Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 9

Clara Bennett Clara Bennett “Just one clear shot. One picture of this rich jerk with his side piece, and my blog numbers will surely blow up.” I hunched low in the driver’s seat of my old car. The very same one my mom gave me for my nineteenth birthday two years ago. I loved it with everything in me. As the wind blew colder, I kept my eyes focused on the target. The camera felt heavy in my hands as I muttered under my breath. “Come on, just a little closer…” I raised the lens to my eye as my finger hovered over the button. I couldn't help but admire the fancy hotel entrance that glowed under golden lights. It looked so perfect and definitely not the kind of world I belonged to. “ This was going to be a good gossip headline.“ I thought, as a small smile curved on my lips. Then a tall figure stepped directly into my frame disrupting my perfect shot. “Ugh!” I growled, already annoyed. I had a short temper for moments like these. I quickly glanced at my phone to see

Clara Bennett Tears blurred everything as I drove through the cold night. The heater in my old car had died months ago, but I barely felt the chill. All I could feel was the knife in my chest. “Cheating bastard,” I whispered, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. “Jerk. Liar.” All those months. All the love I poured into Victor like a fool. He had never once taken me to a fancy restaurant. Every time I brought it up, he would smile and say, “One day, baby. When we can afford it and we’ll go to the best places.” Lies. All of it. I reached into my jacket pocket out of habit, searching for my tiny camera. My fingers touched nothing but fabric. My heart stopped. “No… no, no, no!” I slammed on the brakes. The car jerked to a stop in the middle of the dark street. I patted my pockets frantically, then searched the seat, the floor, everywhere. “This isn’t good… God, not tonight… I need it!” Months of hard work. Every secret photo, every video. If someone found that camera, my ent

Clara Bennett I sat rigidly in the chair across from Ryder’s massive desk with my back straight as a rod. It was only my first day, and I already felt like a complete nervous wreck. My palms were sweaty, and every time his intense gaze swept over me, my pulse quickened like a startled rabbit. He had even brought me coffee earlier, it was black with one sugar, exactly how I liked it. I couldn't even ask how he knew, probably a wild guess…right? He gave it to me with a small gentle smile. The rumors painted him as rude, cruel, and ice-cold. Yet this man… this man was pure kindness wrapped in a terrifyingly attractive package. As I typed on the computer.. I heard him shift a little then, he excused himself politely. I blinked several times to make sure he was actually talking to me. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Make yourself comfortable.” He closed the mahogany door softly behind him like a true gentleman. The second he was gone, I let out a shaky breath. I grippe

Clara BennettMy legs felt like jelly as I walked through the empty parking lot. It was already past 9 PM, and the cold night air bit through my thin jacket. I clutched my bag tightly against my chest, my mind still replaying every second of that charged moment in Ryder’s office. *Not yet.* Those two words from him had been running on repeat in my head like a warning.I was so distracted that I didn’t see him coming.Ryder suddenly stepped out from between two parked cars, tall and powerful in his perfectly tailored black suit. We collided hard. My bag slipped from my hands, and half my files went flying everywhere across the asphalt.“Ah!” I gasped, bending down quickly to grab them before the wind carried them away.“Clara,” Ryder’s deep voice cut through the night. He crouched beside me instantly, helping pick up the scattered papers with those big, strong hands. “I didn’t see you there. Are you alright?”Our fingers brushed as we both reached for the same document. A stupid spa

Clara BennettI couldn’t sit still. After Victor left, the apartment felt too small, too quiet, and way too dangerous. My hands wouldn’t stop trembling as I paced the tiny living room. Ryder’s text still glowed on my phone screen...I stared at it for the hundredth time. Should I reply? What if I sounded too eager? What if I sounded cold and he got suspicious?“Ugh,” I muttered, rubbing my face. My throat felt dry from all the crying. I needed water.I walked to the kitchen on shaky legs, my bare feet cold against the cheap tiles. I grabbed a glass from the cupboard, filled it with tap water, and took a big gulp. The cool liquid did nothing to calm the storm inside my chest.My phone suddenly rang.The glass nearly slipped from my hand. Ryder’s name flashed on the screen. My heart slammed against my ribs like it wanted to escape. I stared at the ringing phone, frozen. *Pick up. Don’t pick up. Pick up.*On the fourth ring, I swiped to answer, pressing the phone to my ear with a shak