Monday: Where are you?

Tuesday: Answer your phone.

Wednesday: Name any date, time, and place. We need to talk.

A scowl marred Willem’s forehead as he scrolled up to read his previous messages to Serenity for the past three days. Even now, it galled him how difficult it had been to limit himself to a single call and message for each day.

Dropping his phone back on his desk, Willem picked up his spoon and began to enjoy his soup. Or at least he tried to, but lately, everything tasted bland to his tongue. He surveyed his dining hall, a vast space decorated in rich luxury that spoke of the family’s old and respected history as one of Europe’s most powerful clans.

Whoever he married would have to be comfortable with this kind of setting, Willem thought. He tried to imagine Shane seated next to him on the twenty-foot table, glamorous and worldly, her conversation certain to be as sophisticated as the guests’, and it felt like the right and dutiful thing to do.

But then an unbidden image of Serenity came to his mind, of her soft, peaceful beauty and her quiet ways. She would never seek to dazzle like her half-sister did. Instead, she would just be herself, and that, too, felt right. But more than that, thinking about Serenity next to him made Willem...

He pushed his chair back and stood up, leaving the rest of his plate untouched. He walked away, intent on driving all thoughts out with more work. But even with the skies changing colors outside the windows of his private library, the word that he had tried to escape remained in his mind.

Happy.

It was what Serenity made him feel, and he hated himself and her for it.

Taking his phone out, he placed a call to Shane, knowing there was only one way to end this insanity.

* * *

Willow: Are you okay?

Serenity: Yes, Mrs. M. I am okay.

Willow: Now I know why Willem hates it when you call him Mr. De Konigh. You have this knack of making a person feel like they’re sixty.

Serenity scowled at her friend’s reply. She had explicitly warned her newly married friend not to mention the Dutch billionaire’s name.

Serenity: That is below the belt, and especially for someone who should be a respectable figure of society, considering your marriage to Stavros Manolis.

Willow: Wow. You could have just said you’re still heartbroken.

Her fingers froze over the screen at Willow’s reply, and Serenity wondered gloomily why her only friend had to be someone as tactless as the former Willow Somerset, now Mrs. Manolis since she married one of the most powerful Greek billionaires in the world.

But rude or not, Willow was right.

It had been six days since the last time she had seen the Dutch billionaire. Six long days, made more dreadful by the way she couldn’t stop herself from waiting for his text or call, which came at the most unpredictable times.

Monday, he had only sent her a text at nine in the morning, when it had become obvious she wasn’t bowing to his orders. Tuesday, he had called and sent her a message just as she was getting to bed and had given up on hearing from him again. Wednesday, she woke up to his message. Thursday, he had left her a voice call while she was in the shower – a fifteen-second message that she had listened to about fifty times now.

But last night, there had been no message, no voice call, no anything.

It left her torn between confusion and relief, love and despair.

Serenity: I’m okay.

If she said it enough times, maybe it would come true.

Willow: If you’re okay, then why can’t you make yourself talk to him? You need closure. You both do.

Serenity: Only people in love need closure.

She winced as soon as she hit Send. Way to go, Serenity. You are officially Little Miss Bitter.

Willow: You’re saying he doesn’t love you?

Serenity: He never did.

Just typing the words hurt, and she had to bite her lip hard to stop it from trembling. To distract herself, she stared blindly at the picturesque scenery outside the expansive windows of ODA. This side of the building faced the port, which afforded them tranquil views of sailboats traversing the city’s dark blue waters.

These days, most of her time was spent in the library, with Serenity finding it a safe haven from Melanie’s constant harping about money as well as Shane’s continuous gushing about Willem and how she was absolutely sure he’d propose to her in the future.

The first night following the billionaire’s visit, Shane had shared with them her rosy visions of the future. It had made Serenity want to puke, with the way Shane kept saying his name. Willem, Willem, Willem. It had made Serenity want to alternately cover her ears and scream. Willem was hers. She had wanted so much to tell her sister that.

But she didn’t.

Because it wasn’t true.

Even so, the urge hadn’t gone away, and Serenity had eventually found herself escaping to the library, staying there until its doors closed for the day. After, she would cycle up and down the canals, pedaling until she was bone tired, and going home only when she was no longer able to keep her eyelids open.

It was a good strategy to avoid speaking with either Melanie or Shane, but it had not worked at all in keeping Willem out of the picture.

Wherever she went, she saw Willem.

Whatever she did, she thought of Willem.

And no matter how much she prayed, she felt Willem – inside her, owning half of her heart.

Willow: I’m here for you, okay? I know I’m not good at comforting, but you should know that I’m the last person to judge you, with what you’re going through right now.

The message made Serenity press her fingers to her eyes, the need to confide making her want to cry. But how could she burden Willow with the truth when even she knew what was right?

Shane had met Willem de Konigh first, had slept with him, and knew him in ways that Serenity didn’t.

She, Serenity, was the third party here – not Shane.

* * *

“I don’t understand why we have to bring Serenity with us,” Melanie muttered as she and her daughter walked past the black lacquered doors held open by a pair of uniformed men, Serenity trailing behind them quietly.

A mysterious smile played on Shane’s lips. “I promise, Mother, I have my reasons, and they’re reasons you’ll love.” Curling an arm around Melanie’s, she led her mother into the room reserved for the VIP guests of the House of Ivy, which was touted as one of Amsterdam’s best high-end fashion boutiques.

Melanie’s eyes widened imperceptibly when she realized where they were heading. “You know I can’t afford this,” she hissed under her breath. While her services as a party stylist was very much in demand by Dutch society, the fees she earned could in no way pay for a House of Ivy original. Vogue had recently featured the fashion house, and Melanie had been stunned to find the new label was charging five-digit prices for a single piece.

But her daughter only patted her hand. “That won’t be a problem, darling, because...” She paused for effect as the tinted, motion-sensored glass doors in front of them slid open, revealing a tall, blond man waiting for them, immaculately dressed in a charcoal gray suit and hand-sewn Italian leather shoes.

Melanie released a tinkling laugh. “Oh, it’s Willem again.” She shot her daughter a look of approval before moving forward to exchange air kisses with the billionaire. Oh, to have this deliciously rich man as a son-in-law, she thought dreamily. Her problems would be solved forever!

Serenity felt faint, unable to fathom how she had found herself once again in the billionaire’s company. Dazedly, she tried to recall what Shane’s exact words had been. The entire family had been invited to a private fashion event, and they all had to attend because she didn’t want to be bothered to make up excuses about Serenity’s absence.

Was that true, she wondered dizzily. But if it wasn’t, why would Shane lie?

Even as her thoughts continued to run wild, Serenity fought to stay calm and keep her gaze on the black-and-white patterns of the boutique’s velvet-flocked wallpaper. It was ornate and elegant at the same time, and she tried to distract herself, counting the swirls in her mind as Melanie and Shane exchanged pleasantries with the billionaire.

But only a few seconds had passed before she heard her sister calling her name, and Serenity knew she had no choice.

Stepping forward, she took a deep breath and slowly raised her gaze to meet Willem’s---

An image – a memory – flashed in her mind.

Willem cupping her face...

Willem’s mouth lowering to hers...

Willem’s tongue thrusting in and out of her mouth...

Her cheeks flamed in color, just as the billionaire smiled politely at her, murmuring, “It’s nice to see you again, Serenity.” But the way his blue eyes gleamed mockingly at her told Serenity that he knew exactly what she was feeling right now.

Melanie frowned at her. “You look feverish. Please tell me you’re not coming down with the flu or something.”

Serenity shook her head. “No, ma---” She caught Melanie’s look of warning and hastily corrected herself, “Melanie.” Her stepmother, without ever saying a word, had always made it clear that she expected Serenity to maintain the pretense of their family being close-knit in front of others.

She looked back at Willem just in time to see her sister claim his hand. Shane’s eyes were bright, and her cheeks were flushed with pleasure as she told them in a ringing voice, “I have an announcement to make.”