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2024-10-29 19:42:56
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From One Night to Love On with the Show
I stood in the hall leading to the ballroom in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. It was strange showing up here without Eleonor. What was even stranger was that people who passed me by recognized me. Some stopped to say hello, others asked why Eleonor Ravenford wasn't with me. A lump formed in my throat every time their questions dragged my mind back to her bedroom and the way she looked—pale, weak, perhaps even hurting. I was almost certain she didn't tell me the truth about her condition. She was too determined to send me here and meet people, painting a bright smile in front of others. Perhaps she knew that if she'd told me the truth, no force would have dragged me out of the residence. God, I seriously hoped that my suspicions were wrong…Painting my best smile, I dropped the check from the Ravenford Foundation into the fundraising box and let myself be photographed from every possible angle while doing it. Then I answered the questions from the reporters, explaining that Eleonor Ravenford
From One Night to Love Falling Apart
ALEXThe violent surge of raw, heated anger flooded every ounce of my body. I was ready to jump to that fucking podium, tear that microphone from Jeanette's hands, and shout that she was lying. I didn't notice any symptoms that could indicate that she was pregnant, and there had to be symptoms, right? Besides, the whole pregnancy thing was quite impossible. I had always used a condom, for fuck's sake!“Congratulations, Mr. Ravenford.” David Solesbury, the investor I had been talking with, grabbed my hand and shook it while I still struggled to contain my murderous urges.“Thank you,” I grunted, unsure what else to say until I had a chance to talk to Jeanette. That was, of course, if I didn't end up choking her to death first.Then I realized something else... Sarah. I had caught a glimpse of her earlier. I knew that she must have been in this room. She heard Jeanette's words. Fuck. My heart began to race even faster as the rage I felt blended with slivers of restlessness. My gaze swep
From One Night to Love Lost
SARAHI walked into the ballroom and instantly wished I hadn't, as I stopped a few feet away from Jeanette, surrounded by a small crowd of people congratulating her. Our eyes met for a second, and a smirk grew on her surgically improved lips. The suffocating feeling from when I talked to Alex returned in an instant. Then my guts twisted, and I figured that it would be a good idea to get out of there before I began to throw up.“Get yourself together,” I whispered to myself as I strode out of the ballroom, entering a long corridor. I didn't know where I was or where I was going. I just needed to be away from all those people. I turned around the corner and finally found what I wanted—quiet.I found a corner where I could be alone, at least for a while. I started pacing in circles, covering the small space, and trying to force my hectic mind to become more organized. As soon as I shoved away everything about Jeanette's pregnancy, thoughts about Eleonor surfaced.“I haven't told Alex,” I
From One Night to Love Rising Fear
ALEXI hadn't seen Sarah for more than thirty minutes, and I was beginning to worry. Certainly, it was possible that she had left the gala and was going back to the residence, but I had a feeling that wasn't the case. Hector Morgado appeared in my sight two more times. He was talking to Jack Meyer, one of the investors known for being a major dickhead. The second time I saw him, he had a brief chat with the former model, Cecily Griffin, who was currently trying to launch her own model agency. It didn't look like she enjoyed the conversation, judging by the way she stormed out of the ballroom a minute after they were done talking.But I sincerely didn't give a shit whom he was talking to in that ballroom. It was all the moments he disappeared somewhere that worried me. I kept my eyes wide open, trying to spot Lucius somewhere among the crowd, but there was no sign of him. The fucker had rarely shown up in public, so I knew he might not appear at the gala at all, but everything within m
From One Night to Love Seeing Red
I sucked in a sharp breath. “What did you say?”“I saw Hector Morgado in the footage but no Lucius Sagan. Then I checked the list of guests, and Lucius Sagan wasn't there… but Matt Wallace was. I found it odd, and since I don't believe in coincidences—”“I need a floor and room number.” I was certain that my tone carried at least some of the rage coiling inside me.Robert swallowed. “I've just sent you the floor, the suite number, and the map with the shortest way to get there from the parking lot.”I ended the call and started running toward the elevators. Grayson followed me, catching up as the car came down. “Do you even know what you're doing?” he asked as the door closed and the car started moving up.“Whatever I have to,” I strained.“What if you find her there and realize she wasn't there against her will?”My hand was on his throat a heartbeat later. “Think twice before you insinuate something like that again!” My fingers curled, putting pressure on his windpipe.“I'm… sorry,”
From One Night to Love Trapped
SARAHThe relentless throbbing inside my head made me struggle to open my eyes. My throat was incredibly dry, causing my mouth to part in a silent plea for even a drop of water. There was no beeping sound or feeling of the drip plugged into my vein. I wasn't in the hospital. I was somewhere else…I kept my eyes closed as the vague memories of last night slowly returned. I remembered Jeanette's announcement, talking to Alex, and the moment I'd thrown documents in Jeanette's face. I remembered the pain, the anger, the restlessness. But there was something else, something far more disturbing...I remembered that I suddenly started feeling dizzy and hot. I remembered that Matt appeared and offered his help… Jun hadn't answered his phone, and Matt said that he would take care of me. I wanted to believe him. I needed help. I thought that he would take me to the doctor.Another series of half-blurry images displayed in my mind. Oh, God… Matt took me to his hotel suite, and I was too weak to
From One Night to Love Accused
I saw two other Chinese with guns in the hallway as I exited the elevator on the ground floor. They followed me through the main hall and watched me get into the cab. My heart kept hammering against my chest, and the breaths I drew were too shallow to provide enough oxygen. The first deep breath I took was when I was more than ten blocks away from the Ritz. I debated whether or not I should go straight to the police, but I stopped after admitting the simplest fact: I had no proof. Even if I had my blood examined, the result would only prove that I had a drug in my system, nothing more. It must have been that waiter who had given me champagne when I'd been too broken to realize what I was drinking. The problem was that I couldn't even remember the waiter's face. “Shit,” I muttered as a thousand thoughts rushed through my head. “Is everything OK?” the taxi driver asked, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. I shook my head. “No… a lot of things are not OK.” His brows knitted, and a
From One Night to Love Detained
“I did not poison Eleonor Ravenford!” I snarled, glaring at the detective. “Besides, that money wouldn't have been mine, but my son's!” “We don't have time for this shit.” Miles pinched the bridge of his nose. “Your son is five, so the money would have been yours until he reaches eighteen. Just admit it. You did it to get rid of the only person standing in the way between you and the money.” I barely resisted an urge to punch him. “I don't give a fuck about Ravenfords' fortune!” “Sure you don't,” Wade mocked. “Who would have cared about billions of dollars after all?” “I did not hurt Eleonor,” I hissed. “You want to know what I think?” Miles leaned over me. “I think that receiving all that fortune was supposed to be a consolation prize after Alexander Ravenford dumped you.” I ground my teeth. I knew that they were trying to provoke me. I couldn't give them the satisfaction of breaking me. I sucked in another trembling breat
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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
