I had no idea how much time had passed. By then, I was freezing, my legs were cramping from sitting in the same position for so long, and I couldn't help thinking how ridiculous it was for a grown woman to be hiding in a bathroom stall. I stepped out and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked utterly defeated. Maybe I should just make up an excuse and go home. "So this is where you've been hiding." Allison pushed open the restroom door. "Your fiancé's over there practically melting because his precious friend is back, while you're hiding in here." She smirked. "Those two are soulmates, you know. One day we were all hanging out by the pool, and Ju told him he'd be the father of her future child. They even made a pact to end up together if they were both still single at forty. "Then he started seeing me. He made me believe he loved me. He took me to Paris. He's incredible in bed, isn't he? He makes you come so hard you can never look at another man the same way… and the

Isabelle's POVI wanted to call August and scream at him. There was a clause in our contract about public humiliation, and I was living through one. It wasn't cheating... not yet. But I was sure his "friend" would eventually get exactly what she wanted. It was only a matter of time. All they needed was to be alone together. To keep myself from calling August, I went to my aunt's house. It was still early. After blowing up my cousin's phone with messages, I found her asleep. I ended up waking the poor thing because I desperately needed someone to talk to. "So... what did he say?" she asked as soon as she opened her eyes, her voice still thick with sleep. "Nothing. I didn't ask him." "What do you mean you didn't ask him?" "It's an old picture. I was with him at a party yesterday, and the woman in the picture, Juliana, showed up. They're friends from college. They used to hook up together, and from what people told me, they were practically soulmates. They look perfect to

Diana's POV "He's still going to marry her," I muttered to no one in particular. Unfortunately for me, my mother overheard as she walked down the hallway. "Of course he is. August is your father's son, a perfect copy of him. He's not going to call off a wedding over your little game. It was incredibly naïve of you to think a few pictures would make him give up everything. And he's right. You lost this race before it even began. I don't know why you keep trying. One day, your father will hand the company over to Caesar, whether he wants it or not, or to August without a second thought. You'll never even be considered." "I'm more capable than either of them." "That doesn't matter, sweetheart. Your father will never put a woman in charge of the company or the board. In fact, he already has plans for you. After your brother's wedding..." "A fake wedding." "Most marriages are fake," my mother interrupted. "Anyway, after your brother gets married, your father thinks it's time f

The past few days had been hell. Finding out the truth about Carl. Seeing all the pictures Juliana kept posting, showing off her history with August. And above all, my decision to stop sleeping in the same room as him. I missed him. Even with sleeping pills, I couldn't rest. I'd spend the night tossing and turning, surviving on coffee while throwing myself into work, trying to find a way to destroy Carl without even knowing where to begin. I hadn't realized how dependent I'd become on my routine with August. How much I needed him annoying me at five in the morning, complaining about the smell of whatever I was cooking even though he could never resist eating it. And now, standing there, kissing him with desperate longing and desire, I wanted to believe he felt the same way. That whatever existed between us was real. That he wanted me as much as I wanted him. But I couldn't surrender that easily. Not because of a kiss. Not because of a single touch. "No." I pul

August's POV Caesar kept talking about reports, rattling off figures that made absolutely no sense to me. "You've done an excellent job since you came back," he said, "but if this security issue is confirmed, and our clients start feeling vulnerable in any way, your position as Director of Technology is going to come under scrutiny. And you know Dad doesn't forgive mistakes like this, whether we're family or not." "There isn't a security issue. I've personally reviewed every solution and every piece of software we use. My team is trained to respond the moment there's even a hint of a problem, and we evaluate every risk thoroughly. Where did this report come from? No one informed me." "I'm still looking into it myself," Caesar replied. "Dad got worried. He spent an hour lecturing us about how we're responsible for our clients' security. He said trust is everything, and if we lose it, it could destroy the company." My job was to make sure every client who hired our services was