All Chapters of His Father’s Addction: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

HAZELFree at last.Two years and eighty-eight days after walking through those prison gates in handcuffs, I was finally breathing air that didn’t smell like rusted bars.The sun felt warmer outside.A smile spread across my face as I stepped out with the small transparent bag that contained my belongings. My fingers immediately reached for the engagement ring inside. I slipped it on slowly and stared at it for a moment.“I’m coming home, baby,” I whispered.Jarvis had no idea I was released today. Nobody knew.I was supposed to spend another year in prison, but luck finally remembered my name.I could already picture his reaction when he saw me standing in front of him. He would definitely lose his mind. Probably lift me off the ground and spin me around like he always did.The thought alone made me laugh softly.I flagged down a taxi and entered quickly.“Fifteen Johnson’s Villa,” I said.The driver nodded and drove off.I glanced at myself through the side mirror. Prison had change

HAZELDAY 2.I marked it boldly on the calendar before stepping back to look at it. My eyes burned badly from staying awake all night.I had spent the entire night doing what I knew best.Betty pushed my bedroom door open while yawning dramatically.Her eyes immediately landed on the overflowing ashtray beside my laptop.Right on cue.“Hazel!” she snapped. “Do you plan on smoking your lungs out completely?”I almost smiled, predictable.She walked over and snatched the cigarette from my fingers before I could take another drag.“Seriously?” she complained. “Did you even sleep at all? Your eyes look terrible.”“I’m alive.”“Barely.”I leaned back against the chair while she studied my face carefully.Then her attention shifted toward the laptop screen glowing in front of me.“Wait,” she said slowly. “What exactly have you been doing since we got back yesterday?”I turned the laptop toward her with a small grin.“The universe loves me.”Her eyes narrowed immediately.“That expression ne

HAZELI slowly let Anna go and straightened the collar of her blouse like nothing had happened.“Good,” I said calmly. “Now be a nice girl and send the correct itinerary to my email.”She stared at me speechlessly.Honestly, her eyes looked seconds away from falling out of their sockets.“My temper can get very ugly,” I added softly. “Don’t test me again.”Without waiting for her response, I walked out of the office and headed back toward Elvis’s office.I knocked once before entering.For the first time since meeting him, he didn’t look intimidating; he looked exhausted.His eyes were shut tightly while one hand pressed against his forehead. Deep lines rested between his brows like he was carrying the stress of an entire country.“Sir?” I called gently.His eyes opened slowly. This man had dangerously beautiful eyes, sharp grey mixed with dark brown. “What?” he muttered.“You don’t look well.”“And what exactly will you do if I’m not?”Still rude. I folded my arms lightly.“My grand

HAZELThe moment we hit the streets of the carnival, I knew I had made the right decision.This was it. This was exactly the type of energy I needed. Music pouring out from every direction, colours exploding against the night sky, strangers dancing like nobody was keeping records. "This is beautiful! Let's go over there, sir, come on."I grabbed his hand and pulled.I had moved him about four steps before my brain sent an urgent memo to my body.Hazel, that is Elvis Laurent. Let go of the man's hand right now.I dropped it immediately.Opps. He is still your boss, Hazel.If he noticed, he didn't say anything. He simply fell into step beside me, hands in his pockets, surveying the carnival the way he probably surveyed everything else in his life. But I noticed something else.The simple black sleeveless top and fitted pants he had changed into made him look more handsome. He looked younger somehow, lighter. Like the suits were the thing carrying all the years, and without them, he w

HAZELI got to work immediately.I didn't look up at any of them. I didn't need to. I could feel every pair of eyes in that conference room sitting on me like a second skin.The room had gone strangely quiet after Elvis handed me the laptop. Nobody was talking anymore, probably expecting me to struggle.My fingers moved across the keyboard, and minutes later, I was done. It was honestly much easier than I expected.Their backend had less protection than a social media account. Half of the security measures looked like they had been put there just to tick boxes rather than actually stop anyone. It was almost insulting.If Mike had any idea how many solid, heavily fortified systems these hands had walked through, he would not have smiled at me the way he did."Done." I slid the laptop across to Elvis. "I accessed their backend and pulled some private user data. As you can clearly see."Then I looked at Mike.He was sweating. The conference room was cold enough to need a jacket, and this