AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The Tie That Binds: A Marriage Of Convenience Novel
A father's last wish results in a marriage of inconvenience.
When Alyssa Moriani loses her father, she's faced with an impossible choice: fulfil her father's last wish and marry Daniel Devereaux, her best friend's older brother... or lose her father's company to the one person that'll burn everything she's worked for to the ground.
Her marriage to Daniel was never meant to be more than a business arrangement. They were never meant to be so perfect together, and they were definitely never meant to fall in love. After all, they started their marriage with an end date in sight.
The Ruins Of Us
Stolen Moments Book III
Copyright © 2020 by Catharina Maura
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
For you
Thank you for following Emilia and Carter’s story, and for supporting my career. I couldn’t have done this without you.
Playlist for The Ruins Of Us
Emilia and Carter’s Playlist
Chapter 1
Emilia
“God, that was exhausting,” my manager says as we walk out of the client’s office.
I suppress a yawn and nod. We’ve been working on closing this deal for months now. I can barely believe it’s actually finally over.
“But hey, we did it,” she adds. She holds her hand up for me to high five, and I grin as my palm meets hers.
Alice, my boss and mentor, has trained me since my very first day at the firm. We’ve grown together, and I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for her. She’s the reason I decided to specialize in transaction law, just like she did. The merger that was signed today cost us months of prep and sleepless nights, but it was so worth it in the end.
Alice puts her hand on my shoulder and smiles, radiating with pride. “Come on, let’s grab cocktails. We’ve worked hard enough today.”
I glance at my watch and burst out laughing. “It’s only two in the afternoon.”
Alice shrugs and drags me to the pub near the office that we frequent. We walk to our usual table and take a seat. “I’m proud of you, you know?” Alice says. “You handled this entire engagement almost entirely by yourself.”
I smile at her in thanks. I definitely have come a long way in the eight years since I moved to London. The city I ran away to has become home to me. It doesn’t feel like it’s been eight years, though. Not even remotely.
“This year has flown by,” I murmur. “Can’t believe we spent a quarter of it on just this one single client.”
Alice sighs and nods. “At least the holidays are only around the corner. Is your Dad coming to see you again, or are you going home this year? I don’t think you’ve gone home once since we started working together. Don’t you miss it?”
For a split second my mind flashes back to Woodstock. To the home I grew up in… and the house right next to mine. I think of him, and my heart twists painfully. I force my thoughts away and shake my head.
“No,” I murmur, smiling tightly. “London is home to me now.”
Alice looks at me with that blank expression that I hate — it’s that expression she puts on when she’s cracking a case. I look away and lift my glass to hers. “Cheers,” I say, smiling as brightly as I can.
Even the memory of home still ruins my mood. The memory of everything I lost, everything I left behind. I’ve worked so hard to build myself a new life, one I can be proud of, yet I still don’t think I’m strong enough to go back. It still hurts too much.
“Fair enough,” Alice says, thankfully changing the topic. “How is that cute boyfriend of yours?”
