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 85 - Karaoke Confrontation and Territorial Wars


The karaoke bar buzzed with electric energy when we arrived. Bodies pressed together in the packed space, voices rising in harmony and discord alike. Levi smoothly handled our reservation, and soon we found ourselves at a prime table near the stage, watching a couple massacre a classic Brazilian love song while the crowd cheered them on anyway.


The atmosphere was intoxicating. Dim lighting cast shadows across laughing faces, the live band keeping perfect rhythm despite the amateur performances. Everyone seemed caught up in the magic of the moment, clapping and singing along as if witnessing the performance of a lifetime.


Scarlett immediately signed herself up to sing, then turned her commanding gaze on the rest of us. When she reached me, I felt my stomach clench.


"Hazel, don't you dare try to weasel out of this. You're getting on that stage tonight," she declared, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at me.


Chapter 85 - Chapter 85 - Karaoke Confrontation and Territorial Wars