Valerie’s POVI sat amidst this seclusion of trees, which gently swayed with every oncoming wind. It was the place we would come to whenever life was easy and we could break loose from the world and just be with one another. I thought he was the man I would spend the rest of my life with, the man who promised me the world. But now, that world seemed torn from my grasp.He had accused me of sleeping with another man. The words cut me deeper than I thought possible. After everything we’d been through, after all the trust I’d placed in him, he had believed the worst of me. The heartbreak of it made me small like a fragment of myself had been shattered beyond repair.A twig snapped behind me. I jerked out of my reverie and whipped my head to the side, heart racing. I hadn't expected anyone to find me here, at this quiet, secluded spot.There was a figure standing just beyond the line of trees. Tall, broad-shouldered, familiar.Drake.I didn't know what to say, or what to feel for a long,
Drake’s POVI blinked my eyes open, squinting at unfamiliar surroundings. My head pounded and the faint morning light bleeding through the curtains only worsened the ache. I groaned and lifted a hand to rub my temples. The bed beneath me was soft, much softer than my own and for one confusing second, I wondered where I was. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.This wasn't my room.Panicking, I sat up abruptly, my gaze going about the space. The floral curtains, the wood dresser, and that sweet, sweet scent of vanilla and lavender reassured me of one thing, I was in Valerie's room.What the hell.? My voice came out hoarse, my throat parched. I tossed my legs over the edge of the bed and instantly regretted that action as my body lashed out in protest at a wave of dizziness. I clasped my head between my hands trying to recall the events of the previous night.At this point, the door creaked open, and Valerie strode inside. Wearing nothing more than a plain T-shirt with leggings, her ha
Ron’s POVI stood like a statue in the doorway, my eyes darting back and forth between Valerie and Drake as shock paralyzed me where I stood. The tension in the room was already thick, it seemed to close in even tighter as the silence drew out. For one fleeting instant, it almost appeared that my mind couldn't grasp what I was looking at. Of all the things I might have expected this morning, this surely wasn't among them.What are you doing here, Drake? " I finally asked, confusion and suspicion rife in my voice. The air was alive with tension between the two men, a silent rivalry between us had bubbled just below the surface for so very long.Drake crossed his arms, leaning back from them slightly, a smirk forming across his lips. It wasn't an expression of amusement but one of defiance. He was in no mood for pleasantries now, not with me. "Why do you think I'm here?" Drake retorted in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "Your darling Valerie here thought I was like one of those men she
Drake’s POVI slumped forward, elbows on the desk, and stared blankly at the heap of papers in front of me. The numbers, graphs, and reports all smeared together into a meaningless mess. I rubbed my temples, trying to force myself to focus, but my mind kept drifting back to Valerie.I could not get the picture of that morning out of my head, standing so close to her, feeling the magnetic pull between us. There was something different in her now, something I had never seen. She had always been on the periphery of my life, someone I used to know, someone whose existence I barely acknowledged. Yet, now, a strange and undeniable attraction stirred inside me, something I didn't understand and quite frankly didn't want to.I shifted in my seat, trying to push the thoughts away. I had work to do, important work. There were greater things to take into account than my confusing feelings for Valerie.Yet the image stayed with me, frank and insistent. Her lips, I had noticed them as I stood c
Valerie’s POVI stood behind the counter, the soft hum of the old woman's store filling the space around me. Light filtered through the large windows at the front, casting gentle beams on the rows of antique and odd trinkets lined up on shelves. I absently polished a wooden jewelry box, lost in thought. It was a quiet day, like most days, where only a few customers trickled in, browsing the shelves with curiosity but hardly ever purchasing anything.I had grown used to the slowness of the store, such a good contrast to the chaos of my life before. Working here gave me peace, a strange, unsaid calm that seemed to emanate from the walls themselves. The old woman had become even more silent than usual, busying herself with inventory and pricing in the background. I could feel it in my bones that something was weighing on her mind, but I wouldn't dare approach the subject. The old woman simply wasn't the type to share unless it seemed utterly necessary.My thoughts drifted off to the un
Valerie’s POVI stood in the doorway of the storeroom. My heart was racing and my temper was hot. I opened her mouth, starting to say, "Hey, what's going on here?" protesting the decisions being handed down without the owner having any say. But the old woman’s hand reached out, her ice-cold fingers closing in an unyielding grasp around my arm. An intensity in the old woman's eyes hushed me before any words could leave my lips."Not now, Valerie," the old woman said in a low, urgent tone. "Let me handle this."My eyes widened in surprise. I had expected the old woman to accept the renovations, and to want the updating and improvement of the store. Wasn't that what anyone wanted? A new beginning? But the fire in the old woman’s gaze spoke another truth. It set off a spark of doubt in my brain. Why wouldn't the old woman want the renovations?" I-" I tried to talk, but the old woman shook her head, a determined look upon her face, and something else-fear?"Just trust me," the old woman s
Drake’s POVI had been up all night wrestling with my decision. The old woman’s request to move into the Chase mansion bothered me, but after hours of turning it over in my mind, I couldn't find a logical reason to refuse. She had her motives, but I couldn't deny that she held power, she knew things about my father, about the family legacy that no one else did. She had been such a fixture in this town that the very walls of her shop seemed to hold secrets.But agreeing to her conditions wasn't enough for me. If I was going to make this work, I needed something more something that would give me some kind of control over this situation. And that was when my mind turned to Valerie.Since we’d crossed paths that day at the store, Valerie had remained in the back of my mind, a fixture that I found particularly aggravating. No, what annoyed me was simply the fact that she had looked at me, not in fear, or awe, but almost in disdain. Like I was just one more man she couldn't stand to be nea
Drake’s POVI paced the length of the drawing-room, my mind racing, my thoughts tangling together in a whirlwind of frustration. Bringing the old woman into the Chase mansion was a decision I had not taken lightly, yet one I now couldn't help but second guess.Charlotte had been right to question me, yet the words that had spewed from her mouth, the venomous tone she had used when she'd spoken about the old woman as filthy, fired a spark within me, I hadn't felt in so very long. At that moment, the instant the word had escaped her lips, my temper had flared.I stood by the window, staring out into the darkening sky, trying to process it all. The faint sound of footsteps behind me pulled me from my thoughts, and I turned to see Charlotte standing in the doorway, her face twisted in anger."Drake," she snapped, her voice piercing the quiet. "We need to have a word. What on earth were you thinking, bringing that. that woman into our home?"I ground my teeth together, my patience wearin