Part 2Runaway Mothers

That night, Fred pinned me against the floor-to-ceiling glass window, showing no mercy until the crack of dawn.

Outside, the glittering city skyline stretched endlessly, a playground for the impossibly rich. Without Fred, I wouldn't even have the right to set foot in a penthouse like this.

Of course, I wasn't his girlfriend. At best, I was just his caged songbird.

During my first year trying to break into the entertainment industry, a shady director tried to force himself on me. Despite my polite rejections at the dinner table, the guy kept pushing, his hand sliding toward the hem of my dress.

That was when Fred stepped in. A single, quiet word from him was all it took to crush the director and pull me out of the fire.

He was an untouchable billionaire tycoon, and I was just a nobody struggling at the bottom of the ladder.

His pursuit wasn't flashy. There were no grand, public declarations or overwhelming romantic gestures, but he quietly cleared every obstacle in my path. Paired with a face that could easily outshine any Hollywood A-lister, it was impossible not to fall for him.

Still, I knew where I stood.

A gilded bird was never the same as a real girlfriend. Deep down, I knew we were a dead end. Leaving was only a matter of time.

"Distracted again?"

Perhaps to punish my wandering thoughts, Fred’s thrusts grew heavier behind me. "What are you thinking about? Still daydreaming about those younger guys?"

A sharp gasp escaped my lips. I reached back, my nails digging into his muscular arm as I bit my lip and shook my head furiously.

My response failed to satisfy him.

He flipped me around to face him, his eyes dark with possessiveness. "Even if you weren't, you're taking all of it tonight."

It felt like an eternity before the storm finally settled. Fred carried me to the master bathtub, wrapping his arms around me from behind as the hot water washed over us.

As my senses slowly returned, I couldn't help asking, "I heard your older sister, Victoria, is back in the country?"

"Yeah."

Fred had been close to Victoria since childhood, and she held immense sway in the Pierce family.

More importantly, rumor had it that Victoria hadn't returned alone. She had brought a woman with her, the woman meant for an arranged marriage with the Pierce family.

My chest tightened as I tested the waters. "Can I meet her?"

Fred’s closed eyes snapped open. His piercing gaze searched my face, but his voice remained flat and distant. "There's no need."

Just as I thought. A secret lover wasn't worthy of meeting his family.

I masked the pang of disappointment in my chest and forced a small smile. "Okay."

That afternoon, Piper, who had promised to call me, remained silent.

It wasn't until noon the next day that a text finally popped up on my phone.

[Don't worry. We didn't get back together.]