SERENA’S POVThe door to my office swung open with a force that caught me off guard, and the next thing I saw was Bianca was striding over to my table like a runway model. She was hard to miss in her tight red dress, expertly applied makeup, and heels that added at least 4 inches to her height. I arched an eyebrow, unable to suppress a note of annoyance. "Bianca, couldn't you have knocked? There's a thing called courtesy, you know."Bianca tossed her hair back, a haughty smirk on her lips. "Courtesy? Who needs that when you're the daughter of a Ramirez? I can do as I please."I sighed, rubbing my temples, bracing myself."Bianca, what are you doing here?" I asked, getting straight to the point. "I just thought we should chat some more. Clear the air, you know?" She replied innocently, taking a sip of coffee from the mug she wrapped her fingers over . I tensed, not in the mood for her games. "I just asked,what do you want, Bianca?""Oh, don't play dumb with me, Serena. We both know
SERENA’S POVI could feel my body aching as I finally gained consciousness again. I opened my eyes slowly and winced, taking in my surroundings. All I could see was an empty room made of bare concrete walls and a single bulb overhead. I realized that my wrists were bound tightly behind the cold metal chair. I started to panic instantly. Where the hell was I and how long had I been there ? Twisting against the ropes, I opened my mouth to scream but only gagged noises came out as my mouth was tied. I tried to shake off myself from the chair but it was too tight. The door scraped open suddenly, and three men entered.My heart leapt into my mouth as I stared at them. Two hefty men which I recognized from earlier were standing with an average sized man puffing on a cigar. His hair was cut short and he was wearing glasses and sprouted a long beard.He grinned toothily, stepping forward."Don't even think about screaming, girlie," he warned as he puffed on his cigar. He snapped his finger
SERENA’S POVI barely slept at all last night, Richard Miller's threats replaying in my mind over and over. I also didn’t let anyone at home know that I was kidnapped so that they didn’t need to worry about anything.By the time sunlight started peeking through my curtains, I gave up any pretense of sleep. My head pounded as I dragged myself out of bed, but I ignored it. I couldn’t wait to get to work and confront Bianca, because just maybe she had some way to explain all this. As I hurried out the door, Mom called after me. "Serena, are you all right?" I forced a smile and pecked her cheek. "I'm fine, just running late." But her worried frown told me she didn't believe the lie. Once in my car, I sped towards the office, not even caring that I was breaking more than a few traffic laws.Bianca strolled in like she owned the place just after 7am, looking put together as always. I stormed up to her, unable to wait a moment longer. "We need to talk. Now."She rolled her eyes melodramat
CAMERON’S POVSeconds slowed as I stared at her, swallowing hard. "I —I never stopped loving you, Serena. And I always will." I had definitely been dying to tell her that but if she wasn’t sober right now,she definitely wouldn’t remember by morning. Then slowly, hesitantly, she took a small step closer to me until we were just a breath apart. My heart raced as I searched her eyes, and then finally, very gently, she pressed her lips to my cheek. A shiver went down my spine at the feather light touch. Lifting a hand, my fingers found her silky hair and I whispered, "You need some rest, Serena."She pulled back, eyes flashing defensively. "Don't tell me what to do Cameron. You have no idea what I'm dealing with." "Then help me understand," I pleaded gently. "Let me be here for you." For a long moment she just stared at me, and then she turned away, heading for her room.I followed suit, watching her change into a short black dress that hugged her full curves."Where are you going n
KADEN’S POVI woke up with a start as soon as the glaring red light of my alarm clock pierced through my bleary eyes.7am. Groaning, I rubbed the sleep from my face and tried to sit up, only to freeze in panic at the sight of a mess of mint green hair fanned out on the pillow next to me. My brain scrambled to make sense of what I was seeing. This had to be just one person. I realized with dawning horror that it was Bianca, her chest rising and falling softly with sleep. "What the hell?!" I choked out, scrambling backward so violently that I toppled right off the edge of the mattress. My memories were fuzzy, but I knew for certain this was not supposed to happen.Bianca stirred awake and rubbed her eyes, sighing tiredly."Kaden?" She yawned, before peering over at me with bewildered eyes. "Why are you almost on the floor? It's Saturday, go back to sleep and relax.No need to yell.""Don't you dare tell me to go back to sleep!" I exploded, adrenaline and anger replacing my shock. "Exp
SERENA’S POV "Ugh, where am I?" I grumbled, as my eyes popped open,trying to adjust to the brightness. My head pounded like someone was banging inside my skull with a hammer.I slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position, the soft cotton instantly feeling cool against my bare legs. Glancing down, I realized with a start that I was clad only in an oversized t-shirt that was not mine. The worn fabric hung loosely around my shoulders, and my chest tightened as I recognized the design. It was one of Cameron's concert tees, plus his sweet scent was all over me. That's when it hit me. I knew this bedroom. Knew those deep grey walls and sleek modern furniture. This was Cameron's apartment. The same loft he used to bring me all the time when we were dating. I dragged my hands down my face, trying to piece together how on earth I ended up here half naked and hungover. "Morning sleeping beauty." Cameron's low voice came from the doorway, pulling me from my thoughts. My head snapped up to
SERENA’S POVI was about to fire back a sharp retort when Cameron cut in smoothly. "She was with me. Got a problem with that? You really shouldn’t because you were with your girlfriend, enjoying her company. Saw you two getting cozy as you headed upstairs." Kaden's face flared crimson. "Back off, man. You don't know shit about me and her." Cameron just smirked, infuriating Kaden further. "All I know is she was wasted and upset. Good thing someone was around to take care of her properly." Their eyes were locked in a tense stand-off now. My head was spinning. "Alright, that's enough." I said firmly, stepping between them. "What happened last night doesn't matter. Kaden, I appreciate your concern but my night is really none of your business."He scoffed, clearly intoxicated by raging jealousy. "None of my business? I was worried about you.. what you might have thought..”My response was quick. "I just wanted a peaceful morning but clearly that's impossible with you two bickering. I do
SERENA’S POVI felt my heart racing and cheeks burning as I stammered, "Mom, how long were you standing there exactly?" She looked at me with concerned eyes, "Long enough to hear the raucous yelling but not make out what was being said. I am wondering what all the fuss was about between these two grown men." She shot a chiding look at Cameron and Kaden, who appeared to have calmed down a bit.I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. Quick, I needed to come up with an explanation. "It was just a, uh, legal case thing at the company. Work stuff, you know how messy disputes can get." Mom furrowed her brows, clearly not fully convinced. "A legal case? Between you, Cameron and Kaden? What on earth is this case about that has the three of you arguing like that?" she pried.I shuffled on my feet anxiously, mind working frantically to think of a very believable lie. "It's just a property development plan we're working on together that hit a disagreement. But like I said, it's being handled