ALEXIt was four in the morning. Grayson and I were sitting in my office, constantly refreshing the main news sites and checking the most trending business topics on the net. Several hours earlier, we had released Ravenford Corporation's statements, and we helped spread the revelations about Lapis Arena Industries and the accidents their products caused. Now, all we could do was wait. We hoped that the Lapis Arena topic would become trendy until the morning. Only then would all news reporters dig deeper into the subject. Otherwise, it would be Ravenford Corporation and the catastrophe investigation's results that would become the news of the day…Grayson fell asleep on the sofa, and I eventually passed out sitting behind my desk. I wasn't sure how long I slept, but it couldn't be more than two hours. I looked at the time; it was almost seven. Cursing under my breath, I dragged myself to the bathroom and took a shower.Grayson was still dead asleep even after I changed my clothes and m

I couldn't focus on anything that day. My thoughts kept drifting to what Eleonor had told me, and that was completely insane. I tried to convince her to rethink her decision, but she only laughed and dismissively waved her hand. That was supposed to be our secret—a freaking huge secret at that. Setting me as the one in charge of most of the Ravenford fortune until Liam turned eighteen?! What was she even thinking?!Certainly, Eleonor wasn't gravely ill. Despite being close to her eighties, she might have been the healthiest old lady I had ever seen in my life, so the inheritance would not become mine or Liam's problem for a very long time. Nonetheless, if someone were to learn about it, it could easily put a target on our backs…Those what-ifs scared the holy crap out of me, even though Eleonor swore that no one would even find out about her new will. She even made me promise I wouldn't say anything to Alex. She intended to tell him personally when—as she called it—the right time came

*TRIGGER WARNING* Dear readers, please keep in mind that this chapter mentions addictions and self-injurious behavior.I stared at the plate with the food I ordered. It was supposed to be a chicken salad, but it resembled a small piece of art, which I was about to ruin.“You like it?” Matt asked, grinning.I smiled and nodded. “It looks… too good to eat.”He laughed. “Francesco is very creative when it comes to serving food, but I can assure you that it tastes even better than it looks.”My smile widened. Cautiously, I stabbed the slice of grilled chicken with my fork and put it in my mouth. Matt observed my every move, clearly amused by my attempts not to ruin the colorful composition. The moment my taste buds began to savor the bite I took, it felt like heaven. A soft moan slipped through my lips, causing Matt to chuckle.“I'm guessing that you enjoy your food?” He grinned.I licked my lips. "This is by far the best chicken I have ever tasted.”Matt laughed. “I'll tell Francesco you

SARAH“Joy, I can't help it. I'm simply happy.” I laughed as we spoke on the phone. “Every time I see Alex and Liam together, my heart swells, and when I saw my son hug Alex and call him Daddy, I started crying.”Joy sighed. “I don't want to rain on your parade, but you do remember that he still keeps your relationship secret and that his wedding hasn't been called off yet, don't you?”I clicked my tongue and slumped on the bed in the nearly empty bedroom in our wing of the residence. “I see that you're working hard on spoiling my mood,” I grumbled.She chuckled. “I'm your voice of reason.”“Just let me be unreasonable for a while. I want to enjoy such beautiful moments,” I said.“Fine, I won't mention Jeanette or the wedding for the rest of this conversation,” she promised. “Better tell me, how's living in the Ravenfords' Residence?”I looked around my room, and my lips twisted wryly. “Liam's bedroom is finished. I painted every wall like he wanted me to, and now he has his own littl

I was always able to control fear and transform it into a will to fight against whoever threatened me. One deep breath and my heart rate slowed down. Another deep breath, and I regained my focus. Two more breaths and the fear stopped bothering me, giving way to anger. Then I began to fight back. It had always been this way… until now. I had been threatened before. It was always about either blowing up my house, my car, our company building, slitting my throat, or cutting some specific piece of me. It always caused a wave of chills to rush down my spine, but then the chills were gone, and rationality came to action. This time, it was different. This wasn't about me. It was about her. Someone threatened me with HER life! My ribs shrank, immobilizing my lungs. No breath moved below my throat, and as I struggled, the air began to burn above my windpipes. My body trembled. My guts twisted, and raw, strangled sounds started to escape through my squeezed throat. Then my hands fisted. My nai