All Chapters of Hooked for Life After a Kiss: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Joe, your legs are… so tense." A woman's soft, breathy voice drifted out through the half-open door of a hotel's presidential suite.Sylvie Hart stopped short with a bowl of soup in her hands.That night, the entire top floor of the hotel was booked out by VIPs. Her shift supervisor, Joey White, had repeatedly reminded everyone on duty that the Emerson heir was a particularly important guest, and they couldn't afford to slip up.Sylvie had been just about to knock when something through the crack in the door caught her eye. One glance was enough to freeze her in place. Even her blood ran cold.A woman in a snow-white designer dress was half-kneeling on the floor in front of a luxurious black leather couch, her body practically draped over the man's legs. The position was so suggestive it would've made anyone blush.The man lounged lazily against the couch. The top two buttons of his black dress shirt were undone, revealing a glimpse of his collarbone. A pair of gold-rimmed glasse

Chapter 2

When Sylvie finally made it back to her tiny rental in the old quarter, it was already late at night.She stopped in the narrow entryway, staring down at the pair of gray men's indoor slippers by her feet. They were Joe's, and they were so worn they'd lost their shape. The soles still had faint marks from when she'd mopped the floor that afternoon.By the sink, two plastic cups—one blue, one pink—sat side by side, holding their toothbrushes. On the nightstand was the electric shaver she'd scrimped and saved to buy for him. On the clothes rack hung his jacket, washed so many times it had faded…Every single thing in that cramped room reminded her that a man named Joe had once lived here. But she and Joe would never go back to how things were.Sylvie's phone suddenly buzzed. Moving on autopilot, she pulled it out and saw a new message from Jonah."I've gotta entertain an important client tonight, and I might not make it back. Go to bed first. I'll explain everything tomorrow."Ente

Chapter 3

Elliott's gaze landed on Sylvie's face again when the words came out of her mouth. It was cool and indifferent, with that particular edge of scrutiny that came with being in charge.Sylvie's cheeks burned, but she had no room to care about embarrassment. She needed money too badly. Esther was lying in the community clinic waiting for a lifesaving treatment; she didn't have the luxury to let her pride get in the way.Finn glanced at Elliott. When he saw that the latter had no intention of speaking, he handled it by the book. "For payment, you'll get a lump sum right after the marriage is registered. The balance will be paid when the three-year contract is up and you both file for a divorce."As he spoke, he lifted a hand and spread his fingers. He meant five million dollars. That amount covered the contract marriage itself, plus every obligation Sylvie would be taking on for the next three years.But Sylvie had never seen that kind of money in her life. Her eyes lit up, and she blur

Chapter 4

Sylvie took the No. 21 bus. By the time she arrived at Islewood Residences, the address Finn had sent, it was 8:40 am.The security guards at the gate wore neatly pressed uniforms and stood ramrod straight. She'd barely dragged her suitcase over when they stopped her.Someone had clearly called ahead. Once they verified her ID, they quickly added her temporary access to the entry system.Sylvie thanked them and walked past the gate.Islewood Residences covered a huge area. It was lush with trees and so quiet that it felt like a private park.She followed the GPS to Building 3. It was a low-rise luxury block with only six floors and two sprawling units per floor. Each unit had its own private elevator.The elevator took her straight to the third floor. When the doors opened, she stepped out into a wide private foyer. She felt her palms go a little clammy as she stood in front of the heavy security door.This place was worth its weight in gold. In all her life, this was Sylvie's f

Chapter 5

The air went dead silent for a beat. Sylvie's ears burned with embarrassment as she met Elliott's icy gaze across the table."Please don't get the wrong idea," she blurted. "I didn't dump my ex just to take this gig. I broke up with him first, and only after that did I find out you were looking for someone to marry on paper. Do you… believe me?"She watched him nervously. It was only her first day on the job. The last thing she wanted was for her boss to think she was some gold digger who ditched her boyfriend the second money came knocking.Elliott's face stayed impassive as he stirred his soup. He said indifferently, "Go on.""What?" Sylvie blinked.Elliott's brows knit together, and a flash of impatience glinted in his eyes. It seemed he hated repeating himself."Play the voice message to the end." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a kind of pressure that made it clear there was no room for argument.Sylvie swallowed hard, her heart leaping to her throat. She knew all too

Chapter 6

A strong hand suddenly caught Sylvie by the arm and steadied her. Even through the thin fabric of her shirt, she could feel the burning heat of Elliott's palm and the kind of strength that brooked no refusal."Why were you squatting here?" he asked.He looked down at her imperiously, his brows drawn tight. He'd just finished working out; his hair was damp with sweat and stuck to his forehead. His dark gray tank top traced out broad shoulders and a trim waist. He radiated pure testosterone."Mr. Quinton." Sylvie snapped out of it and hastily straightened up, holding out the water and towel. "You should rehydrate right after a workout. Warm water's easier on the stomach. Here's a towel—you should wipe off the sweat so you don't catch a chill."She tilted her face up. Her big, bright eyes held a careful hint of flattery.Elliott's gaze dropped to the things in her hands, then to the tips of her ears, which had flushed pink from nerves."You're pretty on top of things," he said. His

Chapter 7

Elliott's footsteps faltered. He hadn't had a decent night's sleep in a week. His brain felt like it was being stabbed by a thousand needles. The migraine he had was bad enough to drive a person insane; his temper was stretched to the breaking point because of it.He closed his eyes for a moment and, in the end, relented. "Go ahead."He turned around, set his mug on the coffee table, and sank onto the wide leather couch."Okay. Give me just a second." Sylvie lit up.She jogged into the bathroom and washed her hands thoroughly under warm water. Then, she briskly rubbed her palms together until they turned hot before walking back to the couch.Elliott sat with his eyes closed, his head thrown back against the couch. His jawline was as taut as a drawn blade.Sylvie took a deep breath and reached out, pressing the pads of her fingertips to his temples. Her movements were light and gentle. Her warm fingertips carried the faintest hint of a herbal scent as they traced slow circles over

Chapter 8

That afternoon, Sylvie printed her résumé and headed to Wellmont Hospital's traditional medicine department.The director, Hector Zeller, sat behind his desk. He put on his reading glasses and went through her résumé. There wasn't a fancy degree on it or any professional licenses—just a few densely packed pages of case notes and treatment records.But the more he read, the brighter his eyes became."You wrote these prescriptions for chronic insomnia and migraines?" he asked."Yes, Dr. Zeller." Sylvie stood straight, calm and composed."And this case of severe facial paralysis—are you telling me you got the patient back to normal in just half a month with acupuncture?" There was a hint of disbelief in his voice."Yes. I used my family's traditional acupuncture technique."Hector put down the résumé and took off his glasses, the admiration in his gaze slowly turning into regret. "With achievements like these, why haven't you taken the licensing exam?"Sylvie lowered her gaze, hiding the

Chapter 9

Sylvie's ears roared. She suddenly remembered that she and Jonah had gone to a medical job fair a few months ago. She'd been rushing off to another part-time gig, so she'd shoved her résumé to him and asked him to drop a copy off at every booth for her.Later, she'd indeed received an interview invitation from Wellmont Hospital. That was the only opening like that in all of Whithaven.She'd been so sure of herself back then and convinced she would get it. But Jonah had held her hand and gently persuaded her to give it up.He'd said, "Syl, that hospital's in the south of the city, and our rental's in the north. Just the bus rides back and forth would take you three hours a day. If you spent that time doing another part-time job nearby, you'd make way more money. Be good, okay? Don't go for it."At the time, she'd agreed that commuting three hours a day would be way too exhausting, so she'd listened to him and turned down the interview.So it turned out… it had never been about the long

Chapter 10

Sylvie's lips curved self-deprecatingly. She pushed herself up from the bench to leave."Syl."Jonah suddenly reached out and clamped down on her wrist, his grip brutal.Sylvie tried, and failed, to break free. She looked at him icily. "Let go."His brows drew together, a flicker of impatience flashing in his usually gentle eyes. "You went to Wellmont today?"He stared her down, his voice low with warning. "Don't go looking for Michelle again."Sylvie found him ridiculous. The anger she'd bottled up for so long finally burst forth and shot straight to her head.The sharp crack of a slap split the quiet of the park. She used every ounce of strength she had to slap him; the impact left her own palm numb and tingling."You bastard!"Her eyes were red as she glared at him, her tears finally spilling over.Jonah's head snapped to the side from the slap. A bright red handprint quickly bloomed on his cheek.He pushed his tongue against the sore inside of his cheek and let out a sho

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