My Southern Lover

CHAPTER 1BELLEThe scent of fresh cinnamon and spilled juice filled the apartment. It wasn’t glamorous, not even close—mismatched furniture, an annoyingly loud radiator, and windows that creaked with each change in the wind—but it was home.My home.Leo's laughter echoed from the kitchen as he chased after a foam dinosaur, the kind that puffed up with water and smelled vaguely toxic. I should probably get that disposed, I thoiught with concern.He still had his Spider-Man pajamas on, his hair a wild mess of golden curls, face sticky with jelly from the toast he'd partially eaten before skipping breakfast altogether."Leo!" I called out from the doorway of the bathroom, toothbrush clutched in my hand. "Your breakfast is still on the table."“I’m fighting the lava monster, Mommy!”“Eat fast, or the lava monster’s going to get hungry.”“No mommy!” he screamed, running around the room like something was actually chasing him.This boy. I grinned, spitting out the mouthful of toothpaste i

BELLEThe minute I stepped out of the SUV, my lungs seemed to stop working.The Thornwell Estate appeared exactly as I remembered it—grand, sprawling, old-money majestic—but slightly colder. The kind of place that never seemed to have known the warmth of laughter or of tears. Only refined antiques, fresh linens, and perfectly orchestrated stillness.I hadn’t seen it in four years.And still, I could feel the soil beneath the magnolia tree where Cassian first kissed me. The cobwebbed ends of the east hall where we'd steal snacks from the kitchen. The rear stairs where I'd spoken leavetaking into his neck before scrambling back into the maid's rooms.I knew every inch of this house.It no longer belonged to me in any way.Selenna whistled quietly alongside me, her stilettos clicking against the cobblestone pavement. "So this is where rich people come together and fuck.""Don't even begin," I muttered, adjusting my blouse for the fifth time. "Just act normal.""I am being normal. You're

“Excuse me?” I said in disbelief. I must have misheard him.“You didn't hear wrong, Belle,” he said, like he'd heard my thoughts. “I'm offering you a way out. A simple one really.”He took a step forward.“My mother is… well demanding I marry,” he continued. “And even though we don't really have a good past, you're not like the women she's thrusting on me.”I scoffed. “You mean I'm not rich and snobby.”“Exactly that,” he replied. The arrogant prick.“Now, the marriage will only last a year. No contact except, well, in the public,” he said, staring at me with those green eyes I've rubbed myself to countless of times.Fuck. Pull yourself together, Belle.“You'd move into my place and in the public, we'll be the couple of the year.” A sarcastic smile spread across his face. “Isn't that wonderful?”I didn't answer him. I just stood there looking at him and waiting for the second shoe to drop. He must think I'm desperate if he thinks I’d accept his ludicrous offer.I told him so.“You m

The agreement was six pages. Seven, if you include the part that had the non-disclosure agreement.The whole thing was laid out on the table and each and every detail— the terms of the marriage, the publicity appearances made, the money deal, the duration, and most importantly, the clause making it well and clearly understood this was a business partnership and not a reconciliation—was there.There would be no sex, no shared accounts, and no interference in any of our private lives. This whole thing would last only a year and after that, we’ll end it like nothing ever happened in the first place.My lawyer, Cyprus, read the contract terms as if he were reciting a play about courtrooms. I nodded occasionally, corrected some phrases here and there, tightened up the privacy terms, and requested a sentence stating that any emotional involvement would affect the legal terms of the contract.He broke off after that. "You want to legally have emotional boundaries?""I want it all on record,"

"You still sound off, man. Want to tell me why?" Devon's voice crackled on the line, clear even over the soft hum of the Thornwell estate's central air."I don't sound off," I said, pacing the length of the corridor opposite my office. My voice was level, taut. "I sound like someone who's just stuffed a live grenade into his own goddamn house."Devon laughed. "So, Belle's in?""Yeah,” I replied. “She moved in today. I had her sign the contract and even went as far as filling her wardrobe.” Devon laughed again and I ignored him. “The public story is up and running and investors shold start talking by now."There was a pause so long it felt like a silence. "That’s true. About investors…"Oh no! What now?“What’s the problem, Devon?” I asked stepping into my office and heading to my desk. “What has Savannah anaged to royally fuck up this time around?” Yes, I was blaming my mother becase if anyone had a hand in this whole thing, it’ll be her.I stopped in front of one of the high arched w