Novel-novel oleh Annabelle

Jason's POVI'd been staring at the same quarterly report for forty-five minutes, and I hadn't absorbed a single word. The numbers blurred together like meaningless symbols that couldn't hold my attention.And no matter how hard I tried to deny what the reason behind why I was feeling that way was, I just couldn't and that was because Katherine wasn't here.I looked at the empty chair across from my desk. She used to sit there, her posture perfect, her dark hair falling in waves around her face. It had been three weeks since she'd resigned. Three weeks since I'd last seen her face, heard her voice, felt the electricity that crackled between us whenever we were in the same room.I told myself I didn't care. She was just woman who had betrayed me by running off with my high school rival, and moreover she wasn't even in the same class with me.I was a Richmond for crying out loud, and one of the five wealthiest families in the country. Since I took over the Richmond's Empire, it had bee

Katherine's POVThe rest of the meal was a blur of polite conversation and pointed questions. Eleanor asked about my education, my work history, my long-term plans. Patrick questioned my understanding of the O'Connor family's business interests and philanthropic commitments.When the final course was cleared, Eleanor stood, her movement graceful and deliberate. "Katherine, would you walk with me in the garden?"I looked at Mikel, who gave me a small nod. "I'll be in the study with Father. Call me if you need anything."The emphasis on anything was unmistakable.Eleanor led me through a set of glass doors onto a terrace that overlooked acres of manicured gardens. Roses bloomed in every direction, their scent heavy and cloying in the morning air."I planted these roses myself," Eleanor said, pausing to touch one of the blooms. "After Mikel was born. I wanted to create something beautiful that would last."I didn't respond, waiting for the real conversation to begin."You think I'm cruel

Katherine's POVThe twenty-foot doors swung open before we could knock, revealing a butler so perfectly composed he looked like he'd been carved from marble. His silver hair was swept back, his posture immaculate, and his eyes assessed me in a single, practiced glance."Mr. O'Connor. Mrs. O'Connor." He bowed slightly. "Mr. and Mrs. O'Connor Senior are waiting in the east dining room."I felt Mikel's hand find the small of my back, a grounding pressure that kept me from fleeing. "Thank you, Gerald."We walked through an entryway that could have housed my entire apartment building. Crystal chandeliers hung from vaulted ceilings. A grand staircase curved upward, its banister polished to a mirror shine. Oil paintings of stern-faced ancestors watched us pass, their eyes seeming to follow my every step."Don't look at the paintings," Mikel murmured, his lips barely moving. "They're all dead and they don't care who you are.""Is that supposed to be comforting?""It's honest."We entered the

Katherine's POVThe sunlight pried my eyes open long before my body was ready to face the day. For a disorienting moment, I forgot where I was—the too-soft pillows, the silence where my apartment's usual creaks and groans should be, the scent of something clean and expensive in the air.Then it all came crashing back.Mikel. The contract. The baby. Breakfast with the O’ Connors.I bolted upright, my heart hammering. Eight a.m. Mikel had said eight a.m., and the clock on the nightstand read 6:47. I'd barely slept as my mind kept replaying every moment of yesterday on an endless loop, from the weight of the pen in my hand to the finality of Mikel's zipper closing over my signed future.I swung my legs out of bed, intending to find coffee, caffeine, anything to jumpstart my brain into functioning. But when I opened the bedroom door, I nearly tripped over a mountain of shopping bags.Not just shopping bags. Designer shopping bags. The kind with logos that cost more than my monthly rent.I

Katherine’s POV“It was me,” Mikel whispered, reaching out to take my hand.“I followed you to that club because I knew you were in trouble. I saw them put something in your drink, and I couldn’t allow them hurt you. I’ve been in love with you since the day we sat together in that History class, Katherine. I’ve just been waiting for you to see me.”I was still trying to process all that Mikel had just said when he reached into the drawer that stood by the wall and pulled out a document.“I’m not a broke Athlete, Katherine. I’m an O’ Connor. My family owns O’ Connor Global. My father is trying to force me into a marriage I don’t want and the only way out is to bring home a wife. I need a wife Katherine, and you need a protector who loves you. This is a contract. Marry me for six months and I’ll pay for everything—your grandmother’s specialized care, a new home, and a better future.For a fleeting moment, words became too heavy for my lips as I looked from the tattoo to the contract, wo

Mikel’s POVI spent the rest of the night sitting in the worn armchair by Katherine’s window, watching the streetlamps flicker and fade as the sun began to peek over the city skyline. I hadn't slept a wink. My mind was racing, replaying the text message Jason had sent her. Every time I looked over at Katherine, curled up in a ball on the sofa and looking so small under my old basketball hoodie, a fresh wave of protective fury hit me.I had loved this girl since we sat in that stuffy History classroom together at seventeen. Back then, I was the guy who had everything—money, status, a spot on every varsity team—but I would have traded it all just for her to look at me the way she looked at Jason Richmond. I had moved into this building two months ago, hiding my identity and living like a regular guy just to be near her, to make sure she was okay. And now, I realized she was far from okay.The silence of the early morning was shattered by a heavy, rhythmic pounding on the door. It wa