LOGINDANIELLE'S POVDanielle slammed her hand onto the glass table, her knuckles turning white with anger. She glared down at her smartphone, her face twisted into a fierce scowl."What do you mean the slot is no longer available?" she hissed into the receiver, trying desperately to keep her voice from dropping into a full scream. "I was promised the lead spot in that skincare commercial. My agency confirmed it two days ago."On the other end of the line, the talent manager let out a long, fake sigh. "I am sorry, Miss Danielle, but the brand directors decided to go in a different direction. They feel your recent public image does not align with their current vision. It is out of my hands.""My image?" Danielle's voice rose sharply. "I am the top face in this city. You can't just drop me for—"The manager hung up right in her face. Danielle screamed, throwing her arms into the air and tossing the phone onto the soft couch. She paced across her luxurious living room, her high heels clicking
ADRIAN'S POVThe name hit Adrian like a physical blow. Reid.He stood frozen in the middle of his office. His chest rose and fell as his brain tried to understand the news. A deep, burning confusion flared up inside him. Why would Reid do that? Why would a low-life criminal care enough to send a fake video to his personal phone just to ruin Elena’s reputation?But then, the confusion turned into cold, clear understanding. He shook his head, a dark look tightening his face. Of course it is Reid, he realized. He did not need a long, complicated explanation. Reid was a bad man who worked for money. He did not act on his own. He worked for whoever paid him the most. If Reed sent that video to destroy Adrian's trust in Elena, it meant someone with a lot of money and a mean plan was pulling his strings from the dark. And Adrian already had a very strong guess about who that person was. Adrian began to walk back and forth across the floor of his office again. His boots hit the hard wood i
JACINTHA'S POV "Ah!" Jacintha let out a sharp, terrified scream as the rough hands clamped over her mouth and pulled her backward. She began thrashing wildly, kicking her legs and digging her fingernails into the thick skin of the man's forearms. But the grip around her chest only tightened, squeezing the air right out of her lungs. "Shut up, you stupid girl!" a familiar, low voice hissed directly into her ear. He let out a dark, mocking laugh that made her skin crawl. “You just don't know when to give up, do you? You should have just drowned out there in the ocean. It would have been a lot less painful than what's coming to you now." Through the panic blinding her mind, Jacintha recognized the voice instantly. It was the same large, heavy-set man who had hunted her down at the docks three days ago. One of Reid's brutal enforcers. Danielle’s reach had extended all the way to her front door, waiting in the dark like a spider. Determined not to go back to that cage, Jacintha threw
ADRIAN'S POVThe silence inside the executive office was heavy, almost suffocating. Adrian sat at his massive desk, his eyes fixed on the bright city lights outside the window, but his mind was spinning with a thousand different thoughts. Ever since the phone call with Detective Ryder, a tight knot of nerves had settled deep in his stomach. He kept checking the gold watch on his wrist, watching the seconds tick by painfully slow.It had already been over an hour since the detective called. What is taking him so long? Adrian wondered, his grip tightening on his pen until his knuckles turned white. The painful wait was driving him insane. Every minute felt like a whole day, and the lack of answers was eating him alive. He had only three weeks to solve this case, and the clock was ticking down fast.He finally reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, determined to call the precinct himself. But before his thumb could touch the screen, the heavy wood door opened. His secretary
JACINTHA'S POVAs she talked, the whole police station went silent. They looked at her like she had completely lost her mind. The older police officer just stared at her. His eyes made her feel like she was completely crazy. But Jacintha did not move. She gripped the edge of the hard wood desk. Her knuckles turned white. She was determined not to let him leave. She needed him to follow her.He let out a short, mean laugh. "What is the matter? Are you actually scared that the bad guys are waiting for you at home?"Jacintha felt a hot wave of anger. She snapped at him. Her voice shook with frustration. "I am not making this up. My friend and I were really kidnapped. Bad men locked us away in a room. I had to swim through the dark ocean water just to breathe. I am not crazy." She took a deep breath to try and stop her heart from racing. "Just follow me to my house so I can get my things. I have somewhere else I need to go. I just need to know my apartment is safe."The officer rubbed
ADRIAN'S POVThe lingering scent of Danielle's suffocatingly sweet perfume made Adrian's stomach turn. Without a shred of gentleness, he shoved her away from him, breaking her desperate grip on his suit jacket.Danielle stumbled back a step on her high heels, her hands falling limply to her sides. The smug, untouchable expression she had walked into the lobby with was completely shattered, replaced by an ugly, wide-eyed look of utter humiliation."Are you out of your mind?" Adrian snapped, his voice dropping into a low, vicious register that didn't carry across the marble floor but hit her with the force of a physical blow. “What the hell is wrong with you? Showing up at my workplace, forcing your way past my security, acting like a pathetic, delusional stalker? I have told you repeatedly, in every way possible, that I want absolutely nothing to do with you.""A-Adrian..." Danielle stuttered, her lower lip trembling as she tried to patch her crumbling mask back together. She glanced
*ELENA*She must face the full force of the law!” Jane’s voice kept ringing in my ears as we arrived at the station with the police.I was right after all.Jacinta shot her a deadly glare, and if looks could kill, Jane wouldn’t be alive. Somehow, I felt grateful and relieved that someone who truly
ELENA'S POV Three hours later, Danielle came out of the operating room, and the doctor’s uneasy expression caught my attention.Adrian was too worried about Danielle, and didn't seem to notice.“How is she? Will she be alright?“The doctor coughed lightly before speaking.“Her wounds are not sever
ELENA'S POV I stood there, watching the man I once loved show his blind loyalty to Danielle, and I couldn’t help wondering how I had been so foolish for so long. I had no wish to stay in their messy drama any longer. Just as I turned to leave, not bothering to grab my things, Danielle’s voice sto
ELENA’S POV“Damn it!”The curse tore from my chest as I stared at the television. The news banner flashed across the screen.“Rising star and supermodel Danielle spotted walking arm in arm with CEO of Hudson Tech, Adrian Hudson.”Before I could stop myself, I hurled the coffee cup in my hand. It s







