Novels by Albs Pen

Jessica’s palms were clammy.The longer she stood there, the more suffocating the laughter and whispers became. She could feel the eyes of half the ballroom fixed on her—former business partners, rivals, investors—all people who once spoke her name with respect.Now, those same eyes regarded her with poorly disguised ridicule.Her chest tightened. Why did he bring me here?She turned her gaze toward Brandon, hoping for some explanation. His face was unreadable.She wanted to ask what he was thinking, why they were here, and whether they even had passes to attend the Bell-Ringing Banquet—but her voice caught in her throat.The murmurs were growing louder.“There’s no way they were invited.”“She’s the bankrupt CEO, isn’t she? Jessica Marion. What a fall from grace.”“Look at her—she can’t even lift her head.”Jessica clenched her hands together, wishing she could vanish into the ground. Her throat ached from the humiliation pressing against it. Tugging lightly at Brandon’s sleeve, s

Downstairs, Brandon had just slipped his phone into his pocket after a terse call. His dark eyes flicked toward Jessica before he jerked his chin toward the black sedan parked at the curb.“Get in,” he said.Jessica hesitated. For a moment she considered declining, making some excuse about heading home. A whole day of confrontations—first with Ava Bennet and her poisonous words, then Brandon’s unexpected generosity—had left her drained. But Brandon’s tone carried no room for negotiation.He wasn’t a man who explained himself easily, and in the few hours she had known him, she had already sensed that resistance only prolonged matters.She nodded quietly and slid into the backseat. As the engine purred to life, Jessica finally gathered the courage to ask.“Where… where are we going?”Brandon didn’t answer immediately. His gaze was fixed outside. For a long stretch of silence, only the hum of the road filled the air.When the car slowed and finally rolled to a stop, Jessica’s breat

Brandon stepped forward calmly and placed a steadying hand on Jessica’s shoulder.“Mrs Bennett, don’t make a scene,” he said evenly. “There’s nothing improper going on here.”Ava let out a sharp, derisive snort. “Nothing improper?” she repeated mockingly, her eyes darting from Brandon’s steady hand on Jessica’s arm to the faint flush on Jessica’s cheeks.“And yet you bring her to a hotel? Do you take me for a fool, Brandon?”Jessica’s face flushed and she shook her head quickly. “You’ve misunderstood, madam” she said earnestly. “Brandon only brought me here to look at an apartment. That’s all. I need a place and he thought this might suit me. Please don’t twist it into something it’s not.”For a brief second, Ava froze. Her painted lips parted and her arched brows twitched as though she were weighing Jessica’s words. Then, just as quickly, her composure cracked—and she burst into laughter. Loud, mocking laughter that made the women clustered behind her exchange uneasy looks.“A

Ava Bennet’s piercing stare lingered even after Jessica had forced a smile and murmured a polite greeting. The air in the corridor seemed to shrink with hostility. Jessica had never liked conflict and wanted no part in any misunderstanding or drama.Brandon, standing beside her, slid his hands into his pockets with a cold expression.“Maybe the same way you ended up here. I've got nothing more to say. I’m leaving.”Jessica almost sighed with relief, grateful that he wasn’t interested in prolonging the encounter. But just then, a voice rang out.“Stop right there.”It was Ava. Her voice cracked like a whip across the corridor. The sharp command echoed against the marble walls, drawing curious glances from passing hotel staff.Jessica froze while Brandon turned slowly.“Did I say you could go?” Ava’s tone dripped venom with her chin tilted high as if she were addressing a servant.Jessica’s stomach clenched. The sheer arrogance in the older woman’s posture made her uneasy. She was

At the far corner, by a window, Ava Bennet, Sophia’s mother, sat with a delicate porcelain cup raised gracefully to her lips at the hotel lounge. Her friends sat around her in a circle of admiration.“Truly, Ava,” murmured Helena, the plumpest of the group, adjusting her pearl necklace as though it might impress the hotel staff. “Your Jessica has outdone herself. Hosting a banquet in this hotel, of all places! And then booking the presidential suite for you… If it were my daughter, she wouldn’t even dare step foot in here. The price of tea alone could swallow her month’s salary.”The others chuckled, shaking their heads with envy and awe.“My son is still asking me for money every other month. And here you are, living in a presidential suite, being paraded like royalty. You’re blessed, Ava. Absolutely blessed.” Helena chimed in with a self-deprecating laugh.Their voices overlapped. Ava lowered her gaze, tracing the rim of her cup as though embarrassed by their words. She let them

Brandon was puzzled.“No home?” he repeated slowly in disbelief.Jessica met his eyes, then looked away. Her aura was anything but ordinary. Fair, porcelain skin, delicate features, and an elegance she couldn’t disguise even while wrapped in a hotel robe—everything about her screamed refinement. A woman like her belonged at galas, not drifting without a place to go.He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her.Seeing the doubt in his expression, Jessica gave a bitter laugh. “I suppose I don’t look like a beggar to you.”“You don’t,” Brandon admitted bluntly.Her smile faded as she lowered her gaze to the sheet twisted between her fingers. “That’s because until recently, I wasn’t one. I was…” She paused as a tremor ran through her. “…the CEO of Marion Investments.”The name struck a faint chord and Brandon’s brows drew together.Jessica went on, her voice quiet but laced with anguish. “We were preparing for an IPO. Everything was ready and the timing was perfect. But then the process