For a long and terrible moment, Camille didn't move. She just stared down at Rebecca with those cold and unreadable eyes, her expression giving nothing away. The fire from the wreckage crackled and popped behind them, casting flickering shadows across her face and smoke swirled around them in thick and choking clouds. And then, slowly, impossibly, Camille smiled.It wasn't a warm smile and it definitely wasn't a friendly one. But it was a smile nonetheless, and there was something almost like affection lurking in its corners."You're still a cool fire, Rebecca," Camille said, her voice carrying a note of grudging admiration."I always liked that about you. Even when I hated you. Even when I wanted to watch you bleed. You never did learn how to beg."With her free arm, the one that wasn't pinning Rebecca's wrist to the ground, Camille reached down and drew a knife from the sheath strapped to her thigh. It was a military-grade blade, sleek and black without any ornamentation and the

“What do you remember about your parents?" Evelyn asked, her voice careful but not hesitant. She was curled up on one end of the couch, her legs tucked beneath her, her wine glass cradled in both hands. She had changed out of her sundress hours ago and was now wearing one of Noah's old t-shirts, a faded gray thing that hung loose on her frame. Her dress was still somewhere by the pool, forgotten in the heat of the afternoon.Noah was quiet for a moment. He had known this question was coming eventually. It always did. One couldn't help but be curious about his amnesia, about the years of his life that were just a blank void where memories should have been. Curious as they where to what it felt like to lose everything and have to rebuild it from scratch."I remember nothing," he said finally. "Not from before the accident. My childhood, my parents, my life as the Chairman's son…. It's all just gone. Everything I know about who I used to be, I learned from other people. Victoria… yo

The weekend had ended, and the week had begun with all the subtlety of a door slamming shut. Noah hadn't managed to get in contact with Victoria unfortunately.He tried to get in contact with Victoria about scheduling a meeting, but she was apparently too busy to take his calls. Her secretary had been polite but firm, informing him that Mrs. Lansing had "things going on" and would reach out when her schedule cleared. Three calls. Three identical responses. By Tuesday morning, Noah had gotten the message. She wasn't avoiding him, exactly, but she wasn't making herself available either. He'd try again next week.Currently, he was sitting in a conference room on the executive floor, his chair positioned slightly to the left of the head of the table where Chantel stood addressing the assembled department heads. The room was filled with the usual suspects. Senior managers. Financial analysts. A few representatives from the legal team who always looked like they'd rather be somewhere els

Truly, the other man was the bane of his existence.He'd spent the entire day avoiding the man, ducking into side corridors and pretending to be on his phone whenever he spotted that familiar curly head of hair in the distance. It wasn't that he found Lucien's company totally revolting anymore. The younger Vicker had grown on him in a strange and unexpected way, exactly like a persistent rash that refused to go away and would become an unfortunate part of his skin. But Noah couldn't stand that rash today. He didn't have the energy for the sharp grins and the knowing eyes and the constant sense that every conversation was a chess match he hadn't agreed to play. Today, he just wanted to see Rebecca and make sure she was alright.He stepped out of his office and into the corridor, his footsteps echoing against the polished marble. The executive floor was quieter now, most of the staff having already gone home for the evening, their offices dark and their doors closed. A few cleani

Noah's expression shuttered, his jaw tightening until the muscle jumped in his cheek. The insults themselves were nothing he hadn't heard before.Honestly he had been called worse in his lifetime….but the way she said it got under his skin faster than anything had in a while.He could feel that dark feeling that seeped into his heart from time to time sink its claws in and spread. He tilted his head, studying her with a coldness that had become second nature over the past few months. "Get out of my way."She smiled, slow and deliberate. "Fucking make me."The words hung in the air between them like a thrown gauntlet and Noah didn't move and neither did she. The cartoon continued to chatter in the background, oblivious to the tension crackling through the room. They stood locked in a silent battle of wills, the air between them thickening with every passing second. The woman was smiling the whole time, a thin and knowing smirk that suggested she was enjoying herself immensely, that