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Forbidden Stranger

Chapter 2 THE PRICE OF SHOWING UP

Word Count: 907    |    Released on: 11/03/2026

and step into a room

other boy sitting with his arms crossed, nos

ls me ev

coming so quickly

. "I have somewhere

ts her head. "Tha

that provokes them and then pun

le

on floats into the air like it's casual. Lik

ghtens. "

the administ

antly. Childcare.

al?"

xchang

e other student's parents are

rt. Humorless. "O

ibrates in

nore

te another inch stolen from me.

y ends, my che

utside and ch

1 a

omach

tarts in nine

e minutes away

es from unknown numbers. One email notification

ck into

ooks at my f

late,"

ne. "No," I repl

lot, heart pound

still

t know what

are that my futur

intentional. I weave where I can without being reckless,

its quiet no

I say with

his phone. "W

pended. Say I'l

t's

es

ses. "She's g

ll su

iting to be passed. Glass, steel, and people who don

d pull into the first spot I see. I k

tell him. "Lo

at

The.

n

ag and badg

ors and low voices. Everyone

e of tho

y desk bloc

" the m

eath still une

n unreadable. "Orienta

kno

rd the elevators

t than

finger on the button again, heart pounding in my throa

step inside. Suits. C

rs slid

ne s

umbers clim

walls and quiet expectation. A sign reads APEX – ORIENTATION R

llow

is alre

ds turn as I

hat part

s tall, composed, silver-threaded hair, eye

"You must be

makes it sound like he's

dy despite everything. "I

ldly, "or do you exp

om goe

is gaze.

e shift. So

oo long. Then he smiles-no

says. "We'll cir

ed. I choose an empty chair near the aisle, drop my

I hear it differently. Every w

petitive.

buzzes

n

ic

n't

yone another re

sses my row

ay that feels deliberate. Black hair, cu

ps bes

he asks quietly, l

" I r

was worth i

s tone makes my

as,"

action longer, then no

t of the room and take a s

when it

from the ph

. The co

estioned whether I

omach

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Forbidden Stranger
Forbidden Stranger
“She only wanted a chance at love. She never expected that the one man who truly saw her, challenged her and lifted her higher would be the person she was never meant to meet. Twenty-four-year-old Janyia Hefling enters Peryn City's most competitive career program hoping to escape the weight of being the eldest of six, the expectations of her quietly struggling family, and the constant pressure to prove she's more than her circumstances. She wasn't expecting him. Eric Dusine-calm, brilliant, effortlessly playful, a tech CEO who neither looks nor acts the part. A man who notices things he shouldn't: her humor, her fire, her ambition... her. Their connection is instant. Their chemistry is sharp enough to cut. But neither of them knows the secret powerful enough to unravel everything they're building-before it even begins. When a long-buried truth surfaces, it doesn't just endanger their growing bond, it shakes the foundation of who they believe they are. Heartbreaking yet meaningful. Emotional with threads of humor. Intense enough to ache. This is the story of two souls drawn together by fate only to discover that fate came with a warning label.”
1 Chapter 1 WEIGHT OF THE FIRST BORN2 Chapter 2 THE PRICE OF SHOWING UP3 Chapter 3 THE MAN WITH THE VOICE4 Chapter 4 BELLA DOESN'T MISS THINGS5 Chapter 5 COFFEES AND CONSEQUENCES6 Chapter 6 THINGS I CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND7 Chapter 7 WALKING INTO THE LION'S DEN8 Chapter 8 MUTUAL RESTRAINT9 Chapter 9 GHOSTS DON'T ASK FOR PERMISSION10 Chapter 10 WITNESSES11 Chapter 11 EYES EVERYWHERE