Reese

After six years of loving Julian Grayson and literally keeping him alive with her rare blood donations, Hazel Ashworth is just three days away from becoming his wife when he calls to cancel their wedding. 
The reason? Her half-sister Ivy has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and her dying wish is to marry Julian instead. Hazel watches in horror as Julian takes her handcrafted wedding dress to Ivy, who plans to wear it while stealing not just Hazel's fiancé, but her entire wedding—same venue, same date, even the same cake flavor. 
It's a devastating replay of their childhood, where Ivy's mother Eleanor destroyed Hazel's family by seducing her father and driving her mother to suicide, then spent years pushing Hazel out while Ivy took everything that was once hers. 
But this time, Hazel refuses to break like her mother did. She demands Julian's entire company and two million dollars as compensation, then shows up at the hospital to deliver Ivy's "wedding gift" in the most explosive way possible.
As Ivy plays the perfect dying victim and Julian remains blind to her manipulation, Hazel begins to suspect that her half-sister's illness might not be as terminal as everyone believes. When Ivy has the audacity to ask Hazel to witness her wedding to Julian, the gloves come off completely. 
Now Hazel must decide how far she's willing to go to expose the truth and reclaim what's rightfully hers, even if it means destroying the man she once loved in the process.

The Billionaire Backs Me Up

Chapter 23 - Unexpected Generosity, Anticipated Conflict


I stepped into Damien Sterling's conference room, my heart pounding against my ribs. The sleek, minimalist space felt too large and too small at the same time, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a dizzying view of the city below.


"Please, sit down," Damien said, gesturing to the chair across from him. The stern commander I'd glimpsed moments ago had vanished completely, replaced by the polished, attentive man I remembered.


"Thank you for seeing me," I managed, lowering myself into the chair and setting my purse beside me. My fingers trembled slightly, and I clasped them together in my lap to hide it.


Damien studied me with those intense dark eyes. "Butler Winslow mentioned you had an urgent matter to discuss. Something about clothing designs?"


I felt heat climb into my cheeks. "That... wasn't entirely truthful."


A hint of amusement flickered across his face. "I suspected as much."
