LOGINHe leans forward, his voice dropping into a conspiratorial, deeply unsettling whisper as he stares directly into my green contact lenses. "In fact... you don't have to be a maid at all, Candy. I can make all of this manual labor disappear with a single phone call. If you can just agree to be my pri
"Look, Naomi, if Dennise catches you in here, she’s going to—" The distinct, heavy sound of the deadbolt locking echoes through the quiet kitchen. My entire body goes completely rigid. My instincts scream at me, a cold shock of adrenaline instantly shooting straight to my fingertips. That isn't th
I smooth down the front of my oversized, scratchy maid uniform, my fingers tracing the small bruise on my chest from where Caroline's finger violently ripped my dress open at the cemetery yesterday. My skin still feels raw from the humiliation, my eyes are burning from crying all night over Owen, a
The striking, facial structure. Sydney is an absolute, undeniable replica of the woman in the vintage photograph—Tobias’s mother. The almost psychotic protectiveness Tobias has shown toward Sydney from the very first moment he met her. The massive financial safety nets he threw under her, the fact
Before I can even open my mouth to apologize for breaking into his house, Tobias speaks. His voice is incredibly quiet, completely devoid of its usual sharp authority, yet it carries a heavy, haunting weight that pins me right to the carpet. "For years..." he murmurs, his finger continuing its slow
I stand frozen on the gravel path, the engine of Sydney’s departing car roaring in my ears. I watch the taillights of her vehicle bounce over the cemetery threshold, disappearing completely from sight, and with every inch of distance she puts between us, my heart shatters into a million jagged, irre
The first thing I register is warmth...a soft, radiating heat that definitely doesn’t belong to my high-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets. Then there’s the scent. It’s not the sharp, masculine smell of my own room or the faint lingering bourbon on my breath. It’s lilies and... woman...ly. My ey
"I’m telling you, Greg," Tobias is saying, his voice booming with the confidence of a man who just birthed a masterpiece. "Sydney is the best of the best. She didn't just play the role; she became the soul of this film. We’re looking at awards, gentlemen. Mark my words." The investors laugh, that r
He shrugs, looking back and forth between us with an amused glint in his eyes. "Well, her birthday was yesterday and since you apparently dropped the ball, I’m stepping in. And then, Tobias would be taking us both to Paris for the weekend. A little celebratory trip for finishing the reshoots." Pari
I shrug Camille’s hand off my shoulder with as much grace as a man can muster when he’s currently being looked at like a prime cut of steak. "The food is paid for, Camille. Eat both portions if you like," I say, already standing up. "Owen, don't be boring! Sit down, we haven't even talked about Mi







