BREAKING THE RULES
ContemporaryFirst-Person POVActionCEOIntelligentAge GapForbidden LoveSecond Chance
Evelyn Hart thought she had it all figured out. A dream job at a top marketing firm, a handsome fiancé, and a future that sparkled with promise. But dreams shatter in an instant. Walking into her apartment early from a business trip, she finds Anthony in bed with the last person she ever expected. Her own cousin, Sylvia. The betrayal cuts deeper than any knife, leaving her broken and gasping for air in a world that suddenly makes no sense.
Desperate to forget, to feel anything other than the crushing pain, Evelyn finds herself at an exclusive lounge where LA's elite gather. One drink leads to another, and then she sees him. Richard Westwood. Powerful, magnetic, dangerous. He is everything she should avoid. At 42, he is nearly twice her age and her fiancé's mentor in the business world. But tonight, none of that matters. Tonight, she just wants to feel alive again.
One night of passion changes everything. When morning comes, Evelyn discovers the mysterious stranger who made her forget her name is the one man she should never have touched. Richard Westwood does not do relationships. He does not get messy but something about Evelyn has awakened a hunger he thought long dead. Now, caught between revenge and desire, Evelyn must decide: walk away from the forbidden, or break every rule for a chance at real love?
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Chapter: CHAPTER 27: TRUST AND DOUBTRICHARDBenjamin walks into my office with a concerned expression."We have a problem.""What kind of problem?""Someone's been accessing your personal files. Financial records, private correspondence. Everything.""Who?""We don't know yet. IT is trying to trace it but whoever it is knows what they're doing."This can't be happening again. We just got past the last crisis."When did this start?""About two weeks ago. Small intrusions at first, then bigger ones. They're looking for something specific.""Like what?""If I had to guess? Dirt. Something they can use against you."I immediately think of the anonymous text Evelyn received months ago. "This is far from over.""I need a full security audit. Change all passwords, review all access logs. Find out who's doing this."Over the next week, IT works around the clock. They trace the intrusions to an IP address in LA but it's a public wifi, untraceable to a specific person."Whoever this is knows how to cover their tracks," the securi
Zuletzt aktualisiert: 2026-08-04
Chapter: CHAPTER 26: CAREER CROSSROADSEVELYNI'm in a board meeting when my phone buzzes with an emergency call from Emma's daycare."Miss Hart, Emma has a fever. You need to come pick her up.""I'll be right there."I excuse myself from the meeting and rush to get Emma. She's flushed and crying, clearly miserable."Poor baby," I coo, carrying her to the car.At home, I take her temperature. One hundred and three. I call the pediatrician."Bring her in. We want to check her out."Richard meets us at the doctor's office. Emma has an ear infection, nothing serious but she needs antibiotics and rest."Someone should stay home with her for a few days," the doctor recommends.Richard and I look at each other."I have a huge presentation tomorrow," I say."And I have a board meeting I can't miss."The doctor looks between us. "Figure it out. She needs a parent, not a nanny, right now."In the car, we discuss options."I can reschedule the board meeting," Richard offers."No, you're the chairman. You need to be there. I'll cance
Zuletzt aktualisiert: 2026-08-03
Chapter: CHAPTER 25: NEW THREATSRICHARDThree months after the threatening text, life has returned to normal. Evelyn and I are closer than ever. Emma is thriving. The company is stable under Benjamin's leadership.Then I get a call from Anthony Blake."Mister Westwood, I need to talk to you. It's important.""What is it, Anthony?""Not over the phone. Can we meet?"We meet at a coffee shop. Anthony looks troubled, older than his twenty seven years."Thank you for seeing me.""What's this about?""My father. Before he died, he set things in motion. Plans to destroy you. I just found out about them.""What kind of plans?""He hired someone. I don't know who. But he paid them a lot of money to ruin your life. I found the paperwork going through his estate.""When was this?""About a year ago. Before he went to prison. He knew he was going down so he made contingency plans.""Do you know what this person is supposed to do?""No. The paperwork is vague. But Richard, my father was thorough. If he hired someone, they're st
Zuletzt aktualisiert: 2026-08-01
Chapter: CHAPTER 24: STANDING TOGETHEREVELYNI watch Richard fall apart slowly over the next few weeks. The investigation consumes him. He's barely sleeping, barely eating, just working to clear his name."You need to take care of yourself," I tell him after finding him asleep at his desk at four AM."I'm fine.""You're not fine. Richard, you're going to make yourself sick.""I have to fix this. My company, my reputation, everything I've built is at stake.""I know. But you're no good to anyone if you collapse."He looks at me, exhausted and defeated."What if I can't fix it? What if this ruins everything?""Then we start over. Richard, you've built an empire once. You can do it again.""I'm forty three years old. I don't know if I have another empire in me.""You do. But right now, you need to focus on getting through this investigation."The SEC investigation drags on. Every transaction is examined, every email reviewed. It's invasive and exhausting.Meanwhile, the media has a field day. Every day, there's a new article
Zuletzt aktualisiert: 2026-07-31
Chapter: CHAPTER 23: PROTECTIVE MEASURESRICHARDI stare at the photo, rage building inside me. Sylvia was at the park. She was watching my family. She was close enough to Emma to take this picture."I'm calling the police," I tell Evelyn."What good will that do? They'll say it's not a direct threat.""I don't care. I want this documented."Detective Morrison comes to the house. She looks at the photo, her expression grim."This is concerning but you're right, it's not technically a threat. It's just a photo.""She's threatening my family!""I understand your frustration, Mister Westwood. But without explicit language, we can't arrest her for sending a photo.""So we just wait until she does something? Until she hurts someone?""We're monitoring her ankle bracelet. If she comes near you, we'll know."After the detective leaves, I make phone calls. First to my head of security."I want twenty four seven protection on my family. House, office, everywhere. I don't care what it costs.""Consider it done."Next, I call my lawyer
Zuletzt aktualisiert: 2026-07-30
Chapter: CHAPTER 22: BALANCING ACTEVELYNEmma is six months old and I'm drowning. Between running my company, being a mother, and trying to maintain my relationship with Richard, I feel like I'm failing at everything."You need to hire more help," Tonia says, finding me in my office at nine PM, still working while pumping breast milk."I have help. We have a nanny.""I mean at work. You're doing too much. You have fifteen employees now. Delegate.""I do delegate.""No, you micromanage and then fix everything yourself. That's not delegating."She's right but I don't want to admit it.When I get home, Richard is on the floor playing with Emma. She's giggling, reaching for his face."Hey. You're late.""I know. Sorry. Work was crazy.""You said you'd be home by seven. I held dinner."Guilt washes over me. "I'm sorry. I lost track of time."Richard picks up Emma and stands. "She's been fed and bathed. I'm putting her down now."His voice is polite but distant. We've been like this for weeks, polite strangers sharing a hou
Zuletzt aktualisiert: 2026-07-29
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