All Chapters of PRETEND PRINCESS: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

I groaned, my forehead pressing against my desk as I stared at the mountain of paperwork still left to do."Why is this happening to me?" I mumbled into the wooden surface. "Why am I suffering? What did I ever do to deserve this?"I peeked up at the pile, hoping it had magically shrunk while I was wallowing in self-pity.It had reduced—a lot, actually. I was almost halfway through. But was that supposed to be comforting? No. No, it was not. Because it was 5:58 PM, and I was still here.The office was getting quieter. People were packing up. Going home. Living their best lives. Meanwhile, I was stuck here, drowning in mind-numbing reports.I sighed and leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my hair.There was no way I could keep going.Lily always left by 3 PM, which meant I needed to get home to check on Grandpa and Suzu. I had responsibilities. A life. A three-legged puppy waiting for me.If I left now and came back really early tomorrow, Creed wouldn’t notice, right?I mean

(Yuki’s POV)Mornings sucked.Especially after the emotional wreckage that had been last night.But I wasn’t about to let that ruin my work ethic, so I dragged myself back to the office before sunrise.The only person around was Carl, the cleaner, mopping the lobby with his usual slow, methodical swipes.“Ah, look who’s here before the cock crows,” Carl mused, side-eyeing me as I strolled in. “What’s got you out of bed this early, Yuyu?”I gave him a dramatic sigh. “Oh, you know. Just my boss being the devil incarnate. He gave me ten months’ worth of files to finish in a single day.”Carl whistled. “Damn. That’s rough.”“You have no idea.”I leaned against the reception desk, waiting for the maintenance guy to finish up with the elevator. Carl continued mopping, occasionally glancing at me with amusement.“Not gonna lie, kid. You dress fancier than anyone I’ve seen at this place.”I grinned, doing a little spin to show off my outfit. “Flattery will get you everywhere, my dear Carl.”T

Yuki's pov Eric leaned back against my bedroom door, arms crossed, that same cocky smirk plastered on his annoyingly perfect face. "I don't understand why you're so angry with me. You should be happy, rolling on the ground, barking like my little puppy, happy to see its owner."I rolled my eyes so hard I was surprised they didn’t fall out of my head. "Right, I should be really glad and happy to see my boyfriend—who went on a trip I couldn’t afford anyway, knowing how much I wanted to go there—and despite all of that, managed not to give me a single fucking phone call over the two weeks he was there. And when I finally called you, you were apparently busy. That’s really fucked up, Eric, even for you."Eric let out an exaggerated sigh, stepping forward, hands finding my shoulders. He started kneading the tension there, his touch irritatingly familiar. "Okay, baby, look, I’m sorry. Let Daddy make it up to you."I jerked away, swatting his hands off. "I don’t want you to touch me. Get of

Creed’s POVZara stormed into my office like a hurricane, her eyes red-rimmed, her mismatched buttons a clear sign of how hastily she had dressed. My entire body tensed. I had seen her like this before—too many times to count. And it never ended well.“You—You complete and utter bastard,” she spat, her voice thick with emotion, trembling with fury.I barely had a second to register her words before she was on me, shoving her hands against my chest, fists clenched like she was moments away from breaking apart. Her body shook as she hit me, over and over, with nothing more than weak, desperate strikes.“Why, Creed? Why don’t you love me?”“Zara—”“Why are you letting him do this to me?” she choked out, her voice cracking mid-sentence.My stomach twisted. I grabbed her wrists, gently, trying to still her trembling hands. “Zara, are you taking Molly again?”Her breath hitched, and for a split second, a flicker of guilt crossed her face before she masked it with anger. She yanked her arms

Yuki’s POVBy the time I make it home, I feel like I’ve been dragged through the depths of hell.The cold night air does little to soothe me—if anything, it just reminds me how exhausted I am. My feet ache, my body feels drained, and my brain?Fried.I unlock the door and step inside, already craving my bed—but the sight before me makes me perk up instantly."LILY!" I shriek, sprinting toward her.She barely has time to react before I launch myself at her, wrapping her in a tight bear hug and squishing her tiny frame against me."Oh my God, Yuki—" she wheezes. "You’re going to kill me!""Let me enjoy human contact a little bit," I whine, nuzzling into her shoulder. "I have never been more drained in my entire life. Good call on telling me to wear the wig today—I would’ve definitely gotten busted for sure."Lily pries herself out of my grip, rubbing her ribs dramatically. "Yuyu, I keep telling you, one day you're gonna crush me to death and my ghost will haunt your overly dramatic ass.