MasukKillian’s POVThe drive back to Vivian’s apartment was quiet, filled only with the sound of her ragged, uneven breaths as she drifted in and out of consciousness against the passenger window. I kept one eye on the road and one eye on her, watching her head loll forward every time I slowed for a light, and by the time I pulled into the basement parking of her building I had already resigned myself to what came next.After two failed attempts to keep her on her feet, I had to practically carry her into the elevator. She mumbled something against my shoulder that might have been my name, might have been nothing at all, and I held her upright with one arm banded around her waist while I pressed the button for her floor with the other.Her penthouse was exactly as pristine as I remembered it, a stark contrast to the woman currently sagging against me in a dress that had survived the night far better than she had. I guided her into the master bedroom and she dropped heavily onto the edge
Killian’s POVThe neon yellow ball shot past David’s racket, clipping the back line with a sharp, satisfying smack.“Jesus, Rhodes,” David breathed, bracing his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He dropped his racket onto the clay court with an exaggerated sigh. “That was a brutal pass. For someone who claims he barely plays anymore, you’re making me look terrible.”I laughed, wiping the sweat from my forehead with the back of my wrist. “You’re only three years older than me, Chen, but you act like you’re twelve years ahead of me. Stand up and hit the ball. Stop moving like you need a retirement home.”David slowly straightened, picking up his racket as his eyes narrowed with fake offense. “I’m going to ignore the fact that you just insulted me while I’m physically exhausted.”“Good. Stop being a pussy.”His mouth twitched before he shook his head. “Oh, I’ll show you who’s pussy.”He bounced the ball twice, tossed it into the air, and served hard down the line. I mov
Serena’s POVWhy did Vivian sound like someone desperately trying to hold onto something that was already slipping through her fingers?For months, I had imagined the two of them living the life I was supposed to have.I imagined Killian waking up beside her. I imagined Vivian wearing the ring that was supposed to be mine. I imagined them looking at the world and knowing they had won.They had taken everything from me.My reputation.My future.My life.But now, for the first time, a dangerous possibility entered my mind.What if things weren’t as good between them as I thought? What if the cracks were already there?And if they were already falling apart on their own, then destroying what they had built together might be easier than I ever imagined.“I need to use the restroom,” I said abruptly, sliding out of the booth as the room suddenly felt too warm. “I’ll be right back.”“Sure, go ahead,” Chloe said, waving me off. “I’ll order another round while you’re gone.”I walked quickly
Serena’s POV“Oh my God, it feels like it has been forever since we just sat down and had a proper drink,” Chloe groaned as she slid a tall, frosted glass across the table toward me.The bar was warm and inviting, filled with the quiet hum of conversation, soft jazz drifting through the room, and the golden glow of the pendant lights overhead.It was the complete opposite of the afternoon I’d just had in the cold walls of The Paragon.“Since your schedule became completely insane, I swear I was starting to forget what you looked like outside of a business suit. How does your drink taste? Do you feel alive yet?”I laughed, taking a sip of my drink.“I might need another piña colada before I can decide if I feel alive again.”“Well, cheers to that.” Chloe raised her glass, “Because I’m about to send at least three more glasses coming your way.” Just as my lips widened with a smile, a yawn escaped me, causing Chloe to narrow her eyes. "Look at you. Yawning at seven in the evening. You
Serena’s POVIf I had thought the tension in the room before was a living, breathing thing, now it felt like a dark cloud reaching out to suffocate me as I stood a few feet away from Vivian. The doors clicked shut behind me, leaving the room painfully quiet.Vivian remained at the head of the table, her hands resting flat against her notebook and for the first time since the meeting started, the perfect mask she wore so effortlessly slipped just enough for me to see what was underneath.Exhaustion.Not weakness. Never that.Just the fatigue of someone who was so used to putting up appearances and felt momentarily sick of it."Elena," she said softly, gesturing to the seat across from her. "Please, sit. I promise I won't keep you long.""Will it take a while?" I asked, keeping my voice mild and matching her tone as I pulled the chair back. "I was planning to meet a friend for a drink, but I can stay if you need me to."“Not at all,” Vivian assured me.She leaned back into her seat, r
Serena’s POVThe tension in the room was so thick it felt like it had become another person sitting at the table with us.If a pen had fallen, the sound would have cut through the silence like a gunshot.Every woman at the table was watching Liz, waiting to see how she would recover from my comment. Her lips parted, clearly preparing a response, when Vivian—committed to maintaining her image as a gracious, composed leader—lifted her pen and tapped it lightly against the table."Now, now, let’s keep our focus where it belongs,” she said smoothly. “Elena is an expert in these matters, and we all want this gala to be flawless. People have already pledged a lot towards the evening, which means there is a great deal riding on this event.”For the next forty minutes, the meeting proceeded in a state of polite warfare. Liz and her tight circle of friends took every opportunity to throw small, passive-aggressive barbs my way which I returned, keeping my tone as unfazed as possible. Through i
Killian’s POVI watched the revolving glass doors spin, and Elena disappear into the streets, leaving nothing behind but the ghost of her presence. "Killian, darling, are you even listening to me?"Vivian’s voice cut through the fog in my mind, pulling me back to the reality of where I stood. I fo
Serena’s POV"Well, well," Vivian said, her voice dripping with that familiar, artificial sweetness. "If it isn't the famous Elena Reyes."The words slid through the grand lobby like oil on water, while the speaker looked immaculate in her cream suit, a perfect portrait of class. Seeing her up clo
Serena’s POVThe grand epiphany I’d had last night about keeping my enemies close and pretending to be their best friend had sounded incredibly poetic in the dark. It was a flawless, ironclad strategy. The only minor design flaw was that it would require me to be pleasant to people I wanted to dest
Serena’s POVThe problem with pretending to be someone else was always feeling like you were on death row the moment you had to spend time with the people who actually knew them.I realized this approximately twelve minutes into drinks with Chloe Laurent.“…and then he had the audacity to tell me h







