Chapter 11The Warning The red alarm lights were still beeping, but faintly this time when Helena Holt was finally allowed to stand.Her knees felt very weak, like they no longer belonged to her, or a part of her body, as it should be of someone that knelt down for a very long time. The expensive red carpet beneath her soft palms was warm from the lights around her, rough against skin that had never, not once in her life, touched the ground talk less of a tough one, not even in private, let alone in public like this. Around her, there were different whispers... coming out low, but excited and cruel hate whispers. Phones were not left out, as they were raised slightly to take pictures of their humiliation. Faces peeked mockingly from half-opened doors to get a glimpse of their faces. Some guests pretended to show concern at what was happening, while they were greatly actually enjoying the show. Most didn’t bother hiding their curiosity from her, bringing it out publicly for everyone t

Chapter 13“I’m very sorry,” she choked on her words,pressing her palm to her mouth as if she could stop it. “I...I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to...”She couldn’t finish what she was saying. As her body reacted and folded forward, shame missing with fear, and exhaustion dragging everything down with it. The different tiny whispers from the hotel, Helena’s accusation, Vivian’s phantom smile...all of it hurting her at once, more than she had bargained for.Julian quietly pulled over without hesitation, not even for a second.The car came to a rather smooth stop on a quiet side street lined with darkened shops and many closed cafés. He put it in park, turned off the engine, and only then did he turn to her fully.She was crying like she had been holding it in for years.“I feel disgusting,” Iris whispered hoarsely to no one in particular. “Like… like everyone saw through me. Like I deserved everything happening to me now.”Julian’s jaw tightened...not in anger, but this time in restraint.

Chapter 15No explanations“Do everything within your power to keep Lucas comfortable,” Julian continued. “Comfortable men has be verified to always make careless mistakes that would cost their lives.” After that, Julian vanished without ceremony.There was no goodbye, no explanations of what was going on. No reassuring promise that he would be back by morning, or the day after. For Iris, she only realized he was gone when the penthouse fell into a deeper kind of silence, the kind that felt intentional, dine on purpose.The first day passed in complete confusion for her, but she didn't put much thought to it.She had woken up early, half-expecting to hear movement beyond her door, the faint approaching footsteps or the clink of coffee cups. Instead, there was nothing of such. It was as if the air was instructed to remain still, like a museum sealed before opening hours.She stepped into the corridor cautiously, expecting a change. Then, she saw that Julian’s office door was closed. I

Chapter 17The Borrowed Crown Vivian Holt had always believed right from day one of her existence that attention was a birthright. To her, it wasn't something earned even when tried. Not something begged for, not even when necessary. It was simply hers with no work attached...the way air belonged to the lungs and mirrors also belonged to her face.So you see, each time she posed as the camera flashes, a diamond the size of a small promise blazing on her finger, Vivian smiled like a woman stepping back into her natural habitat without owing anyone anything. “Smile wider, Miss Holt!”“Vivian, over here!”“Is this the happiest day of your life?”She laughed, light and musical, bending her head just enough for the ring to catch the light. Lucas stood beside her, handsome in a tailored suit, one arm wrapped possessively around her waist. He leaned in, kissed her temple for the cameras to capture, and murmured, under his breathe “You’re doing great.”Vivian didn’t look at him, rather, she

Chapter 19The Vanishing ActThe city has never ceased to be alive, not even for a day. Julian Crowe had been almost everywhere, from the grand charity gala, to the glossy magazine covers, even down to the high-profile business meetings where his very presence never ceased to command the room. The next day, all of a sudden, he was nowhere to be found. This wasn’t just any type of disappearance; it was a huge vacuum created that cannot be filled by just anyone. And in that vacuum, unexpectedly, chaos began to thrive more than ever before.It got to the point that financial news outlets scrambled for explanations almost every second. “Has Julian Crowe vanished into thin air with no trace?” asked one headline, which came out very bold across the top of the morning edition. “Is the billionaire in trouble?” another questioned with so much curiosity. Social media erupted with different speculation of what might have happened to him. Different memes, theories, and even rumors spread faster th