ALEXI felt like a complete piece of shit. Of course, that state neatly assimilated with concussion, two broken ribs, and more than two dozen bruises all over my body. Unfortunately, the painkillers took away only the physical pain, leaving all the guilt untouched. After some fucker killed my driver and almost killed me, I thought that my situation couldn't get any worse, but I changed my mind as soon as I woke up in the hospital. Of all the hospitals in New York City, they had to take me to the one generously founded by the Duncans. What a fucking coincidence! I would have laughed if it weren't for the fact that, at that moment, laughing hurt.Triggered by a subconscious instinct, I had vaguely woken up just to witness Jeanette placing a little device by the bedside table lamp and another little black something inside the cabinet. It happened a few hours after I had been brought in. This fragile moment of awareness lasted less than a minute, but it was enough for me to find out that

I stared at Eleonor Ravenford, trying to shake off my flusteredness. My cheeks were coated with a thick layer of heat. Never in a million years would I have thought that she would help me be with Alex. I was yet to determine if I could fully trust her. For now, I decided that blurting out that Liam was Alex's son was out of the question. She was a rather impulsive old lady. God only knew what she was capable of doing if she learned that Liam was her great-grandson.“Let me state this clearly: I don't want Alex and Jeanette Duncan to marry. I believe that the merger between Ravenford Corporation and Duncan Light Industries would be a mistake, and marriage between the two of our families would be an even bigger mistake,” Eleonor stated, gracefully lifting the coffee cup to her lips.“I apologize for my bluntness, but I thought that it was the family that is forcing Alex to marry Jeanette, is it not?” I smiled a little sheepishly.Eleonor sighed. “In the final years of my husband's life,

SARAHAs my job at the museum almost came to an end, I spent most of each day in my apartment, which was currently a nearly completely empty apartment. While waiting for the new furniture set to arrive, I sat on the floor with my laptop and tried to learn as much as I could about the Duncans.After my conversation with Eleonor, I was more than aware that I couldn't act like a damsel in distress, and I surely wasn't going to let Jeanette humiliate me again. Repeating that knowledge is power, I shoved a slice of pizza into my mouth and read another boring article about what a wonderful family the Duncans were. Of course, I nearly threw up a few times already, wondering how much Duncans paid the reporters to write such ridiculous praises. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought that Mr. Duncan had been secretly working as Santa Claus and that his wife was the new version of Mother Theresa. In those articles, Jeanette was presented as an elegant and intelligent businesswoman, but h

“So did you tell him?” Joy demanded. “Did you agree to have that dinner with him?”We were talking over the phone for more than an hour. As soon as I mentioned my new neighbor, she insisted I tell her every detail of our peculiar encounter. And so I did, skipping only my not-so-decent thoughts about his body.“I said no,” I told her.“Why?” she blurted out.An awkward laugh escaped me. “Well, isn't that obvious? I have a boyfriend! I will not go out with some other guy.”“Technically, you are not in a real relationship. You have a virtual relationship with a lot of maybes and what-ifs,” she clarified, and I rolled my eyes.“Alex and I promised each other—”“No,” she cut me short. “You promised him while he stays in an official relationship. How can you be sure that he doesn't sleep with his fiancée? Wouldn't it be the first thing he could do to assure her he doesn't intend to annul his engagement?”I was ready to argue with her, but then I closed my mouth. The bitter fact was that I c

SARAHAir caught in my throat as I stared at Alex—Alex, the man I missed and wanted to see for days and whom I definitely didn't expect to see at that moment. This was probably the worst moment for us to meet. This was definitely the worst place for us to meet. What the hell was he doing here?! How did he know I was here?!And then the realization came. The tracker. He used the damn tracker he had installed on the phone he had given me. A bitter laugh bubbled, and I barely stopped it in my throat. The initial shock lasted a second, and then every emotion I felt was swallowed by irritation. “Why are you here, Alex?”His brows rose. “I could ask you the same question.”“Am I not allowed to go to the restaurant?” I folded my arms over my chest and watched his jaw clench.He looked around the small bar we were in, then his eyes returned to me. “You're not here with Joy, are you?”I shook my head. “No. I'm here with my neighbor.”He huffed a chuckle. “You left Liam with Joy to…” He trailed