest, soaking into his once-neat suit. His eyes were open, but there was no life left in them.He was dead.I stared at his body, my breath coming in short, sharp gasps. My chest felt tight, like something heavy had settled on top of it, making it impossible to breathe.A strange, choking noise left my throat before I realized it was me.Mateo chuckled, spinning the gun on his finger before handing it back to one of his men. "Well, that was dramatic," he muttered, wiping his hands on his pants like Richard’s death had somehow dirtied them.My head snapped up."You…" My voice cracked, raw with fury. "You son of a bitch!"Mateo barely spared me a glance. "Oh, don’t act like you cared, Emily. The man treated you like trash your whole life."I jerked forward, but the ropes held me back.
Emily’s POVThe van lurched to a stop, jerking my body forward. My hands, still bound behind my back, strained against the rough rope cutting into my wrists. My shoulders ached from being in the same position for too long, and my head was still foggy from whatever they had drugged me with earlier. I clenched my fists, flexing my fingers to get some blood flow back.The back doors creaked open, and the sharp scent of gasoline and damp concrete hit me. It was dark outside, the only light coming from flickering streetlamps and the glow of a distant neon sign. Warehouse. Predictable. These kinds of men always picked the same dingy, abandoned places, like they had some unspoken rule about keeping things as cliché as possible.A voice cut through the silence. "Get her out."A pair of rough hands grabbed my arm, yanking me forward. My feet hit the ground hard, knees buckling slightly before I steadied myself. The men surrounding me were armed, their fingers twitching near their weapons. Thei
Emily's POVThe second Cole left, the room felt different. It wasn’t anything obvious…nothing in the cabin had actually changed. The furniture was still where it was. The fire still crackled in the small fireplace. The faint scent of burning wood and old pine still hung in the air. But the energy? That had shifted completely.It felt heavier. Tighter. Like the walls had moved in just a little, enough to make my skin itch.Cole’s men weren’t exactly making it any better. They weren’t talking. Hell, they weren’t even looking at me unless they had to. One of them stood stiff by the door, arms crossed over his chest like he was guarding something priceless. The other, leaner but just as intense, kept glancing out the window every few seconds, his fingers twitching near his gun.I exhaled, dragging my fingers through my hair, then leaned back into the worn-out couch. "You guys always this fun, or is this just special treatment for me?"Silence.Buzz-cut guy at the door didn’t even blink. H
Cole’s POV.I couldn't get any sleep after being intimate with Emily. I was still up, staring at my phone, the screen glowing in the cabin light. A message. Just two words."He knows."My jaw clenched.For a second, I didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. My mind ran through every possibility. Every way this could have happened. We’d been careful…meticulous, even. No leaks, no loose ends. And yet, somehow, Mateo was a step ahead.I shut my eyes briefly, forcing my pulse to slow. I needed to think. Fast.The air in the cabin suddenly felt too thick, the walls too close. I pushed up from the chair, grabbing my jacket off the back of it and stepping outside. The cold night air hit me instantly, sharp and unforgiving, but I welcomed it. It kept me grounded. Kept my mind from spiraling.The trees around the cabin swayed slightly in the breeze, their branches casting long shadows under the moonlight. It was dead quiet out here, the kind of silence that felt unnatural…like the whole forest was holdin