LOGINThomas had a strong constitution to begin with, and with Uriah, Dr. Galen, and Giancarlo — three excellent doctors — looking after him, he recovered fast. Still, the scars couldn't be treated until the wounds themselves had closed. While he was still in the hospital, he'd found some excuse every time his dressings were changed to get Sharon out of the room.Once his wounds healed and the dressing changes stopped, it was time to start applying the scar-repair ointment Uriah had given her. At first, Thomas kept it from her entirely, sneaking off to apply it alone in his room. Since he'd left the hospital, the two of them had been sleeping in separate rooms — his excuse being that if they slept together, she might accidentally brush against his wounds. Sharon had already guessed the truth: he simply didn't want her to see the scars.But the burns covered his back too, and there was no way he could reach them alone. So one day, while he was in the middle of applying the ointment himsel
A month later, Thomas was discharged from the hospital. Instead of heading straight back to Marcentine, the two of them moved into the Ferrero estate. It was Sharon's first time seeing it in person.After all her years living with the Kalens, she'd assumed their house was about as big and extravagant as it got. But setting foot in the Ferrero estate, she finally understood what it meant to be the wealthiest family on earth. The floor tiles alone were cut from an exceptionally rare grade of sapphire— the kind so clear and flawless she'd only ever seen it once before, at an auction. Even the lowest-quality piece there had gone for something like half a million dollars. And that had just been a bracelet. Here, the Ferreros used it to tile the floor. Obscenely, inhumanly rich.Thomas noticed her staring at the floor and seemed to guess what she was thinking. "The family controls a good number of mines," he explained. "Stone like this is about the cheapest thing we own."He spent the n
"Whoever started it has no grounds to complain," Carmen said.Chris had nothing to say to that, too angry to bother.Carmen ignored him and turned to Thomas instead, whose dark eyes stayed calm and unreadable as ever, giving nothing away."You said that to Sharon on purpose earlier," Carmen said. "Was it because you don't want her seeing your injuries?"Chris couldn't help chiming in again. "Why not let her see? If Sharon actually saw those burns on your body, she'd probably fall even harder for you. Besides, if the scars don't fade, you'll have to wear long sleeves and pants every summer from now on, or you'll scare people half to death."Chris had seen photos of Thomas's scars before. They were, frankly, terrifying. However flawless and devastatingly handsome that face of his was, once the clothes came off, it would scare the life out of anyone."You really don't have an ounce of tact, do you?" Carmen said to Chris. "No wonder you're still single. Thomas just doesn't want Sharo
Sharon froze, her hand stilling without her meaning it to.Thomas looked at her. "Sharon, I'm still a patient, you know."She didn't quite catch his meaning. "Are you still in pain somewhere?""Even if you wanted to do something," he said, "as weak as I am right now, all I could do is watch."The meaning landed a beat later, and heat rushed to her cheeks. "I only wanted to check on your burns. I wasn't trying to do anything.""Oh?" His expression turned knowing. "So you just wanted to look at my body?"Sharon had nothing to say to that.It was such an ordinary exchange — how did it always turn suggestive the second it came out of his mouth?"You've got the wrong idea," she said. "That's not what I meant.""What did you mean, then?" He arched a brow. "Sharon, I don't think I said anything at all."Just then, someone knocked lightly on the door. Sharon called out for them to come in, and two figures stepped inside — one man, one woman. She looked closer: Chris and Carmen.Wasn
"No one pours that much of themselves into something worthless," Giancarlo said. "A man like Thomas is nearly impossible to actually win over. Being kind to him, or liking him, isn't enough on its own to move him. If it were, Carmen would have had a real shot — she's known him for years and understands him better than almost anyone."While treating Thomas, Giancarlo had learned a fair amount about his history with Sharon."If you want to be good to him," Giancarlo went on, "it has to land exactly where it matters to him. Otherwise, ten things you do for him won't add up to one thing someone else does right." He paused awhile, choosing his words. "It's easy to say, hard to actually manage — understanding him and sticking around isn't enough by itself."He thought for a moment longer. "Let's just say Sharon happens to be exactly his type. And I don't mean looks — you follow me?"Marina made a face. "You're saying Sharon's just his type, plain and simple. The moment he met her, of c
Marina would admit, if only to herself, that she'd been more than a little biased toward Thomas while she said all that — not exactly fair and objective. Even if Thomas wanted to win Sharon back, Sharon still had every right to refuse him. Tricking her into marriage outright hadn't exactly been decent of him. Of course, Marina would never say any of that out loud — she'd been an accomplice in it, after all. And keeping Sharon dazed and confused for so long, only to pin the blame on Jamie in the end, had been a fairly vicious move too.Still, what goes around comes around. Thomas had schemed against Jamie, and this time around, saving him had nearly cost Thomas his own life. Clearly it paid to do a little less scheming when things were going well.With that, Marina rose to her feet. She'd said about everything she meant to say."Get some rest, Sharon," she said. "Call me if you need anything."…More than ten hours later, the plane finally touched down in Leistre. Sharon rushed s
"Whether Sharon succeeds or fails, it should be with her own money. Only then can she act as she pleases—follow her instincts, make her own choices, and bear the consequences without guilt."If she were using borrowed money, she'd be plagued by worry—afraid of losing, afraid of not being able to re
Still, it was understandable—some matters inevitably touched on trade secrets.Setting the company history aside, Sharon began reviewing Kalen Group's current operations and investments.Just then, a soft knock sounded at the door.When she opened it, she found Richard standing outside.Though S
A resounding slap echoed through the room.No one even saw Thomas put any real force into it, but Silas was sent stumbling, collapsing in an undignified heap at Sharon's feet.Thomas feigned surprise, his voice a lazy drawl. "Silas, weren't you just about to teach her a lesson? What's with the sud
Sharon had thought Miles might have repented, might want to do things properly. She hadn't expected him to be so shameless.Miles glanced at her and noticed a flush creeping up her cheek. The smile he'd been forcing fell away; the drug was taking hold. He dropped the pretense altogether and grinned







