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 34 - Unexpected Affection and a Roadside Apology


I stared at Mrs. Sterling, completely overwhelmed by her kindness. My chest tightened with emotion as I struggled to process what she'd just revealed. Damien had noticed my preference for Chef Lin's cooking and mentioned it to his mother. Such a small detail, yet it spoke volumes.


"Mrs. Sterling, this is too much. I'm just a designer you hired," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.


She reached across the table and placed her warm hand over mine. "Hazel, dear, you are much more than that to this family."


Her words sent a flutter through my chest. What did she mean? I hardly knew them, yet they treated me with such consideration.


"I'm not sure I understand," I admitted.


Mrs. Sterling's eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled. "Sometimes the universe has plans for us that we don't immediately recognize. I believe your presence in our lives is no accident."
