All Chapters of THE HEART I HIDE: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

The next morning at Hartman Enterprises Headquarters,Sam’s office looked exactly like him,sleek leather chairs, a desk that could double as a conference table, and a floor-to-ceiling window with the city skyline laid out like a promise. He didn’t use it much.“Coffee?” asked his assistant, Chris, striding in without knocking. Christina Hartman his younger sister was as direct as she was stylish. She dropped a paper cup in front of him. “Also, Mom’s been calling. Something about you leaving the gala early. Again.”Sam smirked, leaning back in his chair. “She’ll get over it. I was doing important field work.”Chris arched a brow. “Field work? In a black sports car at ten p.m.?”He took a sip. “Met someone.”Chris’s curiosity lit up instantly. “Oh? Do tell.”“She almost became roadkill.”Chris choked on her coffee. “That’s your opener?”Sam ignored her sarcasm. “She’s… different. Didn’t care who I was, didn’t even want to give me her name. Most people trip over themselves to talk to me.

Rose had never been this annoyed in her life. Sam was infuriatingly calm, leaning against the polished marble wall outside the event hall as if he owned the place. Which, to her knowledge, he didn’t.“You know my mother will never approve of you,” she said, crossing her arms and glancing toward the open doors where the charity gala was in full swing.Sam’s lips quirked. “And why’s that?”Rose rolled her eyes. “Because she thinks you’re… well…” She hesitated, as if saying it out loud would somehow make it worse. “…poor.”Sam laughed softly. “Ah. So she’s one of those people who judges a man by his wallet?”“Don’t take it personally,” Rose muttered. “She’s just… protective.”“She’s protective of her social status,” Sam corrected. “Not you.”That stung. Mostly because it was true. Rose’s mother, Diana Westwood, had built her reputation in the city’s elite circles and guarded it like a priceless jewel. Anyone who didn’t fit her picture-perfect image of wealth and refinement was unwelcome.

The Westwood Hotel gleamed like a jewel dropped into the heart of the city, its towering glass walls reflecting the fading amber light of dusk. Each marble step leading to the grand entrance was flanked by velvet ropes, guarded by men in perfectly tailored black suits who watched the crowd with steely eyes. The air buzzed with the electric hum of anticipation, punctuated by the rapid bursts of camera flashes as limousines rolled up one after another, disgorging the city’s most glamorous and powerful figures. Their laughter and chatter echoed off the high glass façade, filling the space with a melody of privilege and power.Sam Hart stood at the curb, hands flexing against the stiff cuffs of the rented tuxedo that felt more like armor than clothing. The bow tie pinched at the back of his neck, an unfamiliar restraint he refused to loosen. If Trevor Blackwood wanted to see cracks in his composure, he would be waiting a long time for them. Sam’s jaw tightened with determination this was