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 6

It was Jordan.

"You are still here," he said flatly, as if nothing had happened.

"Get in. Let me drop you off at the bus stop" Even as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Since when did he become a softie? He quickly shook off the thought. No, of course this was part of a plan.

Chloe didn’t move.

With a grunt, he pulled out a card and pen from his jacket, scribbled something quickly, and tossed it out the window. The card landed by her feet.

"That’s my card. Meet me at the address I wrote on the back. Tomorrow. Four p.m." Without another word, he sped off.

Chloe stared at the card lying on the road. Her mind spun with a dozen possibilities, each one darker than the last. She didn’t bother picking it up. Hugging her bag closer, she set off toward Alamosa.

The night air was icy, and the road stretched endlessly ahead. Every step felt heavier than the last, her shoes biting into her heels. She pulled her coat tighter, but the chill was not just from the wind, it was from the memory of Jordan’s voice, the cruelty in his eyes, the way he had shoved her away as though she were nothing.

Her phone buzzed for the third time that hour. It was her mum's sister, Mary again. Chloe silenced it, too drained to explain anything over the phone. What would she even say? That her job had ended before it even started? That she was now in debt for a gown she hadn’t ruined? She pressed the phone deeper into her coat pocket.

By the time she reached the bus stop, her legs threatened to give way. She was lucky to catch the bus before it moved. She dozed off as soon as she took a seat. Four hours turned into minutes as she awoke at her destination. She texted Mary to let her know she was at the bus stop. Her aunt replied her immediately.

Hold on. I'm coming to get you.

A single streetlight flickered above, buzzing faintly. She sank onto the cold bench and buried her face in her palms. Minutes went by. Cars passed. People came and went. She stayed.

Headlights finally slowed in front of her. Chloe lifted her head, squinting against the glare. The door of a familiar car swung open.

“Chloe!” Mary’s voice cut through the night, scolding and sounding relieved at the same time.

Her aunt fussed over her. "I told you not to risk traveling back at night. Why didn't you just wait till tomorrow? And why do you have to carry your travel bag though? Isn’t it stressful? You can always share Judy’s clothes, you know.”

Chloe shrugged.

Mary pressed a small flower into her hands. “Congratulations on your new job,” she teased with a laugh. “Do my flowers feel awkward?”

“No, Aunty. Thank you,” Chloe managed a smile.

“You don’t seem happy though. You must be exhausted.”

Chloe opened the back seat and threw in her bag. “Yeah. It has been a very long day."

She was not in the mood to chatter, but her aunt didn’t notice. Mary chattered all the way home.

When they arrived, Chloe was baffled to meet a mini party at home. Judy and Danny popped balloons and sprayed celebratory ribbons. A small apple tart sat at the center of the table.

Chloe resisted the urge to roll her eyes and sigh wearily. How could they be celebrating her getting a job as a maid? Funny that she had even lost the job already.

With the little strength she had, she tried to laugh and smile along. How could she tell them she had lost the job she barely just got? And the manner in which it had happened too. She felt like such a big fool.

She opened her bag and brought out the leftovers from the Cavanaughs.

The family was so happy that Chloe could not help but smile. It was like a feast for them.

She excused herself and went off to the tiny room reserved for her. Sitting on the bed, she held her head in her hands and sobbed quietly. The muffled laughter of her cousins drifted through the thin walls, but she felt miles away. Her phone vibrated for the umpteenth time since she had put it on silence on her way back.

Tiredly, she brought the phone out if her bag to check the caller ID.

Not her mother. Not her aunt. Not Judy. Not anyone she knew.

An unknown number.

Chloe froze, her heart beating abnormally in her chest. For a long moment, she simply stared at the screen, her thumb hovering, trembling. Whoever it was, they had tried calling her all night.

She swallowed hard and swiped to answer.

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 6

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