Until I Found You

The second Icen Clayton Blackstone stepped into the room, Ember Heart knew he was trouble spelled in thick capital letters. His name had always been associated with scandal, and he had a lengthy history of affairs known to last for a month or less, thus earning him the name ‘Heartless Prince,’ and even worse, ‘Heart Ripper’. Yet, none of the articles she read had ever cautioned her about his magnetic sexual allure. Ember had seen drop-dead gorgeous men at the party, but there was something about Icen that compelled her to give him a second look even though he wore a masquerade mask. With the stately grace of a king, he walked through the hotel's grand entrance, towering over every male in the room. His magnificent black tuxedo, which he carried well in a dignified stance, made him stand out as he strode toward the waiting crowd. The music abruptly stopped, and the din of conversation subsided in his presence. Men looked up to him with envy and respect. Women stared at him with he

Ember felt as though they had met before.The way they dance aches with familiarity. Even the sweet scent of his manly perfume swept her with an unexplainable nostalgia. Weird but she also felt with a striking awareness that it wasn't the first time he held her in his arms. “I'm Thunder Steel's fiancee, I mean ex-fiancee.” She replied. For a second, her voice quivered.Icen tensed in response.She felt the moment it happened and something urged her to look at him, and what she saw made her freeze.His eyes didn't just look cold, but Ember swore she saw a hailstorm in them at the mention of her ex-lover's name.Why? Ember inwardly asked herself, wondering if the two had some kind of history.“I see. I remember you now.” He replied after a brief pause. His eyes shifted to her face, recognition shone in them as they looked at her. “The lady dubbed by tabloids as Cinderella. The one lucky woman Thunder Steel had fallen in love with.” He murmured. “That explains why you looked familiar.”

Her flashback was cut short by a tear falling from her flushed cheeks.She had been keeping her emotions but it finally broke loose after suppressing them for weeks.Tonight was the first time she allowed herself to cry. As she did so, she promised herself it would also be the last.As she wiped her tears with her palms, she remembered that night how Chloe woke up in daze only to realize she was there in the room.However, instead of offering an explanation and begging for her forgiveness, Chloe had proudly lifted her chin.“It's better you know the truth so Thunder would not be obliged to marry you. Your fiancé is my lover and we've been having an affair for two years.” Her cousin had declared. Ember felt as though the wind had slapped her in the face that time.Thunder awoke to the sound of their voices, and he wasn't even startled to see Ember. He gave her a single icy stare before breaking the news that they were no longer engaged.“Check yourself out in the reflection, Ember.” He

Ember sat on the tiny balcony of her rented apartment as beads of perspiration dripped down her temples from the sweltering afternoon sun. Three weeks later, she still wasn't acclimated to the weather. She sighed and wiped the sweat from her temples with her hands.She squinted her eyes as she scanned the newspaper for employment listings, frowning. While doing so, Ember fought the desire to read the gossip column, knowing full well that doing so would leave her with a sour taste in her mouth.It seemed like she and Thunder's breakup made headlines every day. For her own sanity, she quit reading newspapers and avoided going online.Once Ember saw the words "Phoenix Empire" and "Urgent Recruiting," she froze. She thought about applying for a job at the company mentioned above, but she quickly got rid of the idea.Despite Ember's best intentions, she knew that her qualifications wouldn't pass muster. She didn't graduate from a prestigious university, and she came from a fairly average f

His piercing blue eyes looked as though they could penetrate her soul and read her deepest and darkest secret. But despite his intimidating appearance Ember could not deny that he was good-looking.She was too stunned to move and simply watched as he threaded in her direction.Ember bit her lower lip as she realized she had been mentally murdering him only seconds ago, but now she was admiring him for his good looks. Speaking of looks, the man appeared to be quite familiar.Crap, the man reminds her of Icen Clayton Blackstone. At the thought of his name, Ember thanked her lucky stars she hadn't crossed paths with him again.Her heart began hammering in her ribcage for no apparent reason. She waited for him with her chin up, preparing for a confrontation she knew was coming.He almost took forever to reach her. When he did, The man towered over her. Even with her four-inch heels, she couldn't quite reach his shoulders.He opened his wallet, grabbed a bunch of hundred-dollar bills, and