IN LOVE WITH MY FATHER'S BILLIONAIRE BEST FRIEND

SCARLETT“Hey, Collins, what are you doing here?”The sound of my father’s voice was like a thunderclap in the quiet room, shaking me to my core. My heart stopped for a second before hammering furiously in my chest. I pressed my back harder against the wall, hoping I could somehow melt into it and disappear.Zayden, standing a few feet from me, looked equally shaken. His face paled as he turned toward the door, forcing a tight smile that didn’t reach his eyes.“I just came by because I heard you were here, so I wanted to see you about something,” Zayden said casually, though his voice had a slight tremble.“Oh, really?” My dad’s voice was calm, too calm, and that scared me more than if he had been yelling.I bit my lip, my breath shallow as I stood frozen behind the wall. If my dad found me here, everything would be over. He would explode, and Zayden would be in serious trouble.My father had always been overprotective—okay, maybe that was an understatement. He had a history of losing

SCARLETTAfter a long, silent car ride, we finally arrived at Zayden’s house. The mansion loomed before us, even more magnificent than I remembered. It had been years since I’d last visited. Zayden had always been the one coming to our house, never the other way around.The mansion was enormous, with tall iron gates, marble steps, and glass windows that sparkled under the moonlight. It screamed wealth and power. A maid greeted us at the door, bowing respectfully.“This is where you’ll be staying,” Zayden said curtly, already stepping away. His tone was cold, distant, as if he wanted nothing to do with me.But I wasn’t about to let him slip away that easily. Without thinking, I grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hug from behind. His entire body tensed, and I felt his muscles go rigid beneath my touch.“What are you doing?” he whispered, his voice sharp.“Thank you… for bringing me here,” I whispered back, holding him tighter.He pulled away abruptly, turning to face me, his eyes da

SCARLETT “What were you trying to say?” I asked Zayden, my voice barely steady as I searched his eyes. I needed to know—I needed to hear it from him. My heart pounded so hard I could barely breathe, anticipation and fear coiling in my chest.But just like that, the flicker of vulnerability I thought I saw in him vanished. His expression shifted, his features hardening like stone, as if he had just remembered something—something that forced him to shut down. His jaw tightened, and when he finally spoke, his words sliced through me like a blade.“That kiss… it was a mistake,” he said flatly, his voice devoid of any emotion.A mistake.The words echoed in my head, each syllable a sharp sting, cutting through my fragile hope. My breath hitched, my throat tightening as my mind raced to process what he had just said.A mistake?Anger bubbled inside me, raw and uncontrollable. How dare he? How dare he act like what happened between us meant nothing? I clenched my fists, nails digging into m

SCARLETT Zayden’s eyes locked onto mine, his gaze sharp with suspicion."What?" he asked, his deep voice cutting through the thick air between us.I tilted my head slightly, letting a smirk play on my lips. "Get ready, Father inlaw. We’re going out. There’s a pool party tonight, and you’re coming with us."His jaw tightened. "We?"I casually picked up my coffee cup, taking a slow sip before setting it back down. "Vincent and I. And some of our friends. We couldn't have our honeymoon so we want to have fun now. It’s going to be fun. You should learn to have fun, Zayden or do you prefer father-in-law?." I leaned forward slightly, lowering my voice.And I saw the anger in his face. "We're gonna have fun, or is that something you’ve forgotten how to do?"He exhaled sharply through his nose, gripping his fork a little too tightly. "I have more important things to do."I shrugged. "Are you sure about it? You should be having fun. But Vincent will be disappointed."Mentioning Vincent was a

ZAYDEN I shouldn’t be looking at her. I shouldn’t be feeling this way. But damn it, Scarlett had me wrapped around her little finger, and she knew it.She swam through the water like a siren, her body glistening under the pool lights, her curves barely concealed by that sinful excuse of a bikini. My fists clenched at my sides, nails digging into my palms as I tried to keep my composure. She was tormenting me—intentionally. She knew exactly what she was doing.I took a sip of my whiskey, trying to act unaffected, but my throat tightened when she surfaced right in front of me. Droplets of water clung to her skin, rolling down the slope of her breasts, disappearing between them. My gaze followed their path, heat pooling in my stomach.She smirked. “Are you just going to stand there, Father-in-law?” Her voice was a teasing whisper, laced with something dangerous. “Or are you going to join us?”My grip tightened around my glass, nearly shattering it. She was pushing me, testing my control