Chapter 1

Alexandra

The apartment is smaller than I imagined, but the view makes up for it. Twenty-third floor, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a snow-dusted cityscape that sparkles under the afternoon sun. Nicholas presses his face against the glass, breath fogging the pristine surface.

"Can we go outside, Mama? Please?"

I drop the last moving box with a thud. My back screams in protest, but his excitement is infectious.

"Give me ten minutes to unpack the essentials."

"Five minutes!"

"Eight."

"Deal!" He races to the pile of luggage, digging through until he finds his winter coat—the puffy red one that makes him look like a tiny marshmallow.

I can't help but smile. This move terrified me. Uprooting our entire life, leaving behind everything familiar. But watching Nicholas vibrate with pure joy makes it worth the risk.

We make it outside in seven minutes.

The cold hits like a slap, sharp and clean. Nicholas doesn't care. He's already scooping handfuls of snow, packing them into misshapen balls that crumble before he can throw them properly.

"Look, Mama! It's so white! It's everywhere!"

"I see it, baby."

He flops backward, arms spread wide, and starts making snow angels with so much enthusiasm he barely makes a dent in the powder. Other kids play nearby, their laughter carrying across the small courtyard behind our building. Nicholas watches them with wide eyes, too shy to approach but clearly itching to join.

"Go ahead," I say. "Go play."

He doesn't need to be told twice.

I settle onto a bench that's been half-heartedly cleared of snow, brushing off the remnants with my gloved hand. My phone feels heavy in my pocket. I should be unpacking. Organizing. Making our new place feel like home.

Instead, I pull up my browser and type: Neon Investments.

The move happened fast. Too fast, maybe. My boss at the firm called three weeks ago with an opportunity I couldn't refuse. A major client needed a forensic accountant embedded on-site for what could be a career-defining case. The money alone would've convinced me, but the chance to work something this high-profile?

I couldn't say no.

I didn't ask enough questions.

The company website loads, all sleek design and corporate buzz words. Innovative. Forward-thinking. Industry leaders. The usual bullshit. I scroll past the mission statement, the values page, the—

My thumb freezes.

Leadership Team.

There's a photo. Professional headshot, tailored suit, that same sharp jawline that used to make my stomach flip.

Eric Gagliardi, CEO.

"No… No, no, no."

The words come out barely above a whisper, but they feel like a scream inside my skull.

I stare at the screen. At those blue eyes that haven't changed. At the confident smirk that still makes me want to throw my fists into a wall.

Six years.

Six years since he walked away without a backward glance. Six years of raising Nicholas alone, of scraped-together childcare and sleepless nights and doing everything myself because he decided we weren't worth the effort.

And now I'm supposed to work for him?

My hands shake. I grip the phone tighter, knuckles aching inside my gloves.

"Shit."

How did I not know? How did I not think to check who ran the damn company before accepting the position?

Because you were desperate, a voice whispers. Because the money was too good and you wanted to give Nicholas better opportunities and you didn't think your past would follow you to New York City.

I scan the page for more information. Eric took over as CEO two years ago after his father passed. The company has grown exponentially under his leadership. He's been featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, all the major publications.

He looks successful. Polished. Nothing like the twenty-two-year-old who promised me forever and then disappeared when things got complicated.

When I got pregnant.

My jaw clenches so hard my teeth ache.

Nicholas shrieks with laughter, and I look up to see him pelting another kid with snowballs, both of them grinning like maniacs. He's made a friend already. Of course he has. My son makes everything look easy.

He has Eric's eyes.

I've spent five years trying not to think about that. Trying not to see his father in every expression, every gesture. But it's impossible. Nicholas inherited those striking blue eyes that stand out against his brown skin, that same easy confidence that draws people in.

He's never asked about his father. Not really. He's too young to understand what he's missing.

What we're both missing.

I scroll further down the page, looking for anything that might give me an out. Some detail that proves this is a mistake, that there are two Eric Gagliardis in this small world and I'm panicking over nothing.

But no. There's a bio section. Born and raised in Connecticut. Graduated from Wharton. Took over Neon Investments after the sudden passing of his father, Mario Gagliardi.

It's him.

I want to throw my phone into a snowbank and pretend this isn't happening.

My contract is already signed. First day is Monday. I start in three days, and I have no idea how I'm going to walk into that building and face the man who destroyed me.

"Mama, watch!"

Nicholas is building something now, his new friend helping pile snow into a lopsided tower. I force a smile and wave, even though my insides are churning.

Does Eric know I'm coming?

The question makes my stomach drop. Personnel would've sent my information to the CEO's office. He would've seen my name on the documentation. Alexandra Richards.

But maybe he doesn't remember. Maybe I was just another girl, easily forgotten once the novelty wore off.

The thought burns more than it should.

I click on a news article from six months ago. Neon Investments Under Investigation for Financial Irregularities. The allegations are vague, carefully worded to avoid litigation. That's why they need me. To dig through the numbers and find out if there's real fraud or just competitors spreading rumors.

This case could make my career.

Or it could destroy what's left of my peace of mind.

Nicholas runs over, cheeks bright from the cold, eyes shining.

"Mama, did you see? We built a fort! Well, kind of. It fell down a little."

"I saw, baby. It's amazing."

He tugs at my coat sleeve. "Can we stay out longer? Please?"

His smile is so pure. So unburdened by the complications of adult life.

I ruffle his curls, damp with melted snow. "Fifteen more minutes. Then we need to get inside and warm up."

"Yes!" He races back to his fort, already chattering away with his new friend.

I look back at my phone. At Eric's picture.

He doesn't get to do this. He doesn't get to waltz back into our lives just because I accepted a job. I'm here for me, for Nicholas, for our future. Eric is just an obstacle I'll have to work around.

Professional. That's how I'll handle this. Cold, efficient, completely professional.

I can compartmentalize. Keep my personal feelings locked away where they can't interfere with the work.

But even as I think it, I know I'm lying to myself.

Because Eric doesn't know about Nicholas.

I never told him I was pregnant. By the time I found out, he'd already made it clear we were over. I tried to call once, got his voicemail, and couldn't bring myself to leave that kind of message.

Then pride took over. If he didn't want me, he sure as hell didn't deserve to know about our son.

Now, watching Nicholas play in the snow, I wonder if I made the right choice.

He's going to find out. There's no way around it. I can't hide a five-year-old forever, especially not in a professional setting where personal lives inevitably bleed through.

What will Eric do when he sees those blue eyes staring back at him?

My phone buzzes with an email. I glance down, and my heart sinks further.

Welcome to Neon Investments. Please report to the executive floor Monday morning at 8 AM for orientation. CEO Gagliardi will personally brief you on the case details.

Of course he will.

I close my eyes and breathe in the cold air, letting it sting my lungs.

Three days. I have three days to figure out how to face the father of my child without falling apart.