XANDER’S POVBy the afternoon, I felt well enough to leave the house. It was time to face the world again. I switched on my phone, bracing myself for the onslaught of messages. The screen lit up with notifications, over a thousand messages and calls. My heart sank as I scrolled through them. Most were from my mom, my friends and Sasha. I didn’t bother opening any of the messages or calling back. I wasn’t ready for that yet.I packed a few things, took a deep breath, and headed home.Xander!” my mom called immediately I got home, rushing over to hug me. She wrapped me in a tight hug."Where have you been? I was so worried."I hugged her back, feeling guilty for ignoring her. "I'm sorry, Mom," I said, "I didn't mean to make you worry."She pulled back, looking at me with concern "Do you know how worried I was? Why have you been ignoring my calls and Sashas’ too? We were both worried."I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Mom, I really don't want to talk about it right now. I'm to

ADELINE’S POVI stared at the paper in front of me. The numbers seemed surreal, almost too good to be true. One hundred million dollars. That’s how much they were offering for this campaign. All I had to do was sign. But the problem was that I had to do it with Xander. After turning down every single brand asking to partner with Xander, I thought they will let me be instead the deals kept coming and they offered more money instead. The truth was I didn’t want to be within a hundred meters radius as him, let alone work closely with him on a project. But the deal was good. Too good even. The visibility, the money, the opportunities that would come from it; it was a dream come true for my business.I thought of Sasha and how furious she’d be if I ever agreed to this and instead of wanting to refuse it the deal became even more tempting.She had called me several times to help her after the failed engagement but I knew better than that now, knowing who she is she’d make sure to turn t

XANDER’S POVI sat in my office, staring at the pile of papers on my desk drumming my fingers on the oak surface. I was so angry and couldn’t get any work done. I had already instructed my secretary to not let anyone disturb me and tell them I was in a meeting but the truth is I was thinking of Adeline and how cold she acted towards me."Xander, you need to calm down," I told myself over and over but I couldn’t. The last time I saw her was at our last shoot. She looked stunning, as always. Her hair caught the light just right, and her smile was as radiant as ever. But that day, her smile didn't reach her eyes whenever she spoke to me. I had asked her to go out and eat with me after the shoot, hoping to spend some time together outside of work and talk but she declined. "I'm sorry, Xander. I have other plans," she said, and then she left.I haven’t felt the level of frustration I felt that day all my life. I clenched my fists, trying to control the anger I felt towards Sasha for ma

XANDER’S POVI sat next to Adeline smiling to myself after she looked at me confused on why my seat was next to hers. The director had been more than happy to switch seats with me. He was very easygoing and smiled when I asked him to exchange seats with me. "Sure, Xander, no problem," he had said, waving a hand dismissively.So here I was, sliding into the seat next to Adeline. She was already seated, flipping through the in-flight magazine. When she saw me, her eyes widened in surprise."What are you doing here?" she asked,I almost smiled, finding her reaction endearing. "This is my seat," I replied, trying to keep my voice casual.Adeline nodded slowly, her eyes still wide. She fumbled with her seatbelt, trying to secure it around her waist. I picked up a magazine from the pocket in front of me and pretended to read, but I couldn't help sneaking glances at her. She was adorable, her fingers trembling slightly as she struggled with the belt.The plane started to move, taxiing slo

ADELINE’S POVThe smell of chicken stirred in my nose, pulling me from my jet-lagged slumber. The 32-hour flight had been brutal, leaving me more exhausted than I’d ever been. I had been sleeping since we landed. But now, my stomach growled. I pushed back the covers and sat up, rubbing my eyes. The smell was too tempting to ignore. I followed my nose, feeling like a cartoon character being led by an invisible scent trail, my feet padding softly on the cold, hardwood floors as I made my way to the kitchen.There, standing by the microwave, was Xander. He looked as handsome and sexy as ever, even in the harsh fluorescent light of the kitchen. His dark hair was tousled, and he wore a simple t-shirt and jeans that clung to his well-built frame. The sight of him took my breath away for a moment. I shook it off quickly, reminding myself why I was here.This was a job, nothing more. I hated him. He turned as I entered the kitchen, his eyes locking onto mine. He smiled, a slow, lazy grin t