The morning sunlight slipped through the curtains, landing perfectly on Damian Cross — who was smiling like a teenager reading his first love text.

Selene: Baby, I can’t wait to have you in my arms… doing crazy things.

He smirked, ran a hand through his hair, and jumped out of bed like a man who’d just been offered a tax-free bonus.

“Crazy things, huh? Well, you asked for it,” he muttered to himself, heading to the bathroom with a confidence only cheaters and CEOs had in common.

Downstairs, Aria sat with Grandma Eleanor, sipping her coffee with the calmness of a woman plotting a storm.

“Grandma,” she began, her eyes...