The question hadn’t been one that Alex was expecting, and while it had come out of nowhere, Alex knew just the response he was going to give that question.He had thought about it since the report came that the two locking heads had called a truce and came to an agreement that both parties vowed to keep.The agreement was what had made Liesel green light her project, and now that the project has been green lit, there were a lot of people that were vying to be a part of it.Alex looked out at the row of tents, at the distant line of hills that had once been contested ground. He knew that if he made up his mind to leave this place right now, Liesel would have something for him at the drop of a hat.He would be able to work where not only would he be the one to call the shots, but he could work whenever he felt like, and whenever he wasn’t feeling up to it, he could sit it out.There were lots of doctors back in the city, and he could be one of those doctors who only scrubbed in when the

Liesel’s head snapped up at once as disbelief seized her. The person Alex had been married to was Elena Max, and from the look of her profile here, Elena Max had been trying to get a meeting for a while.Elena Max’s proposal had been polished, intelligent, almost elegant in its restraint, and she couldn’t quite recall why Elena hadn’t been granted an interview earlier, but Liesel knew that no matter how gifted Elena was, there was always someone out there more gifted than her.That was probably why she hadn’t gotten the interview.But it was difficult to reconcile the document she just went through with the woman Selena had just described. Still, Liesel made no move to cancel the meeting.She was going to see for herself because even though her mind had been made up because of the way she heard Elena had treated Alexander, Liesel knew that it wouldn’t be right to cancel a meeting just because of that.If Elena was a pleasant person during the meeting, if she proved that she could hand

Marcus couldn’t believe how easy things were going for him, it was almost as though he didn’t have to work so much and every single line was falling into place for him.He got to the parking lot of the hotel, and just as he was about to get into the car, his phone rang in his pocket. He thought that it was Elena, but when he pulled it out, he realized she wasn’t the one.“Hey bro. What’s up?” The voice on the other end of the phone said. “Look, I don’t know how long you want me to keep covering for you, but the boss is pissed and he’s talking about bursting you.”His entire muscles locked into place, he didn’t even realize that the time he had set that he would be able to repay his debts had almost reached.“Shit.” He muttered, opening the car door and getting in. He had wanted to ask Elena for the money, but she was still married with Alex then, and he knew that Alex would see through his scheme.He also knew that Elena wouldn’t believe him, but he couldn’t risk getting busted and th

The next morning’s sunlight poured through the tall windows of the master bedroom in pale gold strips. Elena stretched beneath the silk sheets, her body still faintly sore in the best way, and reached for her phone on the nightstandShe scrolled through the phone, confirmed that the transfer she made had cleared, then swung her legs over the side of the bed. Marcus was already in the kitchen, barefoot, a white apron tied over his boxers.The air smelled of fresh coffee, butter, and the sharp green scent of herbs he was chopping with careful precision. He looked up the moment she appeared in the doorway wearing only his discarded shirt from the night before.“Good Morning.” She said, her voice still husky. “I already made the transfer, I’m guessing you haven’t checked your phone yet.” She added.Marcus’ knife paused mid-slice, and for a heartbeat he simply stared, then a slow, almost boyish grin spread across his face. He set the knife down, wiped his hands on the apron, and crossed th

“What are you talking about?” Liesel asked even though she already understood what the girl was saying, but those words don’t sit right with some part of her.How could Elena not see that Alex had been the reason behind all of her success? Why would she leave such a man to chase after a man that doesn’t care about her at all? It just doesn’t make any sense.“It means, well, Alex is the brain behind everything Elena Max had built, and Elena was just the one who managed to sit at the table, attend meetings and spend signatures.” The Private Investigator said. “She never used to double check her proposals because her confidence is so absolute she simply signed off and sent whatever sat on her desk.” There was another silence, but Liesel could hear the snacking sound of someone chewing.“But she didn’t know that the proposals those companies accepted weren’t hers, they never belonged to her. They were Alex’s.”For a moment, Liesel said nothing as the words settled and even though her mou