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Family Dinner
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
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From One Night to Love Obligation
ALEXI was looking at Sarah, hearing nothing aside from the wild pounding of my heart. Her words spun inside my head. She had mentioned a brief relationship, parting ways, and that he—the father of the child—hadn't known about the pregnancy. Well, HE had just learned about it right at that moment because I was ninety-nine percent sure that I was the one.The reason poking at my hectic mind told me to take a deep breath and analyze different possibilities. She might have had different partners. She might have been sleeping around with other guys. I could have been fooled by the innocence surrounding her that night. My gut told me otherwise. I glanced at Liam and his round hazel eyes; they were just like mine. His hair looked like mine. It couldn't be just a coincidence.I saw her eyes widen in reaction to whatever she read from my expression, as if she were afraid that I had found out. Why? As far as I knew, she had no other man in her life. Didn't she want a father for her son? Would
From One Night to Love That One Question
SARAH"Mommy, are you mad at me?" Liam's voice pulled me to a halt. I looked at him. His eyes turned into those of Shrek's cat. "I'm sorry I ran..."I sighed. "No, sweetie. I'm not mad at you." I forced myself to smile as I stroked his hair. "Just... don't run around anymore, OK?" When he nodded, I grabbed his hand and started walking toward the swimming pool where we left Eleonor."I don't like her," he suddenly said, frowning.My lips twitched upward. I knew who Liam meant, but I still asked, "Who?""Jeanette. I don't like her. I think she was hurting Alex."I bit my lip, trying to stifle a laugh. Finally, I failed, and my snort still broke through. "She… wasn't trying to hurt him," I choked out."He looked like he was in pain," Liam argued.Dread washed over me as I thought of what my son could have seen. I could only imagine... No. I didn't want to imagine what they were doing! And... too late. I sealed my lips and drew a breath through my nose. "Jeanette wasn't hurting Alex," I r
From One Night to Love Truths and Lies
ALEXI was supposed to focus on our newest project, but after staring blankly at the documents for an hour, I decided to call Grayson. We met for lunch outside the office. I never willingly ate outside the office, but this time I felt like I had to leave.I owned a restaurant not so far from the Ravenford Corporation Building. As the owner, I had a private room prepared whenever I decided to eat there. I rarely used that privilege, which made the staff almost surprised when I showed up for lunch."Why do I feel like a piece of shit?" I looked at Grayson as I took a sip of my espresso.I told him everything that happened during the Sunday dinner and afterward, hoping that he would help me process it. He leaned forward, his mouth twisting into a wry smile. "Are you sure that you can trust Elmer?"I inhaled sharply. "Throughout the years, he has never been disloyal.""To whom?" He locked his eyes on mine."To our family," I replied, and he raised one brow."Being loyal to the Ravenfords
From One Night to Love Talking
SARAHAfter flooding the elegant bathtub in the Ravenfords' residence with my tears, I fell into a short and highly insufficient sleep. Once I woke up, I did everything I could to get Liam and myself out of that mansion as soon as possible. The last thing I wanted was to meet Alex on my way out, so I figured that sneaking out at six in the morning would be the easiest way to avoid him.When we returned, Liam stayed with Joy while I spent most of the day drawing drafts in the museum. I felt fine until it was late in the evening, and I got back to our apartment. Then I fell apart, threw myself in Joy's arms, and spent long hours crying and drinking…The next day, I suffered from heartache and a killer hangover at the same time. The night before, I had dumbly assumed that literally drowning my sorrows would help. It didn't, so I had to heal myself the old-fashioned way—throwing myself into work. Since I was ahead of schedule with the museum drafts and Alex generously accepted the designs
From One Night to Love I Want Out
ALEX"What the hell was that?" Jeanette hissed, crossing her hands over her chest.My jaw clenched. "What was what?""Sarah Hill and you." She pointed at the door, seething. "What is going on between you two?"I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. The least she deserved was honesty. "The truth is... I met Sarah five years ago. We had a brief encounter that ended with a misunderstanding. I wanted to clear out this misunderstanding."Her eyes widened as she studied me in silence for a few seconds. "Are you trying to tell me that you fucked her?"I breathed out a curse. "I'm trying to tell you that there was something between us. I also wanted to remind you that our arrangement doesn't require me to confess all my past deeds, but I decided that it would be better if you knew.""I don't give a fuck about your past!" she spat, placing her hands on her hips. "I want to know if you are screwing her behind my back!"Irritation burst within me. "You are forgetting yourself, Jeanette."Sh
From One Night to Love Frustration
SARAHI stood inside the grand hall of Corbin's Modern Art Museum, staring at the glass tower built inside the building. Oliver told me that Philip Corbin had his office on top of this tower. Corbin Enterprises had its own headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, but the owner and CEO of the company preferred to rule his multi-billion-dollar company sitting at the top of the museum he founded."When is your boss coming back?" I asked Oliver, who suddenly showed up next to me."In a few hours," he said.Shivers run down my spine, flaring every nerve and filling me with panic. "He's coming back today, and you're telling me about it only now?!"Oliver chuckled. "Relax. You won't be meeting him today."I blinked. "Why not?"He scratched his head. "He didn't plan to come to New York so soon, but it appears he has an urgent meeting. He's taking a detour, landing in for two hours, and then he jumps back into the plane."I nodded, slowly processing his words. "He must be meeting with someone import
From One Night to Love Danger
I stopped breathing and blankly stared at the face that used to be so familiar. A few strands of dirty-blond hair slipped out from under the black cap. His gray eyes—the only thing that once made us look alike—seemed almost lifeless, coated by a thick filter of dark void. The deep shades under his eyes were the proof of more than a few sleepless nights, and a few days' stubble made him look a decade older than he was. One of his cheeks was covered with several round scars that seemed burned. He released my hands and stepped back. "Sarah, you have to help me," he said, his voice hoarse and ragged. I looked around; we were in the side alley with no living soul in sight. My lady bag lay on the ground, a foot or so away from me. Drawing a shaky breath, I faced him. "What happened to you?" I asked, even though there were a thousand other things I wanted to say, beginning with asking how he could kill someone. His eyes feverishly scanned my features. "Sarah," he muttered, locking his eyes
From One Night to Love The First Step
ALEXI was sitting in the room on top of the Corbin Modern Art Museum, Philip Corbin's office. New York's most mysterious businessman sat behind his desk, staring at me, a faint smile curving his mouth. Many legends grew around Philip Corbin. Some said that he was born in the slums and started working for the mafia when he was six. Some said that he had been adopted by one of the Chinese Triads' bosses and that he inherited quite a fortune after the boss's death. Then again, another story said that he saved the money he earned doing all kinds of shady business and tripled it playing cards in casinos around the world. People admired him, respected him, but mostly were extremely wary of him. He had been known for rejecting ninety-nine percent of business offers, but the one percent that he accepted received his utmost attention and always turned out to be a financial success.I took a risk reaching out to him and an even bigger risk revealing the plans for my secret project. I didn't kn
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From One Night to Love Epilogue – Loving Her
ALEX Four and a half years later I opened my eyes to see Sarah's gorgeous sleeping face, and my lips instantly stretched into a wide smile. God, I would never have enough of watching her sleep. There were only two other faces I loved more: her face when she smiled and the blushing face that appeared shortly after she reached her climax. Actually, I would gladly work to see that blushing face right now, but I couldn't risk being late today. This day was going to be perfect. I dipped my head to brush my lips against hers. I did it carefully so as not to wake her up. Then I slid out of bed and quietly walked out of our bedroom. Of course, it was way easier to sneak out of our room than to pass Liam's bedroom, and passing the twins' bedroom without them waking up or noticing was nearly mission impossible. Fortunately, none of them decided to wake up at six in the morning on Saturday, and two minutes later, I successfully entered the kitchen. Usually, this place belonged to Sarah. It wa
From One Night to Love The Rest Of Our Lives
I vaguely recalled what had happened in the last few hours. I remember Jun calling my name as he all but tore me away from Alex, taking over the reanimation until the paramedics appeared. Then the words “temporary stable” rang in my head as they transported Alex to the hospital in Nassau. I refused to leave his side. I held his hand almost until he had been taken to the operating room. Philip and Jun dragged me away so that doctors could patch me, even though I said I didn't need it. They insisted, and Jun might have even said something about knocking me out if I'd refused. The doctors asked me if I needed painkillers. When I said I wasn't sure, they asked me if I needed something to soothe my nerves. I took neither. I didn't want anything that could dull my senses as I waited for Alex's operation to be over. The surgeon said that the bullet vaguely missed the heart but also that removing it would be complicated. Still, there was a chance. There was hope that he would survive. He had
From One Night to Love Don't Die
I heard two gunshots, yet there was no pain. Well, there was no new kind of pain, and I could feel the heart pounding in my chest… But dead people shouldn't have a heartbeat, should they? My mind was struggling to process what was happening. My eyes snapped open just in time to see two guards fall to the ground, exposing the one who stood on the threshold. Alex.My breath caught in my throat as our eyes met, but my relief lasted less than a second. In my peripheral vision, I saw Lucius reaching for his gun and shifting his stance to shoot. “No!” I screamed for a split second before he aimed his gun at Alex and pulled the trigger.Alex leaped into the corridor and hid behind the door. “Sarah, get down!” he thundered, and that was what I did. I jumped to the side before Lucius could grab me and use me as a shield, and I dove behind the bed, lying face-down on the floor. Lucius roared like a wild animal, and more shots came. “I'll kill you, Ravenford!” he bellowed.I flinched every time
From One Night to Love Surviving
SARAHThree days passed since I had woken up in my luxurious prison. My ribs still hurt, but at least I could move on my own… more or less. The bruises I found all over my body were slowly fading. The worst were those on my shoulder, which, according to Lucius, had been dislocated. Once the mass of sedatives and painkillers left my system, the pain had become almost unbearable, but now I learned to function despite it.Lucius had been showing up in my room at least three times a day. Each time, he brought me food or snacks. It might have been his twisted definition of caring about me. Never had he raised his voice on me, but I knew better than to trust his fragile kindness. The cold glow in his eyes remained, and the smiles he had often given me betrayed cruelty. I couldn't let my guard down around him. I had to put on my best act, even though his slightest touch filled me with sheer disgust. It terrified me that he became more daring. He enjoyed tracing every bruise on my neck and sh
From One Night to Love Sleepless
ALEXI was sitting in my office and trying to focus my eyes on the screen. My current struggle had nothing to do with Ravenford Corporation. I was tracing the old metro plans, hoping to find that one place we had missed.“You shouldn't stay here all night again.” Grayson sighed before grabbing a chair and sitting in front of my desk. “Staring at those plans won't bring her back.”“She is not dead, Grayson,” I hissed.“You don't know that,” he argued but raised his hands in surrender as soon as he met my glare.“I know that because we haven't found her body.” Anger raised the volume of my voice, but that only made Grayson look at me with more pity.“If you're convinced that she's not dead, then why not call off the search inside the tunnels?” His brows rose. “It has been more than a week now. Even if she survived the fall, she must have been injured and lying there alone—”“Shut. The fuck. Up.” The knuckles in my fisted hands bleached.“I don't want to see you torture yourself,” he sai
From One Night to Love Possession
SARAHI heard myself drawing a breath into my lungs. It was a wheezing sound, and the movement of my chest came with a great deal of pain. Then I heard something else—voices. I couldn't understand what they were saying… It was… Chinese?The realization triggered an alarm that spread throughout my aching body. Fear clung around me tightly, forming a thick, almost material cover, nearly as real as the sheets on my body. Then I heard one voice I recognized. The sound doubled the terror consuming me. Lucius. He and someone else were arguing about… something. Their voices were raised, their edges sharp, their tones cold…I opened my eyes and blinked, trying to adjust my sight, but it remained blurry no matter how hard I tried to focus. I struggled for another few seconds before I could see more clearly. Wherever I was, it looked like an enormous bedroom. The bed I was lying in was double the size I had in my penthouse. A huge window was several feet to the left of the bed, and the palm tre
From One Night to Love The Greatest Fear
The outer corridor had been completely annihilated by the explosives, and more than four of our men had lost their lives. Their bloodied bodies lay close enough for some of the guests to see, and the cries and screams became unstoppable in seconds. The alarms went off, and an automated steel shield quickly covered every glass wall. At the same time, the recorded voice announced that the main hall had been secured and separated until the situation was under control. That, of course, didn't lessen the panic devouring almost everyone inside.My eyes shifted to Sarah and Liam. They were still standing on the round podium in the middle of the hall while some of the terrified guests ran in every direction, ineptly trying to find the way out, as if it weren't obvious that they could get shot if they did. Sarah hugged Liam tightly, moving to the center of the dais, trying to stay away from the crowd of panicked people. My first instinct was to get them far away from that podium, but with the
From One Night to Love Waiting for Their Move
ALEXI was sitting by my desk, rubbing my thumb over my still-swollen knuckles. Well, that's what you get after punching the wall hard enough to stain it with your blood. Let's just say that I hadn't taken the news about Natasha Collins well. Not only did she betray our family—the family she had been working for for years—but she had nearly killed my grandmother. Perhaps it was fortunate that it was Sarah and her bodyguards who exposed her. If it had been me, I would have snapped her neck before I could have willed myself to exhibit reasonable behavior.“I thought you would be celebrating.” Grayson eyed me as he entered my office. “With all the accusations, the Duncans will sure as hell end up in jail.”“They found Marisol Martinez dead this morning. Someone slit her throat,” I said, rubbing my knuckles again as I struggled to contain my rising anger. “It's obvious to think that someone did it to silence her, but I somehow doubt that Gregory Duncan was behind this. Her testimony would
From One Night to Love Growing Restlessness
“I still can't believe that I can officially meet with Alex without hiding,” I said softly, holding Eleonor's hand. “Of course, that doesn't mean that everything's OK between us, but I cannot deny that he's trying.” I couldn't stop the smile from parting my lips as I thought of all the roses he had sent to my apartment. I was probably blushing, and Eleonor would have laughed if she had seen me looking like this… I missed her laugh and her remarks. Every day, I prayed that she would finally wake up. My chest tightened at the thought that she might never—No. I couldn't think about it. She was going to wake up. I had to believe she would. I sucked in a shaky breath and cleared my throat. “Anyway,” I continued. “Alex officially announced that he and Jeanette Duncan are no longer engaged. He said that they parted due to insurmountable differences. That, of course, doesn't change the fact that Jeanette is pregnant and that the child is Alex's.” I sighed and brushed a strand of hair off Ele
