Three years ago, Hazel Vance made a choice that changed everything. One night of passion with a mysterious stranger at a masquerade ball left her with more than just memories—it left her with a son whose rare violet-blue eyes are a constant reminder of the father she'll never find.

Now a struggling single mother, Hazel desperately needs the executive assistant position at Sterling Group. The salary could finally give her two-year-old Leo the life he deserves. But her new boss, CEO Liam Sterling, is nothing like she expected.

Demanding, brilliant, and devastatingly handsome, Liam has a reputation for being impossible to work for. Most assistants don't last a week. When Hazel refuses to be intimidated by his cold demeanor and sharp tongue, something shifts between them. The attraction is immediate and electric, crackling through every professional interaction.

But it's his eyes that stop her cold. The same striking violet-blue shade that stares back at her every morning when she looks at her son.

As the tension between them builds and the lines between professional and personal begin to blur, Hazel finds herself caught between her desperate need for this job and her growing attraction to the one man who could destroy everything she's worked for.

She doesn't know that Liam has been searching for the mysterious woman from the masquerade ball ever since that night changed him forever. And he has no idea that the composed, fiery assistant who challenges him at every turn is the same woman who haunts his dreams.

When the truth finally comes to light, will it bring them together or tear apart the fragile new life Hazel has built for herself and her son?

The city lights blurred below me as I stood on the edge of my apartment rooftop. Not close enough to fall—just close enough to feel the wind reminding me I was still alive. The whiskey bottle dangled from my fingers, half empty. Or half full. It didn't matter anymore.


"Jesus Christ, Liam! Get away from there!"


Damian's voice cut through the night. I didn't turn around.


"Relax. I'm not jumping." My voice sounded hollow, even to my own ears.


Heavy footsteps approached. Multiple sets. I finally glanced back to see not just Damian, but Noah, Adrian, and Owen as well. My friends. My brothers. Come to witness my surrender.


"What the hell is going on?" Adrian stepped forward, concern etched across his face. "Damian called us saying it was an emergency."


I took another swig from the bottle before stepping away from the ledge. The burn of alcohol did nothing to numb the pain crushing my chest.


"I'm getting married," I announced flatly.


Chapter 114 - A Groom's Sentence