All Chapters of Our Dirty Little Secret : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

71 Chapters

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, just staring at him. How had he found me here? My head pounded, and I took a step towards him. “What are you doing, Ryder?” I asked, massaging my forehead. “Driving you home. Come on.” He urged. “I’m not going back to that house.” “He can drop us off at mine,” Hazel suggested warmly, and my heart ached sweetly. Her apartment was too small for us, but it would do for tonight. “Get in.” Ryder opened the back door for me. I slid into the backseat, needing as much distance from him as possible. The drive back was too quiet, and Hazel sat in the front seat. I pulled my knees to my chest and kept staring out the window. Every few seconds my eyes drifted to his hands gripping the steering wheel. Why did he make me feel more intoxicated than an entire bottle of champagne? Soon, we got to Hazel’s apartment, and we got out of the car. “Do you always drive drunk girls home?” She asked him, and I raised a brow. His hands stayed on the wheel, “No.” “

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

RYDER “Construction approvals on the eastern wing are delayed. The city council is stalling again.” My project lead announced, standing stiffly in front of my desk with his hands clasped tightly behind his back. “They’re not stalling. They’re waiting to be paid to stop stalling.” I flipped the report without really looking at it, then glanced up, exhausted. “Find the committee member with the most expensive habits and make them an offer they can’t interpret as bribery on paper.” He hesitated for a second before nodding. “Understood.” I leaned back in my chair, rolling a pen between my fingers. The waterfront project should’ve been simple by now. It wasn’t. There were too many hands in it, and too many signatures required. It slowed things down and pissed me off. My phone lit up, and my heart jumped, hoping it was Dallas, but the screen showed Melissa. I didn’t bother picking up. Instead, I flipped the phone face-down, staring out at the city skyline. Jax would be back in a few wee

CHAPTER Twenty Three

Dally was sitting in the foyer, her loose hair cascading over her shoulders. I wondered how long she’d been waiting. It was past ten at night, and she should be sleeping, but she was here, in my house, a fucking temptation. I stared at her for a second and quickly cleaned the blood under my nails. I curled my hand into a fist so she wouldn’t notice. “Hi,” She smiled softly. “Hey, is everything okay?” I asked. I wanted to ask if she was finally moving in, but the words stuck. “Yeah, where were you?” She tilted her head, watching me closely as I walked towards her. Each step was heavy. I didn’t know what to say. I could never tell where I was or what I had been doing. “Work. Had a lot of files on my desk,” I muttered. She looked at me, and for one terrifying second, I thought she noticed the blood. Then, she stepped closer, her brows knitted together. “You look super exhausted.” I almost laughed because she didn’t know half of it. I was more than exhausted. I felt hollowed out a

CHAPTER Twenty Four

DALLAS I woke up to warmth, to an arm across my waist. I opened my eyes slowly and remembered where I was. I hadn’t come here for this yesterday, but ended up in his bed. He looked so wrecked yesterday, and I wanted to comfort him, so I did it in the way I knew best. We had comforted each other in the only way we knew how. The room was still dark, and Ryder was deeply asleep beside me. I remembered how exhausted he had looked yesterday, and fresh worry crept in. Had something happened at work? Would he even tell me if it had? He was so self-sufficient. The stereotypical untouchable billionaire. But he was still just Ryder to me. Last night sat heavy in my bones, and I turned to him. His breathing was slow and soft. I shifted softly, and he woke up immediately, holding on to me tighter as if he thought I was running away. I looked at him with a small smile. “I’m not running away.” “Can’t take any chances,” he whispered, voice thick with sleep. He pulled me closer and p

CHAPTER Twenty Five

I watched him walk away, the image burning behind my eyelids. Something was very, very wrong. I could feel it in the way my stomach twisted, like a warning I couldn’t ignore. I sat on the edge of the bed, sheets tangled around my legs, replaying every second. I didn’t know what to do. All I saw in my head was the blood smeared on his arm. Had he been hurt? Was he attacked? Why would Ryder be attacked? He was a businessman. He worked in an office all day. He wasn’t a tout, so none of this made sense to me, especially because there was no cut on his body. He told me that it wasn’t his blood, so did that mean he hurt someone? Ryder was huge and strong, but he wouldn’t. He didn’t even raise his voice at me whenever I pissed him off, so that could never happen. Still, my heart kept beating like a talking drum. I climbed out of bed carefully and walked toward the doorway. The house was quiet except for distant movement downstairs. He moved like he was in a hurry to get out of here and

CHAPTER Twenty Six

“You own an alarming amount of black clothing,” Hazel announced, holding up one of my dresses with disappointment. I snorted despite myself and shoved another pair of shoes into the box beside me. “That dress cost me three hundred dollars.” “And somehow still looks emotionally unavailable.” “Shut up.” I rolled my eyes, but a grin tugged at my mouth anyway. She tossed it into the keep pile with a dramatic sigh. The room looked strange, half-empty. For the first time since coming back here, it didn’t feel like a cage anymore. She held up one of my heels, dangling it between two fingers. “Be honest. Have you ever actually walked properly in these?” “Yes.” I boasted, “I am a retired party girl.” “Retired, sure.” She scoffed, and I chuckled. She taped another box shut and scanned the room with a critical eye. “You know, for someone supposedly spiralling, your taste is annoyingly expensive.” “My mother decorated most of this room,” I said, the humour drained out of me fast. S

CHAPTER Twenty Seven

RYDER “The Singapore acquisition only works if we control distribution before the third quarter. If we wait any longer, Haversham will undercut pricing and bleed the margins dry.” The man across from me stopped talking when I looked up, and silence settled over the conference room immediately. I leaned back slightly in my chair and tapped the edge of the file once. Midnight meetings always stripped people down to who they really were. By this hour, exhaustion had peeled away every fake layer of confidence. Unfortunately for them, exhaustion had never slowed me down. “They won’t undercut us,” I started calmly. One of the investors frowned, shifting in his seat. “You sound very certain.” “I am.” “How?” he pressed, leaning forward. “Because I already bought the shipping company they planned on using,” I replied evenly, sliding the contract across the polished table toward him. The room went dead quiet. A slow, predatory smile crawled across the older investor’s face. “Holy cow

CHAPTER Twenty Eight

DALLAS I woke up to sunlight spilling across Ryder’s bed, and his arm stretched toward my side. My heart skipped a beat because even in his sleep, he had searched for me. For a second, I just stared at him. There was nothing I could do but look at him. His tie was still hanging loose around his neck, his hair was messy, and his face was softer than I had ever seen it. He looked so young, less sharp around the edges. The stained sleeves were nothing but a distant memory. How could I when he was right here, looking so handsome? It didn’t help that my heart kept pounding. His eyes opened slowly, sleepy confusion pulling his brows together as he blinked at me. “Why are you looking at me like that?” I ducked my head, gaze dropping to the sheets. “You snore.” “I do not.” He scoffed, voice rough with sleep. “You absolutely do.” “Slandering me first thing in the morning?” He raised his brow, and I laughed softly. His expression softened, and I stared at him. He reached over and br

CHAPTER Twenty Nine

RYDER “Smile,” Melissa said under her breath without moving her lips as another camera flashed in our direction. I forced something close enough to a smile while keeping my hand against the small of her back for the photographers. The ballroom lights reflected against marble floors and champagne towers, making everything look polished and expensive. I hated this part so much. I hated the pretense, the way everything felt cultivated. It made me want to run away. All I wanted was to make enough money, take care of the people I loved and disappear when I wanted to. “Blackstone’s team is at twelve o’clock,” Melissa murmured smoothly. “Yes, boss.” I fought the urge to roll my eyes. She smiled and patted my chest. “That’s the spirit.” We went through another round of pictures and handshakes. I hated these events. Everyone in this room wanted something. Money, leverage, or access. “Ryder Callahan.” Senator Hughes clasped my shoulder warmly. “Congratulations in advance. M

CHAPTER THIRTY

DALLAS “You’ve been staring at your phone for minutes.” Hazel’s voice barely cut through the pounding music. I blinked slowly and dragged my gaze up from the screen. “I’m working.” “Didn’t know when you joined Angel in taking online orders.” She nodded at the drink in my hand. “You poured vodka into a whiskey sour three minutes ago.” I looked down. The glass was a disaster. “Shit.” snatched the glass before I could ruin it further and slid it toward herself. “Go breathe before you accidentally poison someone.” “I’m fine.” I shrugged, the lie bitter on my tongue. “You look like you’re about to commit a felony.” I leaned against the counter and exhaled hard. The bar was packed tonight. The midnight crowds were tight. Usually, I liked it because it drowned out my thoughts, but tonight it only amplified them. My phone stayed glued to my palm because every time I open social media, he was there, in his perfect suit, perfect smile, and the perfect woman beside him. One video sho

1 2 3 4 5 6 8

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP