Novels by Maybel Sialana

“What the heck was that?” I whispered as Lennox led me across the dance floor. His hand was firmly on my lower back. The music was loud enough to hide what I was saying, but people were still staring.Lennox leaned in close, his breath warm by my ear. “Just go with it. Vivian was about to ruin everything.”My heart was racing. I kept my fake smile on. Wife? He’d just told a whole room of important people that I was his wife! That was not part of the plan.“You could’ve given me a heads-up,” I muttered as he spun me around. My emerald dress flowed around my legs.He gave me that annoying half-smile that always made my stomach do a weird flip. “Would you have said yes if I did?”I stepped on his foot—kind of on purpose. He flinched. “That’s not the point. You can’t just do stuff like that without asking me.”“Sorry,” he said, but he didn’t sound sorry at all. His hand slid a little lower, pulling me even closer. “Too late now. Everyone thinks we’re married.”The music slowed down. I had

“Did Daddy already go to work?” Mia asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she walked into the kitchen. It had been a day since that night with Lennox, and honestly, I was starting to think he was avoiding me.I poured orange juice into her favorite unicorn cup and gave it to her. “Yeah, sweetie. He had an early meeting.” At least, I thought that’s what happened. Lennox hadn’t told me anything. He’d been acting distant since that night, and it was driving me nuts.“He’s always working,” Mia pouted, climbing up on a stool. “Why can’t he just stay home with us?”I sighed. Her sad little face made my heart twist a bit. “Your daddy runs a big company, remember? A lot of people need him.” I gently smoothed out her messy hair. “But hey, today’s our day! We’re gonna have so much fun.”Her face lit up. “Can we play princess tea party? Please?”“Of course!” I smiled and said in a silly British accent, “It would be my royal honor, Princess Mia.” She giggled.After breakfast, we had a full-on tea par

“Is she asleep now?” Lennox whispered, his breath warm near my ear.I looked at Mia, who was curled up between us like a tiny kitten. She was breathing slow and steady, holding onto my nightgown.“Yeah, I think so,” I whispered back, gently moving her hand off me.Lennox slowly sat up, careful not to shake the bed too much. The moonlight made his chest kind of glow. I tried not to look, but wow... this man had muscles.“You should go back to your room,” he said softly, not really looking at me. “She moves a lot when she sleeps.”I nodded and carefully got out of bed, very aware that my nightgown was very short. I could feel him watching me, and my face felt hot. This nightgown barely covered anything.“Goodnight,” I said, pulling the fabric down as much as I could.“Goodnight, Cathy,” he said, voice a little rough.I rushed back to my room and closed the door with a quiet sigh. My heart was beating fast. I didn’t know if it was because it was awkward… or something else.I checked my p

“Do we really need all this?” I asked, staring at the thick contract on Lennox’s desk. After he offered me the job of being Mia’s “mom figure,” I thought there’d be some papers to sign, but this thing looked like it could stop a bullet.We were in his private office at Hart Enterprises. It was all glass and shiny stuff, with a killer view of the city. Way fancier than the regular offices I saw on my first day. The place had real art on the walls and furniture that probably cost more than everything I owned.Lennox looked up from his laptop, all serious like always. “Yes, it’s important. This isn’t just babysitting, Ms. Reed.”“I thought we agreed you’d call me Cathy,” I said while flipping through the pages. “Especially since I’ll be living in your house.”He sighed and shut his laptop. “Right. Cathy.”I skimmed through the contract, trying to stay cool while my heart was racing. There were non-disclosure things, salary details (which were very generous), stuff about living at his pla

“You look really pretty, Cathy!” Mia said as she ran down the stairs. Her face lit up when she saw me standing in the hallway.I smoothed out my plain blue dress, feeling weirdly nervous. It was my second time at the Hart house, but tonight felt different. Maybe it was because Lennox was kind of avoiding me after that kiss… or maybe the mission was just getting tricky. Either way, here I was, back again—just two days after I "forgot" my bracelet.“Thanks, sweetie,” I said, crouching down to her level. “You look super cute too.”She spun around in her purple dress, smiling big. “Daddy said we should dress nice for dinner today. He cooked! He never cooks!”I raised my eyebrows. “Really? I wouldn’t have guessed that.”“Ms. Reed,” Lennox’s voice came from behind her. He was standing in the doorway to the dining room, wearing a simple button-up shirt and looking kind of awkward. The air between us felt… weird. “Thanks for joining us again.”I stood up and gave him a small smile. “Thanks fo

“Wait,” I whispered, pulling back from Lennox’s kiss. My heart was beating really fast, and I could still feel his lips on mine. I didn’t expect that at all. Not tonight.He looked confused as I stepped away, putting some space between us in the dim hallway. I had to think fast. I needed a reason to come back later. While moving, I quietly took off my bracelet and let it fall on the carpet. It was too dark for him to notice.“I’m sorry, Mr. Hart, but I’m not... I’m not into that kind of thing,” I said, trying to make my voice sound shaky. Pretending to be unsure was easy right now – this mission was getting way too messy.Lennox’s face changed fast. The soft, sad look was gone. He looked embarrassed, then serious again like always. “I’m sorry, Ms. Reed. That was inappropriate. I’ve had some whiskey… I wasn’t thinking straight.”It got really awkward. I pushed my hair back and glanced at my wrist. No bracelet. Good – it worked. “I should go now.”“Of course,” he said, looking away. “Da