August's POV The driver and the bodyguards looked at me in alarm, but I didn't care. How had people with this kind of training managed to lose Isabelle? John walked into my office a moment later. "How did this happen? How do you hire a bunch of incompetent idiots to protect my wife?" I exploded. "I'm sorry, but we have to consider that she intended to get away," John replied, keeping his composure. "Your wife ran off, got on a bus, and turned off her phone." "And it's your job to make sure something like that doesn't happen. She managed to disappear right under these idiots' noses. It's been three weeks since Karen vanished. If anything like that happens to Isabelle, your entire team will be held criminally responsible." "August, I know this is a difficult moment," John said evenly. "We're doing everything we can to figure out where she went. So far, we know she received a brief phone call. After that, she ran through a bakery, boarded a bus just to throw the security tea

Camille's POV "You don't look okay. Is something wrong?" Caesar asked, noticing that I was watching Isabelle, my mother, and Karen from across the room. The three of them were gathered around the baby, looking like one big, happy family. "I'm happy that Hector is okay. That he's healthy and being well cared for." "And your cousin?" "I'm probably going to sound like a terrible person, so don't judge me. I'm glad she's alive and safe, but over the past few days I've been digging through her past. I talked to old friends... I even tracked down an ex-boyfriend. And everything I found pointed to the same woman. A con artist. A thief. An opportunist... and a dozen other things I don't even know how to describe. Now that I know about her relationship with Carl... it feels like it was a marriage between two people with no morals. So despite everything... I don't know. I'm sorry if I don't seem ready to run over there and hug her." "But people can change. Just look at her. She's been

I couldn't hold back anymore. I had to talk to August. I left Karen at the house, relieved to know she was safe. The property was under constant surveillance. August had tightened security after the break-in. Then I drove straight to the office. I was exhausted, but it was time to have this conversation once and for all. August couldn't explode at me one day and then go off to have fun with his "friend" the next. I wasn't going to tolerate that. I wasn't going to let myself be humiliated like this again. And it wasn't even the first time I'd seen photos of him with her. No one tried to stop me. Everyone knew who I was by now, and honestly, I didn't care if he was in a meeting. I opened his office door without knocking. August was alone, focused on something on his computer. He looked up calmly, without the slightest hint of surprise, as if he'd been expecting me. "So all that outrage, all that talk about how worried you were about me... it was just an act?"

Diana's POV "August's marriage is turning out to be much more complicated than it should be. Wouldn't it be better to end it now?" my mother said over dinner. "Not yet. It would be best if it happened after Diana's wedding. Oliver's father doesn't like that kind of family drama," my father replied. I had to fight back a laugh at how absurd the conversation was. Luckily, my grandmother was busy talking to a friend and hadn't heard any of it. My parents were absolutely convinced they could control August, despite all the evidence to the contrary. Whether it was his reckless lifestyle, going out clubbing almost every night with a different woman, or marrying someone overnight on a whim. I was the only one they still managed to control. Even Caesar had long since given up fighting them. In a few months, I'd be marrying Oliver. Maybe. I couldn't stand being alone with him. Couldn't stand the sound of his voice. I could barely stand knowing he existed. That was wh

Isabelle's POV My mother-in-law smiled when she saw me standing in the doorway. It wasn't a warm smile. It was obvious I'd interrupted something. "Sweetheart, I'm so glad you're here." She got up and kissed my cheek. "We came to talk to August. Now that things have more or less settled down, we can finally have a family dinner at our house. Oliver told us he's officially going to propose to Diana. He's already bought the ring, and it's gorgeous. It's still a secret, though, so don't say anything to her. It'll be a special occasion, and I want the whole family together." The look on August's face told me that wasn't what they'd really been discussing. I forced a smile. My father-in-law wore the same stern expression as always. "I already told Mom this probably isn't the right time," August said sharply. "Don't speak to your mother like that," his father snapped. "Don't argue." My mother-in-law sighed. "I'm sure it'll be a wonderful dinner. Besides, now that you two are worki