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 Saturday morning sun filtered through my living room curtains, casting a warm glow over Leo's toys scattered across the floor. I sipped my coffee, enjoying the rare peace of a weekend at home with my son napping and my best friend lounging beside me.


"I can't believe Isabella is still insisting that baby is Liam's," Chloe said, scrolling through her phone. "The woman is delusional."


I sighed. "Let's not talk about Liam today. Or Isabella."


"Fine," Chloe agreed, tossing her phone aside. "But he's been back from New York for a week and you still haven't talked to him properly."


My stomach knotted at the reminder. Since Liam's return, I'd managed to avoid being alone with him, making excuses and keeping our interactions strictly professional. The memory of him with that woman at the gala still stung too much.


The shrill ring of my phone interrupted my thoughts. I didn't recognize the number.


Chapter 137 - An Unwelcome Encounter After an Unexpected Test