CHAPTER 742. PRINCESS BY DAY. LITTLE ANGELJhon Hopkins wasn’t entirely sure what it was about the kid, but something stood out. He was brutally honest, even when it didn’t benefit him. He clearly didn’t believe in justifications. And he preferred to look ahead rather than drown in a past that had undoubtedly been anything but good.He signaled to Billy, who pulled out a gun and handed it to Cameron, who eyed it warily.“I need to make sure you know how to use it,” Jhon declared.Cameron shoved his hands into his pockets, pulling out a pair of leather gloves and slipping them on before even touching the gun.“I know how to shoot, if that’s what you mean,” he replied, loading and unloading it—not with any remarkable skill, but at least he wasn’t unfamiliar with handling a firearm. “But it’ll be useless. I don’t have a license, and with my record, no sane official would ever grant me one.”“Don’t worry about that. I’ll make sure you get all the necessary permits,” Jhon replied. “The que
CHAPTER 743. PRINCESS BY DAY. PRINCESS… BY DAYCameron would have liked to look her up and down, but he couldn’t, because the girl was crouched like a cornered little predator. The only thing clearly visible was that delicate necklace with her name in rose gold letters: Dandara.So this was the little angel—the one sneaking over the fence at dawn so no one would see where the hell she was coming from!But the moment he lifted his gaze, he realized that this demon had probably eaten her angelic halo for breakfast. And that keeping her safe wasn’t going to be easy.“Who the hell are you?” he heard her hiss, and even his thoughts bristled.Cameron swallowed hard and took a deep breath as he got to his feet, never breaking eye contact with her.Dandara made a tremendous effort not to bite her lower lip—she had learned to keep her thoughts to herself, even unconsciously—but it was hard to deny that the man in front of her was attractive. He was tall, wore a dark leather jacket and jeans th
CHAPTER 744. PRINCESS BY DAY. WHAT I KNOWDandara’s heart was racing in her chest, because it was clear that whoever this guy was, he was coming into her house invited.Still, she had no choice but to take advantage of his shameless push, swallow a surprised curse at the smack, and then walk close to the walls until she saw him greeting her Uncle Billy.He wasn’t her blood uncle, but he was one of her father’s best friends, which automatically put him in the uncle category—and of course, he would report everything that was going on.As usual, she managed to slip past the household staff, who were always half-asleep in the mornings, and made it to her room to begin her transformation.She took a shower to clear her head—because, honestly, she’d had a busy night—and dressing like the sweet teacher she sometimes actually was was only half the act. The other half was the permanently kind smile, which she had to force the moment she saw that man standing next to her father in the dining ro
CHAPTER 1. More than one way to break a heart**JANUARY SEATTLE**"How could you do this?!" Zack Keller's furious roar stopped his girlfriend right at the door as soon as he saw her arrive.Giselle saw a piece of paper in his hand and had no idea what he was talking about, but she had never seen him so upset as he was at that moment."I don't know what you're talking about...""Of course you do! You aborted my child! You lost it on purpose!" he accused her angrily. "Did you at least have the damn intention of telling me anything?!"The woman in front of him turned pale."How... how do you know...?"Zack threw the paper in her direction and looked at her with disappointment."Do you forget you're on my company's health insurance?" he spat, approaching her. "As soon as your last name appeared in the payment records, they notified me. Imagine my joy when I found out the insurance had paid for a pregnancy test and then for an ultrasound!"Giselle stepped away from him, her face red with e
CHAPTER 2. Something is Very Wrong...**NOVEMBER. VANCOUVER**"Andrea! To my office! Now!"The shout from her boss, a middle manager at SportUnike, made her jump in her seat, anxious because she knew he was in a very bad mood that day."Is this a damn joke?" he growled, throwing a folder of documents at her face. "I clearly told you I needed the budget reports for the water sports division from last month!"Andrea's eyes widened."But... Mr. Trembley... I'm sure you said you wanted this month's reports...""Don't argue with me, you useless idiot!" her boss snapped. At fifty years old, Peter Trembley was as unpleasant as his bulging belly, but Andrea had to endure him because she had barely managed to get a job as his assistant, and she and her daughter depended on it to survive. "Don't you realize what's happening? SportUnike is gone! A Swiss bastard bought it, and now we'll just be a part of his company! Do you know what that means?"Andrea knew. The arrival of a new owner had create
CHAPTER 3. A Possible AllyBut if Zack thought something was wrong with the company, his instincts went on high alert when he went down to the parking lot and saw the woman leaning against one of the walls. She was trying to change from high heels to low sneakers, but her hands were shaking.He was tempted to go talk to her, but something in him still resisted getting involved in other people's problems. He had a new company to run; if he wanted Andrea to feel better, he just had to fix his company, not the woman's personal life.Finally, he saw her adjust her coat and step out into the cold street.He watched from a distance and saw she didn't take a taxi or a bus, so she probably lived nearby. He had no idea how wrong he was because Andrea didn't live remotely close; she simply couldn't afford any form of transportation.For forty minutes, the young woman walked through the cold of a Canadian winter, and by the time she finally reached her building, it was almost dark."Good evening
CHAPTER 4: This is War!Trembley's face visibly reddened, and the hardness in his eyes remained."Waiting for Andrea?" he growled. "Are you trying to be funny, or do you not know that interpersonal relationships are prohibited in this company?""Well, I'm a slow learner, but I tend to imitate," Zack replied sarcastically. "Maybe I got confused when I saw you climbing on her like a lizard needing sunlight."The old man clenched his teeth and released Andrea abruptly before walking up to Zack."Don't get in my way, kid. You're just a newcomer, and I can...""What? Fire me?" Zack interrupted with a cold voice. "Well... you can try, but you'll find my job here doesn't depend on you. I belong to the team of the company owner, and only he can fire me. I'm sure he wouldn't look kindly on a manager trying to dismiss me without justified cause."Trembley clenched his fists and glared at Zack with a malevolent, defiant expression."Maybe your job is safe," he spat, "but hers leaves much to be
CHAPTER 5. Difficult DecisionsFurious… no, but definitely frustrated. He couldn't understand why she was so submissive to a guy who was utterly despicable. Sure, he was the boss, but God strike him down if he ever treated any of his employees like that!Andrea not only tried to do her best, but she did it well. You'd have to be blind not to see that the idiot Trembley minimized her just to keep her controlled. Zack didn't know why it angered him that she allowed it, but it bothered him that she was so docile with her boss.As soon as he saw she was less watched, he followed her to the copy room and closed the door behind him."Hey, were you born with a neck problem?" he asked, stopping her. Andrea looked at him, confused."Excuse me?" she murmured, not understanding."It's just that your head only moves up and down to say yes. I haven't seen you move it sideways even once to say no!" Zack hissed, and the girl pressed her lips together, her cheeks flushing."Because it's not easy..."