MiaI widened my eyes in shocked surprise at the sight I beheld. The place was a dreadful mess with some of my brand-new dresses flung everywhere in disarray, destroyed and torn in shreds.“What the hell happened?” I muttered, flabbergasted.The place had been perfectly clean and my clothes intact before I’d left the room this morning. So how did this happen?Instantly Sophie popped in my mind. I knew without a doubt it was her who was behind this distasteful trick. What the hell was wrong with the woman? Surely this was uncalled for. Why was she behaving like a child?I sighed in frustration. Was she declaring war on me? Was she in her very obnoxious way telling me I wasn’t wanted here?Yeah, right!I picked up the shredded dresses as I muttered in irritation under my breath. While I was cleaning up the place, I told myself that if the bitch desperately wanted a showdown between her and me, because it was clear she had gone this far to secure one, then it’d be coldhearted of me not t

JamesJames impassively watched Sophie turn on her heel and leave the room, her steps quick and decisive. He had coldly dismissed her from her position as Aria’s nanny, and fuck, he felt relieved. Of course, there was no need for him to give her an explanation as to why, and oddly enough, the woman hadn’t asked for any either.He had given her two weeks’ notice, as this would help her adjust and give her time to seek new employment. The woman had refused him on the spot and stated she’d be gone from the house by tomorrow morning.Fuck! He still couldn’t believe he had employed a woman such as Sophie to look after his daughter. The very thought that she’d fed Aria all those lies and fear still pissed him off.Once again, his mind flashed back to yesterday when Aria had poured her heart out to him, telling him of her love for him, her loneliness whenever he was away, and her fear that he’d run away from her like Whitney had.The thought that his adorable six-year-old daughter had to go

MiaOnce she was close, she threw herself into my arms, and I hugged her tight. “Hello, Aria. How was school today?” I asked, grinning in adoration.“Good,” she said hyperactively. “I had so much fun today. We did heaps of cool stuff like painting and stuff. I’m gonna show you my painting when we get home. It’s the coolest painting ever!”I couldn’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm. “That’s good,” I said. “I can’t wait to see it.”“Now that’s something I don’t see every day,” the elderly receptionist said behind me.I turned to her and asked, “What do you mean?”She chuckled. “Aria is never like this when that Sophie woman comes to pick her up.”“Really?” I asked, turning my eyes to Aria once again, feeling my heart ache for the little girl at the reminder of Sophie’s mistreatment.Aria excitedly carried on, telling me about all the wonderful things she’d done at school today while I encouraged her by smiling and nodding. A moment later, another little girl showed up. The cutie with a

MiaScott and Eric Maxwell were nothing like I’d imagined. I thought they’d be similar to James, both in looks and behavior. When I finally got to meet them, however, I was pleasantly surprised they weren’t. Sure, they had that elite aura about them like James, which awed anyone who happened to encounter them. And physically, they were tall and muscular like James too, but that was where the resemblance ended.Scott was a hunky, blond-haired, light-brown-eyed charming man that screamed sex appeal like a lion on testosterone. I had to do a double take because he was so gorgeous—as in drop-dead gorgeous—even I found it hard to tear my gaze from him. He was the type that could make a girl come in ecstasy with just a cheeky smile or wink. The moment I saw him, I knew he was both the easiest to get along with yet the hardest to get close to of all three brothers.I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but my instincts told me Scott had many layers and much depth in terms of his personality,

James“I’m going to check up on Aria and Mia for a bit,” James said, getting up from his seat. “I think that’s enough gossiping about Dad and his new bride.”Eric snorted. “That woman is not Dad’s new bride. Don’t be ridiculous, James.”Scott chuckled. “We’ll get to meet her soon, no doubt. Our old man is coming home next month, isn’t he?”“Yeah,” James said as he headed toward the door. As he was about to exit, he added, “You’re about to meet your new stepmother, Eric. You should be elated about that.”Eric shouted, “Fuck you, James. It’s not funny.”James laughed, shaking his head as he headed up the stairs.He couldn’t believe how sensitive Eric was where the new bride Alice was concerned.New bride, he thought, his mind turning to Mia. Fuck, he’d said the four-letter word to her this evening, and he still couldn’t believe it. Once again, he felt elated, simply elated when he’d finally recognized his feelings for Mia and said those wonderful words to her. Not to mention that quick