ANMELDENRichard stared at Monique’s message for a long moment before letting out a tired breath.“I want Maggie over for a week, my birthday week. I'll be coming next month to get her.”His expression didn’t even change. His fingers moved across the keyboard almost on instinct and he typed out, “No.”He locked the phone before she could reply and reached for the stack of documents waiting on his desk. There was no point entertaining the conversation. Maggie wasn’t spending a week away from home simply because Monique had decided she wanted company. The next few hours blurred together in a parade of presentations, revised contracts, financial reports, and questions that seemed to multiply every time one was answered. By the time the last investor finally stood to shake his hand, Richard could feel the exhaustion settling into his shoulders.He waited until the conference room had emptied before checking the time; 4:59 p.m. “So much for an early day.” Richard leaned back in his chair and close
Alison's thumb hovered over Richard's name.Another loud bang rattled the front door, making her flinch so hard she almost dropped her phone. "Damn it!" Her heart was pounding heavily.She'd spent half the night convincing herself there wasn't a masked man lurking outside her apartment, and now she was seconds away from calling Richard because someone knocked a little too hard?The banging came again. "Alison!"The familiar voice caused her to freeze still. "...Mira?"A muffled groan answered from the other side. "Yes, it's me! Are you planning to let me in, or should I move into the hallway?"Relief swept through her so fast that she almost laughed."Mira, what the hell are you..." She shook her head and hurried to unlock the door. Mira stood there with one hand still raised from knocking, the other balancing a laptop bag on her shoulder. The moment the door opened, she looked Alison up and down before letting out a long, exaggerated sigh. "There you are at last."Alison pressed a h
“I don't think anyone is there, Richard.” Alison said, and frowned because it felt like she'd been repeating herself for the tenth time.Richard's face was completely hardened as he dialed his phone, reaching someone. Alison pulled Maggie closer, assuring her all was well. “I'm sure it's just some friendly neighbor or something.”“Neighbors? Do you have neighbors?” Maggie asked, raising a brow.Her lips pressed as she thought of another way to calm her down. “Um, okay.” She knelt down to match her height. “I know you saw someone. But they're gone now, right? I'm just saying, I don't think it was some bad man you saw.”Maggie sighed, nodding slightly. Then she began to describe the image of the person she saw. The descriptions she gave caused Alison's mouth to hang open in shock.Tall man on mask, piercing eyes? Looks expensive?Jimmy.Suddenly, she heard her own name from Maggie and gave a start. “Huh? Did you call me?”Maggie flashed her a suspicious stare, “you kinda blacked out. Ar
Richard’s shoulders relaxed a little, a helpless chuckle escaping his lips as he gave his daughter an obedient nod. "Alright, boss. Message received."Maggie offered him a satisfied nod of approval.Alison watched the exchange with growing amusement. “She’s really the boss around here, isn’t she?”“You have no idea.” Richard leaned back in his chair with a resigned smile. “Lately she sounds exactly like my mom.”"Maybe your mom is just the only one who knows how to keep you in line," Alison teased, her lips curving into a bright smile. “By the way, why did you—”She was cut off again after asking for like the third time by Maggie whispering something to her dad's ears.Not wanting the conversation to drift back to whatever mysterious reason had brought Richard over, Alison reached for the pet magazine she’d left on the coffee table earlier. She flipped through a few pages before sliding it in front of Maggie. “Here, help me out with an important task, Maggie.”Maggie’s eyes immediatel
Alison's mouth opened, then closed again. Great. Her brain had officially clocked out.She cleared her throat. "I... yeah. Um... excuse me."Before she could embarrass herself any further, she spun around and hurried toward her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.Alison pressed her back against it and groaned, covering her face with both hands. "Oh my God," she muttered into her palms.Did he really have to say that?And why did her heart suddenly think it was training for a marathon?Alison rushed to the mirror and nearly cried out loud. A streak of red sauce stretched across her cheek. She rubbed at it with her thumb, frowning. "Seriously?" She looked down at her hand. "I didn't even cook." A laugh escaped her as she reached up to flatten the frizzy strands escaping her bun. "Look at you. You look like a winner at a food fight and that's when he decides to flirt?"She sighed dramatically."You are Ally F. Rose," she told her reflection, pointing a finger at herself. "You own best
Alison stared at her phone, her thumb hovering over Richard Harrison's contact. Her heart hammered in her chest. "Damn it!" A heavy sigh followed. "What? Is this me missing him? Or what—"The phone suddenly vibrated in her palm, the screen lighting up with his name. Her eyes widened. "Huh? Well, would you look at that." She ignored the way her heart suddenly skipped a bit, and answered on the very first ring. Her voice rushed out in a breathless wave. "Richard? Oh, thank goodness." She cleared her throat loudly. "Um, what I'm saying is this. Richard, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything I said, and please... please tell Maggie I am so incredibly sorry too—""Alison," Richard's deep voice cut her off, my little Rose. "Save the apologies for later. Prepare something delicious for me. I'm starving."Alison blinked, her brain scrambling to process his words. "What? You... you want me to cook?"Huh? At least she was still his little Rose. He didn't sound...angry?"And Maggie too. S
Alison's mind had already began to race. That matter of urgency was giving her a heart attack already. What could have possibly gone wrong! Was it the Dark man raging war on her already! Because he was a local thug..no one messed with him. Once outside, she had already summoned confidence and was
Alison looked stunned, but who looked even more shocked was Ella. "Mr Richard Harrison!" She screamed out,"it's such a pleasure to--"But Richard wasn't having any of that. He walked straight to Alison and Mira. Brad and his mother along with Lily all just stared in surprise."Alison, are you alri
Brad shouted, not caring if his words her hurt Lily or not. "I don't give a fuck about you! You're tired? Then fucking sign the divorce papers I've been throwing at your face since eight months now. I want kids, you can't give me that. We're running on the edge of bankruptcy, and you can't even sav
Alison didn't have enough time before the first man got closer and squeezed her hand tight, dragging her out. "Hey, let go of me!" She demanded. All this while, Mira was grunting beside her while Alison warned her with serious side glances. Not yet. Of course she knew that the Cambridge were her







