LOGINAfter five years of ride-or-die love, Meredith Martinez got left at the altar—Alden Ashford bailed mid-ceremony to run after the girl who'd pulled the suicide card, like, 99 times. That was the moment it clicked: she was never gonna melt that ice block he called a heart. So she cut the cord. Ghosted the past. Moved on. What she didn't plan on? A wild, tipsy hookup with the one guy she should've never touched—her brother's sworn enemy, Hayden Harrington. At sunrise, she tried to sneak out. One ankle grab later, she was back in bed with his voice all low and dangerous against her skin, fingers brushing a bite mark on his neck. "Meredith, you hit it and quit it? Left this mark and just gonna dip?" *** Hayden Harrington was basically elite royalty—icy, ruthless, totally off-limits. What nobody knew? He'd been secretly obsessed with his rival's little sister for years. After that night? Dude snapped. Full-blown obsession mode. He even bought out an entire town just to keep her close. His shirt wide open, abs out, arms holding a tipsy Meredith. "Meredith," he breathed, voice low, "wanna touch? Feels really good." She blinked. Speechless. Where'd Mr. Ice King go? He smirked. "That guy's for show. You get the real me."
View MoreAlden stepped closer, voice raw. "Meredith... I finally found you."She looked up, calm. Eyes steady. Cold.He froze.She was still stunning. Still her. And if she so much as smiled, he might've convinced himself the last month was just one awful dream."Mr. Ashford," she said flatly. "What do you want?"Like a slap.She only ever called him that at work. Everywhere else, it was just 'Alden'—when she was teasing, pissed, laughing... real."I..." His throat locked up. He forced it down. "I've been looking for you..."He reached for her wrist without thinking.She stepped back, no hesitation. "Why? We broke up."He flinched. "I never agreed to that."She almost laughed. "Didn't ask for your permission."Still flat, she angled away. "If that's all, I've got work. Excuse me."Her coldness didn't hit like a slap.It dragged.Like a dull knife, scraping nerves raw.She turned to go. He grabbed her hand. "Can we just talk?"Meredith jerked away like he'd burned her.Somethin
Silence. Finally.Meredith leaned back, rubbed her temples.Her pulse had just started to settle when Luke's voice blasted from outside her office."Boss! Boss! You HAVE to come see who's here!"Ugh. Headache, back.Probably another walk-in. She shoved up from the chair, forced on a neutral face, and opened the door.Luke stepped aside, practically buzzing.And there he was.Alden.Thinner. Jaw set. Suit still sharp, but the collar peeked open over a buttoned-up shirt that didn't quite sit right.Meredith froze, grip tightening on the doorknob.Heat rushed in—fast, disorienting.Time stalled.Everything else dropped away.Except her heartbeat.Thump.Thump.Loud enough to drown out everything.Luke was still rambling. "Boss! It's Alden Ashford! My actual idol—"White noise.Meredith's nails dug into her palm. The sting snapped her out of it.'Don't panic. It's done. We're done.'She took a breath, shoved the chaos down, and turned—to Luke, not Alden. Voice steady.
"Meredith..." Sharon's voice had that fake-casual tone, awkward but trying. "Why'd you leave without a word? No heads-up, nothing. When are you coming back? I miss you..."Too many questions. Too fast. It reeked.For five years, Sharon barely tolerated her as Alden's girlfriend. Always polite, always picking. Never warm.Her not insulting Meredith? That had already felt like a blessing.A month ago, this call would've wrecked her.Now?Honestly, kind of funny."I'm good. Thanks for checking in," Meredith said, calm as ice. "If you've got something to say, say it."Sharon froze. That little pause? She wasn't ready. Even after lowering herself to this, Meredith still wasn't playing along.Sharon scrambled. Voice sharpened. "Alden's just... like that. Stubborn. Awful at feelings. You KNOW how he is. Why take it so personally?"And selling your apartment? Seriously? That was impulsive. You do realize what property costs in Borevia now, right?"If you ever come back, good luck fi
Grady never bought the act. Not from Rowena. Definitely not from Vicky.That crash? It was sketchy from day one."Meredith? That bitch's nothing next to me!" Vicky snapped. "I grew up with Alden! He'll figure it out—he'll know I'm the one!"Grady let out a cold laugh. "You mean the one who causes scenes? Or fakes a suicide attempt at his wedding?"Her lips trembled. "Y-You're making that up.""Am I?" His stare turned glacial. "Come on, Vicky. Alden only put up with you because of your mom. That patience? You burned through it."He stepped closer. "Meredith's gone. And he's done. Stop humiliating yourself."Each word landed like a slap.Vicky shook, finger aimed at him, mouth moving—nothing came out.What did he know anyway?She and Alden shared history. The same world. Meredith never understood him like she did."You're all brainwashed by that bitch! You'll regret this!" she shrieked, heels stabbing the floor as she stormed off.Grady watched her go, his brows tight.He gl












Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.