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?

"Oh my God! This is it! This is the one!" Chloe held up a shimmering midnight blue dress with a plunging neckline that would definitely test Noah's self-control.


I laughed at my best friend's excitement. "I think you've said that about the last three dresses."


"But this time I mean it," she insisted, twirling the hanger to show off the low back.


Stella, looking more relaxed than I'd seen her in weeks, guided us through the racks of designer dresses at Luxe. "The fundraiser is black tie, so you all need to go glamorous. No holding back."


"As if Chloe knows how to hold back," Thea remarked dryly, examining a sleek emerald gown.


We'd been shopping for nearly an hour, each of us accumulating a growing pile of options. Scarlett had already selected a crimson dress that hugged her curves perfectly, while I was torn between a gold floor-length gown and a forest green number that matched my eyes.


Chapter 78 - A Surprise Claim