Page 218 of Boss of the Year

Now the soufflé has fallen, and there’s nothing inside. Brendan Black seems to have gotten exactly what he wanted the same way he and his family usually wriggle their way out of tricky situations—with smoke, mirrors, and a whole lot of money.

But this time that morally Black act includes a pretty smile, angelic blue eyes, and a blonde halo. Talk about a wolf in sheep’s clothing!

The original story of Black and Simone Bishop, the unknown caregiver who supposedly gave the notoriously callous Black a newly beating heart his heart while she was taking care of his father in the hospital, has been entertaining all of Boston society (and a good portion of the world too) for months. Turns out, this modern day love story had more than a silver lining — it was sealed with good old-fashioned gold!

Or cash, in this case. The scandalous contract uncovered by the good folks at Vanity Fair revealed exorbitant compensation that Bishop received for her “services” (we’re side-eyeing that one too), including a massive bonus once Black is officially confirmed as the permanent CEO ofBlackguard Equity. We won’t lie — our eyes popped out when we saw that amount, too.

We’ve reached out to all involved parties, of course, but you guessed it — no comment. At least not yet. How long can Black, and his faux fiancée stay silent? Stay tuned as we dig deeper into this story as the days progress, but feel free to join us as we all speculate in the comments — will the wedding still happen?

A new layer of dread settled in my stomach, I minimized my phone to find that, yes, therewerea number of missed calls over the last twelve hours. Many people had been trying to “contact” me.

At that, Ididslap a hand over my mouth, if only to stifle the scream that wanted to erupt. This couldn’t be happening. I’d be ruined. He’d be ruined.

We’d be ruined too.

Something about that idea scared me most of all.

Simone Bishop

Idiot woman who ruined the only love she ever knew

And everything else too

“Simone?”

I turned to find the other resident of my bed rolling over in the early morning sun. The light dappled his sleek dark hair, now pleasantly rumpled as he propped himself up on his elbow and my faded daisy sheets fell to reveal the lean muscles and olive skin I’d enjoyed so thoroughly the night before.

“Jesus,” Brendan muttered as he checked his watch. “What time is it?”

“Four twenty,” I said, not quite able to stop my voice from shaking. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

Brendan’s quick, dark eyes shot directly to mine, and whatever he saw made him spring into action. The sheet fell away as his long legs swung around, feet to my battered wood floor; then he stood, ready as ever to take on the world, even if he was only wearing the skin he was born in.

It didn’t matter. The mask was back. The armor no one, not even I, could break through.

Although maybe this would.

My lower lip trembled as I held up my phone. “They know.”

His brow furrowed with confusion. “Who? And what do they know?”

I rotated the headline toward him. “Everyone knows. They know I’m not your fiancee. That you never loved me. That we were never real.”

Brendan took the phone and immediately muttered. “Fuck.”

I watched as the light in his face I’d fought so hard to kindle died completely. The shadows were back. Ice covered all signs of warmth.

Brendan, my Brendan, disappeared.

All that was left was the The Black Prince.

And I’d never been more afraid.

~

MORALLY BLACK BETROTHAL comes out NOVEMBER 7TH!