Chained Hearts

d been another sleepless night-her mother's cough echoing down the narrow hall of their small apartment, the bills stacked li

into the rush of a bustling Manhattan café. The scent of roasted bea

. Ethan?" she called o

e res

her step and collided-h

. Ever

h horror as the tray hit the floor, the ceramic cup shattering,

at his soaked jacket. The

rcing. Un

nd uncoordinated, or is today special?"

idn't see you. I was calli

sed hand, not in kindness

inked,

for the dr

e suit." His tone

ed and walked out into the ra

g after him, the tray sti

" the barista mu

ng," Aria

than Vale-was about to become the reas

deep in roses when Mr. Liu, the b

g her eyes. "The building. New owne

dropped the

aid the leas

out the previous owner took a private offer.

" she whispere

for her mom's medications, kept food on their table, and gave

ht it?" s

"Some company... Vale

ood ra

uldn'

e coffee. Th

No

and cough drops. Her mother was already asleep, curled up beneath a

find on Vale Enterprises. And there he was-Ethan Vale. Billionai

r tearing down anything in his path

let him bulldoze her s

he next morning with her heart thudding in her chest, armed only with a folder of do

ok up from her screen. "Do

to speak to Mr

oesn't take

ed hard. "Th

out of the glass elevator. Immaculately dressed, same unreadable

an

r. For a second, his brow

"Didn't expect to se

n high. "I came to talk about the flower shop

gestured toward the el

-sleek, modern, soulless. He leaned ag

pe

supports me, my mom-she's sick. I'm studying design part

nd

extension. Just time to fi

se to examine a spreadsheet. "The shop will be de

you care about the peop

e said

blin

not about fee

nne

isions based on value. Se

ous and humiliated, but

t of her floral work-a wedding arch she'd designed last su

up. Looked

did t

she sai

l in SoHo. We need a floral designer for the inter

owed. "What a

l floral installations for the hotel. In

"So I work for you, o

t as a mutually benefic

him. "You're

running out

him for be

espite everything-his coldness, his

Vale. And she had a feeling he'd

"But don't think for a sec

most

ot