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?

I felt Isabella's irritating grip tighten on my arm as we walked through the hospital corridor. Seeing Hazel here, in the gynecology wing, looking pale and unsteady—it took everything in me not to abandon this charade and go to her.


"Liam, why are we really here?" Isabella's voice grated on my nerves.


I forced a smile. "As I told you, my father's will requires all potential Sterling spouses to undergo medical screening."


Her eyes lit up at the implied promise of marriage. So predictable.


"I just don't understand why we're in this specific department," she pressed, glancing around the gynecology wing.


"Full medical workup includes reproductive health," I replied smoothly. "Standard procedure."


We reached Dr. Evans' office, and I gestured for her to enter first. Noah was waiting inside, his expression professionally neutral despite knowing exactly what I was up to.


"Ms. Clairemont, Mr. Sterling," he greeted us formally. "Please, have a seat."


Chapter 138 - A Calculated Outing