(Jessamine’s POV)I breathed slowly, inhaling and exhaling as I glanced, shifting at the perfect blue sky and the coffee shop where Luke and I would meet. I had not seen him for almost four years, and though it was a clean breakup, I still felt guilty for breaking up with him when he didn’t do anything but love me.“For goodness sake, I’m not going on a date,” I murmured nervously, taking another look at my face in the small mirror in the car's sun visor. “I’m not going on a date, okay?” I sneered at Charlie when he turned his head to me. “We’re doing business for Daddy. This is for Daddy.”The puppy barked, and I hoped he agreed with me, not repeating what Deborah had said earlier. What would Aiden say?I didn’t know why I was nervous when this was nothing but a mere interview like what I did with the other applicants the other day. I consulted Deborah and Xavier about their qualifications, and they agreed that neither seemed to have the heart and skills to manage a new venture. Ther

(Jessamine’s POV)After a long pause, I nodded.Luke blinked, then stared at me with confusion and excitement in his eyes. “Does that mean I get the job, Jess?” He asked, clarifying what my gesture meant. “Are you giving me a chance?”Like him, I was confused about giving the job to him. Deborah might be right; I was getting back at Aiden.“Don’t be excited much, Luke, because I am only giving you a month,” I answered, swallowing hard before I continued, “and if you cross the line, I’m replacing you immediately.”He knitted his eyebrows and pursed his lips. “That I cannot promise you, Jess.” Then he smiled, “But I’ll deal with my heart later.” His lips curved into a triumphant smile.My heart pounded, realizing Luke had changed. He seemed more determined now than he was four years ago.“Let’s celebrate.” Luke gazed at me, melting me again.I lifted an eyebrow and scoffed. “Celebrate? You know that I don’t celebrate my birthday.”He chuckled nervously, glancing at Charlie, sitting besi

(Jessamine’s POV)“Adam Knight?”Adam Knight? I heard about it when Deborah and Xavier argued about him. Like my friend, I checked on this guy and was surprised he looked like him. But at that time, Aiden was with me, and this Adam guy was spotted abroad. As if playing a spot-the-difference game, I could list many similarities, but there were also many differences. Maybe this Adam Knight, being young and wealthy, made a big distinction. Adam looked powerful, genius, focused, and aloof, unlike my Aiden. If he was Adam Knight, it was something Aiden would never keep from me.I raised my eyebrows, switching glances to Luke and Aiden. The way Luke narrowed his eyes as he stared at Aiden, I knew he was unsure.“He’s a doppelganger,” I joked.“I’m the doppelganger?” Aiden scoffed, rolling his eyes.“Yeah,” I sneered, then turned to Luke and forced a smile. “He gets that a lot. I mean, not the doppelganger… Umm… He looks like Adam, but he’s not.” I explained to Luke.Aiden grabbed my hand,

(Aiden’s POV) I opened my mouth to answer, but then Jessamine shook her head, rolled her eyes, and laughed. “You can’t be Adam Knight,” Jessamine muttered, narrowing her eyes as she studied my face. Her lips twitched, then she shook her head again. “I saw him once on the Internet. ‘Got curious, but… nah!” Although she let go of the topic easily, my heart still pounded wildly. “I could be him.” I should have said I am him, not could be. This was my chance to tell her everything, especially about my father, Naomi, and the child she was carrying. But Jessamine shrugged, grinning as she turned around, facing the coffee table. “Cake?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder. When I didn’t answer, she turned to me and grabbed my hands, leading me to the couch. “I’ve been eating cake alone for nine years, Aiden. This year, I’m finally sharing it with you.” I nodded, gazing at her lovingly, forgetting about everything else. What mattered now was the present… Just Jessamine. “Make a wish

(Jessamine’s POV)“Aiden, are you okay?”I asked Aiden as he was only staring at me, scanning my body like his eyes were looking for something valuable inside me. I knew he never liked me teasing him, and my plan of swimming naked failed. He must have thanked the god of the rain for hearing his prayer!“I’ll go get towels upstairs,” I muttered, stepping toward the stairs, but I stopped when he grabbed my wrist.I lifted an eyebrow, asking him silently what he wanted when he gripped harder.“I promised to go slowly in everything, Jess,” he muttered, not blinking when our eyes met.“Then… let’s… take… it… slowly,” I joked, speaking each word bit by bit.My heart pounded when he didn’t laugh. Instead, he pulled me closer to him and slid his hand on my neck, dipping his head to catch my lips, blazing mine with his scorching kisses. I slid my arms around his waist, clutching the hem of his wet T-shirt as he thrust his tongue deeper into my mouth, melting me. As our tongues entangled, desi