SARAHI wasn't sure if my heart was still beating. I stared into his golden eyes, then took in every inch of his perfectly carved face. My eyes roamed lower toward that strong body wrapped in a black tuxedo. I barely resisted biting my lip. This man was the very definition of hot, and he was way too close for me not to melt. My hormones were in charge of shutting down the brain and all my fears. I wanted him. Some primal force exploded within me and slowly scratched its way out to the surface, pulling all my desires and needs along with it. I could imagine myself peeling him off this tux, ripping off his shift with my teeth, pulling down his boxer briefs, and freeing his co—"Mommy, you remember Alex, don't you?" Dumbfounded, I snapped my gaze at my son."Y-yes… of course," I muttered as heat washed over my face. I cleared my throat and bravely turned to the smirking sex-god before me. "Hello, Mr. Ravenford."He stepped closer, easily chasing away the oxygen from my lungs. "I thought
ALEX My eyes were locked on the woman standing on the stage, and I felt blown away. I rarely had that feeling, but it occurred the moment her chest rose with a deep breath and she began to speak. I was stunned by the way she exposed herself as if she had nothing to hide. She talked about her past effortlessly, even though I could feel the weight of her words expressed in the brief tensing of her jaw and creasing of her forehead. Funny… I asked for a detailed report about her, but I felt that she had just given me more information than my specialists could gather. Then my mind drifted to everything that had happened before her speech, and restlessness built inside me. It was something I couldn't fathom. I had imagined our confrontation many times. I had imagined she might be confused, uncomfortable, perhaps scared, but not angry. What I saw in her eyes then in the corridor was far from what I had expected. She seemed… hurt. Why the fuck would she be hurt when she was the one who asked
SARAH"I think I need a drink," I told Joy in between sucking shallow breaths."You are drinking." She smirked, pointing at the glass of wine I held in my hand."Oh." I stared at it for a second before shifting my gaze back to Joy. "Then it's not working.""You need to calm down," she said, studying my most likely pale face.I shook my head. "I don't think that's possible." I was in that state since Eleonor invited me and my son to their Sunday family dinner, and I couldn't recover even after Joy and I returned to Park Avenue and put Liam to bed.Joy sighed. "Finish your wine, and I'll get you something stronger."It was all too much, and I couldn't even point out the most disturbing, confusing, or terrifying moment of that evening. It had happened too fast. First, there was Eleonor, who treated me and Liam as if we had known each other for years. Then my heart stopped when she told Liam to call her Granny. GRANNY! I barely stopped myself before exploding into hysterical laughter. The
ALEXI was looking at Sarah, hearing nothing aside from the wild pounding of my heart. Her words spun inside my head. She had mentioned a brief relationship, parting ways, and that he—the father of the child—hadn't known about the pregnancy. Well, HE had just learned about it right at that moment because I was ninety-nine percent sure that I was the one.The reason poking at my hectic mind told me to take a deep breath and analyze different possibilities. She might have had different partners. She might have been sleeping around with other guys. I could have been fooled by the innocence surrounding her that night. My gut told me otherwise. I glanced at Liam and his round hazel eyes; they were just like mine. His hair looked like mine. It couldn't be just a coincidence.I saw her eyes widen in reaction to whatever she read from my expression, as if she were afraid that I had found out. Why? As far as I knew, she had no other man in her life. Didn't she want a father for her son? Would
SARAH"Mommy, are you mad at me?" Liam's voice pulled me to a halt. I looked at him. His eyes turned into those of Shrek's cat. "I'm sorry I ran..."I sighed. "No, sweetie. I'm not mad at you." I forced myself to smile as I stroked his hair. "Just... don't run around anymore, OK?" When he nodded, I grabbed his hand and started walking toward the swimming pool where we left Eleonor."I don't like her," he suddenly said, frowning.My lips twitched upward. I knew who Liam meant, but I still asked, "Who?""Jeanette. I don't like her. I think she was hurting Alex."I bit my lip, trying to stifle a laugh. Finally, I failed, and my snort still broke through. "She… wasn't trying to hurt him," I choked out."He looked like he was in pain," Liam argued.Dread washed over me as I thought of what my son could have seen. I could only imagine... No. I didn't want to imagine what they were doing! And... too late. I sealed my lips and drew a breath through my nose. "Jeanette wasn't hurting Alex," I r
ALEXI was supposed to focus on our newest project, but after staring blankly at the documents for an hour, I decided to call Grayson. We met for lunch outside the office. I never willingly ate outside the office, but this time I felt like I had to leave.I owned a restaurant not so far from the Ravenford Corporation Building. As the owner, I had a private room prepared whenever I decided to eat there. I rarely used that privilege, which made the staff almost surprised when I showed up for lunch."Why do I feel like a piece of shit?" I looked at Grayson as I took a sip of my espresso.I told him everything that happened during the Sunday dinner and afterward, hoping that he would help me process it. He leaned forward, his mouth twisting into a wry smile. "Are you sure that you can trust Elmer?"I inhaled sharply. "Throughout the years, he has never been disloyal.""To whom?" He locked his eyes on mine."To our family," I replied, and he raised one brow."Being loyal to the Ravenfords
SARAHAfter flooding the elegant bathtub in the Ravenfords' residence with my tears, I fell into a short and highly insufficient sleep. Once I woke up, I did everything I could to get Liam and myself out of that mansion as soon as possible. The last thing I wanted was to meet Alex on my way out, so I figured that sneaking out at six in the morning would be the easiest way to avoid him.When we returned, Liam stayed with Joy while I spent most of the day drawing drafts in the museum. I felt fine until it was late in the evening, and I got back to our apartment. Then I fell apart, threw myself in Joy's arms, and spent long hours crying and drinking…The next day, I suffered from heartache and a killer hangover at the same time. The night before, I had dumbly assumed that literally drowning my sorrows would help. It didn't, so I had to heal myself the old-fashioned way—throwing myself into work. Since I was ahead of schedule with the museum drafts and Alex generously accepted the designs
ALEX"What the hell was that?" Jeanette hissed, crossing her hands over her chest.My jaw clenched. "What was what?""Sarah Hill and you." She pointed at the door, seething. "What is going on between you two?"I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. The least she deserved was honesty. "The truth is... I met Sarah five years ago. We had a brief encounter that ended with a misunderstanding. I wanted to clear out this misunderstanding."Her eyes widened as she studied me in silence for a few seconds. "Are you trying to tell me that you fucked her?"I breathed out a curse. "I'm trying to tell you that there was something between us. I also wanted to remind you that our arrangement doesn't require me to confess all my past deeds, but I decided that it would be better if you knew.""I don't give a fuck about your past!" she spat, placing her hands on her hips. "I want to know if you are screwing her behind my back!"Irritation burst within me. "You are forgetting yourself, Jeanette."Sh