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 afternoon sun filtered through the office windows as I stepped off the elevator. My lips still tingled from Levi's kiss, and I couldn't help but touch them briefly before composing myself. The familiar hum of office activity surrounded me as I walked toward my desk, my mind replaying the lunch date.


Stella's eyes widened when she spotted me. She darted over, grabbing my arm and pulling me into the empty break room.


"Who knows what?" I asked, placing my purse on the counter.


"Mr. Sterling. He knows about your lunch date with that architect." Her eyes scanned my face. "Someone saw you two at Havana and mentioned it to Damian, who of course told him."


"And he looked..." Stella paused, searching for the right word. "Devastated. But he said it was for the best."


I swallowed hard, ignoring the pang in my chest. "It is for the best."


Chapter 120 - A Kiss and a Confession