LOGINAfter everything that had happened yesterday, I had no idea how people would react.And for once, I wasn't really prepared to find out.So, for the first time, when August suggested that maybe I shouldn't go to work, I agreed.Even he looked taken aback.He actually paused with his coffee halfway to his mouth.Esme nearly choked on her coffee."Seriously?"I shrugged."I mean, if I can work from home, that would be fine. I don't mind sitting this one out today.""Sure."August nodded."If I need you, I'll call you."I nodded.Esme suddenly brightened."So we can go to that Bullani pop-up event."Her eyes lit up like she had already planned the entire day in her head.August immediately cut her off."Of course not."She stared at him."You have to go to work, remember?""I don't really have to go. I can work from anywhere.""You can't actually."He stood up."There's no slacking. Let's go."Esme stared at him."So you're not even worried that Genesis is going to be here all alone while
As she lay in my arms in my bed that night, all I wanted to do was soak up all her pain and take it away so she didn't have to feel it anymore.There were other things I wanted to do too...Things that were possibly, like finding Richard, her so-called father, and make sure he regretted everything he had ever done to her.But Genesis had made me promise to leave it alone.Of course I wasn't but she didn't need to know, not yet.I looked around the room.I had lived in this house for over a year, but this was the first time I had ever slept in this room.The citrus scent of her shampoo filled my nose.She turned and looked up at me."Are you still awake?"Her voice was low, snapping me out of my thoughts."What are you thinking about?""Just thinking about..."I paused."How to obtain a time machine, so I could go back to when you were younger."She lowered her head.I lifted her chin with two fingers."To tell you that what happened wasn't your fault. And that you deserved better, you
“What the hell happened to you?”August's voice was the first thing I heard.I froze.Then I pulled my hood over my head and turned away from him.“It's nothing.”“Who did that to you?”He reached for me and turned me around.“August, it's nobody. I'm fine.”“You're not fine.”His voice was sharp.“Your face is swollen, and you're bleeding.”“It's just a little cut.”I was already nursing a headache. The last thing I wanted was to make the situation worse.“Genesis.”His voice softened.I covered my eyes with my palm, trying to stop the tears from falling.He stepped closer.“Whatever it is, you can tell me.”I said nothing.“I'm the last person who would judge you.”His hand gently touched my arm.“I care too much about you to be interested in judging you. Whatever happened, it wasn't your fault.”My throat tightened.“You have to trust me enough to tell me so I can help you.”And finally, I broke.“She was right.”August frowned.I pulled out of his embrace and turned away from him.
"It was a good thing Miss Esme stepped in as quickly as she did. Right now, we've contacted every reporter who was at the event and had them sign agreements preventing them from disclosing the incident."I massaged my forehead."What are they asking for in return?""Advert placements."I looked at her."We can give them as many as six weeks of advertisements on their channels.""Got it."She continued."The problem is that some guests might have taken out their phones. There were celebrities and influencers everywhere, we can't really control what they post." "Was anyone livestreaming?""I can't confirm that right now but we'll go through the guest list and try to stop anything from getting out, if it hasn't already.""Offer them ambassador deals if necessary."The publicist nodded."I'll handle it."She turned and left.The moment the door closed behind her, Esme looked at me."Have you gone to see Gen? I was with her earlier but had to come down and talk to the reporters.""Yeah."
"Why did you let this happen?"August's face was twisted with anger.I struggled to find the words."I'm sorry.""Sorry?"I stood and walked toward him, but he immediately stepped back."August, I'm sorry. Please.""What does sorry have to do with this?"His voice was sharp."You let me lie on national television.""I didn't ask you to.""I never told you that I didn't know my father."I stared at him."Oh, so now it's my fault?""I'm not saying it's your fault.""Then what are you saying?"I wiped at my tears."You never tell me anything. What did you expect me to think? You grew up in an orphanage. That was all I knew about you."He laughed bitterly."How was I supposed to know you knew your father? Much less that he was in prison because of you?"I closed my eyes."He didn't go to prison because of me.""Okay. And I'm supposed to know that, how?""He went to prison because he's a monster."I was making things worse.I knew I should have told him the truth after the interview.But t
"Genesis,""Sweetheart, I have been trying to find you since I got out."His voice made me shiver.As my father walked slowly toward me.He looked as ragged as usual.His hair had turned even grayer since the last time I had seen him.No one would believe he was barely in his mid forties.He reached me.I immediately stepped back.August moved in front of me."What is going on here?""Oh, I would be happy to explain." Violet answered.My father smiled.It was the kind of smile that made my stomach twist."After I saw the interview yesterday, and heard August say that you lost contact with your father when you were an infant."She looked at me."I thought that was unfair."My heart began pounding."How could someone lose their mother and still never meet their father?"She took a sip of her champagne.Then smiled."So I used every resource I had to track him down."My blood ran cold."And no, you don't need to thank me."Her smile widened."What are friends for?"I couldn't breathe."I
“So, Miss Michaelson, it says here you worked at Thorne Automotive Group as an executive assistant?”The interviewer glanced up at me, skepticism already written across her face.And at that moment I regretted putting it on my resume.I had wanted to leave that part of my life behind me. Completely
“I’m sorry, Mr. Thorne, but our records indicate that you are already legally married.”For a second, I thought I had misheard him.The officiant sat across from me, his fingers hovering uncertainly over his keyboard, his expression caught somewhere between discomfort and confusion, the later match
I had always been careful, so waking up naked beside my boss that morning, my boss who wasn’t even my type, felt like the beginning of a disaster I wouldn’t survive.After everything that followed, I convinced myself I could forget him. Forget Vegas. Forget that night ever happened.Now it was all
Then silence after I knocked stretched painfully long. Then, a second later, the door creaked open. I froze. There she was, Genesis Michaelson, the very woman I’d spent over twenty-four hours trying to find, while finding out things about her I never thought off. For a moment, neither of us spok







