TRISTIN'S POVEva stood beside them, her eyes bright with unshed tears. She approached me with a tentative smile, reaching out to take my hand in hers. "Welcome back, Tristin," she said softly. "We did it."I nodded, overwhelmed by the sight of my family and Eva standing together, their unwavering support a beacon of hope throughout the darkest moments of my life. "Thank you," I managed to say, my voice catching with emotion. "I couldn't have done this without all of you."Ms. Collins, my lawyer, approached with a stack of paperwork in hand. "Tristin, we have some formalities to take care of," she said with a small smile. "But then you're officially a free man."I nodded, following her to a quiet corner where we completed the necessary paperwork, signing my name with a renewed sense of purpose. As I handed back the pen, the weight of false accusations and imprisonment lifted off my shoulders, replaced by a newfound determination to reclaim my life.Stepping back outside, I took a deep
TRISTIN'S POV“I think she’s supposed to be a cat?” Eva guessed, holding her sides.Sophie froze mid-pose, glaring at us. “I’m a lion, obviously.”“Well, that’s not what it looked like,” I said, wiping tears of laughter from my eyes.“Next time, I’ll just stick to something simple,” Sophie grumbled, though she couldn’t hide her smile.As the evening drew to a close, I felt a deep sense of contentment. The past few weeks had been a nightmare, but tonight, surrounded by laughter and love, it felt like a distant memory.“Thanks for everything, guys,” I said, my voice sincere. “I couldn’t have gotten through this without you.”Mom pulled me into another hug. “We’re just glad you’re home, Tristin.”“Yeah, even if you do have terrible taste in music,” Sophie added, her teasing tone softened by the warmth in her eyes.I grinned. “I missed you too, Soph.”The next morning, I woke up early, the familiar buzz of anticipation filling me. Today, I was returning to work. It felt surreal, stepping
TRISTIN'S POV"That’s great to hear," I said, nodding in approval. "Let’s keep that momentum going. And thank you both for holding down the fort while I was... away."Sophie smirked. "It wasn’t easy, but we managed. Just don’t make a habit of disappearing on us.""I’ll do my best," I replied, the humor in her voice helping to ease the lingering tension.The rest of the day flew by in a whirlwind of meetings and catch-up sessions. It felt invigorating to dive back into work, to tackle problems and strategize for the future. Sophie and Eva were by my side throughout, their support unwavering.Later that afternoon, as I was reviewing some reports in my office, Sophie popped her head in, a mischievous grin on her face. "Hey, CEO. Want to grab some lunch? We can talk about the next steps for the product launch.""Sounds good," I said, standing up and stretching. "I could use a break."We met up with Eva in the lobby and headed to our favorite lunch spot. As we sat down, I couldn’t help but
TRISTIN'S POV"Those are good suggestions, Aaron," I said, keeping my tone neutral. "But we should also consider our budget and ensure we’re not spreading ourselves too thin. We need a balanced approach.""Of course, Tristin," Aaron replied smoothly, not missing a beat. "I’m confident we can make it work within our budget. We just need to be strategic about it."Sophie glanced at me, sensing my annoyance. "Tristin, Aaron’s ideas could really boost our launch. Maybe we can discuss this in more detail back at the office?"I nodded, trying to hide my irritation. "Sure, that sounds good."The rest of the lunch continued in a similar vein, with Aaron effortlessly charming his way through the conversation. Every time he praised Sophie or Eva, I felt a twinge of jealousy. It didn’t help that they seemed to genuinely appreciate his input.As we wrapped up and headed back to the office, Aaron walked ahead with Sophie and Eva, leaving me trailing slightly behind. I took a deep breath, trying to
TRISTIN'S POV"Overwhelmed?" I repeated, my tone cold. "You weren’t the one behind bars, accused of murder."Her face fell slightly, but she quickly recovered, stepping closer. "Tristin, you have to understand. I was trying to navigate everything on my own. I didn’t know how to help you."I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms. "Not even a phone call, Livia. Not a single visit. I was left wondering where you were, what you were doing. But you were nowhere to be found.""I’m sorry," she said softly, reaching out to touch my hand. "I was scared. I didn’t know what to do."I pulled my hand away, the gesture as cold as my tone. "Scared? You’re supposed to be my partner, Livia. We’re engaged. When things got tough, you vanished."Her eyes flashed with a mix of hurt and frustration. "I didn’t vanish! I was dealing with my own issues, trying to keep everything from falling apart.""But you didn’t help me," I replied bluntly. "My family and friends fought for me, believed in me. Where we
TRISTIN'S POVI pulled my hand back, resisting her touch. “It’s not that simple. Trust isn’t something you can just rebuild with a few sweet words. You let me down, Livia. You showed me where your priorities really lie.”Her face fell, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of genuine regret. “I know I made mistakes, Tristin. But I want to make things right. Please, give me another chance.”I stared at her, weighing her words. But the hurt and betrayal were still too fresh, too raw. “I need time to think,” I said finally. “Right now, I need to focus on the company and clearing my name completely. We’ll talk later.”Her eyes filled with tears, but she nodded slowly. "Okay, Tristin. I’ll give you time. But please, don’t shut me out completely."I didn’t respond, turning my attention back to the papers on my desk. After a moment, she quietly left my office, the door clicking shut behind her.As Livia left the office, I turned back to my work, trying to shake off the tension from our conversat
TRISTIN'S POVI sighed, the fight draining out of me. "Livia, you need to leave. We both need time to think. This isn’t something we can fix with shouting and throwing things."For a moment, she stood there, breathing heavily, her eyes locked on mine. Then, without another word, she turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.I sank into my chair, running a hand through my hair. The office was a mess.Later that day, I was in a meeting with Sophie and Eva and the team, going over the final details for our upcoming product launch. The atmosphere was productive, and despite the earlier confrontation with Livia, I was starting to feel a sense of accomplishment. That was until Livia barged into the room, her face a mask of fury.“Livia, what are you doing here?” I asked, standing up, already feeling the tension rising again.She ignored me and stormed straight up to Eva, pointing a finger in her face. “You! You think you can just waltz in and steal my fiancé? You’re nothing but
TRISTIN'S POVSophie put a comforting arm around her. "Don’t let her get to you, Eva. She’s just lashing out because she knows she’s lost.""I appreciate that, Sophie," Eva said, her voice steadying. "But it still hurts to hear those things.""I know," I said, feeling a pang of guilt. "And I’m sorry you had to deal with that. Livia’s actions were completely out of line, and I won’t let it happen again."Eva gave a small smile. "Thanks, Tristin. And thank you, Sophie.""Anytime," Sophie replied, giving Eva a reassuring squeeze. "We’re a team. We look out for each other.""Let’s get back to work," I said, trying to lighten the mood. "We have a lot to do, and I don’t want to waste any more time on drama."Eva nodded, looking more determined. "Absolutely. We’ve got a launch to prepare for."Sophie grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "And maybe a few more rounds of games at the next team-building event."We all laughed, the tension easing as we returned to our tasks. Despite the cha