Novels by Sapphire Pen

The silence in the room after I said those words was thick enough to suffocate a person. Chloe blinked at me, with her mouth slightly open. Her brows knit together in first, confusion, then alarm.“What do you mean someone set the bakery on fire?” she asked slowly, like she was trying to give the question time to change into something less terrifying. “You know that's impossible. The firemen said it to Caleb.I shook my head. “That’s what the guy from the insurance company just now said. He said… he said the wires were tampered with. Deliberately.”Chloe stood up and began pacing like the movement would somehow bring clarity. “But who? Why? That doesn’t even make sense. Who would do something like that?”I didn’t have an answer. All I had was a sharp ache in my chest and a hundred questions tumbling over each other in my mind.Someone had intentionally tried to sabotage me. Who could it be? Why? I felt my heart squeeze at the thought of the obvious betrayal. Everyone at that launch y

Jordan dropped me off at home at a little past noon. When we pulled up to the house, Chloe was already waiting at the door. As soon as I stepped out, she rushed toward me, wrapping me in a tight embrace.“Everything’s going to be fine,” she whispered, her voice steady. “We’ve got each other.”I clung to her, feeling a weight being lifted off my shoulder. The scent of the lavender shampoo that we both shared filled my nostrils and for a brief moment, replaced the acrid smell of smoke that had plagued me since last night. Now, having Chloe hold me like this after such a chaotic night served as a reminder that amidst the chaos, some things remained constant. Like friendship. And family.Jordan was at my side by the time that Chloe broke off the embrace.“You're sure you'll be okay?" He asked, gently."Yea, of course. What am I, like an egg?” I asked and managed a small smile. “Plus, I've got Chloe. I'm absolutely fine, Jordan. You can go.”“Okay." He said, nodding.He reached out and bru

I woke up to silence. Not the kind of silence that brought peace or the one that insinuated a sort of calmness, but the kind of silence that pressed against my chest and made it harder to breathe.I lay still, blinking up at the ceiling, unsure for a moment where I was. The room wasn’t mine. That was for certain. The scent in the air was clean and warm, and the sheets were softer than the ones on my bed at home.Then it all came rushing back. LoveBites. My bakery. My dream. The dream I'd nursed.I felt fresh tears gather in my eyes as the memory from the scene played over and over in my head. That small pop that I'd first heard in the middle of my speech, then the crackling, the smoke, the fire, me being rooted to a spot, the chandelier that came crashing down.Wasn't it too early to be crying again? Last night, after Jordan had gone to sleep with me tucked comfortably in his arms, I cried again. I'd cried myself to sleep in fact.I sat up slowly, the sheets falling away from my bod

My eyes widened in panic. The chandelier came crashing down and then it didn't.A pair of arms slammed into me from the side, knocking me off the small podium just as the chandelier exploded against the podium where I had been standing seconds ago with a sharp, sickening smash, the sound echoing in my ears like a scream.I hit the ground hard, my body cushioned by another.Jordan’s breath was ragged against my neck as he held me down, shielding me from the fallout.Shards of glass rained around us, scattering across the ground right next to us, some of the shards piercing our skins. For a moment, all I could hear was the ringing in my ears and the distant scream of someone calling my name.Jordan sat up first, his eyes scanning me frantically. “Are you okay? Marissa, are you okay?”I nodded, even though my body trembled like a leaf in a storm “I… I think I’m okay,” I stammered, still trembling. “You… what… how…?”He helped me to my feet and pulled me close. “We need to get out of here

I stood, watching the decorators put final touches to the bakery decor. It looked like a dream.Mine. My place.Oh God, it was mine, and it was really happening.Soft golden lights glowed from the ceiling, illuminating the beautiful decorations that had been done in the bakery, transforming the sitting area for customers into an event space for the fifty or so guests that we were expecting.There were 5 chairs each arranged around a table. The tables had been covered with pale blush tablecloths. There was a flower vase on each table that just added to the sheer elegance of the setting.A gentle scent of vanilla and cinnamon floated through the air. Everything was perfect. Or close enough that it made my chest tighten with pride.I stood there, just taking it all in with flour still on her forearm. My hair was pinned up messily, and my cheeks were flushed from hours in the kitchen. I’d been baking and cooking nonstop for hours. I just wanted it all to be perfect. I wanted everyone who

LoveBites was coming together.My heart could barely contain the excitement and fear all tangled up inside me. The day of the launch was near and suddenly, it felt like there was so much to do.Layla was in and out of the house constantly. I knew right from the start that she was planning big, but as the day Drew closer, I realized just how big she was thinking. It was okay she was dropping off decorations and running luxury menus by me, but she was talking about having invited major influencers.I stood my ground on the food. I wasn't going to order the food or employ someone to take care of it. I had to do it by myself. I was introducing the guests to LoveBites after all. What sense did it make that they were coming to the opening of a catering service and bakery and were eating food from another establishment?Chloe found me my first staff. She'd come home from work one day, and told me she'd found me the perfect staff. I didn't give it much thought at first, but then she told me t