CHAPTER 5
1372 Words
ALEX
The moment I walked into the room, my eyes locked onto one person—and everything else faded into the background.
There she was, the woman with soft brown hair and hazel eyes.
She didn’t resemble the chubby little girl I once saw curled up in the corner of a school hallway, crying her heart out. No, she was nothing like that scared child.
There were no judgments—just surprise.
In my mind, I had always remembered her with round cheeks and a baby face, the kind that made you want to pinch them. But the woman standing in front of me now had grown into herself. Her features were sharp, sculpted. Her jawline, her cheekbones—they added a kind of elegance to the beauty that had always been there.
Still, even with all the changes, something about her felt familiar… too familiar.
Where have I seen her before?
Then it hit me.
Could she be the woman from last night?
Damn.
My stomach dropped. The thought alone twisted everything inside me. Did I really sleep with my best friend’s sister?
Shit.
As Logan’s mom leaned in to give me a polite kiss on the cheek, I decided to greet Bella the same way—partly out of courtesy, but mostly because I needed to know.
I needed to be sure.
There was something about the woman from last night—something unforgettable. Her scent. It wasn’t like anything I’d ever come across before. It was soft yet intense, rare yet addictive. The kind that lingered long after she was gone.
So, when I leaned in to greet Bella and that same familiar fragrance hit me, my chest tightened. My hand moved on its own, gripping her waist like my body recognized her before my mind fully caught up.
And in that moment everything came rushing back.
Flashes of messed up sheets, whispered moans, skin on skin. The way her body had fit perfectly against mine. The way she had looked at me like I was the only man in the world.
Damn.
It wasn’t just that the woman I couldn’t stop thinking about was now standing in front of me. It was that she was here, real, in my arms again… and she was Bella.
Bella—Logan’s little sister.
I couldn’t tell what messed with my head the most. Was it the fact that she was the same girl who gave me the most mind-blowing night of my life? Or was it that I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since?
Either way, one thing was clear—my time in the U.S. was about to get a whole lot more complicated… and a hell of a lot more interesting.
And then she realized it too.
Her eyes widened the second I pulled back. The way her breath caught, the sudden panic behind her composed face—it told me everything.
She knew.
She figured it out.
I was the man from last night.
Flustered, Bella blurted out a clumsy excuse, something about needing to reply some mails. But I wasn’t even listening. I was too busy trying not to laugh, watching her practically flee from the dining room like her heels were on fire.
I bit back a smile.
So, she does remember.
Good.
Dinner went by in a blur of clinking cutlery, polite laughter, and business talk. The conversation, unsurprisingly, revolved around industry shifts, market strategies, and corporate moves.
It is no news that I travelled to Europe after the death of my mother, and everyone assumed I had worked for FM Tech for some time, then moved to ALLICA FEET—one of Europe’s most influential and powerful fashion company. And I let them believe that.
What no one knew, however, was the truth.
ALLICA FEET wasn’t just my employer. It was my company. I built it from scratch. Owned every major decision. But I had never been the face of it—and that was by design. I liked working from the shadows, letting others take the spotlight while I moved the pieces behind the scenes. And honestly, I preferred to keep it that way.
After wiping my mouth with a crisp napkin, I gently pushed my plate aside and offered a nod of appreciation.
“Thank you for having me,” I said, turning to Mr. and Mrs. White. “The food was absolutely delicious.”
Sarah gave me a warm smile. “You’re always welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
With the pleasantries out of the way, I knew it was time to get to the real reason I’d come today. I straightened slightly, my tone shifting just enough to signal a transition.
“I won’t take much more of your time,” I began, looking directly at Mr. White. “My father is about to name the next CEO of His and Hers, and I’ve been doing some digging.”
I let that statement sit for a second before continuing.
“My findings show that you hold a quiet stake in the company—hidden shares, to be exact. I’m very interested in acquiring them. And I’m willing to pay whatever price you name.”
Mr. White calmly pushed his plate away, dabbed the corners of his mouth with a napkin, and reached for his wine glass.
“Those shares,” he said, swirling the wine in his glass before taking a sip, “are not up for sale.”
I didn’t blink. I hadn’t expected this to be easy. Shares in His and Hers weren’t just pieces of paper—they were power. And no one gave up power without a reason.
Still, I came prepared.
“What if I offered you equivalent shares in ALLICA FEET?” I said, watching his expression for the smallest shift.
His brow arched, his interest piqued, though skepticism still lingered in his eyes.
“And how exactly do you plan to pull that off?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. “Convince your boss to sell me a piece of a company that isn’t even public?”
“It will be—if you give me the shares I want.”
He chuckled, low and amused, as though he was watching a child attempt a grown man’s game.
“You’ve done your homework,” he said, setting the glass down. “I’ll give you that. But you’re missing one important detail.”
His smile faded into something more serious. “Those shares… they’re not mine to sell.”
My brows pulled together. “I beg your pardon?” I asked, unable to mask the confusion in my voice.
“You heard me,” Mr. White said, his voice rough as he leaned back into his chair. “I gifted those shares to my daughter, Bella, on her eighteenth birthday. And I’m not in the habit of taking back what I’ve already given. So, if you’re looking to strike a deal…”—he lifted a hand and gestured toward the stairs—“you’ll have to talk to her.”
I blinked, caught between disbelief and mild irritation.
“You gave her the shares?” I repeated, even though I had heard him perfectly the first time.
He didn’t answer, just raised his glass again like that was the end of it.
I leaned forward slightly. “Any tips on how to convince her to sell them to me?”
He gave a dry chuckle and shrugged. “Bella has a will stronger than most. I couldn’t stop her from changing her surname to her mother’s, and I sure as hell couldn’t stop her from leaving this house when she turned twenty-one.” He paused, then added, “So no, I’m afraid I can’t help you there.”
My jaw tensed. So, not only had I unknowingly spent the night with my best friend’s sister, but she also happened to be the legal owner of the very shares I needed to secure my position in His and Hers.
Perfect.
Just perfect.
I exhaled slowly, a hand dragging across my face.
Why did I suddenly get the feeling this was going to be a lot harder than I thought?
- Writer
