CEO's UNEXPECTED WIFE

Maddison’s POVThe empty chair in the fifth row seemed to stare at Maddison Carter from the moment she stepped onto the graduation stage. Even as the bright lights felt hot and hundreds of proud faces blurred in front of her, that one empty seat felt like an accusation. Tyler had promised to be there. Front and center. She could still hear his words from three weeks ago, just as if he had just said them. "I'll be the guy whistling so loud they'll kick me out."The university president talked on and on about the future, but Maddison barely heard him. She just kept staring at that empty spot where Tyler should be, the red seat untouched. Next to it Jenna sat, her best friend. Jenna's magenta dress was a splash of color, and she also had a glittering sign that said "Maddy Breaks Ceilings & Bridges!" But even with Jenna attending to show her support, she could not fill the gap Tyler's no-show left.This was not just about missing graduation, it was about all the other times he had not sho

Maddison’s POVThe voice was the same one from inside. It was deep and rich, with a calm power that broke right through her thoughts and even though she composed herself, a shock of worry went through her, she turned and saw the man in the dark suit coming from the doorway, as he stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight.He moved quietly and surely, his broad shoulders filling out the pricey suit well and his face, now that she saw it quite well in the light, serious and interesting. He possessed a rugged jaw, and dark gray eyes that seemed to scrutinize her, and this was both smart and somewhat daunting. He was the party guy, the one who talked about business transactions of a large magnitude while other people ordered coffee."I didn't mean to interrupt you," he said, and his eyes didn't leave hers. It was like he wasn't staring at her, but studying her, as if he was trying to see how much she could handle. "Some things, regretfully, must be done in haste. I was in the build

Maddison's POVThe door clicked shut. Outside in the deserted corridor, the sound was loud. So absolute, as if she were in prison, and for a very long time, Maddison was rooted to the spot. The soft yellow light above her seemed to get darker, then the walls felt like they were closing in on her and she couldn't breathe. The only thing she could hear was a deafening scream stuck in her head, the sight of Brooke smiling while kissing Tyler continually replaying in her mind, and it hurt to see.Then, a coldness swept over her, like she had been dipped into freezing water; it started in her stomach and then spread. It made her arms and legs heavy and weak, and her fingers, still tightly clenched around her diploma, numbed. She looked down at the rolled paper as though it were someone else's, and the red ribbon, which had felt like verification of achievement, just felt like blood on white paper now. Valedictorian; the word now a joke. She reasoned, 'What is the value of a perfect plan if

Maddison's POV Far away, in the quiet, leather-scented black car, Grant Harrison looked over the last business statistics on his tablet, and the statistics were good but his mind was elsewhere. They were back on a face from earlier that day, a flame-smart face of devotion, he had seen marvelous things in Maddison Carter, a hidden deep strength most people lacked. He had offered her an offer, and she turned it down, the reaction was dismal but not a defeat because Grant Harrison never conceded defeat."There is a crash ahead, sir. It seems like the traffic has come to a halt," declared his driver, Charles, speaking clear and composed.Grant looked away from his tablet, his eyes focusing on what was in front of him; strobes off of a police car who had pulled up just lit the wet road with moments of red and blue, then he noticed the crowd of people, the overturned bike, and something small and white on the ground.“Pull over, Charles," Grant spoke fast and firm. Something was wrong. He

Maddison’s POV Those were the last words she spoke, cruel and vengeful screams plucked from her belly, directed at Tyler, at all of the months of believing, but now she lashed those words at the man who was before her.And they hit him hard.There was a minor change in Grant Harrison; nothing anyone but Maddison, whose entire universe now was packed into this hospital room, could feel it as deeply as one would feel an earthquake. The pale mask of being patient all of a sudden disappeared and he sat up straighter, shoulders squared, and the easy creases around his eyes hardened and became sharp. The air within the room became cold, charged with something stronger, and then Grant drew his hand back slowly, and put the business card on the nightstand next to her bed with a gentle click.His voice, when he did speak once more, had shed the original gentleness; it was even and firm. "You are upset because you are hurt, and I can understand that but you are letting one failure dictate the