Chapter 1

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The sheets smelt of lavender and spilt alcohol. My face twitched a bit. I was completely taken over by exhaustion. My part-time lover was laid next to me, or at least I thought he was. I gave him my back and pushed my eyes shut, pretending not to hear him drone on about how he needed to go home to her. The man was constantly dripping honey from between those puffy lips of his.

“I have to go. There is a family dinner tonight at my parents. Kat will be furious. I am late already as it is.” His raspy voice bellowed

He was almost out of the door of my small studio flat when the reflection from the sparkling metal of his cufflinks hit me in the eyes. It was late in the morning. I had overslept too. My phone was starting to vibrate. I stretched out across the bed and reached out for it.

The buzzing phone was too close to the cufflinks. It knocked them over. Talk about bad timing-Joseph ran back into the flat. Yes he had his own keys cut. And why would he have a key to my humble abode?

The reason was simple. I made him pay for the place. It was bad enough that I was his go to girl when he needed something different from the main course. I was his garnish. He often likened me to the pesto in his unseasoned pasta.

I crawled across the bed to pick up my phone. Joseph was headed in the same direction. He stooped down too quickly and collided into me. That definitely gave me a bit if a dizzy spell.

“Ouch! Watch were you are going!” I rubbed my head.

“I am sorry, Evelyn. I think I left something crucial behind,” Joseph sighed with an apologetic look on his face.

He seemed quite unhappy. I could tell that he didn’t want to go back home to his pruned and pampered heiress wife. She had all the money. She gave him all the connections he needed for his fashion wholesale business. She knew everyone that was anybody in the industry, or at least her father did. Kat had that ace tucked so far up her sleeve that it would be almost impossible for him to free himself from her grabby claws without risking demolishing his business in the process.

It wasn’t as if Joseph was a nobody. He was a blue blood with a name that meant something in this town. The Epsilons once ran a powerful and influential business empire with an extensive global reach. Shipping was their thing. They grew rich doing just that.

However, the wealth of his family had waned over the years owing to bad investments and gambling addictions of one or two of Joseph’s predecessors. He was privy to some money and real estate but not enough to keep a big business afloat. Joseph was worth billions as long as he remained shackled to that man-eater with a knack for sporting the most ridiculous pair of leopard print pants.

Prenup was a bitch. Kat knew this from the beginning. She knew what she needed from him from the start.
She wasn’t the kind of woman that cared much for love.

For her, appearances was everything and Joseph did make her look good in the eyes off all her sophisticated, fake boob sporting, high class lady friends. His name was also useful. Some people in the high places still remembered the Epsilon name. She never ceased on an opportunity to brag about marrying an Epsilon at exclusive events.

“If you’re looking for shiny things you wear on your sleeves-they are on the floor.” I frowned, shifting my gaze to patch of ground before his feet.

The message was received loud and clear. He lowered himself and scooped up the cufflinks from the furry face of my carpet. My face had been positioned above the screen of my handset. I was typing up an apology to my boss.

I was surprised to find Joseph still stood in front of me. He had this stray puppy look in his brown eyes. I had never seen him so indecisive before. This was a man that usually went for what he wanted without blinking. But in that moment I think he blinked a couple of times. He seemed like he had something he needed to get off his chest. Whatever it was-he couldn’t bring himself to say it. It was almost as if he had stuffed the words down into the pit of his belly.

“Is there something bothering you, Joseph?
“You don’t seem quite like yourself today.” I placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Uh I’ve got the cufflinks. Kat would be mortified if I lost them. She got this for our fifth anniversary. I have to go,” he spoke hurriedly without looking me in the face before kissing me on the cheek and storming out of my flat.

The door slammed shut behind him leaving me with a bad feeling in my stomach.

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