LOGINSAMANTHA'S POVShe left straight for the hospital after that disastrous conversation with Dr Rhys. She hadn't seen her sick mother in so long, nor had she seen her father.She wasn't comfortable going with Franklin, but she knew there were likely guards following her, so she would be fine.Her hands trembled on the wheel as she thought of a dozen excuses for why she hadn't come sooner, although none of them sounded like the truth. She hated lying, and she hated liars too.Jason had offered to bring her, just like he'd offered to do everything, but she'd refused. She needed this to be hers. It was hers anyway. Her mother, her family. Or at least what was left of it after her brother ran off to do God-knows-what. Probably gambling.The private Hale Medical Pavilion loomed ahead, its glass front glittering in the distance. Jason had paid for her mother's care here after moving her from the Beacon Hills General Hospital. He'd done it without asking, just like everything else he did. The
JASON'S POV Work was the last thing on his mind. It had been since the day he last touched Samantha and since then he couldn't get the thought of her out of his head.Every day he slipped further and further away from his original plan, to be the wealthiest man on the planet, a plan that Samantha had a very,very important part in.But that was in the not so distant past, and these days all he could think was, "Fuck the plan."His office was quiet except for the steady hum of the air conditioner and the faint tick of the clock on the wall. His utterly exhausted reflection in the glass stared back at him. He’d spent the last ten minutes replaying Samantha’s voice in his mind, the cutting tone, the nervous anxiety she’d tried to hide.Did you threaten them?He’d told her the truth, hadn’t he? Or something close enough to it. He made sure they understood her worth. It wasn’t his fault the world mistook protection for control.As far as he was concerned, his future wife was the best God
Samantha could hear the faint hum of the air conditioner, but also the secretary's stiletto heels clicking as she moved to stand by the filing cabinet; close enough to listen in on their conversation but far enough to pretend she wasn't."So," he said, folding his hands, "Jason sent you."The way he said Jason's name made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. She managed a polite smile. "He... mentioned that you might be looking for a research assistant."He gave a humourless chuckle. "Miss Torres, Horizon Research, we recruit our workers when they actually earn it, and not simply because they know someone." Behind him, the secretary let out a mocking noise, disguised poorly as a cough. Samantha's jaw tightened.She straightened in her seat. "I'm aware of that, sir. But I think my record speaks for itself.""Yes," he said slowly, turning a page in her portfolio. "Top of your class, excellent thesis, solid grasp of geology." His tone darkened as his eyes drifted to the empty spac
She pulled away first, her eyes clouded, mouth trembling with things she didn’t say. This wasn't the plan. It was never supposed to get this far, both of them being so uncontrollably angry at everything. He was supposed to be in control. He had always, always been in control, but the past few weeks had been hell, and now everything was going off track faster than he could hold it together.Jason watched her retreat to the window, to the telescope, away from him, and he felt a strange ache and emptiness, making him want to reach out and pull her back to him.He spotted the shards of broken glass she’d never cleaned up, from the perfume bottle she’d thrown at the wall hours ago. He saw the glitter of it under the lamplight, the faint smell of jasmine still clinging to the air. He realised that he had done that to her. He had pushed her that far.Samantha leaned toward the telescope again, adjusting the lens with slow, deliberate movements. "You don’t have to stand there if you don't w
She pulled away first, her eyes clouded, mouth trembling with things she didn’t say. This wasn't the plan. It was never supposed to get this far, both of them being so uncontrollably angry at everything. He was supposed to be in control. He had always, always been in control, but the past few weeks had been hell, and now everything was going off track faster than he could hold it together. Jason watched her retreat to the window, to the telescope, away from him, and he felt a strange ache and emptiness, making him want to reach out and pull her back to him. He spotted the shards of broken glass she’d never cleaned up, from the perfume bottle she’d thrown at the wall hours ago. He saw the glitter of it under the lamplight, the faint smell of jasmine still clinging to the air. He realised that he had done that to her. He had pushed her that far. Samantha leaned toward the telescope again, adjusting the lens with slow, deliberate movements. "You don’t have to stand there if you don
For a long moment, neither of them said a word. The room felt smaller than it had minutes ago, Jason stood by the doorway, his shoulders drawn, shadows stretching over him in the faint light. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes were the same dark storm that always pulled her under so she wouldn't think straight.Then she saw it. He hid something behind his back.She wasn't sure what it was, but it looked like a telescope. She craned her neck to see it better, and there it was. The thing looked sleek, matte black, shining faintly under his uninjured hand.He noticed where her eyes went and lifted it slightly. "It's a Celestron NexStar 8SE. I thought since there was no fire escape here, like you had at your former apartment, then you would need something to see the moon better with."Her throat tightened. "You… you remembered that?""I remember everything you say." His voice was low, deep. She didn't know what to think, she could barely believe it. That he was here, trying to







