Amelia's pov.

I woke up half expecting to lay beside Ivan but rolling over, I feel nothing. Confused, I sit up and pull the covers over my naked body while making my way to the living room. I walk in to see Ivan full dressed and talking fiercely on the phone. Giving him privacy, I slowly walk back to his room and gather the remains of my clothes thrown around his room. I walk into his closet and grab one of Ivan's button-ups while entering the bathroom.

Hopping into the shower, I relax my sore muscles under the scorching hot water. Flashbacks of the previous night cause my insides to flutter and I smile slightly dazed. After quickly washing myself, I get out and dry myself before putting on a pair of black undergarments. I grab the button-up and wrap it around my body turning it into a dress while mentally thanking Sierra for showing me how.

"Having a designer as a best friend sure comes in handy" I whisper to myself while finger detangling my hair. I take a moment to glance in the mirror admiring the girl staring back at me. The happiness radiating from her eyes made her entire body glow.

Walking back into Ivan's room, I slip on my heels from last night and grab a blazer to throw over my make shift dress before walking back to Ivan hoping he was finished with the call. I'm greeted with him at the kitchen counter typing adamantly on his phone only putting it down once he notices my presence.

"Morning babes" I greet him with a smile and watch his expression soften as he takes in my appearance.

"Morning mia cara, I was thinking we could go out for brunch later on if that's good with you" he asks with a smile.

"I can't, I-I'm meeting up with a friend for lunch" I reply dismissively, looking anywhere but directly at him.

"What friend" he pushes curiously getting up to approach me. He stops directly in front of me and I take a step back trying to gather my thoughts.

"You don't know her but she went to school with me" I answer, not sound nearly as convincing as I had hoped.

"Ok, well lets get going then" he responds not convinced but decides not to pester further. I quickly grab an apple while follow him out the door and into the awaiting limo quietly. I slide in beside him and lean my head against the cool window feeling guilty about lying to him.

We arrive at Stone Industries moments later and walk into the lobby together. My eyes drift across the room and land on Connor who shoots me a smile. I smile back and wink at him making a note to pester him about Sierra later on. I look back to see Ivan already stepping into the elevator and run to catch up to him. I step in slightly winded and give him a slight glare to which he smirks.

"Thanks for waiting Mr. Stone" I tell him while brushing my hair away from my face. Before I know it, I'm pulled into his body and I let out a squeal in surprise.

"Did I tell you how unbelievably enticing you look in my clothes" he asks huskily, gliding his hands towards my bottom.

"More then you" I flirt back, leaning into his body.

"Way more than me" he whispers into my ear leaning a feather like kiss on my neck. I bite my lips to suppress the gasp itching to come out and instead step out of his hold, much to his dismay. I adjust myself and stick my tongue out at him teasingly causing him to chuckle.

"Don't stick your tongue out again if you know what's best for you" he warns, his eyes darkening with hunger. I quickly step out of the elevator and run to his office, hearing his laughter behind me.

----
The morning was spent mainly taking notes during Ivan's meetings. Once the final meeting ended, I waited as Ivan shook hands with the other men and gathered my notes. After all the men left the room, I made my way over to Ivan who immediately pulled me towards him.

"Who knew you could talk for so long" I teased with a smile.

"Are you saying you don't like hearing my voice Ms. Winters" he answers feigning annoyance.

"Let's just say I'd rather shove chopsticks into my ears" I respond giggling at his surprised expression.

"You never seem to complain when I'm whispering inappropriately into your ear" he whispers and I tense hoping it went unnoticed.

"Of course I don't complain, I need to relieve myself somehow" I cheekily reply causing his eyebrows to shoot up in surprise. I have know idea where this boldness was coming from but I was sure not gonna let it go to waste.

"I don't know if you're joking or not and it's slightly scaring me" he responds and I giggle before standing on my tip toes so that I was closer to his ear.

"Your voice alone could make me do things I'd rather not say in a work environment" I sexily whisper and if it weren't for him stiffening against me, I'd think he didn't hear me.

"You're a little minx" he groans and I wink before pulling away.

"I have to get going to meet up with my friend" I inform him.

"Aren't you going to help me fix my problem" he asks and I stare at him confused before he gestures down and I examine his lower half. He was sporting an obvious hard on causing me to gasp in surprise. Every nerve in my body was urging me to pounce on him but I hold back.

"You're a big boy, you can take care of it" I respond before walking out, ignoring his shouts for my name. Smirking, I walk over to the elevator and step in before hearing my phone buzzing in my purse.

"Amelia Winters speaking"

"Yes Ms. Winters, I was calling to clarify our meeting at Ronaldo's Cafe in a half hour" a deep voice answers.

"Yes, I will be there very shortly" I respond, my nerves finally kicking in.

"Don't be late" he once again answers before the line goes dead. I roll my eyes at my phone before stepping out of the elevator. I smile at the receptionist before exiting the building, deciding to walk to the cafe seeing as it wasn't that far from Stone Industries.

I curse myself for not bringing a coat and pull my blazer closet to my body once the chilling wind begins to quicken. I hurriedly walk to the cafe and enter, the warmth engulfing me immediately. I scan the cafe before my eyes land on a man sitting in the far back. Assuming it was Alejandro, I slowly walk over to him before taking a seat across from him. He looks up from his phone and smiles at me before speaking.

"Ms. Winters, glad you could join me today" he says gleefully and I nod politely.

"What exactly did you need to discuss" I ask wanting to make this as short as possible.

"I wanted to discuss your relationship with Mr. Stone" he blurts out and my expression darkens instantly.

"Our relationship doesn't pertain to you and isn't up for debate so if that is all, I will be on my way" I respond angrily getting up to walk away. His hand shoots out and grabs my wrist in an iron grip before he pulls me back to the table. I pull my arm away from his grip and cradle it to my body, knowing there'd be a bruise later on.

"I wasn't finished talking Ms. Winters, so I suggest you keep still until I say otherwise" he responds sternly and I roll my eyes in return.

"Then please continue sir" I mock, crossing my arms around my body to shield myself from his cold glare.

"I don't exactly enjoy the idea of you being with such a heartless man. If you need money, you can come to me and I'll give you all the money you need." he tells me and I clench my teeth in anger.

"Like I said, what I do with my personal life doesn't have to do with you so stay out of it and I have all the money I need without Ivan" I respond coldly. His eyes darken before he leans over the table towards me.

"You will stay away from him if you know what's best for you Lia" he responds darkly and my eyes widen at his nickname. Only one person called me that and he abandoned our family years ago. My face reddens in anger when I realize who I'm sitting across.

"Well father at least I know for a fact he wouldn't abandon me like you did" I spat angrily and his expression gives away his surprise. It doesn't stay for long before a look of frustration takes its place.

"I had my reasons for leaving you and your mother Lia" he responds begging me to understand.

"Your greed for money isn't a valid reason father" I snap back letting him know that I wasn't gonna forgive him any time soon.

"Lia I am your father and you will listen to me" he says sternly and I get impossibly angrier.

"No Alejandro, you lost that right when you chose money over family. Did you know that mom committed suicide and I fell into depression shortly after? Do you know how hard it was for me to keep going despite all of the negativity that surrounded me? I've finally found a purpose for my life and someone who makes me happy and I'll be damned if I let you take that away from me too" I rant not realizing the tears streaming down my face.

Not letting him respond, I get up and run out of the cafe. I continue to run for several blocks before collapsing onto the cold pavement. I cry and scream and pull at my hair allowing all of the hurt out.

Looking around, I watch the startled faces of the few people who cared enough to look my way. Shaking my head I get up and walk the remainder of the way to Stone Industries, not once wiping the tears away from my swollen face. I stumbled a bit before being caught my foreign arms. Startled, I looked up and caught the eye of Ivan's chauffeur. His eyes shown with sympathy as he helped me into the car.

I get out of the car and thanked the driver before glumly striding to his door, wanting to be in his embrace. I open the door and step in before shutting it behind me and dropping my bag to the floor. I walked to the office in Ivan's home before throwing the door open. Ivan looks up at the noise and his eyebrows shoot up once he takes in my appearance. He jumps out of his chair and walks towards me before pulling me towards him. He takes in my puffy eyes and swollen face while examining the rest of my body for injuries. I watch as his eyes darken in anger towards my supposed offender.

"Mia cara, what happened" he asks while stroking my hair away from my face. I cry into his chest and attempt to answer but end up letting out a painful sob.

"H-he told me to s-stay away from you" I mumble out hoping he understood my words. He picks me up and walks over to his couch and sits me on his lap, cradling me into his body like a baby. We stay in this position until my sobbing subdues into whimpers. I breathe in his scent and calm down my heartbeat before running my fingers through my hair

"Amelia, who did this to you" he asks softly as if I'd burst into tears at the slightest noise.

"My father" I whisper and he tenses underneath my body.

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Chapter 27 complete and it seems there's a little trouble in paradise. Hope you enjoyed this chapter despite how long it took me to update(I'm sorry). Feel free to message me about possible ideas or how annoyed you were that it took forever for me to update!! I can't express how grateful I am that this book is almost at 200k thanks to you guys! Please make sure to comment,vote and share if you enjoyed this highly anticipated chapter:)
Love y'all <3
A.O