For the first few months following the disastrous meeting with Serenity’s doctor, Willem did his best to get everything back to normal footing with him and Serenity. But as he came to realize for himself, the younger girl’s stubbornness was like no one else’s.

She rarely, if ever, called him by his first name anymore, and eventually, he had stopped calling her his angel as well.

Gradually, the phone calls and emails lessened, Willem deliberately taking his time to reply until he had decided to just stop. He told himself it was better this way, told himself that doing so would prevent anyone from misunderstanding his platonic relationship with Serenity. He would soon learn, too late, that Serenity had spent numerous nights crying herself to sleep, waiting for an email – or a phone call – that never came.

The distance between Willem and Serenity grew even though neither of them wanted to admit it. Eventually, the billionaire had managed to bury all the memories they shared – and all the feelings that came with it. Eventually, Serenity really did become just what the world had come to call her.

Willem Jr.

The girl everyone believed was perfect enough to be Willem de Konigh’s right arm in business.

But for Serenity, it was the opposite.

There was not one day that she didn’t pray for her feelings to stop, not one day that she was able to forget how he had changed her life…and how he was both her light and her darkness.

Two years had already passed since that day in Dr. Fergus’ clinic, and she was still desperately, quietly in love with Willem de Konigh. She had thought she would be able to keep it to herself forever until one day, she saw for herself what love really was.

Her name was Willow Somerset, a 24-year-old junior editor from Greece, who was as fiery as Serenity was reserved. The older girl fascinated Serenity, with the way she hid nothing about her love, no matter how much she ended up being hurt by it.

The Greek billionaire Willow had fallen in love with did not, in Serenity’s opinion, deserve her friend at all. He was cruel, selfish, and ruthless. But for Willow, his imperfections were immaterial, and the only thing that mattered was her conviction that Stavros Manolis was the only man meant for her. Willow had believed in this so much that she had given everything up, fought and sacrificed everything just to have Stavros realize the same truth.

And, one day, Willow had succeeded.

The two were married now, and since that day, Serenity had become restless.

Hope began to burn inside her, causing her to toss and turn every night, wondering if she should do the same.

Surely, she thought feverishly to herself, she couldn’t be so wrong all these years?

Perhaps…perhaps if she took the first step, perhaps if she took the risk, perhaps she would have what Willow had now with Stavros?

Time passed, and her dreams only became more vivid.

Days turned into weeks, weeks became months, and finally, Serenity made a choice. Without knowing it, her life had returned to its old cycle, and Serenity had again allowed herself to become a victim, this time by her own fears and cowardice. She had allowed herself to be content with loving Willem de Konigh from afar because she had unconsciously believed it was all she deserved.

But not anymore, Serenity told herself.

She deserved to live. She deserved to be happy. She deserved to love.

And given the chance, she would like to enjoy all three with Willem de Konigh.

* * *

“What is this?” A muscle began ticking in his jaw. Willem had a feeling he wouldn’t like whatever Serenity’s answer was.

And he was right.

“My resignation, Mr. de Konigh.”

He slowly put the piece of paper down, leaving it unread. He raised his gaze to meet hers and found Serenity gazing back at him with her clear blue eyes. Only this time, it was really more blank than clear.

As blank as her eyes were the day they first met, Willem realized grimly. He asked abruptly, “What the hell is this about?”

She wondered what the billionaire would say if she blurted out the truth.

This, Mr. de Konigh, is five years in the making.

This, Mr. de Konigh, is about you making me fall in love with you.

This, Mr. de Konigh, is about me wanting you to fall in love with me, too.

But in the end, she lost courage and, looking away from the billionaire’s narrowed gaze, mumbled, “I’m, err, hoping it would be effective to---” His fist slammed against his desk, and she flinched.

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about!”

Willem hadn’t shouted, but she wished he had. Having known him for so long, she was aware of how so much more furious he was when using that deadly soft voice of his.

It almost made her back down - almost made her start lying again – but she managed not to. She remembered what Willow had done for her Greek billionaire and she told herself that she could do the same thing, too, for her Dutch billionaire.

Take the leap, she whispered to herself. She had to take the leap if she really believed she deserved to live, to be happy – if she really believed she deserved to love.

“Sere?”

Her heart broke a little at Willem’s use of her nickname. Swallowing, she asked tremulously, “D-do you really want to know the reason?”

“Do I really have to answer that?” Willem’s voice was even softer now, and she trembled at the realization of how angry he was.

Please God.

Please let his anger simply be his fear of losing me.

Serenity took quick, shallow breaths. “T-then…I need you to stand up.”

Willem’s eyebrows shot up. What the hell was she saying? But when his nineteen-year-old intern only looked at him, he swore under his breath even as he rose to his feet. “Now what?” he snapped.

“C-come here.”

What the hell was this girl playing at? But he was already stalking towards her and only stopped when he was a hair’s breadth away from Serenity. This close, he could easily smell the sweet, fresh fragrance of her shampoo, could see how fast her chest was rising and falling rapidly. This close, his cock was going insane inside his pants, like it had never been this near to a pussy before.

What the hell was happening?

He opened his mouth to demand it out loud, but he was unable to say a word because at that exact moment, Serenity had chosen to throw herself at him and kissed Willem full in the mouth.

Closing her eyes, Serenity kissed Willem with all the love she had kept bottled up inside her for five long years.

She kissed and kissed him, but eventually, she was unable to hide from the truth.

His lips remained stiff under hers, cold and unmoving.

Tears streaked down her face, but she didn’t allow herself to give up. She kissed him harder. She kissed him more desperately. She kissed him pleadingly.

But nothing happened.

Serenity’s arms fell limply to her side.

Slowly, she pulled away. “Please,” she whispered. “Please tell me you’re…you’re just pretending? You’re just controlling yourself?”

Instead of answering, he said quietly, “Your resignation’s accepted.”