Novels by Sally

Evelyn's POV“Someone sent me a threatening message,” I explain.I hear Maya exhale “yeah. Here, take a look at this” she pulls out the note and the box. She places them on Max's desk. He observes the item for a while and we watch him. After which seconds later he picks up the note. I'm guessing he read through it before looking up at me. “Do you know anyone who might have sent this?” he asks. “Her husband…ex husband” Maya answers quickly before I can say anything. So I let her have the moment. “Why would he send her this kind of message? Does he want to kill her?” Max asks.“If that man get the chance he will. The thing is he is very rich. It might be difficult to get him” Maya continues. “Is your ex husband here in New York?” Max asks. I shake my head “No. But he comes here for business once in a while” I answer. “Does he know you are pregnant?” He asks again. “Yes, he does,” I answer.“And that's why he wants her dead so that he can live on with his new woman” Maya says. M

Evelyn's POV There's a note inside attached to a very small cupcake. I pick up the note to read it but Maya takes it from my hand Instantly. She reads the content out loud. Enjoy this cookie but I'll get to you.“What the heck is this? Who sent this?” she asks with a sharpened voice. “I don't know who will” I shake my head. I stand up and pace around. I mean what stupid cupcake is this? I eye the cake sitting on the coach.“Could it be Leonard?” Maya suggests. I shake my head with a sigh. I don't even know who it will be. “Could it be Clara?” “You are not safe here” Maya says and she's right. But I shake my head. “Nothing will happen. I'll just report this to the police” I say. “Let me have that,” Maya says, snatching the small box from my hand. She disappears into the kitchen and I can hear the faint clinking of something metal, maybe a drawer or cabinet. When she returns, she plumps down next to me on the couch. She takes my hand in hers, firm and grounding. When she's retur

Evelyn's POV“What was that?” I ask Maya, who shrugs as we both look in the direction the scream came from.“It's the bride!” someone shouts from across the hall.That single sentence pours fuel on the already burning chaos. Chairs scrape against the tiled floor. Voices overlap. People begin rushing like a flock of startled birds, all heading toward the same place.“Should we go and see?” Maya asks.Before I can answer, she is already moving. Curiosity always beats caution with her. I follow behind, trying to keep up as we weave through clusters of overdressed guests. The air smells like perfume, sweat, and panic.We reach a small crowd gathered outside one of the private changing rooms. Everyone is pushing forward, craning necks, whispering guesses.“I can't see anything,” I whisper to Maya.“Me too,” she answers.I rise on my tiptoes, holding my bump and stretching my neck as far as it can go. But nothing. Just backs and heads and flashing phone screens.Then Victoria’s sharp voice

Evelyn's POVShe still doesn't say anything. Seconds later, she heaves a sigh and places her hands flat on the table.“Just be careful with Lionel,” she finally says.I think for a quick second. “What do you mean? I don't get it.”Her eyes harden in a way that makes my stomach tighten. “I don't have anything else to say to you. Just be very careful with that man. He's not who you think he is.” She licks the right corner of her lips and starts packing up her things.I sit there staring at her, trying to replay every word she just dropped in my lap. None of it makes sense. Lionel and I aren't even a thing, thing. Not really. He's just been helpful. Kind. Present in a season when most people disappeared.I silently watch her fold her files and slide them into her brown leather laptop bag. She zips it up with slow precision, and I follow the movement like a nervous fan watching the last seconds of a close game.“How's your baby?” she asks suddenly.The question catches me off guard. I don

Evelyn's POV He’s in a grey T shirt and black trousers, a black face cap pulled low on his face. I start walking toward him with slow, careful steps. As I move, my heart begins to race. I glance around, hoping he’s alone. We meet halfway, right between two parked cars.“Whatever you are doing ma’am, be very careful”Those are his first words and in a low deep tone. He does not smile. His eyes move constantly, scanning the space around us like he’s afraid someone might appear out of thin air.“What is happening? Is Leonard with you? Does he want to kill me? Why should I be careful?”The questions tumble out of me before I can stop them. Fear sharpens my voice. He blinks, then looks away from me, his gaze sweeping the parking lot again before he finally faces me.“I’m alone.” He licks his lips, nervous. “Clara is looking for you. She’s not exactly sick. Mr Sinclair doesn’t know this. I’ve always known you were here but I didn’t tell anyone. Now she’s become more serious than ever. She

Evelyn’s POVThis new message is from Melissa, but my hands start to shake as I read her words. Let’s meet tomorrow. Don’t tell Lionel.I stare at the message for a while, reading it over and over again as if the letters might rearrange themselves into something less alarming. My chest feels tight, and for a second, I almost drop my phone. Why would she say that? Why would she not want me to tell Lionel?I swallow hard and type back. Why?Then I pause.No. Maybe I shouldn’t ask. Maybe it’s better if I just go and hear what she wants to say to me. It could be business but I doubt. My fingers hover over the screen before I erase my question and replace it with a single word: Okay.I hit send.After that, I toss my phone on the bed and just sit there, staring at nothing. The silence in the room is thick and very much uneasy. I suddenly feel like someone’s watching me, like there’s a camera hidden somewhere, or eyes peeking through the curtains. I turn around on impulse to check, but of co

Cade “Hey, Cade, you’re back—” Merileen says at the door, but she stops short when she sights Katherine.Her expression changes instantly.I wasn’t expecting her to be here, but that’s how she is. She shows up at my place whenever she likes. I don’t really mind.“Eh… what’s happening?” she asks, observing Katherine before turning to me.I shrug. “Nothing. This is my wife. She’s the lady I told you about,” I reply, moving back to Katherine. I place a hand on her back and urge her to go in.“Hi,” Katherine says to Merileen with a curt smile as she walks past her into the house.Merileen’s eyes follow Katherine until she disappears inside. The moment Katherine is inside the living room and backing us, Merileen closes the door and pulls me aside.“What are you doing, Cade?” she asks, almost fuming. “Why did you bring her to your house?” she crosses her hands over her chest. “What do you mean by what I am doing?” I ask. “I married her, so I brought my wife home. Does it not make sense”“

KATHERINE I don’t say anything. I just stand there and maintain my facial expression.“You know what, you suit yourself,” he says, almost like he’s muttering to himself, before turning and getting into his car.I’m certain asking him to leave is the right thing to do. I can’t let him destroy everything I’ve planned just by asking me to marry him so he can help me.I let out a sigh and pull out my phone as Cade starts his engine. I want to call Derek and apologize. I’ll ask to see him so we can iron things out. At this point, all I need is to be his wife on paper. After all, the devil you know is better than the angel you don’t.But as soon as my phone lights up, the first thing I see is a published article.Lancaster Group announces their acting CEO…My eyes widen when I see my father’s name. I can’t remember ever being in a meeting where that decision was made. My heart starts to beat wildly, and then another notification comes in. An email from the board. An emergency meeting has be

CadeShe sucks in a breath before looking at me. “Why? Why do you need my help?” she asks and wipes her eyes.I tell her about my grandmother’s illness. My mother’s obsession with me getting married. The frustration I’m absorbing at home like a sponge that never gets squeezed dry. She stays quiet as I speak, only blinking occasionally, like she’s afraid she’ll miss something if she moves.“Help me get them off my back and I promise you that I’ll do everything within my power to secure all that belongs to your mother,” I tell her when I have finished my narration.Her brows knit together. “How did you even know about my family issue?” she pouts and her hair falls to her side. She’s beautiful and very interesting to watch. That thought annoys me more than it should. This is not about that. I look away and then back at her.“I have my ways,” I say simply.I continue before she can interrupt me. “Just for a year. Or at least a few months. Once my family has relaxed into our marriage, you c

*CADE* I swipe across my phone to answer Merileen’s call. As I place the phone close to my ear, I catch a glimpse of Katherine in the car. She's seriously unsettled and I don't understand it. Yes, Jules, my private investigator told me everything I needed to know about her including her current predicament with her family but I don't get why she still wants to go back to them. I watch her for a second with the phone to my ear. She covers her face, her blonde hair falls over her. She raises her head. She falls it again. She holds her head together with both hands as if doing that will take away every pain she feels. She exhales.I wonder why her family brought her here and why I didn't ask. Something tells me they might be forcing her to get pregnant for that jerk I saw earlier—Merileen's loud voice calling my name draws me out of my head and back to the call. “Oh, I'm sorry. Something just caught my attention” I tell her. I hear her sigh before speaking “hmmm. I was beginning to

*Katherine*We walk in silence for a while, the sound of our footsteps filling the air between us and his hand still holding my wrist. My mind is a storm. Every breath feels like a question I can’t ask yet.When we finally reach his car—a sleek black Bentley—he opens the door for me but I don’t get in.I pull my hand out of his grip so fast my skin burns. I should snap out of whatever fantasy he just created for me. “What is this?” I snap “What do you think you are doing?” I ask him. “Taking my wife home” he answers with a sly smile on his face. My stomach drops.“No. I mean, how the heck did you get my signature on that document? Is it even real? How exactly am I your wife?” I glare at him.He rubs his brows, amused. Like I’m asking him something cute. “You make me laugh. Of course it's a document as real as you and I.” I continue to glare at him without saying anything. I guess he gets the clue when I don't speak after a few seconds. He tilts his head to the side. His jaw moves

*Katherine* This tall guy in a shirt and trouser starts walking toward us. Because I have short sightedness, I still can’t see his face until he is very close. The moment his features sharpen in my sight, recognition hits me like a slap. It is the guy from the clubhouse. If I forget everything else that happened that night, I can never forget that face. His black hair is neatly combed back. His face looks carved and sharp. He is wearing a black trouser and a white shirt that fits him in a way that makes me rethink every decision I have ever made.If I didn’t know any better, I would have assumed he was some wealthy corporate man sent from the sky to rescue me. My own strange version of a knight in shining armor. Except there is nothing shiny about my situation.I stare at him in dismay, wondering why he is here, why now, and if he even realises that I am the girl who hired him the night before.My father snaps, “Who are you? Didn’t your mother ever teach you to mind your business wh