Natalia stared at the police officer standing in front of her, not believing what she had heard. It can't be true. Today was her eighteenth birthday. How could she lose everything on the day she became an adult?
"Did you hear me?" The officer asked softly.
"Please tell me you have the wrong house. It can't be my parents. You had to have made a mistake." She answered in a whisper.
"I'm sorry, but we confirmed it was them." Elias had been working for the Pheonix Police Department for ten years. Notifying a family that their loved ones had been killed was the worst part of the job.
"Noooooooo." Natalia fell to her knees, sobbing as the grief took over. Her parents can't be gone. They were on their way home to take her to dinner for her birthday. How was she going to go on without them?
__________
Three Years later
Natalia walked out of the auditorium with a sense of accomplishment. She had graduated at the top of her class two years early with a master's degree in business at the age of twenty-one.
She got into her car and looked in the mirror. She had long pale blonde hair and dark blue eyes. She was five foot eight with a body that men wanted and women wished for. She sighed as she turned on the car. Her looks had opened doors, but she had worked hard once they were open. Now it was time to work hard to succeed in the business world.
When Natalia's parents were killed by a drunk driver three years ago, it was the worst day of her life. They were wealthy, and because she had no siblings or other family, all the money went to her. She didn't touch any more than she had to. She was determined to make it on her own to make them proud.
She drove to her off-campus apartment so she could finish packing. Natalia had scored an intern position in New York. She planned to learn everything she needed know in order to start her own company. The corporation she was interning for bought companies that were failing and either liquidated or resold them for a profit.
People hated those types of companies; they looked at them as though they were sharks. Natalia wanted to start a similar business, but her plan was to invest in the companies in trouble and become a partner to help them succeed. It was a risky way to go because she could lose a lot of money. However, she was willing to take that chance.
As she packed up her apartment, she was eating pizza while listening to the radio when there was a knock on the door. Natalia wasn't expecting anyone, so she looked through the peephole curiously and smiled when she saw who it was.
"What are you doing here?" She asked as she opened the door for her best friend.
"Are you kidding? I couldn't let you spend your graduation night alone packing. I came to help you before you disappeared, and I never see you again." Cara was petite with short, curly dark brown hair and amber eyes. She and Natalia became friends on their first day of college. She still had at least another year of school before she graduated.
"Of course, you're going to see me again. There are these big things called airplanes. Maybe you've heard of them." Leaving Phoenix to go to New York was a big move, but it was one Natalia felt she needed to make. She would miss her friends and being away from everything she knew. However, she was determined to be successful and respected as a woman and a CEO.
"You're funny. You know how it is when people graduate and say they'll keep in touch. Maybe they see each other once a year and call on holidays, but after a couple of years, they go their separate ways. Once you get to New York, you may meet the man of your dreams, get married, and start having babies." Cara made a space on the couch between boxes so she could sit down as she ate a slice of pizza.
"You know I don't care about men. I have no desire to find love. What's love anyway? Just a way to make a woman depend on a man so he can break her heart."
Natalia had fallen in love during her first year of college. She was still hurting from the loss of her parents when a senior took an interest in her. She had been so lonely that she was blinded by the attention he had given her.
After they'd been together for a couple of months, she decided to give in to him and have sex. The same day she was planning on surprising him, she was checking her social media account, which she was rarely on. She found a post of his where he was tracking how many freshmen he could have sex with before graduation. He had logged two that day and was up to ten for the week.
Natalia had been heartbroken and cried for several days. She broke up with him but never told him why. She was too humiliated to know that she had been just a number to him. She was only thankful for finding out what he was doing before letting him take her virginity.
"You can't hate all men because of Jon being a pig. Many nice guys have tried to date you, but you turned them all down. Don't let that idiot ruin your life, Nat." Cara had been with several men but never got attached to any of them. She was just having fun.
"He didn't ruin my life. He opened my eyes. I decided at that point I was going to bury myself in my studies. I want to be respected when I make it big and don't want any low-hanging fruit to hold me back. Decisions you make in college can follow you once you get out into the real world. We see it every day. There is nothing that I've done that can come back to haunt me later." Natalia went back to packing her boxes while Cara watched her.
They'd had this conversation many times, and Cara understood what Nat was saying, but she couldn't live like a hermit. She liked to party and enjoyed college life. Due to Natalia ignoring the other students who asked her out, rumors spread that she was sleeping with the professors to help her grades. Cara defended her when she heard people spouting those lies, but Nat told her to forget about it.
"Are you planning on just eating pizza, or are you going to actually help me?" Natalia looked at Cara with a smile as her friend stood up and began to pack.
They spent most of the night packing up Natalia's apartment. Whatever she wasn't taking, they threw away. She gave the keys of her car to Cara as she wouldn't be taking it to New York, so she had signed it over to her friend. The moving truck would be there in the morning, and her flight was leaving soon afterward. When they were done, Cara was crying as she was getting ready to go."Please promise me you'll stay in touch. You're the best friend I've ever had. I love you." Natalia was crying, too, as she hugged her.
"I promise. I love you too." After they said their final goodbyes, Natalia took a shower and went to bed.The following morning she woke up and was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt when the movers arrived. Natalia gave them their instructions, then took a ride-share car to the airport. Her flight was on time, and she was early. She always flew coach because she didn't like wasting money on frivolous things like first-class seats.
When she arrived in New York, Natalia felt like the smallest fish in the sea. She had never been to the impressive city, but she knew it was where she needed to be in order to be successful. As she made her way out of the airport, she got into a taxi and gave the driver the address of the apartment in Manhattan that she had already pre-leased. It was a small one-bedroom, yet it cost four times as much as her place in Phoenix.
The traffic was horrific, and she rode most of the way with her eyes closed. Once they pulled up in front of her new home, she gave the driver a generous tip for getting her there in one piece. Her legs were a little wobbly getting out of the car.
Her apartment was on the first floor of a large brownstone. She picked up her key from the super who lived in the basement apartment. When she opened the door, she looked around with a smile. It wasn't large by any means, but it was hers. She couldn't wait to fill it with her furniture when it arrived.
As she opened the window to let the warm air in, Natalia took a deep breath. She had finally made it. Now she just needed to conquer the business world until she was on top.
Four Years Later Natalia looked at the table of people in front of her. They were all eagerly waiting on her answer after they gave her the contract to look over. It was a business that wanted to make her a partner in hopes they could save their company from closing. She smiled before speaking. "You have a deal." Natalia signed the contract, and everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. They'd heard that she was hard to deal with, but their interactions with her had been encouraging. She even met the people working for them and seemed to care about them keeping their jobs. Natalia got up from the table and gave the contract to her assistant to finish the rest of the transaction while she went to her office. She had spent the first six months in New York soaking up as much knowledge as possible before branching out independently. Her first year in business had been rough, and she'd had to use some of her inheritance to make ends meet. Eventually, she clawed herself up an
Natalia walked around the large banquet room, sipping her drink. She didn't care for alcohol but would drink a glass of wine at social engagements. She ignored the stares of others who didn't have the nerve to approach her as they mingled while waiting for the dinner to start. "How are things at NC?" She turned toward the familiar voice. It was Clifford Judd. He was one of the men she worked for when she was interning. He constantly flirted with her but wasn't as aggressive as others. "Hi, Cliff. They're going great." Natalia smiled slightly at the heavyset balding man with a large belly. His grey suit seemed to be bursting at the seams. "That's good to hear. I want to discuss something with you regarding a company we've been trying to get under contract. I think they may be more up your alley." She didn't think it was unusual for him to share this information. There have been several occasions he had sent companies her way that wanted to be saved rather than bought.
The following morning Natalia was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. She had a busy schedule today, but after what Cliff had done, she didn't feel like getting out of bed. Why did men always think a woman owed them? She had worked for him at one point but never asked for favors or special treatment. She didn't owe him anything. Natalia didn't believe in empty threats, and if he had raped her, she wouldn't have hesitated in filing charges. She groaned as she got out of bed and headed for the shower. She had taken an hour-long shower the night before to get any trace of Cliff off her. Even so, Natalia felt like she needed another one. Thinking of how Hayden had put his jacket around her and hugged her as she cried made her feel humiliated. She didn't like making anyone see her as a damsel in distress. She looked around with a smile as she walked back into her bedroom. She loved this apartment. It was larger than what she needed, but it was the only one they had available th
Natalia was on edge the rest of the day after agreeing to dinner with Hayden. She thought about canceling a hundred times but stopped by reminding herself it was a business dinner and nothing else. Patrice had brought the suit jacket back about an hour ago, fresh from the cleaners. She was supposed to meet him at a rooftop garden restaurant at six. She'd never been there before because her typical dinner was take-out. She sometimes was at the office until after ten and came back first thing in the morning. It didn't leave much room for a social life. She thought about running home to change but decided against it wanting to wear what she would wear to a business meeting. At five-thirty, she received a text that her car was downstairs. She grabbed her briefcase, purse, and Hayden's suit jacket as she walked out. Everyone else had left for the day around five, so she locked up after turning off the lights. The ride to the restaurant took about twenty minutes in traffic
After their dinner, Hayden saw Natalia to her waiting car before walking home with a spring in his step. He enjoyed his time with her. She was intelligent, funny, and easy to talk to. It had been a long time since he had appreciated the company of another person as much as he did with her. As he was walking, lost in thought, he felt someone tap his shoulder. When he turned around, he instantly became annoyed. "What do you want, Shania?" He asked, shaking her hand off him. "I saw you inside, and I wanted to know if you wanted me to come to keep you company tonight. We haven't seen each other for a couple of months. I thought maybe you were ready to take me back." She tried to give him what she assumed was a sexy smile as she tried to take his hand. However, to her dismay, he looked at her in disgust and pushed her hand away. "How can I take you back when we have never officially been together? You need to stop this, Shania, and get a life. We will never be together." H
After they finished breakfast, they began walking in the direction of their homes. Neither wanted to end their time together. Hayden didn't want to push her too fast, and Natalia didn't want to encourage him that she was open to more. He took her hand casually as they walked, and she felt her heart race. When they got to his building, they stopped. "This is where I live. Do you want to come up for some coffee?" Hayden wasn't ready to let her go. He held her hand a little tighter, liking how it felt. He had never been the hand-holding romantic type, but with her, it felt natural. "I should get home so I can do some work," Natalia said reluctantly. She had fun with him this morning but was hesitant to go into his apartment. She didn't think he would try anything, but she was scared to get any closer to him. What if she got hurt again? "Then how about I walk you home and make coffee there while you work?" He said with a smile, and she laughed. "You want to come to my
After the second deep kiss, Natalia pulled away and looked up at Hayden with a smile. She hoped he wouldn't trample on her fragile heart. After the second deep kiss, Natalia pulled away and looked up at Hayden with a smile. She hoped he wouldn't trample on her fragile heart. After the second deep kiss, Natalia pulled away and looked up at Hayden with a smile. She hoped he wouldn't trample on her fragile heart. "Are you sure you want something more than a casual relationship? Typically I'm with men who have no idea who I am, and it's a one-time thing." Natalia slid her hands over his t-shirt that covered his well-muscled chest and abdomen as she looked up at him. "Honestly, I've always been the same way. I only slept with women casually because I never wanted anything more with them. You're different, Natalia. You make me feel alive, and the thought of you being with another man fills me with rage. I couldn't stand only being casual with you. I want a lot more than that
Natalia went against her norm and did not return to her office to work. Instead, she decided to continue talking with Hayden. She wanted to make sure she was making the right decision to get involved with him before they went any further. Hayden felt like he had just won the lottery when Natalia said she would give them a try. He hugged her tighter and felt a sense of relief. "Do you have any family?" He asked her. "My parents were killed in a car accident when I was eighteen. They were hit by a drunk driver and died instantly. I have no siblings or any other family." Natalia kept the tears from falling. She missed her parents every day, and it still hurt to talk about them. "I'm sorry about your parents. If you didn't have anyone, how did you take care of their affairs, funeral, and everything else?" He couldn't imagine being eighteen and suddenly alone with no one. Even though Hayden disagreed with his parents on many things, he wasn't alone. "My parents