LOGIN“You held it down in front of my family. Everyone loves you—the ones who matter at least. Nona wouldn’t stop talking about you. You really know how to charm people.”I smiled. I had planned this for years. Of course, I knew exactly what to do to charm his grandparents. It was the easiest way to get him to ask me to marry him. The inheritance clause was a bonus.“I am so glad they liked me. I was so nervous. I had to pull so many strings to get those gifts for them. It was the only way I knew how to break the ice.” I said. “Thank you for telling me the things they wanted the most.”“Nona and grandpa normally don’t like material gifts, but you managed to make the gifts sentimental.”He was happy, and so was I. We were debating in whose house we would spend the night when Seth’s phone started ringing. When he saw that it was Asher calling, he turned it off.But it just kept ringing.“I think you should pick up the call,” I said. “It could be an emergency.”He picked up his phone and angr
Seth and I headed to his grandparents’ house. He had slept at my house the previous day, which made it easier for us to take his car to go for dinner. He mentioned it was a big deal and many relatives were going to be there, so I had to dress glamorously as everyone would.They treated dinners like a black and tie event.I wore a short, soft pink satin dress, silver stilettos, and I put my hair in a high bun and wore light strawberry makeup. I put on diamond stud earrings, wore a tennis bracelet, and necklace, and carried a pink Kelly Hermes bag.I wanted to fit in with his family.When Seth and I arrived, there were a lot of cars parked up front. The dinner was in a Victorian mansion that looked more like a castle than a house. It had like fifteen bedrooms and four bathrooms.The property had a ranch, a small lake, and a forest.It was huge, and there weren’t neighbors nearby, and there were bodyguards everywhere. I guess many people wanted to harm the Ashford matriarch and patriarch
I laughed nervously, knowing I had to cover up the situation in the best way possible. I started to laugh nervously.“Unfortunately, I thought you studied at Princeton, so now you don’t meet my standards.”Seth laughed along with me, but I could tell he knew something was wrong. I had just freaked out, and he was wondering why. I didn’t even know how to explain the situation myself, let alone tell it to someone else.I chose to push those thoughts aside and concentrate on the happy moments.“So, are you going to come and meet my grandparents this Sunday?” He asked.“Of course. It would be an honor to meet family that means a lot to you.”Seth and I had dinner, and some wine after. He took me home when I told him I wasn’t feeling well. When he told me he wanted to come up to my penthouse with me so he could take care of me, I told him I wanted to be alone.I called Jesse on my way to my penthouse. That bastard lied to me, and I needed an explanation. When I finally reached my penthouse
The fun I had with Seth was unmatched. We went on trips on the weekends, I spent more time with his shitty friends, and I met his best friend, who was in the mafia. I got the sense that he didn’t like me.But I didn’t care. I was not there to please him. I was there to please Seth, and it was working. He wanted to be with me every free second he had, and he was even spending days on end at my penthouse.I even had space for his clothes in my closet.I thought I would hate it and think he was clingy, but I didn’t. I loved it. It also kept Jesse away. He didn’t pop around as often, mainly because he was busy with Elizabeth. But the main reason he didn’t come by was that he was afraid he would come and see Seth.They would have to meet eventually because Seth was hinting at meeting his grandparents soon. He would want to meet my family afterwards, and the only family I had was my brother.Work was going well, and Mark was about to retire. It was obvious he was leaving the company with me
After the sentimental things Seth and I had shared, he and I sat at the front of the yacht. We were near the captain, with our legs hanging off. I was barefoot and so was he, and my head was on his shoulder.I was holding on to him for dear life as we watched the moon. I felt safer and more comfortable around him than I had ever felt before.The reflection of the moon and stars on the water was amazing. It was truly a sight for sore eyes. Maybe it was the alcohol or something else, because my whole body was buzzing and I felt an immense sense of happiness.It was the happiest I had been since I lost my parents and later, my grandparents. Grief was a disease, and it swallowed us all alive and spit us out as very different people who were bitter with life and hungry for nothing but revenge.“I’m happy with you, Ivy,” Seth said.“I’m happy with you as well,” I replied.He grabbed the back of my head and kissed me passionately. I kissed him back eagerly and smiled into his mouth.He stood
“I need to get married before the year ends, or the entire inheritance goes to Lucy and her children. It needs to be someone whom my grandparents have approved. I took too long to take Celeste to meet them because I knew they wouldn’t like her.”“And I was right. They met her and hated her. I was going to marry her and strike a deal with my father’s lawyers to make sure they gave me a pass. I wasn’t sure they would accept. They were very loyal to my father.”I felt bad because of all the information I had been given. It was both disheartening and sad.“Seth Ashford, are you asking me to marry you?” I asked jokingly to lighten the mood.He managed to laugh at the situation even though I was sure he felt terrible.“I am sorry this happened to you. Nothing is more frustrating than someone wanting something you have worked hard for years.” I replied.“I suspect Lucy killed my father. He died from a heart attack when he had previously been very healthy. I know she did something to him, but
“There is no one named Ivy Vale. She is using a fake name. That person started existing only four years ago. Your girl is lying to you. She is after something from you.” Marco told me.I called him to get rid of Celeste’s corpse because I knew he would die protecting my secrets.He was the head of
I had a gun in my purse. It was a good thing I hadn’t let go of it until we reached Seth’s room. Otherwise, we would have been in danger. I shot Celeste in the chest. Seth had blocked me from her view, and it gave the perfect opportunity to grab it.She dropped down as she held on to the wound.I h
Seth pulled out of me and pulled my panties back in place. He also pulled my dress down and helped me zip the front of my dress. He was a gentleman even after sex. Most men didn’t even care if you got dressed or not.They left you to fend for yourself. But not Seth. Every day, I found something abo
Seth pulled me to the dancefloor. We moved our bodies together, and I closed my eyes to savor the feeling. If you had told me that Seth was laidback enough that he danced, I would have called you crazy.We danced to slow music, enjoying one another’s company. I didn’t even know the song that was pl







