The Ice Captain's Stolen Fiancée

Kiera Snow POV:

I methodically folded the tailored silk dress, smoothing the fabric before placing it into my suitcase.

My phone buzzed on the vanity. A ping.

It was a photo message from my stepsister, Cindy Richards.

I tapped the notification.

A high-resolution image filled the screen: a man and a woman tangled between messy bedsheets, completely bare.

The man in the photo was Donald Mcgee, my fiancé. On his arm, a distinct silver bracelet glinted under the light-the custom piece I had designed for him, a one-of-a-kind gift.

Beside him, Cindy was looking straight into the camera, wearing a triumphant, provocative smirk.

Before my heart could even finish sinking, a system prompt flashed: Cindy Richards unsent a photo.

Exactly one minute and fifty-nine seconds after sending it. Just one second before the recall limit expired.

Right on cue, a follow-up text popped up:

"Omg, sis, so sorry! Total accident! Please ignore that!"

A sickeningly transparent calculation. She made sure I saw it, yet left herself a plausible excuse.

I didn't cry. I didn't scream.

A cold, razor-sharp anger shot up my spine, freezing out every lingering ember of heartbreak.

Six years of dedication. Six years of living as a well-behaved puppet molded for the Mcgee family's benefit. It was almost laughable how easily a single photo shattered the future everyone had predestined for me.

For as long as I could remember, my life had been mapped out by others. A marriage arranged before I was even born, calculated purely to align my family with the prominent Mcgee empire. For six years-ever since my mother passed away-I had lived away from home, working relentlessly at the East Coast branch, dutifully playing the part of Donald Mcgee's capable future wife. We grew up knowing every detail about each other, but what was supposed to be a romantic union had long settled into routine, duty, and careful cultivation.

I stood up, walked to the desk, and calmly opened my laptop.

I canceled the dinner reservation I had made for Donald and me.

I canceled my return ticket to Boston.

With swift, precise keystrokes, I booked the earliest one-way flight to New York.

I wasn't returning as their obedient future daughter-in-law. I was going back to dismantle their game on my own terms.

I dialed Brylee Serrano, my closest friend from college.

She picked up almost instantly. "Kiera! Are you in New York yet? I can't wait to see you!"

"Brylee," I said, keeping my voice steady. "I have a problem."

Her cheerful tone vanished, turning dead serious. "What's wrong? Where are you?"

"I'm in Boston, boarding a flight to New York. But... I'm not going to Donald's."

"What did that asshole do?" Brylee's voice was laced with fury.

"He's sleeping with Cindy."

Dead silence on the other end of the line.

Then, an explosion of rage. "WHAT? That little leech! Pack your bags right now. I'm coming to the airport to get you!"

"Can I stay with you for a bit?"

"That's a stupid question! My apartment is your apartment!" Brylee snapped, her loyalty absolute. "The guest room has always been yours!"

I closed the suitcase with a clean, final click.

In the cab to the airport, a message from Donald popped up on my lock screen: "Babe, where are you? Miss you."

A cold, mocking smile touched my lips. Without a second thought, I silenced his number and muted all his social media accounts.

Two hours later, stepping out of the arrivals gate at JFK, I stopped dead in my tracks.

A ridiculously oversized neon sign was bobbing above the crowd, bearing a massive letter K surrounded by glitter.

I pressed two fingers against my forehead, secretly amused. Leave it to an investigative journalist to possess this level of shameless extroversion in public.

Pulling my black baseball cap lower, my oversized dark sunglasses concealed most of my face, leaving only my crimson lips and sharp jawline visible. Dressed in a tailored trench coat, my long legs carried me smoothly toward her.

"Over here, gorgeous!" Brylee yelled, finally spotting me and waving the sign frantically.

I walked over, pulled off my sunglasses with a resigned sigh, and ruffled her hair. "Brylee, couldn't you have made that sign any louder?"

Brylee's cheeks flushed with a quick grin. She looked me up and down, whistling under her breath. "Damn, Kiera. Years in Boston turned you into a lethal stunner. Look at those legs-they practically come up to my waist. Standing next to you, I look like a high schooler."

I laughed softly, grabbing the handle of my luggage as we walked toward the parking lot.

"By the way," Brylee said as we loaded my bags into the trunk, "Apartments in that area are tricky to secure on short notice. You're crashing with me for now, deal?"

"Are you kidding? As if I'd let you kick me out," I teased, raising a playful fist at her. "Watch it, or I'll take over your entire living room."

"Please do! It's way too quiet at night anyway," she said, dramatically clutching her arms.

I slipped into the passenger seat, reached over, and lightly tapped her chin with a smirk. "Then lucky for you, darling, I'm here to keep you company."

"Alright, hands off, I'm driving!" Brylee laughed, putting the car in gear.

Later that evening, in Brylee's Manhattan apartment with its sweeping view of the city lights, she handed me a glass of red wine.

"Tell me everything," she said, sitting across from me, her eyes filled with a mixture of pain for me and fury for them. "And then, we are going to make those two pay."