LOGINThis was only the second time in my life I'd ever seen Marcus Winslow genuinely scared.The first time had been over twenty- two years ago, when he barged into our house in search of my aunty.The second...Was today.Unlike Thorne Automotive Group, a company that had existed for centuries, Winslow Engineering was what people called Nouveau Riche.They had money.Plenty of it.But they didn't have history.They didn't have influence that had been built over generations.Marcus's father, Andrew Winslow, had come from a long line of loan sharks, thugs and small-time criminals.Andrew was no different.But unlike his ancestors who took pride in their line of work, Andrew had a different vision.He married into a struggling engineering family that manufactured and sold vehicle parts overseas.When they decided to expand into the United States, they ran into two major problems.Money and citizenship.Opening a manufacturing business in county required both capital and citizenship, neither
Then my father's voice filled the room through the speaker. "I promise you, Marcus. This is some kind of misunderstanding. We'll fix this." Marcus's recorded voice remained calm. "And how exactly are you going to fix this?" A pause. "My daughter is heartbroken. Shattered." Another pause. "We all thought she'd be marrying your son in a few weeks." His voice hardened. "But what is this?" "Our entire extended family already knows about the engagement." "They've all been waiting for this wedding." Silence. Then my father's voice came again. "Marcus... the wedding will still happen." Another voice entered the recording. Mine. "Yes." I remembered that night. Standing in Dad's study, still trying to understand how my life had fallen apart in a single day. The recording continued. "I don't understand how this mistake happened." I swallowed. Every word sounded worse hearing it now. "But I'll find her." A pause. "And I'll annul the marriage."
I walked away, immediately regretting what I'd said. Regretting letting my emotions speak before my head. I knew I was being petty. Maybe she was right. Maybe I had forgotten who I was. Forgotten the responsibilities waiting for me outside those gates. I walked towards the car. "Sir." Matt straightened the moment he saw me. I stopped in front of him. "How long have you been working for John?" "About a month now, sir." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "The next time I have to come looking for Genesis because neither of you answers your phones..." I looked him straight in the eye. "...you'll be sorry." "I'm sorry, sir." I was about to get into the car when I remembered something. "Did anything happen today?" Matt hesitated. "...There was a woman at the mall." Every muscle in my body stiffened. "What woman?" "She recognised Mrs Thorne and started filming her." My jaw clenched. "What happened?" "I intervened." He swallowed. "We made her
I poured another cup of warm water over August's head and tried to focus on washing the sand out of his hair.Warm water trickled down his temples before dripping onto the towel spread across his shoulders.I really tried.But it was difficult.His eyebrows.The curve of his nose.His lips.Everything about him seemed unfairly perfect.Sadie and Katie had turned his hair into a complete bird's nest.Flowers.Leaves.Grass.Twigs.Even glitter somehow.They had insisted we wash it before he left.Surprisingly...August hadn't complained once.He seemed like a completely different person whenever he was around the children.He suddenly looked up at me.Our eyes met.I smiled."Close your eyes."He grinned."Why? Getting lost in them?"I rolled my eyes."If you want soap in them instead, be my guest."He chuckled before finally closing them.His lashes fluttered shut, and a tiny drop of water rolled slowly down his cheek.I worked the shampoo through his hair."Genesis.""Hmm?""Are you
I must have driven through every stop sign and broken at least ten traffic laws before I reached the orphanage. The gate stood wide open. My heart hammered as I stepped out of the car. I hurried inside- Then stopped. Genesis was lying in the middle of the field, eyes closed while two little girls braided flowers into her hair. The afternoon sun filtered through the trees, scattering patches of light across the grass. Not far away, Matt-her supposed bodyguard was sitting cross-legged on the grass, completely absorbed in a toy gun battle with two little boys. I let out a long breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding. She was okay. My shoulders sagged with relief. Matt spotted me first. "Sir!" He hurried over, fixing his clothes and disheveled hair. I waved him off, then whispered between gritted teeth. "Pick your phone the next time." He nodded before rushing outside. The boys looked up curiously. The twins, however, abandoned Genesis immediately and r
The recruitment team called to let me know they had concluded the interviews and were in the final stage of selecting a new director for the orphanage.I frowned.Genesis hadn't reached out.I picked up my phone and called her.No answer.I lowered the phone and stared at the screen for a second before calling again.I tried Matt, the security detail assigned to her.His phone rang.Then went unanswered too.A knot tightened in my stomach.Something wasn't right."Mr Thorne?"I looked up.The interior designer was waiting for my attention, several material samples spread across the conference table."We're moving on to the final interior selections."She pointed at the sketches."Our artists came up with these concepts to match the aesthetic direction you're going for."I stared at the drawings without really seeing them.My thumb kept tapping against the edge of my phone on the table."Oh... right."I rubbed my forehead."They already align with the exterior design."She smiled."So
“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







