LOGINI walked into the conference room with Lisa beside me, carrying the E&H Investments folder.Damon, Melissa, and three other board members of the Moretti Group were already seated at the table. When they saw me, their faces lit up with hope.They thought they had a chance."Miss Saint Claire," Damon said, standing up to greet me. "Thank you so much for meeting with us. This means everything to our family."I smiled politely and shook his hand, careful to keep my expression neutral. "Of course," I said. "I'm always interested in hearing about potential opportunities."I sat down at the head of the table, and Lisa positioned herself to my right with the folder."Before we begin," I said, "I want to make clear that E&H Investments is very selective about who we partner with. We have standards, and we don't compromise on those standards.""Of course," Melissa said quickly. "We completely understand. And we think once you hear what we have to offer, you'll see that the Moretti Group meets e
~~ Hazel's POV ~~I stared at the spreadsheet on my screen without really seeing it.It had been three weeks since Kai had told me to leave his penthouse, three weeks since he had said we were done. Three weeks of calling, texting, trying to reach him, and getting nothing but silence in return.So I had finally accepted it.He didn't want to talk to me anymore. He didn't want to see me. He had moved on, or he was still so angry that he couldn't bear to be in the same room as me. Either way, the message was clear.I needed to move on too.I couldn't spend the rest of my life waiting for him to forgive me. I couldn't spend the rest of my life hoping that he would change his mind. I had a company to run. I had a life to build. And Kai Lucian Valentino was not going to be part of it.The thought made my chest ache, but I pushed past it.There was a knock on my office door."Come in," I said.Lisa, my assistant, stepped inside with a tablet in her hand."Miss Saint Claire," she said. "I ha
~~ Reed's POV ~~Three weeks.It had been three weeks since Kai had walked away from Hazel at the restaurant, and in those three weeks, he had become insufferable.I watched him from across the desk in his office as I updated him on the day's business–Club operations were running smoothly, debt collections were on schedule. The Valentino Syndicate's investments were performing well.But Kai wasn't listening.He was staring out the window, his expression distant, his mind clearly somewhere else. "Boss," I said, trying to get his attention. "The numbers in the warehouse district are up by fifteen percent."He didn't respond."Kai," I said more firmly.He turned to face me, and I could see the exhaustion in his eyes. He hadn't been sleeping."Has Hazel called?" he asked abruptly.I set down my papers."No," I murmured. "Not recently.""How recently?" he pressed."I think… since five days ago," I said. "She hasn't called or texted since last week."I watched his jaw clench, he looked comp
~~ Hazel's POV ~~One week later, I was sitting at my desk reviewing financial reports when there was a knock on my office door."Come in," I called out.My grandmother walked in, and the moment I saw her, I smiled. It was genuine. With her, it always was."Hi, Grandma," I said, standing up to hug her. "I didn't know you were coming by.""I wanted to see you," she said, hugging me back. "And I wanted to talk to you about something I heard."We sat down in the comfortable seating area of my office, away from my desk."I heard that you're considering investing with the Moretti Group," she said, watching my face carefully. "Is that true?"I nodded slowly."They approached me with a proposal," I said. "An apartment development project.""And?" she asked."And I told them I would consider it," My grandmother studied me for a long moment. "You’re not actually planning to make those people managing partners, are you?" she asked.I looked at her and smiled."No," I said. "I’m not.""Tell me,
~~ Hazel's POV ~~I went to the mansion first thing that morning.I hadn't slept. I had spent the entire night staring at the ceiling, thinking about Kai's face when he walked away from me. Thinking about the way he looked at me like he didn't recognize me.I needed to talk to him. I needed to explain. I needed to make him understand.But when I got to the mansion, he wasn't there.Earlier this morning, my grandmother found me in the hallway, looking lost."Hazel, what are you doing up so early?" she asked simply. "You need to get enough rest, you know. Work officially starts on Monday.""I need to see him," I said.There was a pause, like Grandma was trying to figure out who I was talking about. After a while, she responded. "I know but Hazel, maybe you should give him time…""I can't," I said. "I have to talk to him. I have to explain before things completely get out of hand."I didn't wait for her response. I got back in the car and drove here and now he wasn’t here. I stood still
~~ Kai's POV ~~I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned pale.The entire drive back to the penthouse was a blur of rage and confusion and something I didn't want to name because naming it would make it real.Betrayal.That's what it was. Pure, unadulterated betrayal.She had stood on that stage and revealed herself as Hazel Saint Claire, CEO of E&H Investments, and I had stood there like a fool, my mouth hanging open, unable to process what I was seeing.Hazel Saint Claire.Not Hazel Rossi. Not some woman trying to build a small restaurant. Hazel Saint Claire. Billionaire heiress. CEO of a global company. Granddaughter of Margaret Sinclair.And she hadn't told me.All those months together. All those nights when I had asked her what was wrong and she had lied to my face. All those moments when she could have trusted me, could have told me the truth, and instead she had kept it locked away like I was someone she couldn't rely on.Like I was someone unworthy of the truth
~~ Hazel's POV ~~I woke up feeling different.Everything about the world looked different. Everything felt different. The morning light coming through the windows seemed brighter, the air seemed lighter and my body felt stronger.This was it.This was the day I had been waiting for.I got out of b
~~ Melissa's POV ~~ I was scrolling through the guest list of Hazel’s restaurant opening on my phone when I saw it. E&H Investments. I stared at the name, my mind trying to make sense of it. E&H Investments was a global company. American-based. One of the biggest real estate investment firms in
~~ Hazel's POV ~~I made it back to the guest bedroom and locked the door behind me. My entire body was shaking.I pulled off the damp robe and threw it across the room like it had personally betrayed me. Which, in a way, it had. The silk nightie clung to my wet skin uncomfortably and I peeled that
~~ Kai's POV ~~I took Hazel to my private penthouse overlooking the city, I didn’t want to go back to the mansion because I wanted some privacy, I needed to clear my head. And the only place I could do that without interruption was in the penthouse I bought three years ago. Reed was the only perso







