LOGINKILLIANI barely glanced at the glowing laptop screen in front of me, my fingers idly flipping through a thick stack of printed financial reports while three high-level executives on the encrypted video call droned on about regional market projections in the flat, interchangeable cadence of men who'd said the same sentences a hundred times before.These were the people I'd abruptly abandoned days ago, the moment the news of Elara's accident had ripped through my phone and every other consideration in my life had simply ceased to exist. I'd made it abundantly, coldly clear to their board afterward that I would not be stepping foot on a plane or leaving this city again anytime soon. If they wanted to close this multi-billion-dollar deal, they'd do it virtually, on my terms, according to my schedule, or they wouldn't do it at all. It had been wildly inconvenient for their international legal counsel of course. But I hadn't cared. And because I held the capital they desperately needed t
ELARAThe moment I stepped out onto the sweeping marble portico of the mansion, I found Mason already waiting beside the sleek, armored sedan, arms folded, expression unreadable in the way only Mason's ever was.I offered him a playful wink as I reached for the door handle. He stepped in immediately, his large hand gripping the top of the door to stop it from swinging shut before I'd properly settled onto the leather seat."Make me a promise right now, Elara." His dark eyes drilled into mine with an intensity that left no room for deflection. "Tell me you have every single variable of this meeting under control."I smiled up at him, tilting my head. "Don't you know your own sister by now, Mason?"He held my gaze a beat longer, and I watched the tension finally break across his broad shoulders as he let out a low, defeated sigh. He leaned into the cabin and pressed a firm, brief kiss against my forehead. "Be careful."Then he shut the door gently and stepped up to the front passenger w
ELARA"Are you sure you want to go? You don't have to do this, sweetheart."I looked up at my father and smiled softly, reaching up to gently tap his cheek in an affectionate, familiar gesture I'd been performing since I was a little girl trying to talk my way out of trouble. "I'm going, Dad. And I promise you, I will be completely safe."Ever since I'd received Miranda's unexpected text two days ago and agreed to honor her invitation to meet, my entire family had been operating in a state of near-constant high alert. They'd spent the last forty-eight hours aggressively trying to talk me out of it, considering the meeting entirely unnecessary and correctly suspecting that Miranda had some pathetic trick tucked up her sleeve.Killian had been the absolute worst of all of them. He'd practically worn a groove into the carpet of my suite, pacing back and forth with his jaw clenched so tight I genuinely worried for his teeth, demanding— not asking, demanding— that he either handle Mirand
ELARASeriously? This brother of mine… tsk.I swallowed down a small flicker of nerves and carefully swung my legs over the side of the high bed, pushing myself upright and standing flat on both feet. Pure, giddy relief washed through me when the room stayed perfectly still around me, my legs holding steady without so much as a tremor."See!" I announced, throwing both hands out in a triumphant little flourish. "Completely okay. Now… what's next on the agenda, warden?"Julian let out a low chuckle, stepping in close enough that his arms hovered just slightly, ready to catch me if my legs decided to betray me after all. "Don't push your luck, princess. What do you actually want to do?""I want a long, proper bath. An enormous lunch. And then you and I are taking a very long walk through the estate gardens." I said it firmly, decisively, already planning the route in my head. I knew better than to push for anything beyond that—the second I mentioned our headquarters or my desk full of
ELARAIt had been four days since I left the hospital, but looking around my surroundings, it felt like I was still checked into a premium medical wing—just one with better lighting and worse company loitering on the furniture.I pouted, folding my arms over my chest as I glared at Julian, who was currently sprawled out on the plush velvet couch in my room like he owned the place, one arm draped lazily over the armrest, the other feeding him a steady supply of peanuts he clearly had no intention of sharing. My father had gone completely overboard preparing this space, converting what used to be a perfectly reasonable guest suite on the second floor of the Viking mansion into something that felt less like a bedroom and more like a five-star VIP hospital penthouse. The custom-ordered orthopedic king bed was draped in hypoallergenic Egyptian cotton sheets so soft they felt faintly absurd against skin that had, until recently, been scraped raw against hospital concrete. State-of-the-ar
ELARA“How do you feel?”Killian’s voice was a low, velvet rumble against my hair. He reached down, his thumb gently tracing the curve of my cheekbone, his touch so light it was almost a whisper.He had just finished feeding me, patiently offering me small spoonfuls of the gourmet broth his mother had brought, eating only tiny bits of it himself. When I had tried to nudge the spoon toward his own mouth, he had simply shaken his head, claiming he had lost his appetite.We were currently tangled together on the wide hospital bed. Killian was no longer bare-chested; hours ago, his mother and father had arrived at the private wing, bringing a fresh change of clothes and a thermal basket of homemade food. That was the only time Killian had left my side—briefly disappearing into the attached bathroom to bathe and change into a soft, dark crewneck and tailored trousers.And although I had tried multiple times to get him to leave, to go back to his place or his office to conclude the interna
ELARAI smoothed the invisible creases on the red gown I wore, my eyes catching the steady tick of the clock on the wall.7 p.m. And Shawn wasn’t here yet.Did he seriously forget?The birthday dinner had been scheduled to start around 5:30 p.m. We were already almost two hours late!I picked my ph
ELARAWhy not start my revenge right now?The thought settled into my mind, igniting a dark curiosity I hadn't felt in years. I stood at the foot of my bed, my breathing shallow as I stared at the packed bags resting on the deep-blue silk duvet.It would be a delicious satisfaction, watching Shawn
ELARAI was drowning.I fought the water with every ounce of strength I had left, but I was fighting the panic too. The trauma dragged me under like a physical weight—the jagged memory of the first time I had met Shawn. He had saved me then, a nerdy girl being tormented by bullies who thought it w
ELARAI’m not a mean girl by nature, I promise, but seeing the look of pure, startled shock on Miranda’s face at the insult made something inside me purr. “What is the meaning of that, Elara? How can you say such a thing to your best friend? What is wrong with you?” Shawn shouted, his voice boomin







