Love Outside my Reach

Jordan was taken aback, his lips parted as he gasped in surprise. Chloe sighed, "Is there any other special cleaning you want in the room aside from the regular one?" she asked coolly. Jordan stared at her in disbelief. Her indifference stung him. Did she just ignore what he was saying? He waited three hours for her the day before. Of course he could never tell her that. He had been mad at himself for having such feelings. Right now, he couldn't be any madder. But the girl just stood there, looking so nonchalant, carefree, unconcerned. His business card was a treasure to anyone else, but she had trashed it. He clenched his jaw. For once, he was at a loss for words. Chloe spoke up, "I will get to work then." She turned to leave. "Hey!" Jordan bellowed. She stopped, frowning. Why was he so angry? "You will get to work, doing what? Telling everyone it wasn't you who made that mess?" he scoffed, "Isn't that what you were about to say to my mother?" Chloe put on a false perplexed look, "But that's the truth. We both know I am not the one at fault. What exactly are you scared of, Mister Cavanaugh? Why should it be a big deal?" "So you are going out there to tell on me?" he gave a low laugh. "No. Not really," Chloe said offhandedly, "I think I have my job back for now, thank you. I will face that and hope you don't play such games with me again." Jordan came closer to her, frowning, "Are you threatening me?". Chloe wanted to place her hands on his broad chest and push him away, he smelled so good, "Threatening you? Hell no, that's not a threat. I was just soliciting for peace. I didn't do anything wrong to you or your family. YOU wronged me, you ought to apologize. But I am not even asking you to". Jordan moved closer, step by step, until her back hit the door. His face hovered inches from hers, his breath warm, his eyes dark and unreadable. Chloe’s heart skipped a beat, as she began to panic. Chloe Carson thought moving to Colorado would bring stability and a chance to rebuild her life. But her new job at the Cavanaugh mansion proves anything but simple, especially with Jordan, the handsome yet infuriating heir whose every word and glance keeps her on edge. As Chloe tries to find her footing, she also faces Niles, her cousin’s crush, whose attraction to her awakens feelings she did not expect. Torn between Niles’s gentle affection and Jordan’s intoxicating pull, Chloe must navigate jealousy, secrets, and emotional traps she never saw coming. As unexpected consequences spiral around her, Chloe will have to decide whose heart she can trust... before it is too late.

Chapters

Chapter 3

Chloe gathered the clothes Theresa had instructed her to handle, her hands trembling slightly as she approached the laundry room. The towering piles of garments, some fresh from the dryer yet still requiring pressing, seemed overwhelming. A sharp pang of hunger gnawed at her stomach, and she squatted against the wall, pressing her hand over her abdomen.

"God I am so hungry..." she murmured, her voice barely audible.

"Hey."

The single word made her jerk upright. Jordan stood in the doorway, relaxed but impossible to ignore. There was a quiet pull to him, and the calm, teasing way he spoke made her catch her breath.

He held out a small package of sourdough bread and a medium pack of yogurt. “Have this.”

Chloe blinked, surprised. For a fleeting moment, she forgot the oppressive weight of the mansion and the exhausting day.

She hesitated, unsure if she should feel grateful or flustered, then she allowed a small smile to spread across her face.

“Why are you blushing?” he asked, startling her.

“I am not blushing. I am just... smiling,” she said quietly, wishing her face would stop betraying her.

“Well, your smile is blushing,” he countered with a smirk.

“You are... silly,” she muttered, cheeks warming.

He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “What did you say?”

"I said... thank you,” she whispered, unsure why her chest tightened at his nearness.

"No. You said something else."

Chloe could not reply as they heard the sound.of approaching feet.

Before she could react, Jordan scooped up the snacks and, almost impossibly, dove into the broken industrial washing machine, disappearing behind its metallic bulk. Chloe quickly draped a bedsheet over it. Not sure why she did that.

Theresa appeared with another basket of laundry, heavy and brimming with expensive fabrics. “These belong to Mister Cavanaugh. I expect you to know that not everything goes in the machine. Handle carefully.”

Then she added in a warning tone, "In fact, be very careful with everything you do here. Perhaps I should let you know, Lily could be a storm to handle sometimes. Jordan can be super sly and super devilish, like a ... puzzle. So beware. Their mother is, calculative. Observe and learn quickly. You will need it.” She left as abruptly as she came, leaving Chloe breathless and a little more aware of the house’s unspoken rules.

Jordan emerged from the shadows a moment later, carrying her untouched snack.

She stared at him; Super sly and super devilish. Plus, super handsome.

His grin was infuriatingly confident. “Yeah, I'm a super guy. And none of Theresa’s warnings are the whole truth.”

He handed her the meal. Chloe could not say no.

He yawned and stretched. "You are lucky I will be free for the rest of the evening, so l will help you iron this batch." He pointed to a heap by the corner.

Chloe felt herself drawn to him, she wanted to step back in caution but fascination rooted her to the spot.

"You want to help me?" She wasn't sure she had heard him right.

“Yup. Don’t I look like a nice guy?” He opened a cabinet and selected an iron, then plucked a long, exquisite gown from a pile.

“So…you grew up in Nebraska?” he asked casually as he plugged in the iron.

“Yes,” she answered, not sure why her heart was racing.

“Where? Countryside?” he pressed, his eyes scanning her features as if reading a secret.

“Why do you think so?” she asked, a nervous smile tugging at her lips. He had probably gone through her papers already.

He exhaled slowly, stretching the gown across the board. “You look... There’s a groundedness about you. Different from the city air here.”

Chloe almost dropped her bread. “Is that a compliment? Or you're being sarcastic?”

Mischief danced briefly in his eyes. “You can decide.”

She finished her snack hastily, focusing on the laundry to steady her racing heart.

“Warning,” he said suddenly, gesturing to another iron. “Do not make use of this one I am holding. It is quite faulty. You can make use of that green one instead.”

Chloe gasped at the big triangular hole in Lily's dress just after the smell of something burning got to her nose.

"Oh my God, Mister Cavanaugh!" her trembling hands threw themselves across her mouth.

“What? Never seen a burnt gown? Tell whoever asks, that you used a faulty iron, cos you didn't know. And consider this, a lesson... and a gift,” he said with an air of nonchalance.

“Think of it as a uhm, payback. For calling Lily spoiled, and for enjoying your meal without owing me.” He added.

“I don’t understand you,” she murmured, her voice breaking.

“Neither do I,” he admitted, shrugging, eyes softening for the briefest instant. “But I have always wanted to see this gown like this. It is prettier now. By the way, it is, Jordan. Without the Mister bla bla.” He winked and stepped back, leaving her to absorb the complexity of his presence.

The thought of twenty dollars an hour echoed in her mind, a faint comfort against the dizzying uncertainty of the house.

Continue to next part

Morning light streamed through our penthouse windows as I carefully prepared Christopher's favorite dish. The familiar scent of butter and herbs filled our kitchen while I meticulously arranged the lobster thermidor—the same dish we'd shared on our honeymoon five years ago. My fingers worked with practiced precision, each movement a small act of love. "This will make him smile," I whispered to myself, remembering how his eyes had lit up that magical evening in the Hamptons. The memory was so vivid: Christopher feeding me a bite across the candlelit table, promising me forever as waves crashed against the shore outside our window. I packed the dish into an insulated bag, taking extra care to ensure it would stay warm. Christopher had called earlier, asking if I could bring his lunch to Le Cygne where he was having an important business meeting. The request was unusual, but I was happy to help—eager, even, to surprise him with his favorite meal. "Perfect timing for our anniversary month," I murmured, smoothing my hair before heading out. Despite five years of marriage, my heart still fluttered at the thought of seeing him unexpectedly during his workday.

Billionaire Modern Romance

8.8

Exposing Husband's Fraud

8.8

The morning of the Manhattan gala arrived with golden sunlight streaming through our penthouse windows, but I felt nothing but dread. I smoothed down my blouse for the third time, checking my reflection in the hallway mirror as I rushed between tasks. "The white lilies are completely wrong, Adriana," Mrs. Coleman's voice cut through the apartment like ice. "Everyone knows orange blossoms are more appropriate for a financial launch." I paused in my tracks, clutching the flower arrangement I'd spent an hour perfecting. "I thought—" "You thought wrong," she interrupted, not bothering to look up from her tablet. "Change them immediately. We can't have the investors thinking we're...common." The word hung in the air like a slap. I nodded silently and retreated to the service elevator, where I wouldn't have to endure the staff's pitying glances as I carried away my failed effort. By noon, I had reorganized the entire evening's logistics—transportation schedules, seating charts, even the temperature of the champagne.

Billionaire Modern Romance

9.3

His Shield, Her Secret Empire

9.3

I fell for Kade Livingston, the campus king. To protect his family's reputation, he asked me to be his "shield," making me endure vicious bullying and even a kidnapping as a supposed test of my love. I endured it all, until his fragile stepsister, Dani, stole my most personal work—a photography series honoring my late mother. She didn't just steal it; she twisted my art into a grotesque, pornographic mockery of her memory. When I tried to expose her, Kade destroyed all my evidence. He then had me kidnapped and beaten, leaving me for dead, all to protect his stepsister's crime and hide the twisted nature of their bond. Lying bruised in a hospital bed, I finally understood. He never loved me. I was just a disposable pawn in his family's sick game. My disguise as a plain student, meant to keep me safe, had only made me a target for her jealousy. But they made one fatal mistake. They thought they were destroying Holly Erickson, a quiet, unremarkable girl. They had no idea they were messing with K.B. Barry, the secretly world-famous author with the power to ruin them all. Today, at the photography competition where they plan to celebrate their crime, I will make my first-ever public appearance and show them what happens when you break a queen.

Billionaire Modern Mystery

7.6

Married To The Fake Mad Billionaire

7.6

I am the illegitimate, mute daughter of the wealthy Owen family, kept hidden in the attic like a shameful secret. To save his failing company, my father decided to sell me off to a repulsive, predatory investor named Grossman. At the family dinner, Grossman's sweaty hands roamed my bare legs while my half-sister Kaleigh intentionally spilled red wine on my dress, laughing as she watched me suffer. When I grabbed a steak knife to defend myself, my father slammed his fist on the table. "Sit down, or I will cut off the maintenance payments for your mother's grave." My stepmother and sister sneered, treating me like a piece of meat meant to be sacrificed for their luxury. I was starved, locked away, and treated worse than a stray dog, all while my family paraded their high-society status to the world. I couldn't understand why they hated me so deeply, or who really ordered the hit that killed my mother twenty years ago. The police reports were buried, and I was entirely powerless, trapped in a house of monsters. But they didn't know that the night before, I had accidentally stumbled into the secret life of Burleigh Livingston—the ruthless, supposedly paralyzed billionaire who was faking his madness. When Burleigh suddenly crashed our family dinner and threw a limitless Black Card on the table to outbid Grossman and buy me for the night, I didn't hesitate. I grabbed the handles of his wheelchair, accepted his twisted deal, and prepared to use the devil himself to tear my family apart.

Billionaire Modern Romance

9.5

My Husband Used Our Daughter’s Funeral to Trap Me Forever

9.5

The Manhattan rain fell in sheets against the taxi window, blurring the glittering skyline into watercolor streaks of gold and blue. I pressed my forehead against the cool glass, watching the city lights warp and swim. It was beautiful in that moment—this suspended space between my life as Lydia Reed, dutiful wife and mother, and the woman I was about to become in Alexander Kennedy's arms. The taxi pulled up to the hotel entrance, and I handed the driver a twenty without looking at him. My hands trembled slightly as I stepped out, the rain immediately soaking into my hair. I had told Brendan I was staying late at the office. Then, when the gala ended, I'd texted him again: a migraine was coming on, I'd take a cab home, don't wait up. The lies had become so easy that I sometimes wondered if I was breathing them instead of speaking them. But tonight, the lie felt like freedom. Tonight, I was going to tell Alexander that I was done living in a cage.

Billionaire Modern Romance

9.6

The Coldhearted Billionaire's Violent Possession

9.6

I snuck into the Long Island estate’s private study, desperate to find my boyfriend, Channing, and beg him for the money to save my mother’s life. But when I wrapped my arms around the man standing in the dark, I felt a body of cold, hard muscle that didn't belong to Channing. The lights flickered on, and I found myself pinned against the window by Constantine Warner, the ruthless head of the empire who despised me more than anyone on earth. He didn't pull away; he held me there, his gray eyes burning with a mix of razor-sharp disgust and a dark, violent hunger that terrified me to my core. Outside the room, my boyfriend Channing walked in, but instead of defending me, he laughed at my humiliation just to please his powerful brother. I was left with nothing—no money for my mother’s surgery, no dignity, and the haunting realization that the man who hated me most was the only one who truly saw me. Why did Constantine look at me like I was his prey, and what happens when the parasite finally decides to bite back?

Billionaire Horror Modern

Love Outside my Reach

Chapter 3

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