AN'S

light spilling through the curtains and the f

soft, the blanket too heavy, the air too cold and clean to be home

Knig

still marr

nd ached from trying to make sense of this entire mess. I hadn't meant to fall asleep here, but he'd b

ooping the credits of some old comedy. There was a glass of w

cover

dn't have made my ches

voice said fr

sed in his sharp suit, tie perfectly aligned, not a single hair out

n to wake y

ncing a little. "You look lik

down. "There's a meeting with the b

ational television, Soren Knight still woke

t came out more like a sigh. "

look. "Not everyo

how to respond. He wasn't wrong. I couldn't afford to stop either, betwe

"Right. Mr. Knig

teasing him or insulting him. "You can have breakfast

ave a

ected. "Most of them kn

ed. "Sounds lik

rough whatever business reports ran his life. The silence that follo

en used to t

g an apple from a bowl that looked too perfect

ok up. "What

ws it. Your father's furious. The press won

y gaze. "We make

ieva

s intentional-if we act like this was a choice, it'

ant us to pretend

actly what

wly. "You realize how in

oolly. "If I lose control of this company,

from this?" I asked

't thought that far ahead. "You'l

"So I'm just your

ch. "If that's

than the words. I wanted to shake him, to

id sharply. "It was an accident. A s

," he said simply. "One

stopped. Because somewhere de

orate disaster and keep me from drowning in hospital

t like a transaction. Like I was just anot

bing the apple again. "I

ue eyes unreadable. "You have n

can control everything, but people aren't busi

g cutting. But he didn't. He just turned away, straightening his

said. "Nathan will br

d. "Say

ess con

opped. "Press

"The world wants to see us. W

******

ding beside him in front of

hable. I, on the other hand, was trying not to squint at th

ore one of them called out, "Mr. Kn

d, "Yes. Adrian and I are married. It ma

lancing up a

ough to make the cameras explode with flashes.

the cold CEO, but as someone who coul

as part

ther it was love or strategy. Soren answered every one with prec

ended, my hea

stage, his voice low enough for

so surprised,

d so proud,

lready walking away, surround

sible again, just like t

llapsed on the couch. My phone buzzed with notifications, articles, pho

ian Vega: The Billio

e screen until

supposed t

her safe. And now, I was trapped in a world where every

ootsteps

elf well today," S

saying that like this is

s," he said, vo

ped a little. "Do you ev

e wh

Acting like not

tened, just for a second, and I saw a fli

it wa

who I am,

anding to face him. "It'

, but before he could speak, I wa

to see the loo

o admit that pa

rner, I heard him say my name,

ria

ut didn't t

. "Don't make this hard

f to keep walking even tho

or that," I