LOGINHe leans forward, his voice dropping into a conspiratorial, deeply unsettling whisper as he stares directly into my green contact lenses. "In fact... you don't have to be a maid at all, Candy. I can make all of this manual labor disappear with a single phone call. If you can just agree to be my pri
"Look, Naomi, if Dennise catches you in here, she’s going to—" The distinct, heavy sound of the deadbolt locking echoes through the quiet kitchen. My entire body goes completely rigid. My instincts scream at me, a cold shock of adrenaline instantly shooting straight to my fingertips. That isn't th
I smooth down the front of my oversized, scratchy maid uniform, my fingers tracing the small bruise on my chest from where Caroline's finger violently ripped my dress open at the cemetery yesterday. My skin still feels raw from the humiliation, my eyes are burning from crying all night over Owen, a
The striking, facial structure. Sydney is an absolute, undeniable replica of the woman in the vintage photograph—Tobias’s mother. The almost psychotic protectiveness Tobias has shown toward Sydney from the very first moment he met her. The massive financial safety nets he threw under her, the fact
Before I can even open my mouth to apologize for breaking into his house, Tobias speaks. His voice is incredibly quiet, completely devoid of its usual sharp authority, yet it carries a heavy, haunting weight that pins me right to the carpet. "For years..." he murmurs, his finger continuing its slow
I stand frozen on the gravel path, the engine of Sydney’s departing car roaring in my ears. I watch the taillights of her vehicle bounce over the cemetery threshold, disappearing completely from sight, and with every inch of distance she puts between us, my heart shatters into a million jagged, irre
Suddenly, the library is silent. I’m flushed against him, my hands resting on his shoulders for balance. He’s looking down at me, the tip of his nose brushing against mine. I can feel the warmth of his skin, the faint scent of expensive scotch and sandalwood fanning over my face. Our breaths are in
The sound of rain against the library windows is the only thing keeping me company this Saturday morning. It’s that heavy downpour that makes you want to curl into a ball and forget that the rest of the world exists. Since I’m back at Owen’s estate for the weekend, I’ve decided to treat his librar
I walk back into the main hub of the studio, to find Sydney standing near the monitors, looking smaller than usual against the backdrop of the massive lighting rigs. "I’m leaving," I say, stopping a few feet away. I'm not entirely sure why I felt the need to tell her that. Usually, I just disappea
After Deckard is gone, I turn to the head of security, who is currently sweating through his jacket. "Call a meeting," I instruct. "I want to see every guard in this building, now." Ten minutes later, I’m standing in front of a line of men who look like they’d rather be facing a firing squad. "







