Grace Amanda Tim

The girl Jensen Moretti protected was throwing another tantrum. The reason was simple. She had lost to me ninety-nine times in a row. For the hundredth race, Jensen told me to throw it. I had one question for him. “Why?” The race started. My car, the one I’d checked twice, suddenly blew a tire. Flipped right there on the track. Sofia crossed the line, strolled up to my ambulance, and waved her trophy in my face. Jensen’s friends stood nearby, laughing. “Dude, you really went all out to make her happy.” “If Jensen hadn’t messed with your car, Sofia would’ve lost again.” Jensen Moretti smiled and handed Sofia the keys to the limited-edition Rolls-Royce Wraith I’d been dreaming of. Then he looked at me. “Winner gets first pick. You don’t mind, do you, Callista?” Dragging my broken leg, I limped to the car. Raised my wrench. Smashed the windshield. Then gave him a smile. “Not at all.” ... The moment the windshield spiderwebbed, Sofia screamed from inside the car. Jensen lunged, shielding her with his body. Shards of glass rained down on his back. Sofia frantically pressed a handkerchief to a scrape on his cheek. “Jensen!” He winced, but his eyes immediately dropped to her. “Are you hurt?” The next second, his gaze landed on a tiny cut on her hand, and his face hardened. He snatched her wrist. “Medics!” He lifted Sofia from the car and carried her to the ambulance that was supposed to be for me. Then he turned and looked at me. A deep gash sliced down my calf, blood dripping to the pavement. I had to lean against the hood of the car just to stay upright. “If I’d been a second slower, were you trying to kill her?” His voice was laced with accusation. Fighting the pain in my leg, I dropped the wrench to the ground. “What right do you have to lecture me? You’re the one who tampered with my car.” Jensen stared at me. The same eyes that used to fill with p......

The girl Jensen Moretti protected was throwing another tantrum. The reason was simple. She had lost to me ninety-nine times in a row. For the hundredth race, Jensen told me to throw it. I had one question for him. “Why?” The race started. My car, the one I’d checked twice, suddenly blew a tire. Flipped right there on the track. Sofia crossed the line, strolled up to my ambulance, and waved her trophy in my face. Jensen’s friends stood nearby, laughing. “Dude, you really went all out to make her happy.” “If Jensen hadn’t messed with your car, Sofia would’ve lost again.” Jensen Moretti smiled and handed Sofia the keys to the limited-edition Rolls-Royce Wraith I’d been dreaming of. Then he looked at me. “Winner gets first pick. You don’t mind, do you, Callista?” Dragging my broken leg, I limped to the car. Raised my wrench. Smashed the windshield. Then gave him a smile. “Not at all.” ... The moment the windshield spiderwebbed, Sofia screamed from inside the car. Jensen lunged, shielding her with his body. Shards of glass rained down on his back. Sofia frantically pressed a handkerchief to a scrape on his cheek. “Jensen!” He winced, but his eyes immediately dropped to her. “Are you hurt?” The next second, his gaze landed on a tiny cut on her hand, and his face hardened. He snatched her wrist. “Medics!” He lifted Sofia from the car and carried her to the ambulance that was supposed to be for me. Then he turned and looked at me. A deep gash sliced down my calf, blood dripping to the pavement. I had to lean against the hood of the car just to stay upright. “If I’d been a second slower, were you trying to kill her?” His voice was laced with accusation. Fighting the pain in my leg, I dropped the wrench to the ground. “What right do you have to lecture me? You’re the one who tampered with my car.” Jensen stared at me. The same eyes that used to fill with p......

The girl Jensen Moretti protected was throwing another tantrum. The reason was simple. She had lost to me ninety-nine times in a row. For the hundredth race, Jensen told me to throw it. I had one question for him. “Why?” The race started. My car, the one I’d checked twice, suddenly blew a tire. Flipped right there on the track. Sofia crossed the line, strolled up to my ambulance, and waved her trophy in my face. Jensen’s friends stood nearby, laughing. “Dude, you really went all out to make her happy.” “If Jensen hadn’t messed with your car, Sofia would’ve lost again.” Jensen Moretti smiled and handed Sofia the keys to the limited-edition Rolls-Royce Wraith I’d been dreaming of. Then he looked at me. “Winner gets first pick. You don’t mind, do you, Callista?” Dragging my broken leg, I limped to the car. Raised my wrench. Smashed the windshield. Then gave him a smile. “Not at all.” ... The moment the windshield spiderwebbed, Sofia screamed from inside the car. Jensen lunged, shielding her with his body. Shards of glass rained down on his back. Sofia frantically pressed a handkerchief to a scrape on his cheek. “Jensen!” He winced, but his eyes immediately dropped to her. “Are you hurt?” The next second, his gaze landed on a tiny cut on her hand, and his face hardened. He snatched her wrist. “Medics!” He lifted Sofia from the car and carried her to the ambulance that was supposed to be for me. Then he turned and looked at me. A deep gash sliced down my calf, blood dripping to the pavement. I had to lean against the hood of the car just to stay upright. “If I’d been a second slower, were you trying to kill her?” His voice was laced with accusation. Fighting the pain in my leg, I dropped the wrench to the ground. “What right do you have to lecture me? You’re the one who tampered with my car.” Jensen stared at me. The same eyes that used to fill with p......

The girl Jensen Moretti protected was throwing another tantrum. The reason was simple. She had lost to me ninety-nine times in a row. For the hundredth race, Jensen told me to throw it. I had one question for him. “Why?” The race started. My car, the one I’d checked twice, suddenly blew a tire. Flipped right there on the track. Sofia crossed the line, strolled up to my ambulance, and waved her trophy in my face. Jensen’s friends stood nearby, laughing. “Dude, you really went all out to make her happy.” “If Jensen hadn’t messed with your car, Sofia would’ve lost again.” Jensen Moretti smiled and handed Sofia the keys to the limited-edition Rolls-Royce Wraith I’d been dreaming of. Then he looked at me. “Winner gets first pick. You don’t mind, do you, Callista?” Dragging my broken leg, I limped to the car. Raised my wrench. Smashed the windshield. Then gave him a smile. “Not at all.” ... The moment the windshield spiderwebbed, Sofia screamed from inside the car. Jensen lunged, shielding her with his body. Shards of glass rained down on his back. Sofia frantically pressed a handkerchief to a scrape on his cheek. “Jensen!” He winced, but his eyes immediately dropped to her. “Are you hurt?” The next second, his gaze landed on a tiny cut on her hand, and his face hardened. He snatched her wrist. “Medics!” He lifted Sofia from the car and carried her to the ambulance that was supposed to be for me. Then he turned and looked at me. A deep gash sliced down my calf, blood dripping to the pavement. I had to lean against the hood of the car just to stay upright. “If I’d been a second slower, were you trying to kill her?” His voice was laced with accusation. Fighting the pain in my leg, I dropped the wrench to the ground. “What right do you have to lecture me? You’re the one who tampered with my car.” Jensen stared at me. The same eyes that used to fill with p......

The girl Jensen Moretti protected was throwing another tantrum. The reason was simple. She had lost to me ninety-nine times in a row. For the hundredth race, Jensen told me to throw it. I had one question for him. “Why?” The race started. My car, the one I’d checked twice, suddenly blew a tire. Flipped right there on the track. Sofia crossed the line, strolled up to my ambulance, and waved her trophy in my face. Jensen’s friends stood nearby, laughing. “Dude, you really went all out to make her happy.” “If Jensen hadn’t messed with your car, Sofia would’ve lost again.” Jensen Moretti smiled and handed Sofia the keys to the limited-edition Rolls-Royce Wraith I’d been dreaming of. Then he looked at me. “Winner gets first pick. You don’t mind, do you, Callista?” Dragging my broken leg, I limped to the car. Raised my wrench. Smashed the windshield. Then gave him a smile. “Not at all.” ... The moment the windshield spiderwebbed, Sofia screamed from inside the car. Jensen lunged, shielding her with his body. Shards of glass rained down on his back. Sofia frantically pressed a handkerchief to a scrape on his cheek. “Jensen!” He winced, but his eyes immediately dropped to her. “Are you hurt?” The next second, his gaze landed on a tiny cut on her hand, and his face hardened. He snatched her wrist. “Medics!” He lifted Sofia from the car and carried her to the ambulance that was supposed to be for me. Then he turned and looked at me. A deep gash sliced down my calf, blood dripping to the pavement. I had to lean against the hood of the car just to stay upright. “If I’d been a second slower, were you trying to kill her?” His voice was laced with accusation. Fighting the pain in my leg, I dropped the wrench to the ground. “What right do you have to lecture me? You’re the one who tampered with my car.” Jensen stared at me. The same eyes that used to fill with p......

Blair, the woman Jax had never gotten over, was back in Texas after her divorce. Everyone was waiting to see me, the Mexican immigrant, get thrown out on the street. After all, I had spent seven years as the unofficial fiancée of Jax Caldwell, heir to one of Texas’s wealthiest oil families. I had even given him a son. But then, out of the blue, he proposed. I hadn't even had a moment to feel the joy before I overheard him on the phone with his family’s attorney. “Why not just wait for Blair?” the lawyer asked. Jax’s voice was pure ice. “Blair needs to maintain her dignity. I’ll marry Elara first. In two years, once she has her permanent green card, we can get a clean divorce. No financial entanglements.” “It’s the perfect solution.” The attorney sounded skeptical. “Will she agree to a sham marriage?” A low, soft laugh came through the phone. “Of course she will.” “For a green card? She doesn’t have a choice.” … I stood frozen outside the study, my blood turning to ice water in my veins. On the phone, the attorney hesitated. “Jax, are you sure about dipping into the portion of the family trust set aside for Blair? Isn't it a bit premature?” A whistle cut through the background—one of Jax’s friends, probably. “Hey, better watch out for Blair’s bankrupt ex-husband coming after you for cash.” Jax’s voice dropped, his tone an absolute warning. “Watch your mouth.” The other end of the line went silent. With a single sentence, he had shielded Blair’s honor. Meanwhile, I—his fiancée, the mother of his son—was nothing more than a commodity to be bought off with a green card. The attorney spoke again, steering the conversation back on track. “Are you certain Elara will accept this… temporary arrangement, and keep quiet for two years?” Jax gave another low laugh. I could picture him perfectly: leaning back in his leather chair, tapping the ash from a cigar like a king surveying his domain. “She will,” he said......

The girl Jensen Moretti protected was throwing another tantrum. The reason was simple. She had lost to me ninety-nine times in a row. For the hundredth race, Jensen told me to throw it. I had one question for him. “Why?” The race started. My car, the one I’d checked twice, suddenly blew a tire. Flipped right there on the track. Sofia crossed the line, strolled up to my ambulance, and waved her trophy in my face. Jensen’s friends stood nearby, laughing. “Dude, you really went all out to make her happy.” “If Jensen hadn’t messed with your car, Sofia would’ve lost again.” Jensen Moretti smiled and handed Sofia the keys to the limited-edition Rolls-Royce Wraith I’d been dreaming of. Then he looked at me. “Winner gets first pick. You don’t mind, do you, Callista?” Dragging my broken leg, I limped to the car. Raised my wrench. Smashed the windshield. Then gave him a smile. “Not at all.” ... The moment the windshield spiderwebbed, Sofia screamed from inside the car. Jensen lunged, shielding her with his body. Shards of glass rained down on his back. Sofia frantically pressed a handkerchief to a scrape on his cheek. “Jensen!” He winced, but his eyes immediately dropped to her. “Are you hurt?” The next second, his gaze landed on a tiny cut on her hand, and his face hardened. He snatched her wrist. “Medics!” He lifted Sofia from the car and carried her to the ambulance that was supposed to be for me. Then he turned and looked at me. A deep gash sliced down my calf, blood dripping to the pavement. I had to lean against the hood of the car just to stay upright. “If I’d been a second slower, were you trying to kill her?” His voice was laced with accusation. Fighting the pain in my leg, I dropped the wrench to the ground. “What right do you have to lecture me? You’re the one who tampered with my car.” Jensen stared at me. The same eyes that used to fill with p......

The girl Jensen Moretti protected was throwing another tantrum. The reason was simple. She had lost to me ninety-nine times in a row. For the hundredth race, Jensen told me to throw it. I had one question for him. “Why?” The race started. My car, the one I’d checked twice, suddenly blew a tire. Flipped right there on the track. Sofia crossed the line, strolled up to my ambulance, and waved her trophy in my face. Jensen’s friends stood nearby, laughing. “Dude, you really went all out to make her happy.” “If Jensen hadn’t messed with your car, Sofia would’ve lost again.” Jensen Moretti smiled and handed Sofia the keys to the limited-edition Rolls-Royce Wraith I’d been dreaming of. Then he looked at me. “Winner gets first pick. You don’t mind, do you, Callista?” Dragging my broken leg, I limped to the car. Raised my wrench. Smashed the windshield. Then gave him a smile. “Not at all.” ... The moment the windshield spiderwebbed, Sofia screamed from inside the car. Jensen lunged, shielding her with his body. Shards of glass rained down on his back. Sofia frantically pressed a handkerchief to a scrape on his cheek. “Jensen!” He winced, but his eyes immediately dropped to her. “Are you hurt?” The next second, his gaze landed on a tiny cut on her hand, and his face hardened. He snatched her wrist. “Medics!” He lifted Sofia from the car and carried her to the ambulance that was supposed to be for me. Then he turned and looked at me. A deep gash sliced down my calf, blood dripping to the pavement. I had to lean against the hood of the car just to stay upright. “If I’d been a second slower, were you trying to kill her?” His voice was laced with accusation. Fighting the pain in my leg, I dropped the wrench to the ground. “What right do you have to lecture me? You’re the one who tampered with my car.” Jensen stared at me. The same eyes that used to fill with p......