Love's New Bloom by Simone Hastings

Chapter 1 Heartbroken

It was 10 pm on a summer night. A beautiful woman in a body-hugging dress and exquisite makeup sat in a hotel room at one of the city’s five-star hotels. A cigarette wisping pungent smoke dangled from her trembling fingers, showing how unstable her emotions were at the moment. She was eavesdropping on a conversation going on in another hotel room that she’d bugged, and it made her heart twist painfully.

The conversation was between a man and a woman. The woman said, “Ian, you’ve been coming to me so frequently that I’m on the verge of collapse…”

The man said, “Don’t tell me you’re unhappy about this.”

The woman giggled. “I’m ecstatic!”

“She’s going on a business trip tomorrow, so you can come over.”

“Ian, I’m curious about something. Back then, Erin was known as the belle of our university. Don’t you love her anymore?”

Ian said, “She’s worse than a sex doll. We’ve been married for a year, but I haven’t even laid a finger on her. That’s what she deserves for acting all high and mighty and leading me on! I’m not even interested in her anymore.”

The woman gasped. “That’s terrible. What’s the point of your marriage, then?”

“Who cares? It’s all she deserves. Alright, let’s stop talking about her…”

couldn’t bear to listen to the rest of their conversation. She removed the earbud and stared blankly at the floor as she recalled how

Was he talking about Tracy Brown, her classmate from university? They’d lost

design for their bathroom because she wanted to renovate it. Tracy had come over that afternoon, and Erin took the opportunity to peek at

to the same hotel 86 times…Now that Erin

…

leaving the hotel. The driver asked, “Where

to the city’s most renowned private

returned his surprised look with a level gaze. Her heart felt like it had been soaked in acid; she was in so much pain she could barely breathe, and her chest felt unbearably heavy. She pressed a

the driver turned to look

returned to her senses and dazedly tugged a few hundred-dollar bills

the club.

desk, and slapped a debit card on the counter. “I have five million

up and said politely, “Welcome, miss.

some wet wipes from her

seat at the lounge over there while I make a call? It’ll only be a short while.” As Erin turned to leave, the

of such an ugly woman! You’ll be out of a job the

The receptionist couldn’t resist giving it a shot at the thought of the commission she’d earn

at Twilight at the moment. Instead, he was in his office. His tone turned frosty as he said, “I heard from Jamie that you’re new. I’ll give you one more chance instead of firing you, and I’m warning you: I’m the one picking the women,

when she saw Erin stand up and walk toward a man walking out of the nearby

wore a dark, fitted suit. His broad shoulders, toned waist, and long legs made Erin’s blood rush to her head.