LOGINEveryone wants a piece of Lucien Vale, his money, his fame, his name. Ariana Cross wants nothing to do with him. She’s too busy fighting to survive: engineering classes by day, dead-end jobs by night, and a little sister whose next hospital bill could break them for good. Pride is the only thing her father didn’t steal when he walked out. But when a career-ending scandal rocks Lucien’s world, the ice-cold racing champion needs a miracle: a fake girlfriend who can fix his cars and his reputation. He offers Ariana everything: money, security, her sister’s future if she’ll play the part. She says no. Until one brutal night leaves her with no choice. What starts as a cold business deal explodes into a dangerous obsession. The closer Ariana gets to Lucien, the more she sees the broken man behind the legend: sleepless nights, buried rage, and a mother’s death that was never just an accident. Their lives were tangled long before they met. Now trapped in a web of lies, scorching chemistry, and secrets dark enough to destroy them both, Ariana discovers the deadliest truth of all….. Some collisions were never accidents.
View More~Ariana Cross ~The rest of the day dragged like a misfiring engine.After the meeting with the professors, I threw myself into classes, trying to ignore the whispers that followed me through the halls. Serena had apparently told half the Uni that I was “jealous and unprofessional.” By late afternoon, my head was throbbing and my patience was gone.I barely had time to check on Lena at the hospital before rushing to my night job at The Grid, a loud, smoky nightclub on the edge of the city that catered to racing fans and college kids. The pay was decent, and the tips kept the lights on. Tonight, I was on waitress duty, which meant a short black skirt, a tight top, and a fake smile that made my cheeks hurt.I was balancing three drinks on a tray when I felt that prickling sensation on the back of my neck. Someone watching. I scanned the crowded room, but nothing stood out. Just the usual mix of loud music, flashing lights, and drunk guys shouting engine specs like they actually knew wha
I was summoned to the Engineering Department office the very next Monday morning since the event happened on Friday.The email from Professor Lila had been short and formal: “Please report to the faculty conference room at 10:00 AM. Urgent matter regarding yesterday’s guest lecture.”My stomach twisted the entire walk across campus. I hadn’t slept much after getting Lena settled back at the hospital. Between worrying about my sister and replaying that moment in the auditorium, my nerves were already frayed.When I stepped into the conference room, three professors were waiting: Professor Lila, Professor Ramirez (head of the Automotive Program), and Dr. Singh, the dean of the faculty. Their expressions ranged from concerned to outright disappointed.“Sit down, Ariana,” Professor Lila said, gesturing to the chair across from them.I sat, back straight, hands clasped tightly in my lap.Professor Ramirez leaned forward first. “We’ve received several complaints about your conduct during ye
Part One……~Lucien Vale~I stared out the tinted window of my black SUV, jaw locked as the university auditorium came into view."I'm not doing this," I said, voice flat and final.Clara, my PR manager, turned in the front seat with forced patience. "Lucien, you don't have a choice. Three major sponsors pulled out this morning. Two more are on the verge. They're jumping ship to younger drivers who aren't being crucified as drug cheats on every channel."My manager, Vincent, leaned forward. "This event is perfect. University collaboration on performance tech makes you look approachable. Human. The media is already camped outside. If you skip it, the headline tomorrow will be 'Lucien Vale hides from scandal.'"My fingers tightened on my knee. The insomnia had left me raw, and the thought of performing for cameras and students made my skin crawl. But the pressure was mounting. My empire was cracking."Fine," I muttered coldly. "But I'm not pretending to enjoy it."The second I stepped ou
The Breaking Point~Ariana Cross~The sun was sinking low by the time Mia and I finally reached the old racetrack through the longer back route. The place looked like an abandoned graveyard : cracked asphalt overgrown with weeds, rusted bleachers, and an eerie silence that pressed down on my chest. This was the track Mom used to bring us to when we were kids. Where Lena used to laugh and dream about driving fast.“Ariana, please slow down,” Mia panted behind me. “You’re going to collapse before you even find her.”But I couldn’t slow down. Panic clawed at my throat with every step. Every second without Lena felt like another failure.We rounded the old pit lane, and there she was.Lena sat curled up on the cracked concrete barrier near the starting line, knees pulled tight to her chest. She looked so small. Her face was pale, streaked with dried tears, and her shoulders trembled from the aftermath of another brutal Lupus flare.“LENA!” I screamed, breaking into a desperate sprint.Her
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