Unwanted Reunion

Sloane woke up and reached out, her hand grazing the massive side of the mattress. It was empty. Sitting up, she noticed a silver tray resting on the dark wood of the nightstand. A warm, prepared breakfast was waiting for her. She ate quietly before heading out to the local mall to purchase a few specific travel necessities she missed buying the previous day.

Rushing back to the villa to grab her packed luggage, she stopped short in the hallway. Rowan stood leaning against the doorframe, waiting for her. Sloane clutched her purse tighter, a hint of insecurity washing over her features. "I honestly thought you weren't coming back to see me off anymore."

Rowan pushed off the doorframe, a confident smirk touching his lips as he took her heavy bags. "I had an unavoidable corporate emergency to attend to. But I am standing right here, proving my commitment, am I not?"

Despite his comforting physical presence and the domestic bliss of the previous evening, Sloane’s internal guard remained raised. After the agonizing emotional trauma she recently endured, her subconscious still half-expected Rowan to abruptly abandon her exactly the same way Vance did.

The drive to the airport was consumed by a heavy, contemplative silence. Outside the windows, the early morning city blurred past. When they finally arrived at the busy departure gate, Rowan unbuckled his seatbelt and pulled her close. The surrounding noise of rolling suitcases and chatter seemed to fade as he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

He pulled back just enough to hold her gaze, issuing a series of soft but firm commands. "Call me the second you land. Make sure you are perfectly safe at all times." A playful glint entered his dark eyes. "And don't miss me too much."

Sloane offered a faint smile before stepping out into the terminal.

The grueling four-hour flight to Cove City drained her energy. She dragged her feet through the busy arrivals terminal until she spotted a young woman holding a neat placard with her name.

"Ms. Kensington?" the woman asked. "My name is Macy, and I will be your production driver."

Sloane nodded, following Macy out to a waiting vehicle. They drove swiftly to the designated crew hotel. As soon as Sloane checked into her room, she dropped her bags and sent a text to Rowan to confirm her safe arrival. She had barely unzipped her suitcase to unpack when a sharp knock sounded at the door.

She opened it to find Director Declan standing in the hallway. He gave her a polite nod, dropping by to formally schedule a mandatory crew introduction meeting for noon. Sloane quickly agreed and shut the door. Exhausted from the travel, she kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto the crisp white sheets of the soft mattress.

A deeply restorative three-hour nap and a hot shower left her feeling refreshed and ready to tackle her job. She retrieved the exact address of the filming location from Declan's text and headed downstairs to secure transport.

Stepping out of the lobby, her immensely positive mood evaporated into thin air.

"Hey, Sloane! Over here!"

The shrill, grating sound of a deeply familiar voice sliced through the background street noise. Sloane stiffened immediately. It was her fiercely competitive, antagonistic cousin, Tasha. Tasha marched across the pavement, aggressively yelling, "Hey, don't act like you didn't see me!"

Sloane forced a tight, painfully polite smile onto her face. "Hey. I actually didn't see you. But I really need to get going, I have an urgent work meeting to attend right now."

Tasha refused to be deterred. She stepped into Sloane's personal space, dripping with arrogance. "Well, I am here with my brand-new boyfriend. He is an ultra-successful entertainment company president, and he happens to be heading to the exact same filming site on the outskirts of the city."

Ignoring Sloane's protests, Tasha grabbed her arm and forcefully dragged her toward a parked luxury sedan. "We are going to the same place, so let's go together!" Tasha bragged loudly to the open air. "He will be out any second. He is incredibly capable and wealthy, Sloane."

As Tasha continued to gleefully brag, the driver's side door of the sedan swung open. A tall man slid into the driver's seat.

With a massive, wicked grin plastered across her face, Tasha turned to her trapped cousin and announced, "Speak of the devil. Cousin, meet my boyfriend."

Sloane slowly raised her head to look through the rear window. Her jaw instantly clenched in sheer shock and blinding fury. The blood roared in her ears.

The man gripping the steering wheel was none other than Vance.

The very man who had utterly disappointed her. The coward she was supposed to marry just days ago. Of all the millions of women residing in Cove City, Vance had deliberately chosen to date her malicious cousin.

Catching the horrified, visceral reaction on Sloane's face, Tasha flashed a victorious smile, clearly reveling in the emotional pain she was inflicting. Feigning polite innocence, Tasha chided her. "Hey Sloane, don't be rude. Why not greet my boyfriend?"

Jolted back to the brutal reality of the situation, Sloane realized with a sinking heart that it was too late to escape. Tasha had already shoved her into the back, the heavy car doors were locked, and the luxury vehicle was smoothly pulling into the dense city traffic.

Trapped in the suffocating confines of the backseat, the smell of expensive leather doing nothing to calm her racing heart, she heavily gritted her teeth and coldly spat out his name.

"Vance."

Meeting her furious, burning gaze directly through the rearview mirror, he replied with equal coldness.

"Sloane."