“It was a complicated combination of explosive materials, lethal as hell,” said Officer Brown, a specialist from the bomb squad. “These ingredients are not something you can just buy on the internet. This bomb was custom-made and calculated to destroy everything within a very specific range.”I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I'm not sure whether or not I feel relieved that whoever tried to tear down my building knew exactly what he was doing.”I had been sitting at the police station since noon, and it was almost seven. Fortunately, Grayson and Anica handled our investors, keeping them oblivious to the fact of what had truly happened in the basement. They had all been notified that a certain problem with one of the workers had occurred and that it had been immediately dealt with. I wish I could borrow some of that blissful ignorance since the picture of a guy slitting his throat in front of me kept appearing whenever I closed my eyes for a mere blink.Detective West handed me a cup o
SARAHI might have stopped breathing as I watched Jeanette and Alex join our table in the private room of the Pétale de Rose restaurant. How did I get myself into this situation? It was supposed to be a date! The first date I had in... God! I didn't even remember when I had been on a date! I took a risk going out with Cameron, and I wanted to enjoy myself and spend time with a single, hot guy who was clearly into me. I should have been relaxed, but currently, I was anything but!When the nice lady from the reception entered and told us that the other Mr. Ravenford and his partner asked if they could join our table, I felt as if I had entered a nightmare. I should have come up with an excuse. I should have said that I wanted to spend this evening with Cameron alone, but the truth was that I turned speechless.One of the reasons I decided to go out with Cameron was to not think about Alex. Well, not thinking about him was going to be quite impossible with him sitting in front of me beca
My throat moved up and down on the swallow as I stared at Cameron. The thoughts inside my mind formed a roundabout and spun at an increasing speed. What should I tell him? Deny? Confirm? Tell the complicated truth that would require him to learn all too many secrets?“Sarah?” His eyes searched mine. “I feel like I've put you in an uncomfortable situation. I have to know what's going on to fix this.”I pushed air into my lungs and shook my head. “It is something you cannot fix.”His hands cupped my cheeks. “Please… I need to know. Is there anything between you and my brother?”I bit my lip, preparing myself for what I was about to say. “Something happened between us in the past. It… It didn't work out. Now, there's nothing.”He nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on me. “OK. That's all I needed to know,” he said, drawing a faint smile. Then he grabbed my hand and laced his fingers with mine. “What if we skip dinner at the restaurant and find a more private place where we could order fried
ALEX“What the hell was that?!” Jeanette finally snapped when I was driving her home from the restaurant. I was wondering when it would happen, and it did, just as I was taking a turn on Lexington Avenue, not so far from her apartment.Letting out a long sigh, I asked, “What was what?”“Y-your behavior! You were angry at Cameron's contact with that kid!” she yelled out.“Lower your voice. I can hear you well without your display of an irrational outburst,” I said calmly, knowing it was going to aggravate her even further.“Irrational?! Nothing about my behavior is irrational!” The pitch of her voice rose, and so did the volume.I pulled over to a curb, stopping a block or two from her apartment. I turned to her. “That idiotic jealousy is seriously starting to get on my nerves, Jeanette. First, you were insecure because of Sarah, and now it's the kid that bothers you?”Her eyes widened as she gasped. “Don't talk to me like that.”“I'm only stating the truth.” I turned off the engine an
SARAH“I want a full, detailed report on what's going on,” Joy demanded, fixing her eyes on me.We hadn't seen each other for a week. She was still living with Liam and me in our apartment, but because she had a lot of work and I had a lot on my mind, including Liam's school and creating more drafts for the museum, we kept passing each other in the doorway. That evening, Joy finished her work earlier, and we finally had time to catch up.Liam was already asleep, and Joy and I could blissfully relax on the sofa in the salon downstairs with wine glasses in our hands. I shifted in my seat to face her and took a drink from the glass. “Cameron and I... I think we're kind of… dating,” I admitted, a soft giggle lacing my voice.Joy's brows rose. “You think? Kind of? That doesn't sound right.”I curled a strand of my hair around my finger. “Well, nothing has been said yet, but I think I like him, Joy. And I think he likes me too. Above all, he likes Liam, and Liam... Liam doesn't run away fro
ALEXLast night, I dreamed about Sarah. She walked into my bedroom wearing nothing but a silk nightgown. Her fiery hair gently fell on her shoulders as she moved closer to the bed, looking at me with her stormy gray eyes. Then she slid under the sheets, falling into my embrace. She smiled at me as she pushed me to my back. Seductively lowering herself, she dipped her head and kissed down my chest and abdomen, moving dangerously close to the band of my boxer briefs. Her touch felt like fever injected wherever her lips went. She then pushed my briefs down, freeing my hard erection. A second later, she grabbed my length in her slender hand while her tongue teasingly grazed the tip. Tension grew within me as she closed her mouth over the head of my cock. A hoarse groan left me, and she shifted slightly, raising her head enough for her heated gaze to connect with mine. She took me in hesitantly before sliding down rhythmically, reaching further with each push. The pressure inside me grew f
SARAH“Mommy, Mommy!” My son ran into Cameron's office, followed by a tall brunette in five-inch heels. I certainly admired Cameron's secretary for being able to walk in these shoes without breaking a leg, but they certainly limited her ability to chase after a bundle of energy like Liam. “I saw Alex and told him hi!” he announced, grinning.Shivers ran down my spine, and I looked at Melanie with question marks in my eyes. Her lips stretched wryly. “I'm sorry… He ran away, and Mr. Ravenford brought him back.”I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, but it was too late. The annoyance, the frustration, and a little bit of panic were already bubbling inside me. When Cameron asked me and Liam to visit him in his office, the last thing I wanted was for Alex to find out. Of course, my son clearly had a different opinion on that matter. “Why did you run away? I thought I asked you to behave.” I gave Liam a strict look.He smiled sheepishly. “I wanted to see Alex. Melanie started talking with he
ALEXIt was hard for me to remain calm when Philip Corbin called me, suggesting hiring Sarah to design the interiors for our hotels. Why hadn't I thought about it sooner? Not only would she be perfect for this project, but it also gave me a chance to keep her by my side. I'd agreed before he finished the sentence. Some sort of wicked excitement grew within me. Knowing that she had already accepted Corbin's proposal to work on this project felt even better. With the first spot obtained, including Sarah in the project, and getting Liam's hair sample, I thought that this day couldn't get any better. Then she appeared in front of my office…Her glowing eyes, the gentle blush on her cheeks, and her parted lips easily betrayed her nervousness. Her chest rose and fell shakily, even though she did everything she could to keep her composure. My eyes roamed down, appreciating the way her lilac female suit wrapped around her delicious curves. It took less than three heartbeats for my dick to swe
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
“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