Novels by Annabelle

Jason's POVThe screen lit up with the name of the one person in the world who could still make me feel like a chastened child, even at thirty-one years old.I hesitated for a moment, watching Brenda disappear into the fitting room. Then I swiped to answer."Mother.""Jason." Her voice was sharp, clipped, the tone she reserved for when she was displeased. "I've been trying to reach you for hours. Where have you been?""Out. Shopping." I kept my voice neutral. "What do you want?""I want to know why I had to hear about the O'Connor charity ball from the society pages rather than my own son. What are you thinking, Jason? Associating with the O'Connors after everything?""Mother...""Come home. Now." Her voice brooked no argument. "There's something we need to discuss. Something important.""I'm busy. Brenda and I—""Brenda can come too. In fact, I insist. There are matters that concern her as well." Another pause. "Don't make me repeat myself, Jason. You know I hate repeating myself."T

Jason's POVThe boutique on Michigan Avenue was one of the most exclusive in Chicago. It was a place where dresses cost more than most people's houses and the sales associates treated you like royalty if you could afford to shop there. I arrived first, the bell above the door chiming as I stepped inside."Mr. Richmond," the sales associate greeted me, her smile warm and professional. "We've been expecting you. How can we assist you today?""I need a dress for my fiancée. Something for the O'Connor charity ball."The associate's eyes widened slightly. "The O'Connor ball? That's quite an event. We have several pieces that would be appropriate."She led me through the showroom, past racks of designer gowns in every color imaginable. But nothing caught my eye. Nothing felt right.And then I saw it.The dress was displayed on a mannequin in the center of the room, lit by a spotlight that made the fabric shimmer like liquid silver. It was a Vera Wang original—a limited edition piece that ha

Jason's POVI'd been staring at the same quarterly report for forty-five minutes, and I hadn't absorbed a single word. The numbers blurred together like meaningless symbols that couldn't hold my attention.And no matter how hard I tried to deny what the reason behind why I was feeling that way was, I just couldn't and that was because Katherine wasn't here.I looked at the empty chair across from my desk. She used to sit there, her posture perfect, her dark hair falling in waves around her face. It had been three weeks since she'd resigned. Three weeks since I'd last seen her face, heard her voice, felt the electricity that crackled between us whenever we were in the same room.I told myself I didn't care. She was just woman who had betrayed me by running off with my high school rival, and moreover she wasn't even in the same class with me.I was a Richmond for crying out loud, and one of the five wealthiest families in the country. Since I took over the Richmond's Empire, it had bee

Katherine's POVThe rest of the meal was a blur of polite conversation and pointed questions. Eleanor asked about my education, my work history, my long-term plans. Patrick questioned my understanding of the O'Connor family's business interests and philanthropic commitments.When the final course was cleared, Eleanor stood, her movement graceful and deliberate. "Katherine, would you walk with me in the garden?"I looked at Mikel, who gave me a small nod. "I'll be in the study with Father. Call me if you need anything."The emphasis on anything was unmistakable.Eleanor led me through a set of glass doors onto a terrace that overlooked acres of manicured gardens. Roses bloomed in every direction, their scent heavy and cloying in the morning air."I planted these roses myself," Eleanor said, pausing to touch one of the blooms. "After Mikel was born. I wanted to create something beautiful that would last."I didn't respond, waiting for the real conversation to begin."You think I'm cruel

Katherine's POVThe twenty-foot doors swung open before we could knock, revealing a butler so perfectly composed he looked like he'd been carved from marble. His silver hair was swept back, his posture immaculate, and his eyes assessed me in a single, practiced glance."Mr. O'Connor. Mrs. O'Connor." He bowed slightly. "Mr. and Mrs. O'Connor Senior are waiting in the east dining room."I felt Mikel's hand find the small of my back, a grounding pressure that kept me from fleeing. "Thank you, Gerald."We walked through an entryway that could have housed my entire apartment building. Crystal chandeliers hung from vaulted ceilings. A grand staircase curved upward, its banister polished to a mirror shine. Oil paintings of stern-faced ancestors watched us pass, their eyes seeming to follow my every step."Don't look at the paintings," Mikel murmured, his lips barely moving. "They're all dead and they don't care who you are.""Is that supposed to be comforting?""It's honest."We entered the

Katherine's POVThe sunlight pried my eyes open long before my body was ready to face the day. For a disorienting moment, I forgot where I was—the too-soft pillows, the silence where my apartment's usual creaks and groans should be, the scent of something clean and expensive in the air.Then it all came crashing back.Mikel. The contract. The baby. Breakfast with the O’ Connors.I bolted upright, my heart hammering. Eight a.m. Mikel had said eight a.m., and the clock on the nightstand read 6:47. I'd barely slept as my mind kept replaying every moment of yesterday on an endless loop, from the weight of the pen in my hand to the finality of Mikel's zipper closing over my signed future.I swung my legs out of bed, intending to find coffee, caffeine, anything to jumpstart my brain into functioning. But when I opened the bedroom door, I nearly tripped over a mountain of shopping bags.Not just shopping bags. Designer shopping bags. The kind with logos that cost more than my monthly rent.I