Novels by rissa6473

Damon grabbed his car keys from the table. "I need to go meet Simon."Vivienne stood up from the table. "I'll leave before you come back. I promise I won't be here when you return.""You don't have to rush out. Just lock the door when you leave." Damon headed toward the exit without looking back."Damon, I really am sorry about everything."He stopped at the door but didn't turn around. "I know."Then he left.The drive to the restaurant took twenty minutes. Simon had texted him the address last night—a quiet place, where they could talk privately without being overheard or recognized.Damon parked his car and walked inside. The restaurant was nearly empty except for a few tables. Simon sat in the far corner, a folder already spread out in front of him.“Good morning, sir,” Simon said as Damon sat down.“Morning, Simon.” Damon leaned back in his chair. “What did you find about Vanessa Sterling?”Simon pushed the folder toward him. “Information about your father’s current condition. I

"I should go," Celia said, turning away from the door.Damon grabbed her arm gently. "Wait. Don't leave like this.""Let me go, Damon." Celia's voice shook."Not until you listen to me properly." Damon stepped outside and closed the door behind him, leaving Vivienne inside. "Look at me, Celia."Celia turned around. Tears were sliding down her cheeks. She remembered asking Damon to let them stay with Vivienne last night, but because he and Vivienne were dating, and Damon had been pretending they were just friends, he had only wanted an excuse to bring her to his house.“What do you want me to say?” Celia demanded. “That I’m fine with this? That I trust you completely, when I just found another woman wearing your shirt in your house first thing this morning?”“Vivienne isn’t another woman, Celia. She’s just my friend—the same woman you admire. You should know that Vivienne and I would never do something like that. So yes, I want you to trust me.”Damon moved closer. “Because nothing hap

Damon stared at Vivienne standing on his doorstep. He hadn't expected her to leave the safe house, much less show up at his mansion this very late at night."Come in," he said, stepping aside.Vivienne walked past him into the entrance hall. A smile slowly appeared on her face."Thank you," she whispered. "I know this is weird, but I couldn't stay there alone.""It's fine." Damon closed the door and locked it. "You can take the guest room upstairs. Second door on the right."Vivienne nodded and followed him up the stairs. He pushed open the guest room door and turned on the light. The room was simple—a bed, a dresser, a window with curtains."This should be comfortable enough," Damon said. "It's perfect." Vivienne set her purse down on the dresser. Then she looked down at her clothes. "Um, Damon? I don't have anything to change into. I left everything at the safe house when I panicked."Damon paused. "Right. Hold on."He went to his bedroom and grabbed one of his shirts from the clos

Meanwhile...Vanessa stood hidden in the corner near Edward's bedroom door. She watched through the narrow opening as the doctor prepared the syringe. Her lips curved into a satisfied smile as the needle pierced Edward's arm.*Perfect,* she thought. *Everything is going exactly as planned.*She'd been paying the doctor for three days now. Five thousand dollars per visit to inject Edward with a slow-acting poison that mimicked kidney disease. The symptoms developed gradually—weakness, fatigue, nausea. Nothing that would raise immediate suspicion.Edward's voice drifted out from the bedroom. "Just give me the injection."Vanessa's smile widened. He sounded so defeated. So ready to give up. He probably suspected something was wrong, but he was too weak to fight it anymore.The doctor pushed the plunger down. Vanessa watched as the poison entered Edward's bloodstream. Another dose closer to his death.Arthur's voice cut through her satisfaction. "What did you give him?""Medication for hi

Edward Sterling lay in his massive bed, his body weak and his breathing shallow. He had been sick, unable to leave the bed for three days. His personal doctor visited every morning and evening, but nothing seemed to help."Mr. Sterling, you really should go to the hospital," the doctor said during his last visit. "Your condition is serious.""No hospitals," Edward muttered. "Just keep treating me here."The doctor had told him he had chronic kidney disease. Edward didn't believe it. Something about the diagnosis felt wrong. He'd always been healthy, never had kidney problems before. But he was too weak to argue or question anything properly.His assistant, sat in a chair beside the bed. He'd been there for hours, watching over his boss with growing concern."Sir, are you sure you don't want me to bring in Dr. Hawthorne?" Arthur asked. "Your personal doctor, the one you've trusted for twenty years? He could give us a second opinion."Edward turned his head slowly on the pillow. "It won

Damon pulled up in front of the Greene house and turned off the engine. Celia unbuckled her seatbelt but didn't move to get out right away."Thank you for today," she said softly. "For everything.""You don't need to thank me," Damon replied."I do though." Celia looked at him with a warm smile. "You saved me from Hunter. You helped Miss Vivienne escape from Alexander. And you told me we're real now. That's a lot for one day."Damon couldn't help but smile back. "Get some rest. It's been a long day.""You too." Celia leaned over and kissed him quickly on the cheek before he could react. Then she opened the door and practically jumped out of the car, her face turning red.Damon touched his cheek where she'd kissed him, surprised but pleased.Celia waved at him from the front door. "Goodnight, Damon!""Goodnight, Celia."She disappeared inside the house, and Damon sat there for a moment. Then he started the car and drove away.Inside the house, Celia leaned against the door with the big