chapter 1

Elena

I tip back my vodka mixer and order a second one, ignoring the bartender’s attempts to flirt with me. Thank goodness for the horrendous pounding music that drowns him out. I’m in no mood to socialize tonight, as usual. I shouldn’t have gone out at all, but I figured I should celebrate my 23rd birthday somehow.

The bartender hands me my drink, and I try to resist the urge to finish it in one gulp. I learned the hard way that liquor won’t numb the emptiness and the worry I constantly feel. If it did, I would no doubt have become a raging alcoholic two years ago. It still gives me a pleasant buzz though, and tonight I’ll settle for that.

I smile apologetically at the bartender who keeps glancing at me and turn away, my eyes roaming over the dance floor. It doesn’t take me long to find the girls I came with. We all work at the same diner, and when they found out it was my birthday, they insisted that I join them tonight. I should’ve said no, like I always do. I feel like the odd one out, but I just can’t get myself to care about who has a crush on who. I want to be as carefree as they are, just for one night, but I’m failing miserably.

I sip my drink as I navigate through the crowd of people and flashing lights, hating that I can barely even hear my own thoughts. Even worse, the bass is so loud that it’s almost like I can feel it against my skin. I definitely won’t feel my phone buzz if it rings, and the mere thought of that sends a jitter of anxiety running down my spine.

I breathe a sigh of relief when I make it to the rooftop. The warm air relaxes me and I inhale deeply as I weave through the throng of smokers and tables, toward my favorite hidden spot in the corner of the bar. Hardly anyone ever comes here, and on the odd occasion I try to act my age and go out, I end up finding myself here. The small hidden seating area is usually empty, but much to my dismay, tonight it isn’t.

I grimace at the back of the guy who’s sitting in my favorite seat. His broad shoulders and his obviously expensive tailored suit tell me he’s probably a major douchebag. Exactly the type of guy I want to avoid tonight—or any night, really.

He tenses as though he feels me glaring at the back of his head. Then he turns around… and I’m certain my heart just stops.

“Alexander?” I say, his name leaving my lips before I realize it.

Our eyes meet, and my breath catches. To me, it feels like the world around us stills, but there’s no recognition in his eyes.

Alexander looks at me in confusion at the sound of his name. He smiles politely, a questioning look on his face.

It’s not surprising that he doesn’t recognize me. After all, I’ve changed a lot since I was fifteen, in more ways than just physical. My entire life has changed. I’m far from his little brother’s carefree friend.

A brief pang of hurt courses through me at the thought of Lucian, my childhood friend and Alexander’s younger brother. Luce is yet another person I lost when my father remarried, another part of a past life, a world I no longer belong in.

My eyes roam over Alexander, his sharp cheekbones, his thick dark brown hair, and those dark green eyes that have always captivated me. He’s as handsome as ever, and he has no clue who I am.

It’s better that way, anyway. I’m no longer merely an acquaintance. No… now he’ll just see me as Matthew’s younger sister. It won’t matter to Alexander that I don’t even speak to my brother anymore—I’ll still be a reminder of the guy that stole his fiancée and severely damaged his company at the same time.

Alexander’s eyes wander over my body, and I’m secretly thrilled to see the appreciation in them. Suddenly, I’m glad I let the girls pick my outfit for me. The emerald mini dress I’m wearing hugs my every curve and I feel amazing in it. The last time he saw me I was fifteen, grossly overweight, bangs covering half my face. The glasses and braces didn’t help either. It’s no wonder he doesn’t recognize me.

Alexander smiles at me, and the look in his eyes can only be described as flirtatious. It’s crazy how he can still turn my world upside down. He’s always had that power over me, and he never realized it.

Before I can overthink it, I approach Alexander and take the seat next to him, my heart beating wildly.

“I don’t think we’ve met. Surely, I would’ve remembered meeting a woman like you,” he says, leaning back in his seat. The line is incredibly cheesy, but I still almost swoon. Alexander grins at me, and this relaxed, flirtatious side of him surprises me. The Alexander I knew was always stressed and overworked.

I neither confirm nor deny his statement. Instead, I smile at him and shake my head. “You’ve been in the news quite a lot over the last few years. It’s almost impossible not to hear abouttheAlexander Kennedy, the heir to one of the world’s biggest conglomerates. I’m pretty sure I saw a tabloid reporting that you went to the supermarket the other day. If I were you, I’d go around buying weird things such as a cucumber and some lube, just to throw the reporters for a loop.”

Alexander looks perplexed, and then he laughs. It’s the type of laugh that sends butterflies to my stomach. It’s a deep, body shaking kind of laugh. I can’t help but giggle too. He looks at me with interest and shakes his head.

I no longer belong in his world. Alexander isn’t someone I ever expected to see again. This… this is all I’ll ever have of him. Stolen moments. I’ll take them, and I’ll put them under lock and key, to be treasured, to brighten my darkest days. If this is all I’ll have of him, I’m going to make it count.