Chapter 1
“Good evening, Attorney.” A chorus of greetings meet me as I enter the office for a late briefing. Gold and black glitter along the marbled walls paired with clear glass meeting rooms and offices along the main hall.
I push through to the end of the hall at the last meeting room concealed from sight with thick-soundproof walls. Two pairs of eyes meet mine as I strut towards the end of the table.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” I say as I take a seat. “So, what do you have for me?” Charles, my assistant, clears his throat and passes me a thick document containing everything about a case from family background checks to personal bank accounts.
“What is this? Are we the police now?” I say as I skim through the pile, my annoyance grows. If they called me in at this late hour for nothing, I am charging extra.
“Alessandra, I’m passing this case to you and I need to study it before you accept.” My Boss, Harvey, says cautiously. “You are the only person that I know who can handle this level of insanity.”
A cry for help. It’s either the other lawyer in the firm outright refused to spare their reputation, or this case is meant specifically to tear me down.
Harvey and I have a love and hate relationship with each other after he tried to have sex with me in a conference room until I beat the shit out of him. He paid a heavy settlement and had to give 25% of firm shares to make up for my emotional trauma. Makes me smile every time I look at him, honestly.
“No.” I say as I stand to leave. “Charles, next time send me the files before you go arrange another useless meeting.”
“Yes, Attorney.” He pales as he gathers the documents laid out on the table to rush out before I leave him alone with Harvey.
“You’re missing out, Alessandra!” Harvey tries and fails again to convince me. He rushes to follow me out as I head for the elevator. I press the button and he grabs me by the shoulders.
“Okay! Wait, hang on. Look no one else wants to take it on, and this is the biggest client we’ve ever taken. You’re gonna miss out on this opportunity! No one knows the jewelry business like you do, you know that!” He says as he fails to hide his desperation.
“Get your hands off me, Harvey.” I say with a small smirk as he lets go instantly. “Besides, I’ve got my hands full with all the other cases you dumped on me. Give it to one of your golden boys, I know how much you pay them.”
“Oh, please Alessandra. We both know you earn the same thing I do because of your settlement. Come on, do it for a friend.” He's right, I’m practically part owner but I couldn’t care less about what Harvey does with this firm.
“Then do it yourself, Harvey.” The elevator dings and I get on. I release a sigh as another way of dread fills me just as I remember what I saw in those files. The one family that continues to visit me in my dreams and follow me to my nightmares.
It turns out they got themselves involved in a corruption scandal that’s got them switching lawyers and allies by the minute. It really is a pain in the ass when your president dies and takes with it the respected reputation of your family.
They have a new head of the family that no one particularly likes, especially his own family members. Apparently, the last will and testament of the late grandfather left everything to the adoptive son. Laughable, really. Without the family’s respect, the company is on the brink of collapse. Selling of shares, extravagant expenditures, off shore bank accounts, you name it. This family hates they’re new head so much they’re willing to ruin the company just so he’s got nothing to ruin himself.
The elevator dings again and I walk towards my car parked right outside the lobby. Charles had probably called the driver to bring the car around before I left.
“The hotel please, Ed.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He nods as he puts the car in drive. I’m still lost in thought as we drive through the busy city. The central still awake despite the late hour. I always wondered what happened to him after so many years, it took willpower just to stop myself from doing my own search.
“Ma’am?” Ed repeated as I snapped from my daze and grabbed his hand to help me out of the car.
“Sorry, Ed.” He smiles at me and bids me good night. I walk in the building and the lobby clerk greets me. “Ma’am, the penthouse has been cleaned this morning and dinner was brought up just now.”
I nod in acknowledgment and tip after I sign my lease for another month. I travel frequently because of business, so a permanent residence within the metro is one thing I never considered. Besides, I barely have time to clean and cook for myself now. I figured a hotel is my safest bet, I’ll charge it all to Harvey at the end of the year.
The clerk leads me to the elevators and brings me to my room. I just landed in from Germany this morning and went to visit my parents in the south, but my bags have been brought here by Ed.
“Enjoy your stay, Ma’am.” He beams after I tip him.
I close the door with another sigh and lose my smile. I look around the room and it’s mostly pitch black aside from the door light the clerk opened when he brought me to my room.
I observe myself through the mirror, my skin tight black dress paired with a blazer and matching colored Louboutin heels always a staple among young professionals.
I go to the kitchen and don’t bother with the lights, knowing my way around already. I bend down to grab a glass and open a bottle of water before turning to the fridge to grab my forgotten ice.
“Rough day, baby?” A voice makes me stop in my tracks, the voice that haunts me and yearns for me every night in my dreams. I hear him move, it sounds like he stood up from a chair, he sounds closer than ever.
I inhale sharply as I sense him directly behind me, my hairs behind my neck rising with alarm. Big mistake because I got a whiff of his scent that makes me puddle beneath him every time.
“Let me, don’t want you hurting yourself now, baby.” He grabs the glass I didn’t notice I was still holding and safely puts it back on the counter. Then, without warning mind you, he glides his hands up from my hips around my waist to hug me and pull me in his chest.
“Breathe, baby.” I start breathing deeply like I’ve forgotten what that word meant until he reminded me. He nuzzles his nose on the side of my head and gives it a light kiss that makes me melt a little more in his arms. Suddenly, he turns me around and pushes me against the fridge for support. I’m left staring straight at his chest covered by a white button up shirt with three unbuttoned to show off his chest.
Even with 6 inch heels, I could never seem to get past his chin. I noticed a few new tattoos that were left exposed by his shirt, and it made me more curious to see the entirety of it. He pushes my chin up so that our eyes meet, and my terror filled eyes are met with his glazing ones that seem to burn me inside out.
I suddenly snapped out of my dazed surprise and pushed him away with strength I didn’t know I had. I escaped to the other side of the counter and grabbed my phone to call 911, before I could hit the call button, he’s on me in an instant.
He grabs the phone away and we tumble onto the couch with him on top of me.
“Let me go! Get off me! What do you think you’re doing? I could put you in jail for this!” I scream at him as I struggle to breathe. His scent intoxicates me and frustrates me in so many different ways.
“Go ahead, as if I hadn’t suffered enough all these years, you want to put me back in as soon as I’m out, baby?” He says as he grabs my hands together to pin them above me and settles himself between my legs, my dress bunching up slowly at the stretch.
“You deserved it, you deserve it after everything you’ve done. All the shit you put me through, and for what? For your pride?! You selfish and deceitful man, I wish I never met you!” I say as my struggle is futile beneath him. He seemed to have grown larger, do they give steroids in prison?
“You couldn’t even visit me once? Not even to check up on me or just talk? You left me to rot in there and you didn’t even bother to check if I was okay.”
I snickered at his audacity, soon, I started a full blow belly laugh that hurts when I breathe.
“You expect me to visit you? After the humiliation you put me and my family through?” I ask, still laughing. “Get off me please, I can’t breathe.”
He gets off me and shoots me a pained look before reaching across to have me straddling his lap. Even sitting he’s still taller than me. In my fatigue, I find myself melting on him and tucking my head in his neck.
“Why are you here, Caine? Have you come back to haunt me?” I mumble as sleep takes over me.
He hugged me tightly before he answers, “I’m here for what’s mine.”
