LOGINELI"You look tired from your shopping, Savannah," I said, my voice cutting through the silent room.I sat motionless at the head of the long table, my hands resting flat against the polished wood. The six lawyers on my left and right didn't utter a word. Across from me, my mother sat like a statue in her velvet chair, her blue eyes fixed on Savannah with an unforgiving glare.Savannah stood frozen in the open doorway for three long seconds. Then, she forced a dry mocking laugh and stepped into the room, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor."What is all this theater, Eli?" Savannah asked, tossing her mink coat over an empty chair. She adjusted the cuffs of her silk dress, looking around the table at the rows of legal binders and laptops. "Did you really call six corporate lawyers to the breakfast table just to lecture me about my Paris trip? This is absurd. And where is the tea I asked for?"She pulled out a chair near the middle of the table, sitting down with a dramati
ELIMoney couldn't buy class, but it could buy enough high-fashion luggage to cover up a guilty conscience.Outside the grand front doors of the mansion, the morning rain had washed the long gravel driveway clean. The sky overhead was a dull gray, and the cold air carried the soothing scent of damp earth. Through the towering glass windows of the upper floor, I watched the long black car pull up to the front steps, its tires crunching softly against the wet stone.The back door opened, and Savannah stepped out.She wore a mink coat over a silk designer dress, her golden hair styled in soft, perfect waves. She didn't look like a woman who had just flown across the ocean, she looked like a queen returning to her castle. Flanking her were two private footmen, their arms loaded high with stacks of bright, colorful shopping bags from the most expensive boutiques in Paris."Watch the leather on those bags!" Savannah snapped at one of the footmen, her voice cutting through the air outside. S
ELIAt four in the morning, the top floor of my private city office was eerily quiet, save for the low hum of the air conditioner and the rustle of papers. Outside the glass windows, the city skyline was shrouded in deep, pre-dawn shadows. Rain tapped softly against the high panes, but inside the war, the atmosphere was thick with tension.I sat at the head of the long wooden table, my hands folded together over the dark wood. My black tuxedo jacket hung over the back of my chair, my white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar, my sleeves rolled up past my forearms. Flanking me on both sides were Senior Partner My vice president and three of my top business investigators.Spread out across the table were twenty years of hidden bank statements, offshore wire transfers, encrypted email logs, and forged medical documents."We pulled the complete financial audit across all secondary accounts, Mr. Hawthorne," my vice president said, pushing a thick black binder toward me. He adjusted his si
IRISThe luxury bedroom in my father's estate felt cold while I waited for news.The grand space was filled with expensive silk curtains and polished marble floors, but it felt more like a prison than a home. I paced back and forth across the soft rug, clutching my smartphone tightly against my chest. Every few seconds, I glanced down at the dark screen, hoping to see a name pop up.Hours had passed since Eli and Liam had rushed off into the night. My mind kept returning to the garden—the terrifying moment Joseph had threatened me with that photo, followed by Eli snapping the phone in half and Liam holding me while I sobbed. But all of that fear had been replaced by a different kind of dread the second Eli’s phone rang with news of Eliana's accident.I tapped the screen and opened my chat with Liam.How is she? Please tell me she's okay, I had sent an hour ago.The reply had come back brief and flat. She is out of surgery. She is stable.I stared at the short message, my thumb hoverin
LIAMSterile surgical gloves were designed to keep infection out, but they couldn't stop the cold dread seeping through my bones.My hands were buried deep inside Eliana’s abdominal cavity, coated in thick blood. The bright lights overhead burned down on the operating table, making the sweat on my forehead sting my eyes. The flat, screaming tone of the cardiac monitor filled the room, cutting through the hum of the ventilation system."Gasping clamp, now!" I barked, not looking up from the bloody incision.The scrub nurse slapped the stainless-steel instrument into my right palm. I guided the metal tips around the torn splenic artery, squeezing the handles until the ratchet clicked twice into place. The jet of dark blood slowed to a trickle."Pressure is stabilizing," the nurse announced quickly, her voice tight behind her blue mask. "Heart rate is rising to fifty-two. But we are running on empty, Dr. Hawthorne. She needs four units of matching blood right now or her brain will starve
ELI"Sir, the machine isn't miscalibrated," the hematologist whispered, his voice shaking as he backed out of the lab room.Dr. Rhodes stepped out into the VIP hallway, clutching two freshly printed white papers in his hands. His face was drained of color. He kept his eyes lowered, looking everywhere except at me as he stopped a few feet away.The flat, sharp scream of the heart monitor was still blaring inside Trauma Bay 1. My heart pounded against my chest hard and fast. I stepped forward, towering over the doctor, my patience worn down."Where is the clearance?" I demanded, my voice low and hard. "Stop wasting time and clear the transfusion."Dr. Rhodes swallowed hard. His fingers trembled against the paper, making the sheets rustle in the silent hall."Mr. Hawthorne... please, look at the readout," Rhodes stammered, his breath coming short. He held out the top page, his hand shaking so much the paper swayed. "We ran your swab through the automated panel twice. We checked the blood
ELII swore under my breath as the new girl practically fled the dining room. I had to shift my weight in my chair, trying to adjust myself for the second time that morning without my mother or wife noticing. It was pathetic. I was Eli Hawthorne. I didn't get flustered, and I certainly didn't lose
IRISI try so hard to blink my facial features to normal as an elegant woman walked into the parlor. She wore a tailored, expensive emerald dress that hugged her curves perfectly, her diamond jewelry catching the light. Her beautiful face twisted into immediate disgust the moment her eyes landed on
IRISThe engine roared, cutting off whatever sound I thought I heard behind me. I watched the car speed down the driveway and turn onto the private narrow road.My heart sank. Eli was gone, and I hadn't even got to look at his face.What is wrong with you? I mentally scolded myself, my face heating
IRISThe heavy iron gates of St. Luke’s Orphanage screeched as they swung open. For twenty years, that sound meant someone else was leaving. Today, it was for me.I clutched my small canvas bag against my chest, the fabric rough against my palms. Inside were three plain dresses, two pairs of worn s







