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?

Chapter 96 - Confronting Hometown Gossip


After Liam and Noah departed, I tucked Leo into bed and returned to the living room where my parents waited. The evening air carried the familiar scent of my childhood home, but tonight felt different somehow.


"Why didn't you tell us about the troubles at your job, sweetheart?" Dad's voice cut straight to the heart of things, as it always did.


I settled into the worn armchair that had been my favorite spot since childhood. "I didn't want you both worrying about me. Besides, I had someone looking out for me who helped me land another position just as good."


"Liam mentioned you're working for his friend now, but that you might return to work with him eventually," Dad continued, his weathered hands folded in his lap.


"I haven't made that decision yet. We'll have to see how things develop," I replied, avoiding his penetrating gaze.


Chapter 96 - Chapter 96 - Confronting Hometown Gossip