LOGINReporters stood.Questions flew from every direction.“What?”“Excuse me?”“Mr. Kings—”He ignored every single one.“I was the one who approached her.”“I asked her out.”“I kept asking till she agreed. Then I asked her to marry me.”My heartbeat echoed loudly inside my ears.“I did that, she didn’t force me. I did.”Every word landed harder than the one before.“But I wasn’t good to her.”I closed my eyes.Why…Why was he doing this?He kept talking.“The real villain in that story…”His voice cracked.“…was me.”The room became silent again.“I neglected her after our marriage.”“I failed her.”“I took her for granted.”“I was emotionally unavailable.”“I wasn’t the husband she deserved.”His hands gripped the podium tightly.“I never appreciated the incredible woman she was.”His eyes shimmered.“I didn’t know how.”“I didn’t know how to love someone properly.”“I was afraid that she might disappear like… like Mirabel did.”“I was immature.”“I was selfish.”“I hurt her.”“I broke
The rest of the day passed by.I sat behind my desk, trying to focus on the documents Mia had left for me, but the words refused to stay still.Nothing was making sense.A knock came against my office door.Before I could answer, it swung open.Mia walked in so quickly that her heels clicked sharply against the marble floor.“Mia?”She didn’t answer.She walked straight toward the television.Picked up the remote and turned the volume on.“…breaking news. Dominic Kings has called an emergency press conference this morning following the allegations made against Miss Aurelia Sterling—”My pen stopped moving.“…the conference is being broadcast live across multiple news networks.”“What?”The word barely escaped my lips.Mia didn’t look away from the television.My heartbeat slowed.The screen switched.Rows of reporters.Camera flashes.News microphones.Then—Dominic.He walked onto the stage wearing a black suit.He looked…Tired.His eyes were red.His face looked like he hadn’t slep
“It tells the world we’re scared.”“It tells our competitors we’re weak.”“It tells every person who believed that article…”I paused.“…that maybe there’s some truth to it.”Silence.“They’ll say we ran.”My gaze moved slowly across every face.“And once people think that…”I shook my head.“…it would become the start of the end.”Richard frowned thoughtfully.I continued.“If we keep Fashion Week exactly where it is…”My heartbeat steadied.“…and we solve this before then…”I could almost see it in my head.“…Fashion Week becomes our comeback.”“Our statement.”“Our proof.”I leaned slightly forward.“It won’t just recover the brand.”“It’ll strengthen it.”Another silence settled across the room.Longer this time.Then one of the senior executives finally nodded.“She’s right.”Every head turned toward him.“We’re looking at today’s problem.”He tapped the folder.“She’s looking ahead.”Another executive nodded.“The bigger picture.”John slowly leaned back in his chair.His expres
I pushed myself up from the chair before I had the chance to think too much.Mia quietly followed behind me with her iPad tucked against her chest as we stepped out of my office.The hallway seemed strangely louder today.Not because people were actually talking louder.Because every sound reached me.Every keyboard tapping.Every pair of footsteps.Every voice that immediately lowered the second I walked past.Nobody said anything.Nobody dared.But I could feel it.The curiosity.The uncertainty.The questions sitting behind polite smiles.I kept walking.The elevator arrived almost immediately.Neither of us spoke during the ride down to the executive conference floor.The silence wasn’t awkward.It was heavy.By the time the elevator doors opened, my heartbeat had already started climbing again.The boardroom doors stood open.Everyone was already waiting.I stepped inside.Conversations stopped instantly.Eight board members.My general manager.Our chief financial officer.Legal
If I stayed here, I’d only give myself more time to think.And thinking wasn’t helping.So I got ready.I showered.Picked out a charcoal-tailored pantsuit instead of a dress.Pulled my hair into a sleek low bun.Minimal jewelry.Minimal makeup.When I finally glanced at the clock on my nightstand, it was almost nine.Leo would already be in school.One of my brothers would’ve taken him.I picked up my handbag and headed downstairs.The moment I stepped into the living room, the conversation stopped.Four heads turned toward me.Ford.Pierce.Hayes.Even Camille, standing near the dining area with a coffee mug in her hands.The atmosphere felt… heavy.Hayes stood almost immediately.“Hey…”His eyes searched my face carefully.“Are you okay?”I forced a small smile.“Good morning, y’all.”Nobody answered the greeting.That alone told me enough.I continued walking toward the front door.“Hey.”Ford’s voice stopped me halfway there.“Where are you going?”“Work.”My hand wrapped around
The next morning began with my phone vibrating against the nightstand.Once.Twice.Again.And again.The sound pushed through my sleep until I finally groaned and reached blindly for it.My eyes barely opened.The room was still dim.The curtains remained closed.My body felt heavy from the events of the previous night.For a moment, I considered ignoring the phone completely.Then it vibrated again.And again.And again.With a sigh, I rolled onto my back and picked it up.The brightness hit me immediately.“Jesus.”I squeezed my eyes shut.The screen felt like a spotlight directly into my soul.After a few seconds, I finally opened my eyes again and unlocked the phone.The notification bar nearly gave me a heart attack.Messages.Emails.Instagram notifications.X notifications.TikTok notifications.Missed calls.Dozens of them.My stomach tightened.Something was wrong.Very wrong.Then I saw Mia’s name.Twenty missed calls.My heart dropped instantly.Mia never called so many ti
The soft scratching of pencil against paper filled the office quietly.Silver lines curved across the page beneath my hand. For the first time all day, my head had finally become quiet enough to think.A knock sounded softly against the office door before it opened.Mia stepped inside carefully. “
The boardroom door closed quietly behind me.John and Mia were standing outside. The moment they saw me, both of them straightened immediately.Neither asked questions.I kept walking.The sound of my heels echoed sharply through the hallway as I headed toward my office. Mia followed behind me sile
The silence inside the boardroom pressed heavily against my skin. A clock ticked steadily against the wall, each second stretching longer than it should.Dominic stood at the far end of the table watching me.For one brief second, exhaustion made everything feel unreal. Like my mind had finally sna
A loud knock slammed against my bedroom door.Then another.Then another.I groaned against the pillow and forced my eyes open slowly, my head pounding immediately from lack of sleep.Who the hell was trying to break my door down this early in the morning?Another bang echoed through the room.I pu







