We sat on the sofa and exchanged glances. My two friends looked intently at the woman who had interrupted our conversation. Just like me, they also didn't immediately believe her sincerity in helping me.None of my family members took my side, let alone my relatives. They had learned from the past year, seeing me get up on my hands and feet without anyone else's help. Naturally, they were suspicious of her coming to my office."Did you have any ill intentions in inviting Heather on your birthday?" asked Faye.Taylor turned to her. "No, I don't. I want to prove that I'm serious about being friends with her through that event. I'll show her I'm not the person I used to be.""No need. What happened on Darcy's wedding day is proof enough that you are not serious about your intentions," Charity warned. "I didn't see you defending her when her mother insulted her in front of everyone.""How would you know if no one published the video in the media? After Heather left, I confronted Aunt Dian
[Blaze]That night, she finally made her move. I knew she just needed to ensure I couldn't catch her in the act before checking my room and study. Whatever she was looking for, it wasn't in my apartment.There was only one safest place in the world. I didn't keep anything in my house, apartment, or office. All three places were easily accessible to servants and employees. I didn't believe they would be sincerely loyal to me if someone offered a lot of money. Therefore, I chose a place that only I could enter."You'll be attending James' wedding." She handed me a shopping bag. "Please give this to them and convey my best wishes.""Why don't you attend and hand it over yourself?" I just glanced at the bag and didn't take it immediately."We've already separated in the eyes of many people. What will they say when they see me there? They didn't invite me to protect your feelings."It was a reasonable excuse. "Tell them your message. I'll give this gift to them." I relented and took the ba
Kyle drove the car carefully, but I remained restless. Checking stock developments or reading reports from the various hotel branches or my construction team no longer held my attention. I repeatedly looked at my watch and the road ahead of us.Arriving at Richard's office building, my heartbeat grew wilder. I saw no sign of anyone else I recognized, including Heather. Seeing my lawyer's car coming, I sighed in relief. It was good that he arrived on time, even though this meeting was spontaneous.Richard's secretary greeted us. After giving us our IDs, she invited us to follow her. We entered the elevator and patiently waited until we reached our destination floor. I tried to maintain a calm demeanor while waiting."Welcome, Blaze. It's good to see you again," Richard greeted me kindly. He extended his hand, so I shook it."Thank you for your invitation, Richard. What honor is it for you to invite me to lunch so suddenly?" I asked. I noticed his condition. "Are you all right? You look
[Heather] I was so mad I failed to get a clue about his past. Times had changed. People loved to share every single thing about their lives, but I couldn't find a hint of his privacy. How could someone hide his past so well no one recognized him? Stupid Silas! How much longer would it take him to complete his mission? I was reckless, too. Why did I give him a month? I should have limited it to one week because six months was very long. The incident at the restaurant couldn't get out of my head either. I couldn't sleep. Finally, I decided to come to the shop to keep myself busy. I didn't want to do the paperwork because Faye didn't come to work on weekends. She'd get angry if I fiddled with her desk. "Where is this bouquet going?" I asked, noticing one flower that hadn't been delivered. "Cabot Hotel, ma'am. The courier will come immediately after delivering the flowers. The bouquet won't be late getting to the customer," the cashier replied. Cabot Hotel? "Let me deliver it." I hel
He didn't refuse to eat, so I knew he was hungry. I forced him to swallow the medicine and then let him rest. To help bring down his fever, I compressed his forehead. I raised the room temperature and added a blanket to make him sweat.That night, I kept him hydrated and checked his temperature regularly. I could only breathe a sigh of relief when his fever dropped. Seeing him sleeping so peacefully, I couldn't believe he was such a cold person. What had happened to make him so numb?His demeanor before and after marrying me was so much different. He was so warm, affectionate, and had a high zest for life when he approached me. After we got married, he turned indifferent to me. But I thought he was just tired of working.Noise after noise disturbed my sleep, but I blocked it by pulling the blanket over my head. I felt like I was just closing my eyes. I didn't want to wake up until I didn't feel sleepy anymore. I slept at dawn, so—Oh, no! I quickly opened my eyes and pulled down the b
I stared intently at the woman who spoke. Her actions were starting to attract the attention of the people around us, though I came as quietly as possible and didn't rebuke anyone so that no one would recognize me. I drank a glass of water to honor the host, who had provided a modest meal to the guests. I intended to leave after finishing it without provoking any drama. Why did she come and deliberately make a scene? The two women who were being reprimanded gave her a displeased look. Instead of replying to the person, they looked cynically at me. Realizing they were the center of attention, they ignored the interrupter's words and moved away from the serving table. "Where are you going? You are honorable women. Apologize to my sister," Darcy said, startling me. "What did you say?" protested one of the women. "Sisters arguing is normal. That doesn't mean I'm going to stand still and hear you insult her," she said again. "Quick, apologize to Heather!" I gulped down my drink and pu
"Would you believe me if I told you I wanted you?" he asked. His eyes looked at me seriously. Blue orbs that mesmerized anyone who looked at them. "Would you believe I didn't come home during our marriage to avoid the turmoil I felt whenever you were around?" "Liar," I whispered, disbelieving. He took my right hand on his left cheek, then guided it to his left chest. "Would you believe me if I told you my heart always beats this wildly when I'm around you? I don't feel love for you, Heather. Don't get me wrong. No one has been able to revive my dead heart. "Yet I wasn't lying when I said I wanted you. I can't stop imagining what the skin on your body feels like. You're the only woman I want after all this time." My heart was beating fast at his confession. He didn't love me, but his body wanted me. His heart pounded in sync with mine, tapping the smooth surface of my hand on his chest as if to confirm he was telling the truth. I couldn't believe a man as handsome as him would want
I read the report on the tablet screen. The problem Faye was referring to made no sense. The flowers came from another state, still within the same country. Why should it be held in quarantine at all? It wasn't a shipment from overseas."Please send me all the data on the remaining stock in the warehouse. We need to re-sort all the flowers so that no orders are interrupted. Then, contact other florists to see if they are experiencing the same problem. Report the results to me immediately.""Do you think there was a change in the regulations that the local government didn't tell us about?" asked Faye worriedly."We can only conclude that after we hear from the other florists," I replied."Okay. I'll call them now." She walked out of my room, heading for her office.I prevented Charity from picking me up at the shop for our appointment. She wouldn't be comfortable with that crowd of reporters. Surprisingly, the bureau's location was in a shopping mall. I asked the information desk where
Hi. I've found the Epilogue's author's note on the website but not on the app on my phone. So, in case some of you wonder why I didn't write any note at the end, I did. Here is my gratitude to all of you, dear readers. ♡♡♡ ___ Thank you so much for reading Heather and Blaze's story from start to finish. You have no idea how your support is helping me to complete this book. I realize people nowadays don't like stories about the main lead who has flaws and often makes mistakes. I've found and read some comments, even a review expressing disappointment. I'm sorry I can't make everyone happy. Therefore, I appreciate the support of readers who enthusiastically followed the book and witnessed the development of Heather and Blaze's characters. It's nice reading a story about a badass and unbeatable main lead. However, the imperfect one wants to be heard, too. Their story has ended here, but it won't stop our imagination from continuing the new chapters in our minds. Once again, thank yo
I stopped walking and watched their interaction from afar. We were just far enough away to hear their conversation. Blaze had never met Roger before. Since my modeling career, he had never accompanied me on a photo shoot or filming. "My wife can only appear in modest clothes. What is this photo? Why is her cleavage showing? Do you want people to get horny looking at it?" Blaze scolded. Oh my. He had my boss come to see him to talk about that? "Heather didn't mind. I discussed everything before executing her outfit." Roger defended himself. I nodded in agreement. "I told you to help her model not for this but to boost her confidence. If she has to show off her body, you better cancel your agent contract with her," Blaze threatened. What? So, Roger didn't approach me on his initiative? Roger was silent, so I used the opportunity to approach them. "Well, well, well. So, you were the one who told Roger to offer me a modeling contract." My boss turned his head, and his face turned pale
I could feel her watching me intently. I was wearing R&R's latest black dress and shoes loved by the public. To top it off, I was wearing a diamond necklace and bracelet that Blaze gave me. "No matter how perfectly dressed, an ugly person can't cover her flaws." She walked over and stood by my side. Sasha swiftly stood between us. "After Blaze changed his name, you did the same. Do you think bearing Harrington's name will make you one of them?" I took a tissue, dried my hands, then threw it into the rubbish bin. "Darcy, instead of intervening in my life, why don't you search where your parents are?" She furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? They're in their house." "Really? When was the last time you visited them?" She smirked. "You don't like hearing the truth. That's why you changed the topic. Right? Those who smile in front of you, don't trust them. You don't know, but they may mock you when you're not around." "Is that what you think of your friends?" I retorted. "I no longer
I took a deep breath as the car entered the car park of a luxury hotel. I thanked the bellboy, who opened the car door and waited for Sasha to stand beside me. The valet parking attendant parked the car.I told my name, and the receptionist handed me a special visitor card. A man escorted me to an executive elevator. I didn't have to worry about choosing a floor because he did it. Sasha and I waited for the doors to open on our destination floor.I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as the doors opened. With my chin up, I walked out and followed the lady who greeted me. The hotel was truly luxurious with its elegant interiors."Please come in, ma'am," she politely said as she opened the door for me."Thank you." I entered the room and was further amazed by the spacious and luxurious meeting room. It was far different from the simple meeting room in my store.The people in the room suddenly fell silent upon my arrival. I had deliberately arrived at the last second to avoid intera
[Blaze] I didn't care if people hurt me, but I wouldn't forgive them for daring to drag my wife into our problems. What that woman did was unforgivable. She sent people to shoot me when I was with Heather. I was surprised to find out who it was and relieved she gave me a fun new assignment. The peaceful situation was boring. I needed something to do on the side besides taking care of work and caring for my family. Unbeknownst to me, Reuben was also outraged at what that woman had done to his granddaughter. He encouraged me to retaliate by taking over all of Anderson's wealth. This man was truly more sadistic than me. I was happy to have his full support. "Clark is delighted with the DNA test results. I'm sure his wife and three daughters won't stay silent. If you need anything, just let me know. I'll give you everything you need to defeat them," Reuben said after our second meeting with my father. "Thank you, but I can handle it myself. I want that family to know I can face them w
Blaze wrapped his arms around my body, and we ducked as deep as we could in the back seat. James drove the car, not caring about the traffic lights. I closed my eyes in anticipation of us crashing into another vehicle. However, what I feared didn't happen. The car continued to move quickly, away from the shooting scene. My chest felt tight from the rapid beating of my heart. We had just passed through death. Who would want to hurt Blaze? Blaze loosened his embrace, but I didn't let him get away from me. I hugged him tightly. Not caring about the tears rolling down my cheeks, I pressed my face against his chest. I almost lost him had this car not been bulletproof. "Heather, everything is safe. My men are going to find out who the shooter is. Jericho managed to change the traffic light. That's why we can get away from that place," he consoled. What? Jericho could do that? Did that mean he hacked the traffic lights earlier? How could he have such a great crew? But we're not safe yet.
[Heather]I didn't expect him to announce our relationship in a press conference. I didn't ask for such a big thing. What I had in mind was him announcing it on his social media accounts. I didn't care if he posted a picture of us or not.But the surprise was very touching. My chest was so full of happiness that I couldn't explain it. The women who doubted our marriage would see and believe Blaze and I were serious about our marriage.I kissed him and let the reporters' cameras take as many pictures of us as they wanted. It would make a good photo on the front page of the news later. Unfortunately, he didn't smile like I expected him to. Was he just so in his sleep, not in his consciousness?I didn't want to be greedy, so I didn't let the cold relationship between me and Mom get me down. I enjoyed the event that Blaze had prepared as best I could. I chatted with Charity, Taylor, and Faye, then returned the greetings of every employee of my store and our house."Blaze still sleeping?"
"Mom," Gemma said as she turned to Renee. "I'm sleepy."Renee glanced at us before looking at her daughter. "Of course, dear. Come, let me take you to your room."They stood up and walked towards Gemma's bedroom. I turned to my wife sitting by my side. Her eyes were teary, and her lips were trembling. I held her hand that was on the table. She must have been devastated by Gemma's reaction."I'm fine," she mumbled. "She just needs time to digest the information.""She's just shocked. Thirty years is a very long time. She remembers you as a baby. Seeing you suddenly this big must have been shocking." Reuben gave her ID card back to Heather."What if Mom hates me?" she asked worriedly. "It's a good thing I changed my name to Knightley. If I still had Bailey's surname, she'd be mad.""Your mom won't be mad. Trust me." Reuben held Heather's free hand. "I'm her father, so I know her character. As for your name, we'll discuss it later. I won't allow Harrington to drop her name even if she's
[Blaze] Reuben Harrington was ruthless. There was no mistaking the nickname given to him by the media. With his power, all he had to do was call the right people, and he could get even the most confidential information. I just sat next to him, watching him in action. We had already strategized with his attorney about our charges on Bailey. He didn't give the couple any mercy. What I respected about his actions was he let the clueless Darcy go. Next, we discussed the right way to bring down the other family who had done so much harm to Heather. On that very day, he managed to trap the person he was after. The man was speechless when Reuben asked him to sell his shares. "Heather's birthday is over," I reminded him. "I missed thirty birthdays and Christmases. Isn't it time to pay down my debt from now on?" he said casually. I was stunned for a moment. Didn't I hear it wrong? Did he seriously want to give his granddaughter thirty birthday and thirty Christmas presents? How lucky my w