From Friends to Lover

For five years, I was his shadow and his secret lover, all because of a deathbed promise to his older brother—the man I was supposed to marry.

On the day that promise was fulfilled, he told me to plan his engagement party to another woman.

Chapter 1

The fifth year was ending. It was the one-thousand-eight-hundred-and-twenty-fifth day since Cayla Bass had made her promise, and the day she had decided to finally break it.

Cayla Bass stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, her gaze fixed on the sprawling city lights below. They blurred into a meaningless smear of color.

For five years, she had been not only Grafton Mcleod's shadow—his assistant, his problem solver, the woman who absorbed his rage and cleaned up his messes—but also his lover. A secret kept tucked away in the sterile luxury of his penthouse, a role she played out of a misguided sense of duty.

And it was all because of a promise to a dying man. A man she had truly loved.

The memory still had the power to stop her breath. The sterile smell of the hospital, the insistent beeping of a machine, and the hand of Grafton's older brother, Justen, growing cold in hers.

"Five years, Cayla."His voice was a weak rasp, a ghost of the warm baritone she adored. "Just watch over him for five years. He's reckless, all I have. Promise me.”

Justen Palmer. The man who was supposed to be her future, her husband. The only real light in her world, extinguished in a wreck of twisted metal and shattered glass just weeks before he could give his younger brother the Palmer name through adoption.

She had agreed. She would have agreed to anything for him. And in her grief, she had transferred that devotion to the one person he left behind. She had mistaken the weight of her promise for love for Grafton.

A door slammed open behind her.

"Cayla.”

Grafton's voice was sharp, cutting through the silence. He didn't bother to look at her, his attention locked on the phone pressed to his ear.

"I don't care what it takes,"he snapped into the device. "Get it done.”

He ended the call and tossed the phone onto the leather sofa. His eyes, no longer cold and dismissive but filled with a familiar, playful cruelty, finally landed on her.

"Did you get it?”

"The acquisition proposal is on your desk,"she said, her voice flat, devoid of emotion. "I've highlighted the key risk factors.”

"I didn't ask for your analysis,"he said, a smirk playing on his lips. He walked over to the bar, pouring himself a drink. He enjoyed these games, enjoyed the power he held over her. He was convinced she was hopelessly in love with him, a loyal puppy who would never leave his side. "I'm talking about the Hughes merger. Cherrelle and I are getting married. It's important for the company, for our families. So, I need you to be on your best behavior for the next few months. No drama, understand? I know how emotional you can get.”

Cherrelle Hughes glided into the room, wrapping her arms around Grafton's neck from behind. She pressed a kiss to his cheek, her eyes, gleaming with triumph, meeting Cayla's over his shoulder.

"Don't be so hard on her, Gray,"Cherrelle cooed, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "She tries her best. It's just… well, you can't expect someone from her background to understand the pressures we're under, can you? Some people are born to lead, others to follow.”

Grafton's expression softened as he looked at Cherrelle. He turned, pulling her into his arms. "You're too kind to her.”

The scene was a familiar one. A play she had watched on repeat for five years. The arrogant heir, his perfect high-society girlfriend, and the useless, lovesick subordinate.

Cherrelle's perfectly manicured hand reached out, not for a glass, but to run a finger provocatively down the front of Grafton's shirt.