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 5

It was late when she walked out of the estate. But she was scared of ordering a ride. She would rather walk all the way to the nearest bus stop despite the distance for she was low on funds.

Ten minutes into her trek, Chloe slowed. Up ahead, Jordan stood by the road, locked in a heated argument with a blonde. Two sleek cars were parked at the curb.

Chloe drew back, her pace cautious. She could not hear the full argument, but the cuss words flung into the night were unmistakable. At one point, the blonde swung her hand for his face. Jordan caught it midair, shoving her back so hard she nearly lost her balance.

He dragged her toward the red Porsche, yanked the driver’s door open, and shoved her inside.

"I hate you Jordan. I hate you.. never loved anything about you" the blonde screamed and added a string of cuss words.

Jordan’s reply was just as sharp. "Get the hell out of this estate before I call the police on you, you slut!"

The Porsche engine roared as she slammed the door, reversed recklessly, and tore off down the street.

Jordan sighted Chloe just as he was about to get in his car. Why was she staring at him like that? Just like back when he had met her crying at the dining. He did not like the look. Still seething with rage, he closed the distance between them.

Somehow, he felt the rage fly away for a fleeting second, replaced with some sort of feeling, which he quickly tried to fight off. He clenched his jaw, forcing the rage back. What was that? He thought.

"Why are you staring at me like that, dunce?" His voice was sharp and dismissive. "Don’t you have somewhere else to be? Something else to look at?"

His face was close, too close, the sharp angles of his features illuminated under the streetlight. His eyes were like steel, cold yet mesmerizing. Chloe’s heart flipped inside her chest. Why did he have to shove his face in hers?

" It is my eyes bro. You don't get to tell me what to do with them. You, keep your eyes somewhere else too" Chloe heard herself say.

Jordan chuckled despite himself. Did she just call him bro? He was suddenly aware of the pain in her eyes, and dried tears by the corner of her eyes. She had full lips, sitting gracefully on her pretty face. Though disheveled and weary, she was beautiful. Distractingly so. His fingers twitched with the urge to brush a strand of hair from her cheek, and he scowled at himself for even thinking it.

He wanted to to yell at her for not cleaning up her face. He scowled. Where the heck was all of that coming from?

"If you really want to make it back to Alamosa tonight, you had better hurry. Dunce" he turned away abruptly.

"Dunce?" Chloe echoed under her breath. "That is not my name!" she shouted after him.

"I don’t care what the hell your name is. Just get out of this place already." he replied without turning back.

But Chloe was boiling now. Why did she have to go through all the stress when the real culprit was just there having fun? Of course the amount was no big deal to him and he could pay it with just a snap of his fingers but it was not so for her. She dashed forward, pulled a folded note from her trench coat, and shoved it against his palm. "That’s the bill for the gown YOU ruined."

Jordan merely glanced at the note, he threw it at her. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"Are you really asking me that, Jordan?, Chloe fought back tears, how could he be so mean. "You were the one who ruined the dress, not me. You set me up for reasons I don't know why. I came here to make money, not to secure a debt. What did I ever do to you to deserve this ill treatment " Chloe didn't realize she was shouting.

Jordan’s jaw hardened. "You sure have a lot of guts, raising your voice at me, you little wench."

Chloe let out a bitter laugh. "Is that the problem now? That I’m raising my voice? Well, why shouldn’t I, Mister Cavanaugh?"

Jordan narrowed his eyes at her.

"Is that really how you intend to converse with your boss?"

Chloe turned a three sixty degree. "Which boss? I don't see no one" and then it dawned on her, "oh, your mum fired me. Thanks to you. I was kicked out of the house on my first day, and as if that was not enough, I have to pay for something I did not even do" her voice broke. She wiped away fresh tears with her fingers, frustrated and broken.

For the first time, Jordan felt something sharp stab at his chest. Guilt. He hated it. He turned quickly, wanting to walk away, but Chloe latched onto his arm.

"Please," she sobbed, clinging desperately. "Please I don't have this much money. That's why I came here to work. I'm sorry. I am very sorry for all the things I've ever done to you. I'm so sorry. I'm leaving your house already. Just let me leave in peace".

"Sorry for what?" he asked, flummoxed and feeling mightily uneasy.

"I don't know" Chloe cried harder, "I don't know what I ever did to you but whatever it is, I'm sorry".

That was it. He yanked his arm free. Chloe dropped to the ground like a sack of grain, curling in on herself sobbing hysterically.

Jordan turned away, hating himself, hating her tears, hating the strange tightness in his chest. He hurried to his car and drove off.

Chloe sat there by the road hugging her knees and crying. It was getting dark. She got up when she noticed the headlights of an approaching car.

Sniffing, she picked up her duffel bag. She felt terrible. Why was she such a cry baby?

The car stopped by her side.

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 5

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