All Chapters of Competing for Love: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Natalia stared at the police officer standing in front of her, not believing what she had heard. It can't be true. Today was her eighteenth birthday. How could she lose everything on the day she became an adult? "Did you hear me?" The officer asked softly. "Please tell me you have the wrong house. It can't be my parents. You had to have made a mistake." She answered in a whisper. "I'm sorry, but we confirmed it was them." Elias had been working for the Pheonix Police Department for ten years. Notifying a family that their loved ones had been killed was the worst part of the job. "Noooooooo." Natalia fell to her knees, sobbing as the grief took over. Her parents can't be gone. They were on their way home to take her to dinner for her birthday. How was she going to go on without them?__________Three Years later Natalia walked out of the auditorium with a sense of accomplishment. She had graduated at the top of her class two years early with a master's degree in business at t

Natalia walked around the large banquet room, sipping her drink. She didn't care for alcohol but would drink a glass of wine at social engagements. She ignored the stares of others who didn't have the nerve to approach her as they mingled while waiting for the dinner to start. "How are things at NC?" She turned toward the familiar voice. It was Clifford Judd. He was one of the men she worked for when she was interning. He constantly flirted with her but wasn't as aggressive as others. "Hi, Cliff. They're going great." Natalia smiled slightly at the heavyset balding man with a large belly. His grey suit seemed to be bursting at the seams. "That's good to hear. I want to discuss something with you regarding a company we've been trying to get under contract. I think they may be more up your alley." She didn't think it was unusual for him to share this information. There have been several occasions he had sent companies her way that wanted to be saved rather than bought.

Natalia was on edge the rest of the day after agreeing to dinner with Hayden. She thought about canceling a hundred times but stopped by reminding herself it was a business dinner and nothing else. Patrice had brought the suit jacket back about an hour ago, fresh from the cleaners. She was supposed to meet him at a rooftop garden restaurant at six. She'd never been there before because her typical dinner was take-out. She sometimes was at the office until after ten and came back first thing in the morning. It didn't leave much room for a social life. She thought about running home to change but decided against it wanting to wear what she would wear to a business meeting. At five-thirty, she received a text that her car was downstairs. She grabbed her briefcase, purse, and Hayden's suit jacket as she walked out. Everyone else had left for the day around five, so she locked up after turning off the lights. The ride to the restaurant took about twenty minutes in traffic

After they finished breakfast, they began walking in the direction of their homes. Neither wanted to end their time together. Hayden didn't want to push her too fast, and Natalia didn't want to encourage him that she was open to more. He took her hand casually as they walked, and she felt her heart race. When they got to his building, they stopped. "This is where I live. Do you want to come up for some coffee?" Hayden wasn't ready to let her go. He held her hand a little tighter, liking how it felt. He had never been the hand-holding romantic type, but with her, it felt natural. "I should get home so I can do some work," Natalia said reluctantly. She had fun with him this morning but was hesitant to go into his apartment. She didn't think he would try anything, but she was scared to get any closer to him. What if she got hurt again? "Then how about I walk you home and make coffee there while you work?" He said with a smile, and she laughed. "You want to come to my

Natalia went against her norm and did not return to her office to work. Instead, she decided to continue talking with Hayden. She wanted to make sure she was making the right decision to get involved with him before they went any further. Hayden felt like he had just won the lottery when Natalia said she would give them a try. He hugged her tighter and felt a sense of relief. "Do you have any family?" He asked her. "My parents were killed in a car accident when I was eighteen. They were hit by a drunk driver and died instantly. I have no siblings or any other family." Natalia kept the tears from falling. She missed her parents every day, and it still hurt to talk about them. "I'm sorry about your parents. If you didn't have anyone, how did you take care of their affairs, funeral, and everything else?" He couldn't imagine being eighteen and suddenly alone with no one. Even though Hayden disagreed with his parents on many things, he wasn't alone. "My parents