Serena’s POV
My lips still tingled from Daniel Hawthorne’s kiss - bold, unexpected, a spark that had brought something dangerous inside me before I’d shoved him away and fled like a scared rabbit.
The red dress felt heavy now, the diamonds at my throat a mocking reminder of his world, so far from mine.
I climbed the creaky stairs to our apartment, each step a reminder of the crumbling life I was barely holding together. Victor Crane’s threats loom, Mia’s college bills stacked on the kitchen table, and now this - Daniel, with his billionaire charm and that infuriating half-smile, complicating everything.
I pushed open the door, the locks groaning softly, as I slipped inside, kicking off the heels with a sigh of relief.
The apartment was dim, lit only by the faint glow of a lamp in t
