All Chapters of Lust & Love: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

A heavy, blinding snowstorm had completely blanketed Manhattan, turning the sprawling city below into a quiet, frozen sea of white.Inside Penthouse 42, however, the climate was set to a perfect, immaculate warmth.Hazel sat directly in the center of the massive king-sized bed, her back propped up against a mountain of plush silk pillows. She let out a long, heavy, incredibly frustrated sigh, tossing her book onto the mattress beside her.It had been exactly one month since the violent crunch of metal had sent her small sedan spinning through the wet intersection.Her physical injuries had been remarkably minor—a concussion that faded after a week, a stiff neck, and a collection of dark, ugly bruises along her ribs and collarbones that had finally faded into faint, yellowish shadows. According to her doctor, she was completely healed. She had been cleared to resume her normal daily activities over a week ago.But Xavier Sterling absolutely refused to believe it.For the past thirty da

The temperature inside the Vanguard Holdings executive boardroom was carefully regulated to a mild sixty-eight degrees, but the five senior vice presidents sitting across the polished mahogany table were visibly sweating.Xavier Sterling sat at the head of the long table, leaning back in his heavy leather chair. He wore a sharp, custom-tailored charcoal suit, his broad shoulders completely relaxed, his face an impenetrable mask of absolute corporate boredom. He tapped his silver pen once against the glass surface of the table. The sharp click echoed loudly in the tense silence of the room."I am not interested in a five percent margin of error," Xavier stated smoothly, his icy blue eyes pinning the sweating Head of Acquisitions to his chair. "I pay you to eliminate errors, Marcus. If the European logistics team cannot guarantee the supply chain route by Q2, fire the director and find someone who can.""Yes, Mr. Sterling," Marcus swallowed hard, hastily shuffling his spreadsheets. "I'l

The marketing floor of Vanguard Holdings was a chaotic, high-energy hive of ringing phones and clicking keyboards, but to Hazel, the entire room felt like it was spinning on a slow, nauseating axis.It was her second official week back at the office since recovering from the car accident. Xavier had finally, reluctantly allowed her to return to her desk, though he still had his private security team monitor her movements and insisted on driving her in the Maybach every morning.Hazel sat in her ergonomic chair, staring blankly at the glowing spreadsheet on her dual monitors. The numbers were entirely blurring together. A cold, clammy sweat had broken out across the back of her neck.She swallowed hard, pressing the heel of her hand against her stomach.Ever since she woke up this morning, a thick, heavy wave of nausea had been rolling through her digestive tract. She had tried to drink a cup of the breakroom coffee an hour ago, but the second the bitter, roasted scent hit her nose, he

Hazel let out a broken, ragged gasp. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth, muffling the loud, desperate sob that violently tore out of her throat.Tears immediately flooded her eyes, spilling hotly over her lashes and tracking down her pale cheeks. Her legs gave out completely. She sank heavily against the edge of the sink, crying so hard her shoulders shook.She was pregnant. She was carrying Xavier Sterling’s baby.She looked down at her own stomach. It was perfectly flat beneath her corporate blouse. With a trembling, shaking hand, Hazel slowly reached down and pressed her palm flat against her lower abdomen.The exact second her skin made contact, a massive, overwhelming wave of pure, unadulterated, fiercely protective love completely crashed through the terror.It was his baby.Despite the contract, despite the rules, and despite his emotional walls, they had created a life. A tiny, fragile piece of the man she was entirely in love with was currently growing inside her. She presse

She took a slow, trembling step toward him. She reached out, her small hands resting gently against the solid, hard planes of his chest. She could feel his heart thudding heavily beneath his crisp white dress shirt."When I signed the contract," Hazel started, her voice shaking violently in the quiet room. "I was completely terrified of you. I thought you were just a ruthless, cold man who wanted to use me. And I thought I could handle it. I thought I could just shut my feelings off and give you what you wanted until the debt was paid."Xavier didn't move. He just watched her, his body entirely tense."But then you started taking care of me," Hazel whispered, tears instantly blurring her vision. She looked directly into his eyes, letting all of her walls completely shatter. "You washed my hair when I was hurt. You held me every single night. You looked at me under the stars on the terrace like I was the most precious thing in your entire world.""Hazel—" Xavier started, a dark, heavy w