LOGINA single amber floor lamp casts long shadows across the dining room, its glow catching Luna's elegant features as she props her chin in one hand and watches Nathan slice the medium-rare steak on her plate."Did I ever agree to a candlelight dinner with you?" Luna asks, her voice sleepy and irritated. She has been buried beneath her duvet until Nathan pulls her out of bed."Didn't you?" Nathan asks, barely lifting his eyes as he points at the leather folder beside her left hand. "Read that before you give me your final answer."Luna frowns, pulls the folder closer, and flips it open.SHARE TRANSFER AGREEMENT.The bold words make her heart skip. She scans the terms quickly, and her gaze freezes on one number.Twenty-six percent?"Is this really all the stock you hold in the Vane Group?" Luna asks, suppressing the sharp flicker of excitement in her chest.How can he possibly overthrow Gerald Vane with only 26 percent?"Too little for your taste?""Didn't you promise me everything you own
Stella traces the gold rim of her teacup, a highly satisfied smile playing on her lips.She has just signed the final share transfer agreement, placing her portion of the Vane empire securely into Ethan's capable hands.As expected, Nathan wastes no time tracking her down to confront her."You are an absolute fool," Nathan sneers. "You hand over your only piece of leverage, and you are still sitting here counting the money for the man who played you. Let's see exactly how long Ethan stays with you now that you are useless.""You are just bitter because you can never have Luna's heart, so you assume everyone else is as miserable as you," she snaps back, casually gesturing for the estate manager to escort him out. "Ethan has been incredibly devoted to me and our baby. I know exactly what true love looks like."Nathan lets out a low chuckle. "Then enjoy playing the perfect Mrs. Caldwell and the untouchable Vane heiress...while it lasts."His parting smile sends a cold, inexplicable shive
The sterile smell of the corridor does nothing to cool the rage radiating off Marcus.Minutes after Michael delivers the news of Luna's permanent infertility—a tragedy caused by the sister he once protected without question—Marcus snaps completely.His grip closes around Stella's wrist hard enough to leave bruises blooming dark against her pale skin, and he drags her toward the elevator, eyes bloodshot with something that doesn't look entirely sane."No! Let go of me! This isn't your child, you don't get to decide if he lives or dies!" Stella claws at the wall, her slippers scraping uselessly against the floor."You destroyed Luna's child—the heir to our family," Marcus snarls. "And you think you deserve to carry yours to term?"The grief tearing through his chest has fully mutated into hatred for the sister he spoiled into the monster standing in front of him."I barely touched her! She wasn't even facing the stairs when I pushed her—she threw herself down on purpose to frame me!" Te
A month passes before Mrs. Vane's birthday gala forces them back to the estate."Stella, your sister-in-law is speaking to you," Nathan warns.Stella turns away, ignoring Luna entirely.A month of isolation from both brothers, all because of this woman—why offer her respect?"It's fine, Nathan," Luna murmurs, the picture of forgiveness.Stella's nails dig into her palms. Luna provokes her constantly in private, then performs victimhood the second the brothers are watching."The moment you walk in, you berate your sister?" Gerald snaps at his son."Happy birthday, Mom." Nathan drops a gift box on the table, gripping Luna's hand. "We're leaving.""Wait—" Mrs. Vane, panicking over the gossip, turns her reprimand on her daughter instead. "Stella, you're about to be a mother. Don't be rude to your sister-in-law."Stella's jaw drops."Exactly," Marcus adds, swirling champagne. "Bad manners are terrible for prenatal development. Keep it up and your child will be just as unlikable as you.""M
Miles away, inside the modern living room of the Clearwater Point villa, the atmosphere hums with a completely different kind of tension.The moment Nathan steps out onto the glass terrace to field an urgent corporate phone call, Ethan seizes the fleeting window of opportunity.Ignoring the boundaries of basic decency, the Caldwell patriarch steps closer to the sofa, his fingers gently lifting the hem of Luna's silk blouse to inspect the injury on her lower back.Against the flawless, porcelain expanse of her skin, the dark, blooming expanse of purple bruising looks horrific.A profound, visceral flash of heartache ripples through Ethan's eyes. "You need to stop utilizing your own body as a weapon," he murmurs."But the results are undeniably effective, aren't they?" Luna turns her head. "You really shouldn't visit me anymore. If Nathan catches onto your lingering obsession, it will only complicate my plans."Before Ethan can formulate a properly bitter response, the sharp chime of an
Having officially relocated to a sprawling villa in the exclusive Clearwater Point, Luna leans back against the velvet sofa, her eyes lazily tracking the tall, broad-shouldered silhouette moving clumsily around the open-concept kitchen.Because the estate's sole housekeeper requested an emergency leave of absence for the week, Luna had fully intended to order a catered meal from a high-end restaurant. However, Nathan volunteered to prepare their dinner himself.Watching the corporate titan aggressively wrestle with a cutting board and a handful of organic vegetables, Luna arches a skeptical brow, genuinely doubting whether anything edible will emerge from that kitchen tonight.The doorbell cuts through the quiet.Before she can rise, Nathan abandons the vegetables, wiping his hands on a towel as he strides to the door."I'll get it. You rest."She lets herself be treated like glass, picking up her phone instead—another message from Alex Pierce, his persistence bordering on desperate l
"Another video call."Anticipating that the incoming video call carries a family weight she shouldn't explicitly be privy to, Luna smoothly lowers her eyes and steps back half a pace—precisely enough to demonstrate a courteous respect for his privacy, yet remaining just visible enough within the ca
The rain hasn't stopped.Inside the master suite, Marcus stands motionless before the fogged bathroom mirror. As the steam slowly clears, he looks at his collarbone and feels confusion, recollection, and then a particular variety of self-directed irritation that has no clean outlet.It is a bite ma
The entire booth goes dead silent for two seconds.Then, as if choreographed, every single fashion executive at the table turns to stare at them, their faces collectively mirroring the immense satisfaction of people who have just been handed irrefutable confirmation of a secret they already suspect
The next week, Sophie slides the folder across the table without ceremony.Nolan looks at it for a long moment without touching it. The kraft paper envelope, the slightly too-neat edges of something that required effort to compile—he knows what it costs to get information that's been buried this th







