LOGINBella’s POVSitting in this restaurant with Alex reminds me so much of Leo—when he took me to a fancy restaurant to propose to me. I was shocked at how he got so much money for us to be there and for all the money he spent on what he got us. But when I asked him about it, he lied to me. He said it was his friend who owned the restaurant and had told him to order anything he wanted since he wanted to propose to his woman. I can’t believe he’d see me as a gold digger. That’s why he never told me the truth.Tears circled my eyes as I thought about it. I held them back from dropping—not in front of Alex. The truth is that I really miss him. But Alex’s eyes were fixed on me, as if he could see right through me. Concern was etched on his face. He held my hand, and I felt the touch of Leo. I think I’m going crazy because of Leo.“Are you okay, Pearl?” he asked.That name—it had been so long since he’d ever called me that. When he started calling me Pearl, I thought he had feelings for me, ju
Bella’s POVI was scrolling through my phone. I wanted a job so badly. All the jobs I had applied for hadn’t invited me for an interview. It was like I was never meant to work for anyone. I sighed heavily, but then Alex’s message popped up on my phone. I opened it and read:“Bella, I will come pick you up for a date.”A date with him. I shrugged while still lying down on the bed. Why now? I had always had a crush on Alex since we were young. I waited for the day he could see me the same way I saw him, but he never did. Just today, I had no feelings for him, yet here he was asking me on a date. I just hoped he wasn’t in love with me and wasn’t going to confess his love to me. I imagined that, but then my heart reminded me that Alex would never fall for me. There was no way. I was just imagining things. I just had to go; it was just a date.I stood up from the bed and walked to my wardrobe. I looked for something simple and slipped it on. After that, I stood in front of the mirror, star
Leo’s POVI just didn’t know where I would find Bella. She left no trace for me to follow. Her number hadn’t been going through, and it was hard to believe that she probably didn’t want me anymore. As I sat on the couch in my office, I was thinking about what to do to win Bella back, but there was nothing I could do. I had tried everything I knew, yet winning her back felt like searching through the ocean. I no longer had a personal assistant, and I had no plans of getting one. As I dove deeper into my thoughts about how much I wanted to be in the picture with the woman I loved—who didn’t want me back simply because of something I didn’t do, something she thought I did—the door slammed open. It was my mom. I sighed heavily at the sight of her. I didn’t want to see her. What was she doing here? She probably showed up just to get me to go on that date with Nova, which I didn’t want. Ever since I took over Novacrest, I had declined all my mother’s requests to date Nova and to come over f
Bella’s POVHe lied to me all this time. I had always thought he had nothing. As yesterday kept replaying in my mind, I covered my mouth with my hand. I couldn’t believe I had acted that way. I was the first one to lure him into a kiss. I pretended I didn’t want him, but I seriously wanted him. My body always ached for him.“I love you so much, Leo, and I can’t do without you.”I couldn’t believe I had said all of that to him—the man I didn’t want to forgive for cheating on me. I didn’t think I would ever forgive him for lying about his background, pretending he was poor when he wasn’t.I desperately needed that job, but no matter how much I wanted it, I couldn’t go back there—not when Leo was my boss and the owner of the house.The Vanguard I had been wanting to see all this time turned out to be Leo.And I just didn’t like the way my body always betrayed me whenever I was with him. I tried to control myself whenever he touched me, but even when I tried, it was so hard.“Bella, come
Leo’s POVI couldn’t stop smiling after remembering what happened between Bella and me last night. My plan to get Bella closer to me had really worked. I thought to myself, I shouldn’t get too excited yet, but I couldn’t help it because in my mind, we had already made up.She was sleeping soundly when I left the room to attend to something urgent at the office. I couldn’t hold back the grin on my face as I drove back home. My mind kept replaying everything that had happened between us last night.The way she looked at me… the way she melted in my arms… it was something I would never forget. Even though I was tipsy that night, it didn’t stop me from feeling like she was my woman.I just wished she would still be there when I got back home.The thought of waking up beside her again made my heart beat faster. For so long, Bella had been running away from me, building walls between us, acting like she didn’t feel anything for me and didn’t want to have anything to do with me anymore. But
Bella’s POVWhen I opened my eyes, sunlight pouring through the window blinded me. I bolted upright in bed, shocked to discover I had no clothes on. The duvet was my only cover, and Leo was gone. I had to get out of here before he returned. I couldn’t believe myself—how one single touch from him had made me lose control completely and utterly.I swore to myself that I would never come back here, never return to him. I couldn’t hold back whenever I was near him. I didn’t understand what hold he had over me, this crazy, overwhelming love that consumed me. My mind raced in confusion.I quietly gathered my clothes from the couch where they had been carefully folded, I quickly slipped them on and tiptoed toward the door. I prayed he wouldn’t notice my departure as I slipped into the hallway. My gaze landed on the burly security men stationed at the entrance. How was I supposed to convince these guards to let me leave without Leo finding out?The memory of how quickly I’d surrendered to him







