ALEXANDRA'S POV“Welcome home, Mrs warner,” the doorman said with a bow as I walked past him into the mansion.The sun had dipped below the horizon and the sky had turned into a dark mass filled with glittering orbs.Stars.A look of sadness settled on my face. The surgery went well but she… she was in a bad state.The doctor said that she would be in a coma for a while and he didn't know if she would ever wake up.I had begged for him to do anything, I was willing to spend it all on her, every single dime I had but the doctor had just pried me off him before explaining to me that whatever happened from then on was entirely up to her and I just had to hope that she would overcome it.She was a fighter. Just like my mum was. Just like my mum tried to be.As soon as I walked into the house, I went straight to the kitchen to grab something light from the fridge when I spied Ethan leaning on the counter, his back to me as he stared at the post-its on the fridge.I was late for dinner. He
“It's a massive success” Mrs Valeria namely the queen of this town and the proud CEO of the largest bar and hotel in the country was saying over the classical music in the background, her poise proud and snobbish. Oh right, and she was also the one who had given me the contract to prepare this party tonight. I stood beside her, looking smaller compared to her taller frame. “I'm glad to be the one to whom you entrusted this,” I said, bowing slightly as a sign of respect She didn't pay any heed to me, her hand wrapped around the wine glass and her smoky eyes surveying around her guests. “I sent the cheque already… oh Mr. Harry, such a pleasure to see you…” she exclaimed and she was gone. Sighing, I straightened up and looked around the venue. It was filled with people, the rich kind, the type who threw money about. This was the kind of parties where only the most successful businessmen and women attended. The only reason why I was here was because I was the event planner who got
The party was a roaring success, just like the other parties hosted by Mrs Valeria. I honestly wasn't surprised by the way it seemed, I was used to stuff like this. I had grown up in this and I absolutely hated it.The expectations. It all didn't make sense to me.The memory of my parents cornering me on the balcony, their relentless pressure about marriage, and carrying on the family's name In case something happened to me echoed in my head. Someone would think they were actually planning to harm me by the way they seemed hell-bent on getting me to settle down."Ethan, you're not getting any younger," my mother's voice, was high-pitched as she spoke to me. "It's time you found a nice girl and started a family.""I'm not interested in getting married," I'd retorted, my gaze sweeping over the familiar nightlife of New York City.My father's booming voice joined the chorus. "Don't be ridiculous. You need to carry on the family name."I'd scoffed inwardly. The family name can carry on it
My head felt like it was splitting in two. I groaned, rolling over and burying my face in the pillow. What the hell happened last night? I didn't drink anything so why did it feel like I was having a hangover?Slowly, the memories trickled back, hazy and blurry but they gave me enough detail. The party, the champagne that Ronan had given me, the handsome stranger… The handsome stranger? My eyes snapped open, and I bolted upright in bed.That was enough to throw me into a panic. What was I even doing on a bed? And where the fuck was I?. I was in a luxurious hotel room, the kind that screamed 'expensive' from every corner. Sunlight streamed through the plush black curtains, casting a soft glow on the plush furniture and king-size bed. It all seemed familiar.I knew where this was. I knew my own handiwork. Then it hit me, I was in one of the hotel rooms that I had prepared for the guests last night.And then, the most horrifying realization hit me. I was naked.I felt sick to my stomach
The clock ticked slowly towards 7 pm, the official start time of the TerraNova Holdings party. I was pacing about my small office, biting on my nails, something I did when I was agitated about something and nervous. Despite the events of the previous night, I'd managed to pull myself together and put on my 'event planner at your service' attitude. My team had done a fantastic job transforming the TerraNova event space into a space that looked something straight out of an exquisite party, complete with sparkling lights, and a variety of flowers and I had made sure to confirm that no one had an allergy to anything, and a mouthwatering buffet.But no matter how much I tried to focus on the task at hand, my mind kept wandering back to him. The stranger from the hotel room. The man whose name I didn't even know.I'd been extra cautious tonight, sticking to water and keeping a watchful eye on my glass. I wasn't going to let myself be taken advantage of again.As the guests began to arriv
What was the first thing that I was supposed to feel, say, or think? Well, I wasn't sure because I had never been in such an embarrassing position in my life. The memories of the previous night came rushing back again and I felt sick instantly.I stood frozen in the doorway, my gaze locked with Ethan Warner's. The man from last night. The CEO of TerraNova Holdings. The man I'd just spent the most mortifying yet exhilarating night of my life with.A million thoughts raced through my mind, each one more absurd than the last. Should I apologize? Should I run? Should I pretend I didn't recognize him? No, that would be stupid because definitely recognized me judging by the look of disbelief in his eyes as he stared at me. This wasn't just my dignity on the line! It was also my goddamn job! What if he said he didn't want to work with me? Fuck, I needed the money fast.Ethan broke the silence, his voice a cool, detached baritone. "Ms. Thompson, I presume?" He asked as though he hadn't heard
ALEXANDRA'S POV “You're back, I was beginning to think that you had gotten lost in this labyrinth of a building” Sarah exclaimed, her eyes looking worried.I forced a smile at her and hid the ring on my finger by folding my hands together. “There was a slight hitch in the payment plan so I was going over it with him,” I said nonchalantly, sweeping my gaze over the dinner.“How's things here?” I asked with a soft sigh.She looked back at the employees and she smiled. “Successful as usual”Great, at least that was working out fine.“So how much longer until we have to leave?” I asked her She checked the glittering wristwatch on her hand and smiled. “An hour”“Shit. Get Tom and Paige to make sure the drinks are still available and make sure the line chefs are still doing their job behind.” I said, collapsing into the nearest seat by the side of the hall.“On it” Then she was off leaving me to my thoughts.Fuck, what was I doing?I was usually very conservative and shy but now, I didn't
ALEXANDRA'S POVMy phone buzzed. Once. Twice.What the hell was it this time?I groaned and rolled over in bed, my eyes lids heavy.One thing I hated most was people disturbing my sleep after a night of work.Groaning, I reached over to my bedside table and I grabbed my phone, struggling to focus my eyes on the bright screen.Missed calls. Lots of them and messages too.What? What happened? Did I win the lottery or something?I decided to check my missed calls. Sarah, Ethan, and Piper.My eyes widened. Piper?! Why had she called? She was out on a business trip with her boss, wasn't she? She never called during those times so whatever she called about had to be fucking important.I quickly opened her messages first.“Girl, you better call me before I lose my mind” followed by an angry face emoji.I smiled at that. This was probably just one of her shenanigans to get me riled up so I quickly dialed her number.After just a ring, she picked up the phone call.“Were you expecting my call?
ALEXANDRA'S POV“Welcome home, Mrs warner,” the doorman said with a bow as I walked past him into the mansion.The sun had dipped below the horizon and the sky had turned into a dark mass filled with glittering orbs.Stars.A look of sadness settled on my face. The surgery went well but she… she was in a bad state.The doctor said that she would be in a coma for a while and he didn't know if she would ever wake up.I had begged for him to do anything, I was willing to spend it all on her, every single dime I had but the doctor had just pried me off him before explaining to me that whatever happened from then on was entirely up to her and I just had to hope that she would overcome it.She was a fighter. Just like my mum was. Just like my mum tried to be.As soon as I walked into the house, I went straight to the kitchen to grab something light from the fridge when I spied Ethan leaning on the counter, his back to me as he stared at the post-its on the fridge.I was late for dinner. He
ALEXANDRA'S POVI stilled definitely not expecting to run into Ethan here.Okay, so maybe I should have expected him to be here since Gabriel was here but it still didn't prepare me for the confrontation that was about to unfold.Bracing myself, I turned around, Piper hanging on to my arm reassuringly.“Mr WㅡEthan” I quickly corrected myself seeing as we were in public.Right. Don't call him so formally in public because it would lead to suspicions.He was standing there with two bottles of water in his hand and a confused look on his face.“What are you…” he walked over to us, his eyes going over to Piper who was scrutinizing him openly.“Oh, well we came here for something really briefly” I laughed nervously. “Are you here for work or something?”, I found myself asking.That was a stupid question but it was the first thing I could think of and I would take it as it was.He blinked rapidly, a look of confusion crossing his face before he smiled.“Babe, you know I'm not a doctor,” He
ALEXANDRA'S POV“Lexi!” Piper called from behind me as I walked over to the receptionist at the hospital to check in with her when the surgery would be done.I had left the house a few hours back and now I was at the hospital with Piper who was breathing down my neck and trying to ask me questions.I wasn't nervous. She would live. Sage would live. The other surgeries were successful, this one had to be too.“Oh god, what?” I asked exasperatedly as I went over to the chairs in the waiting room after confirming that the surgery would end in 30 minutes approximately.“Okay, I know this is a really bad time but you kept me in the dark since that time. What happened that night? You didn't want to talk about it and you cut my tour of your house short” She huffed, her boots clicking against the tiles as she walked over to me and sat beside me, her short flayed skirt resting on her thighs.She always looked the part, I preferred more simple clothing which was why I was wearing a simple black
ETHAN'S POVI heard laughter. Not his laughter, hers and I frowned immediately.Was she downstairs already?I had stepped out to take a call and also to get some breathing space from Gabriel who was hell-bent on breathing down my neck and now it seemed she was downstairs too.Sighing, I took a breather and walked back into the house, sighting her sitting on the couch, talking to Gabriel who was sharing some sort of joke which she laughed to.I just stood there, waiting for them to notice me and when she coincidentally caught my figure standing at the doorway, her smile faded and she looked down at her hands on her lap.Gabriel also turned to me and he gave me a low smirk.Son of a…I walked inside fully and plopped down on a chair, looking at her then Gabriel.“I see you've been acquainted,” I said dryly.“Indeed we have. You have such a lovely wife, Ethan” Gabriel said with that annoying tick in his tone.“You would too if you didn't spend so much time in my house,” I said with a bro
ALEXANDRA'S POV“Get in,” Ethan said in a monotone after the paparazzi had finished flashing their lights in our faces in their attempts to take a picture.“Well pardon me for being this slow to get in when I'm half blind” I muttered, knowing that he had heard me judging by the snort that escaped his lips.He went over to the other side of the car after making sure I was in then he got into the driver's seat, switching on the ignition.As soon as we pulled out of the venue, I let out a heavy sigh of relief.“Finally…” I muttered, leaning my head back against the headrest.He looked at me briefly through the mirror before focusing back on the road. “Are you all right?” He asked.“What? Why?” I asked tired.“You look like you just run a mile” he muttered with a frown on his face.“Feels like it too” I replied with sarcasm in my tone.“You'll get used to it” he assured referring to the never-tired paparazzi.“Yeah if I don't lose my sight and sanity before then. Depends on which one come
ALEXANDRA'S POV“Nice to finally meet you, Mrs Warner,” A man whom I recognized as the CEO of some textile company said with a smile as he kissed the back of my hand.I smiled at him, aware that Ethan was right beside me making sure that I stayed in character.I hadn't been able to breathe literally ever since I had entered the venue with Ethan, from the paparazzi to the people, everything was overly annoying.Mrs warner this, Mrs warner that. Ugh, did they never get tired? And when was the goddamn event going to start?“So please tell us all about what happened?” Another woman with black curled-up hair asked, her fingers wrapped around a champagne flute.I smiled a bit at her, knowing that Ethan wouldn't answer but rather leave it to me.“Ah well, what can I say…” I said with a nervous chuckle that I hoped she wouldn't pick up on.“You know, I always wondered for days… how did you land him? I know you're an event planner, weren't you even the one who had hosted Mrs Valeria's party? H
ALEXANDRA'S POVOh my fucking god.Was there a way for the ground to open up and swallow me? Because that was the only viable option for me. I was in a fit.We stood there for a moment, nobody speaking, nobody moving, nobody even blinking, my eyes were fixed on his dark blue orbs that seemed to darken even further in anger.“What? Trying to familiarize yourself with every nook and cranny of the house and its owner?" Ethan's deep voice cut through the tension, his words laced with sarcasm.I jerked my hand back, my face burning with embarrassment. "Oh, no, I... I was just..." I stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence.Ethan's expression remained unyielding, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Save it, Miss Thompson. You're clearly exploring more than just the house." Then he simply raised his hand and felt the wall, switching on the lights. He was still dressed the same way he left the room but he was now holding a book in his hand.Piper's voice echoed from the phone, still clutched i
ALEXANDRA'S POV “Sit,” Ethan said gruffly as he hauled my bag inside his room. I gingerly sat down on his bed, a nervous look on my face as I studied his room. They said a person's personal space showed their personality right? Then it meant this man was a pure black entity. The room's furniture and items were all black, even the wallpaper was black with gold polka dots. The only thing that stood out was the smaller gold wardrobe right next to the larger black one. “Why did you bring so much stuff?” He asked as he helped me put my bag in the corner. “You said to move in, didn't you?” I asked him with a raised brow. “Yeah, not your entire family. You brought two moving trucks, Miss Thompson” he crossed his arms over his chest. “I have a lot of stuff” I shrugged. He muttered an obscenity under his breath and gestured around his room “This is my room where you'll be staying. The smaller wardrobe is yours” He gestured to it. Oh, that explained why it was a different color. “I don
ETHAN'S POVMy assistant Rodriguez trailed after me as I walked into my office the very next day, adjusting his glasses frequently.“...potential risk for the company” he kept babbling as I sat down on my black swivel chair behind my large mahogany desk.“Rodriguez, you've been following me around like a duck for the last ten minutes and I can't even understand what the fuck you're saying when you won't even give me some breathing space” I breathed out, opening one of the files on my desk.The man straightened his posture immediately and stood next to my table. “Mr warner, the thing is we've been receiving lots of comments about your marriage and it's only a matter of time before the negative ones come in. This is a big risk to the company” he explained, pushing his glasses up his thin nose bridge again.I signed the papers on my desk, flipping through the other pages methodically as I signed them. “Who's the one in charge again, Rodriquez?” I asked not raising my head from my current