Ruined: An Enemies to Lovers Romance Read online

  Ruined

  An Enemies to Lovers Romance

  Lilian Monroe

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. Stella

  2. Adrian

  3. Stella

  4. Adrian

  5. Stella

  6. Adrian

  7. Stella

  8. Adrian

  9. Stella

  10. Adrian

  11. Stella

  12. Adrian

  13. Stella

  14. Adrian

  15. Stella

  16. Adrian

  17. Stella

  18. Adrian

  19. Stella

  20. Adrian

  21. Stella

  22. Adrian

  23. Stella

  24. Adrian

  25. Stella

  26. Adrian

  27. Stella

  28. Adrian

  29. Stella

  30. Adrian

  31. Stella

  32. Adrian

  33. Stella

  34. Adrian

  35. Stella

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  His Vow

  1. Zane

  2. Sadie

  Also by Lilian Monroe

  Copyright © 2019 Lilian Monroe All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the author except for short quotations used for the purpose of reviews.

  Prologue

  Ashley

  My ribs are just barely holding my heart in one piece. If I breathe too deep, my lungs will expand and crush it right there in my chest.

  I close my eyes for a second as I drive and then open them again, but I can still only see blurred lights and shadows. Squinting, I try to make out a street sign and fail. I don’t even know how fast I’m going. My breath comes in ragged bursts, and it feels like the roof of the car is caving in on me. Is this what a panic attack feels like?

  Stella, my sister, the one person I thought I could trust—how could she do this to me? After everything that happened last year with Liam and his prick of a brother…

  Betrayal feels like hot lead is being poured into my veins, pumping through my arteries and poisoning my body. Every heartbeat sends another wave of agony through me.

  Stella was there for me through my first marriage, when I suffered such abuse at the hands of my husband. She was there to pick up the pieces when he died. She was there to protect me when Liam and I were almost torn apart.

  But she’s not there for me now. She chose that bastard over me. She chose the one man who deliberately hurt me last year. The man who tried to break up Liam and me. The man who tried to use his political position for his own gain.

  He’s rotten to the core, and she chose him.

  I pull over and lean my head on the steering wheel. I only live three blocks away, but it feels like I’ll never make it.

  Needles of pain pierce my skin all over my body. Everything burns. Every breath is like inhaling a lungful of acid. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to make sense of it all. How can I, when the one person I thought I could trust did this to me?

  With a deep breath, I lean back in the driver’s seat and stare out the windshield.

  Betrayal feels a lot like rage.

  As my vision clears and my breath steadies, I hold onto that rage like a lifeline. I cling to it, and my vision clears. My rage buoys me all the way home. It steadies my hand as I unlock the door and takes me all the way up to my bedroom.

  The rage dulls to a steady beat as I open the walk-in closet and kneel down in front of the safe.

  My phone won’t stop ringing. Stella again. I bite back the anger that threatens to explode out of me and I turn my phone off. Now is not a time for outbursts. Now is a time for action.

  My fingers don’t tremble as I press the code to unlock the safe. My rage carries me onwards, silencing any doubts or protests that the sensitive side of my heart might have made.

  I shuffle through our important papers, behind my mother’s jewelry, and I find the little USB key that Liam put in here over a year ago.

  It’s black, unassuming, and hardly bigger than my thumbnail.

  The contents of this USB key could ruin his brother’s life. I silently thank Liam for keeping this for a year. When he first brought it home, I wanted nothing to do with it.

  Now, though, I’m glad. A cruel smile curls my lips and the demon inside me laughs.

  Adrian is already ruined, but it’s not enough. He needs to be gone from our lives forever. He needs to stop poisoning my sister’s mind and stop creeping back into my life.

  I put one hand over my stomach, where my unborn child grows inside me.

  I won’t let my child grow up with that monster in his life.

  It’s time for Adrian Maguire to go away for good.

  1

  Stella

  Six weeks earlier

  “Pass me the remote.” I take the clicker from my sister’s hand and mash the volume button. “Have you heard about this? Apparently, your brother-in-law has been handing out construction contracts in exchange for straight-up bribes.”

  “He’s your brother-in-law, too, technically,” Ashley says with a grimace. The picture on the television cuts to the half-constructed riverfront development which was apparently promised to a local construction company in exchange for campaign funds. Also known as blatant corruption.

  The reporter points to the grounds. “The three hundred million dollar project is currently six months behind schedule and is expected to be at least fifty million over budget.”

  I glance at my sister, and she avoids my eye. Finally, she drags her gaze up to mine and I watch her blush. I frown. “Did you know about this?”

  She moves her head from side to side and shrugs. “Maybe…?”

  My jaw drops. “Ash!”

  “I didn’t condone it!”

  “But you knew!”

  “That’s the whole reason Liam broke up with me last year! Because his brother thought I knew about it and would expose him. I used to work for Hansen Constructions, remember?”

  I whistle, leaning back in the couch. The picture cuts to the weather and I turn the volume back down. I shake my head. “That’s crazy. I can’t believe you knew!”

  “I didn’t know the details. Liam told me a bit about it after we got married, but he hasn’t even spoken to his brother in over a year. He doesn’t like talking about it.”

  “Drama.”

  “Serious drama,” Ashley agrees.

  “Are there any honest politicians?”

  Ashley just laughs. I put my feet up on the coffee table and sigh. I nod to my sister’s stomach. “How’s the baby?”

  “Good. Very active. Kicks a lot whenever Liam is around.” Her face softens. I smile at her and watch her rub her hands over her protruding, very pregnant belly. Her eyebrows arch and she smiles at me, her whole face lighting up. “Give me your hand—here.”

  She puts my hand on her stomach and I feel a surprisingly powerful kick. “Holy shit!”

  “Don’t swear, Stella!”

  “It’s still inside you, Ash,” I laugh. “It’s not like it can hear me.”

  She glances at me sideways and arches an eyebrow. I stare at her stomach. “I’m sorry. I meant ‘holy moly’.” The baby stops moving and Ashley smiles.

  “Are you nervous?”

  “Yeah. Terrified,” she laughs. “Between this and the business, I think the next year or so is going to be intense. At least Liam will be out of school soon.”

  “I can’t believe he can graduate so quickly!”

  “
He was able to use credits from his first bachelor’s degree, so he’s graduating early. Just in time for this little bun to pop out of my oven.”

  I grin and squeeze her arm. Pushing myself off the sofa, I head to the kitchen to get a glass of water—a part of me just wants to get away from her overwhelming happiness.

  It’s not that I’m jealous, exactly. I’m just… well, I’m the older sister. I’m the one who has a successful career and I thought that by now I’d be married with a kid of my own.

  But every relationship I have seems to end in disaster. I haven’t even dated anyone seriously in over a year. I take a big gulp of water and then head back out to the living room. I open my mouth to ask Ashley more about the mayor and his corruption, but she’s fast asleep, cradling her stomach.

  I pull a blanket over her and tuck her in, and then I head over to my home office to do some work. Her husband, Liam—the mayor’s brother—will pick her up when he’s done studying for the night. It’s been our new routine since she got pregnant. It’s been nice having her around a bit more, but I know that once Liam finishes his sports science degree and the baby comes, I’ll be seeing a lot less of her.

  Sighing, I sit down at my computer and open my email. It’s nearly 8pm, but that doesn’t stop the emails from streaming in. I flick through them one by one, replying when I need to and ignoring when I don’t.

  My computer dings when a new email comes through. My eyebrows jump up at the subject line, and I skip half a dozen unread emails to jump straight to that one.

  Subject: Mayor Maguire Defense

  I skim the email as my heart starts to thud. My firm has decided to take on that corrupt piece of shit’s defense. I start mashing my keyboard in reply.

  This is the guy who threatened to reveal my sister’s secrets. She could have gone to jail, and Adrian Maguire didn’t care. It’s the guy who tried to keep Liam and Ashley apart, and the guy who got the police chief to resign last year. He’s taken money from a shady construction company who couldn’t deliver on their promises, and now my firm is supposed to bail him out?

  Hell no.

  Anger floods my veins as I type my reply to my managing partner. I want no part of this. I am biased, and I wouldn’t be able to deliver a solid defense.

  I hate the guy.

  My lips curl into a snarl as I type. I read my email over, tweaking the wording and softening my anger. My nose is only a few inches from my screen, and I don’t hear the floorboards creak behind me.

  “Whatcha doin’?” Ashley’s voice is right beside my ear.

  I slam the laptop closed. “Nothing.” My heart jumps, bouncing around my ribs as I look at her, wide-eyed.

  She frowns, laughing. “Didn’t look like nothing. You were typing as if your life depended on it.”

  I shake my head and wave my hand. “Just work stuff. I thought you were asleep.”

  She rubs her eyes and nods. “I was. Sorry to impose on you like this, Liam should be here any minute.”

  My heart is still thumping from anger and adrenaline, but I try to take a deep breath to calm it down. I smile at my sister. “I like having you around.”

  I follow her out to the living room. She tells me something about the baby, or pregnancy, or Liam, but I don’t hear any of it.

  All I can think about is that email.

  What am I supposed to say to her? Liam hasn’t spoken to his brother in over a year! They’re basically estranged. Ashley has agreed with me that the mayor is an unscrupulous, corrupt politician.

  And now I’m supposed to turn around and tell her that my firm is defending him?

  Ash smiles at me and yawns just as a car pulls up outside. “That must be Liam,” she smiles. I can see the love in her eyes, and my heart squeezes.

  She’s already so stressed between the baby, running her own business, and being the main breadwinner in their new family. Liam has exams and a part-time job to deal with.

  I can’t add to their stress. I can’t put this burden on them. I can tell that the news story is putting a strain on Ashley, and it’s probably worse for Liam.

  So when I open the door for Liam and watch Ashley slip her shoes on, I make a decision. I won’t tell them—not right away. They’ll find out eventually, of course, so I’ll have to tell her sooner or later. But right now, Ashley has a lot on her plate.

  I’ll go to work tomorrow, talk to my managing partner, and try to get taken off the case. I’ll cite a conflict of interest, or I’ll tell her that I’m not able to give the best defense, and I shouldn’t be part of the team.

  Then, I’ll tell Ashley that my firm is defending her brother-in-law. At least then it won’t be me.

  I give my sister a hug as the turmoil rages in my heart. I watch Liam put his arm around her as he leads her down the pathway towards their car. She waddles down, holding her stomach all the way to the car. He helps her every step of the way, making sure she’s in the car and settled before he goes to the driver’s side.

  Tears sting at my eyes. They’re such a perfect couple and they’re so in love.

  And me? All I’ve got are bad Tinder dates and a messy, unwanted case that just landed on my desk.

  2

  Adrian

  “Fuck!” I slam the phone down and then slam it down again. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I groan, rubbing my temples with my fingers. “That was Councilor Harrison. Because of this riverfront development mess, he’s not backing me on the highway improvements. I’m losing the city, Cheryl!”

  Cheryl, my assistant, takes a deep breath. “We’ll figure this out.”

  “I never should have taken that campaign money. I could have won without it!”

  “Probably, but you didn’t know that at the time. Adrian, we’ll figure this out.”

  I sigh, looking up at the ceiling and groaning. “This is going to ruin me.”

  “Maybe not.”

  “Maybe not!” I look at my assistant and snort. “Political careers have been ruined with much less than this. I could go to jail!”

  Cheryl takes a deep breath. Her eyebrows arch and she cracks her knuckles—that’s how I know she’s worried. She only cracks her knuckles when things are really, really bad.

  I nod to her hands. “You’ll give yourself arthritis.”

  “That’s a myth,” she replies absent-mindedly. “Look, I’ve set up a meeting with your lawyers. If we get in front of this, we can spin it. You can say that the two things are unrelated. They made a donation but it didn’t factor in to them winning the tender for the riverfront development. They were the best company for the job.”

  “They are connected, though, Cheryl. You were there when I made the deal with that fuckhead John Hansen. I never should have trusted that Mr. T wannabe! I’ll rip every ring off his stupid fat fingers and stuff them down his throat!” I smack my palm on my desk and groan.

  “He’s in worse trouble than you are. Just calm down, Adrian. You’re meeting with the lawyers this afternoon, and we have a press conference tonight about it. Jerry is drafting a speech for you as we speak. We’ll figure this out.”

  Cheryl takes a step towards my desk and puts her fingertips down. She leans towards me, her face completely serious. She’s been my assistant for almost a decade, and in times like these, I’m glad to have someone loyal by my side.

  “Listen to me, Maguire. Get your shit together. If you start fraying at the edges, the press will tear you apart. Right now, we’re invoking the Fifth. No comment, no jokes, no reaction, nothing. Not until you speak with the lawyers. Until then, Jerry and I will write up a statement that you can give tonight. Keep. It. Together.”

  She says the last words slowly, staring me right in the eye. Her brown eyes are dark, almost black. She looks deadly serious, and she reminds me of a younger version of my mother.

  I nod.

  “Fine.”

  “Good. Don’t do anything stupid. Your appointment with the lawyers is at two o’clock.”

  I nod. “Okay.”

&nbs
p; She leaves my office, and I slump down in my chair. City Hall feels like a prison, but I can’t leave or else I’ll get mobbed by the press. I glance out the window and see them circling like vultures.

  They love this. Reporters thrive on this kind of thing. They loved me when I was on my way up, being the youngest mayor in Denver’s history. They loved me when I pledged to improve the roads and parks and schools. They loved me when I actually did improve the parks and gave more money to the schools.

  And now, they love this even more. The media is pouncing on this scandal and ripping me to shreds. I wasn’t joking when I said this would ruin me. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was impeached, convicted, and jailed.

  I blow the air out of my nostrils.

  I took the campaign money from Hansen Constructions. I did it. And then, I gave them a big contract in exchange. In retrospect, I realize that they were too small, too inexperienced to handle such a big project. It wasn’t exactly legal, of course… but it’s all par for the course. It’s construction, for fuck’s sake! The entire industry is built on backroom deals and greased palms.

  This is how these things work. Every politician in every branch of office has a skeleton in their closet.

  I just got caught, is all.

  And boy, do they ever love to see the Golden Boy fall. A lot more than they like to see him rise, evidently.