Chance“I didn’t expect you here today,” I told Byron as I sat down behind my desk and he took a chair opposite of me.He handed me a folder. “Fuck, Byron. I hope this is not information you missed on the merger. We are closing today.”“It’s not about the merger,” he responded. “It’s about your ex-wife and Lilly.”I instantly tensed. “What do you mean?”“Your ex is digging into Lilly, slipping information to tabloids.”I tightened my fists, anger boiling in my chest. If there was a woman that deserved to be fucking eliminated, it was that bitch. There wasn’t a single bone in that woman’s body that worried about anyone else but herself. Her son was lucky to have his father, because he certainly didn’t get his manners from his alcoholic mother. For all my disagreements at Jonathan’s betrayal, I couldn’t take that from him.“What does she know?” I questioned him, as I ran through the folder. It seemed there were only facts there.“Not much,” he responded. “Facts only. It doesn’t prevent

ChanceThe dinner with the Ridley men was fucking annoying as shit. Especially the younger one. Junior’s face fell the moment he realized Lilly wouldn’t join us. I wanted to smash his face into the dinner table and make him forget ever seeing her.Overboard? Yes, just a bit.Did I care? Fuck no.The young prick was closer to her age, but he was a playboy through and through. He changed women like underwear, and he’d be bad for Lilly and her girls.Wonderful. Now I was pretending to be a knight. Lilly had been consuming my thoughts in the most unhealthy, obsessive way. My mind had been whirling for weeks, that goddamn contract hanging over us.I wanted something to tie her to me. A bit obsessive but fuck it. I couldn’t help it. It was the only way to control the outcome. For Lilly to remain with me.She had been giving me her body freely, I knew she wasn’t seeing anyone. Not that she had time between her kids and me. Yet, it wasn’t enough. I wanted to lock her in my house and throw awa

LillyBefore I even opened my eyes, I sensed the pounding headache. The memories of Jack haunted my dreams. Self-doubt that my judgment was skewed. Just as it had been with my late husband.It was sheer luck that the fuck up with Jack hadn’t left a lasting impact on my daughters. Saoirse and Sierra were too young. And my eldest… well, she lucked out. Thank God. But if my judgment failed me again, my girls would be hurt. They’d already grown attached to Chance.“Two days in a row with a headache,” I muttered to myself as my feet touched the soft carpet.After a quick shower, I eyed my closet, wondering if Chance would fire me if I showed up in sweats. I scoffed in my head. Probably. So I continued going through possibilities until my eyes stopped on an emerald, tailored dress.Green like Chance’s eyes.Dress it is, I decided. Courtesy of the billionaire boss.My youngest two dressed, I ran around the house finishing the weekend bags.“Toiletries, check,” I muttered to myself. “Play sho

LillyI stood in the street unsure where to go or what to do. An angry tear rolled down my face, and it was like a floodgate opened. I probably looked just as messy as my two-year-old when she cried.I walked aimlessly, barely seeing where I was going. The streets were busy with people ready for the weekend. There were a few curious glances thrown my way, but I ignored it all. My argument with Chance playing on repeat in my mind.I need a signed contract. I was a contract to him. Nothing more; nothing less. Maybe if I felt nothing for him, I’d be able to evaluate his words rationally. Instead, this hurt like a bitch. There was no chance in hell I could sign that contract. I was protecting him as much as myself. It’d destroy his carefully constructed life if my secret came out. And officially connecting myself to him opened the door to strangers digging into my past.I tilted my head upwards to see that the clouds turned gray. The sky opened and the rain broke through the clouds, match

ChanceLilly and I prepared breakfast together. Every so often, I’d catch her pensive look on me as if she debated whether she could trust me or not.I couldn’t fucking blame her, but I meant what I said. It was her and her girls I wanted in my life. Nothing else mattered. She opened up, a tiny bit, but I wanted more. I’d protect her against anyone and anything. I half debated telling her I knew there was more to the story than her husband’s cheating, but if I pushed too hard and too fast, she’d shut down.I almost lost her. The thought of it had a cold sweat drifting down my back. The idea of life without her stole my fucking breath and turned my blood to ice. I destroyed every goddamn piece of furniture on my floor. It was time to re-decorate anyhow.After I found her safe and sound last night, I expected her to demand I move her to another department and never talk to her again. I’d do it, just to make her happy. Even despite a feeling in my chest that suffocated me every time I th