ALEX“Are you out of your freaking mind?!” Grayson yelled, jerking to his feet. “I thought you were trying to restore your freedom, not put a fucking leash on your neck!”I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Grayson, sit down and let me explain,” I said and extended my hand, reaching for a glass of whiskey Daniel had just placed on the table.Grayson frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. “Go ahead. I'm listening.”Across from where Grayson stood, Daniel watched our argument with unhidden excitement. I bet he regretted he hadn't brought any popcorn.I took a sip from my glass and looked at my infuriated cousin. “I couldn't reject old Duncan's offer, and believe me, there's nothing that would have given me more satisfaction than to tell him to go fuck himself.”Grayson's chest rose with a sharp inhale. His jaw clenched and his hands fisted into balls before he exhaled and sat down. “You talked to Emily, didn't you?”I nodded and glanced at Daniel whose face started to resemble a huge
SARAHMore than an hour had passed since I talked with Alex. I kept glancing out the window and squeezing the phone in my hand. He didn't come like he said he would. A part of me was missed, but a much bigger part grew anxious. Calling him and finding out that his phone was out of reach didn't help me calm down either. I debated whether or not I should call him on his “normal” phone instead. It was almost two in the morning, so I figured that it would be less probable for Jeanette to answer the phone instead of him. Sucking a deep breath, I made the call. This time I heard a signal, but there was still no one to answer…My heart began to thunder. Something was wrong. I could feel it in every inch of my tense muscles, twisting guts, and churning stomach. I paced around the room like a mad woman, trying to figure out a miraculous solution that would help me contact him.What if something had happened to him? What if he had an accident? Of course, it was more probable that there had been
I didn't cry. My self-preservation instincts formed an immediate shell around me. It sucked out all the emotions, leaving me numb. After I walked away from Jeanette, ignoring her taunting laughter, I entered the elevator car and went down to the ground floor. Jun appeared beside me at some point. He didn't say a word, and I was grateful that he didn't. He just led me out of the hospital and drove me to the museum.I didn't remember how I had gotten through the day. I vaguely recalled correcting a few details at one of the museum halls. I might have been talking to Oliver a few times. He came to ask me if I was OK, and I summoned my best acting skills to lie to him while keeping a smile on my face.Lying in front of my son was harder. Fortunately, he had an exciting day at school, and I was grateful that telling me about it devoured his entire attention. That's how I survived.My shell turned out to be more resilient than I thought. Not a single crack formed even when I sat alone on Jo
ALEXI felt like a complete piece of shit. Of course, that state neatly assimilated with concussion, two broken ribs, and more than two dozen bruises all over my body. Unfortunately, the painkillers took away only the physical pain, leaving all the guilt untouched. After some fucker killed my driver and almost killed me, I thought that my situation couldn't get any worse, but I changed my mind as soon as I woke up in the hospital. Of all the hospitals in New York City, they had to take me to the one generously founded by the Duncans. What a fucking coincidence! I would have laughed if it weren't for the fact that, at that moment, laughing hurt.Triggered by a subconscious instinct, I had vaguely woken up just to witness Jeanette placing a little device by the bedside table lamp and another little black something inside the cabinet. It happened a few hours after I had been brought in. This fragile moment of awareness lasted less than a minute, but it was enough for me to find out that
SARAHMy heart kept pounding like a mad drum long after I ended the call with Alex. He called me. He contacted me. That mere fact parted my lips into a wide, hopeful smile. Joy would have surely rolled her eyes if she had seen my dumb happiness, but I couldn't help it. I felt happy and relieved.Of course, the voice at the back of my head told me that I shouldn't. This wasn't the kind of explanation and apology I expected of him. I needed more. I deserved more, but those little fluttering butterflies in my stomach decided that it was enough—for now.“Friday, I will see him on Friday,” I muttered under my breath as I headed to bed. “He will explain this situation. He will apologize like he should…”What could I say? I was filled with hope. I wanted to believe him. For once, I wanted my fairy tale to have a happy ending.I walked into the room where Liam slept. I stopped by his side of the bed and felt my chest tightening. What if trusting Alex was a mistake? I could handle a broken hea
I stared at Eleonor Ravenford, trying to shake off my flusteredness. My cheeks were coated with a thick layer of heat. Never in a million years would I have thought that she would help me be with Alex. I was yet to determine if I could fully trust her. For now, I decided that blurting out that Liam was Alex's son was out of the question. She was a rather impulsive old lady. God only knew what she was capable of doing if she learned that Liam was her great-grandson.“Let me state this clearly: I don't want Alex and Jeanette Duncan to marry. I believe that the merger between Ravenford Corporation and Duncan Light Industries would be a mistake, and marriage between the two of our families would be an even bigger mistake,” Eleonor stated, gracefully lifting the coffee cup to her lips.“I apologize for my bluntness, but I thought that it was the family that is forcing Alex to marry Jeanette, is it not?” I smiled a little sheepishly.Eleonor sighed. “In the final years of my husband's life,
ALEXMoving hurt. Breathing hurt. At first, I was swallowing painkillers like candy, but I quickly realized that with my pain gone, so was my concentration. I had to be focused. I had to keep my head in the game and act cautiously.My ribs were still broken, muscles still strained, and bruises still visible. There was no position I could shift my body into and feel comfortable in, but I couldn't allow myself to dull my mind. Not now.Gregory Duncan promised to present an offer from the Dourado Insurance Group in less than a week. The problem was, I needed that offer immediately. Viento Insurance Company—which insured most of Ravenford Corporation's investments—still awaited my answer to their demand. My father and the Duncans were most likely certain that I had already rejected every proposal I'd received from them. I didn't. I stalled for time. Aside from the bitch move they made, our cooperation had been rather flawless for many years. Unfortunately, companies like theirs tended to
SARAHAs my job at the museum almost came to an end, I spent most of each day in my apartment, which was currently a nearly completely empty apartment. While waiting for the new furniture set to arrive, I sat on the floor with my laptop and tried to learn as much as I could about the Duncans.After my conversation with Eleonor, I was more than aware that I couldn't act like a damsel in distress, and I surely wasn't going to let Jeanette humiliate me again. Repeating that knowledge is power, I shoved a slice of pizza into my mouth and read another boring article about what a wonderful family the Duncans were. Of course, I nearly threw up a few times already, wondering how much Duncans paid the reporters to write such ridiculous praises. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought that Mr. Duncan had been secretly working as Santa Claus and that his wife was the new version of Mother Theresa. In those articles, Jeanette was presented as an elegant and intelligent businesswoman, but h