Sweet Temptation

CHLOE

Chloe stood on the sidewalk, her feet rooted to the ground, as she stared at the remnants of her once-thriving cakeshop. The roof was gone, and the charming white and pastel-purple exterior had been replaced by charred, blackened walls. Her heart ached as she took in the sight of her destroyed equipment—ovens, freezers, mixers—all ruined. Even the Sweets Cakeshop van was a burnt-out shell, parked haphazardly in the middle of the wreckage.

She was grateful that the fire hadn't spread to neighboring buildings and that no one had been injured, but the loss of her dreams weighed heavily on her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around herself, seeking comfort. She tilted her head back, gazing at the night sky, and tried to find solace in the stars.

Don't worry, this is what insurance is for, right?

Wait, are the insurance contracts already activated to cover all of this? They must be active, or she will never get back on her feet.

I have to call all the clients whose projects rely on the cakeshop. I have to cancel all the big projects.

Frustration bubbled up inside her, and she ran her fingers through her hair before wiping the tears from her face. It was late, and there was nothing she could do at the moment. With a heavy heart, she turned away from the wreckage and began the slow walk home.

***

"So, how did it go with the insurance company?" Amy's voice came through the phone, concern evident in her tone. She had been checking on Chloe since early morning, and this was the third call she'd made that afternoon.

Amy had been Chloe's best friend for years, always there to help with projects and offer support in every aspect of Chloe's life. She was like a sister to her.

"Uhm… No luck." Chloe sighed, placing her coffee mug in the microwave. She sniffled quietly. "According to their policy, every contract will be active a month after signing the paper… Since I just joined them and signed the paper last week, they can't cover my shop."

"Have you tried to speak with someone more—"

"Yes, I did," Chloe interrupted, her voice tinged with desperation. She had spoken to the supervisor at the insurance company, but it hadn't made a difference. "But still…they said it is what it is."

Chloe rubbed her forehead. "Anyway, I had to cancel all of the big projects that we can't handle anymore, you know, since we can't use the shop's equipment… But the project with Jeremy is still up."

"Of course it is," Amy said, a teasing smile evident in her voice.

"It's not like that. His project is our closest scheduled, and I can handle it with the regular oven in my apartment—"

"You don't need to explain… Besides, I didn't say anything." Amy's smile grew wider. "When are you gonna stop teasing me about him? He's just a customer." Chloe scoffed weakly.

"When you start accepting his offer to date him." Amy laughed softly. Chloe was about to reply when she heard another incoming call tone.

"Amy, I have to take another call… It's Mel."

"Okay. See you on project Jeremy! Take care!" Amy called out before hanging up.

"Thanks, you too!" Chloe replied before answering Melanie's call.

"Hey, sis. When will you get here? I need to talk," Melanie said.

"Um, I've got a lot of things to do, I don't think I can be there today. Sorry." Chloe sighed quietly. "How are you today?"

"Better, thanks. So, Scott is awake, and he said his brother is coming," Melanie said, her voice muffled as she chewed on something.

"And you're telling me this, because…?"

"I need you to meet him. Scott's brother will take care of everything for our cakeshop."

There was something in Melanie's voice that told Chloe she was more than just better—she sounded happy. Too happy for someone who should've been feeling guilty about what had happened. Not that Chloe blamed her for being happy, but it was just so typical of Melanie.

"Irresponsible, sometimes ignorant," Chloe thought, but she kept her thoughts to herself for the moment.

"Hello? Chloe?"

"Y-yes, I'm here." Chloe shook her head. "Scott said you have to meet his brother at his office tomorrow morning at Kingston Tower. Scott spoke to him, so he knows you're gonna be there. You do know about Kingston Consolidated, right?"

Her questioning tone was very obvious to Chloe.

"Actually, I don't." Never heard of it. Who follows all the rich guys from a different world slash every owner of the big companies in the country anyway? I'm too busy dealing with my own world.

"Besides, aside from the fact that our shop does need to be restored, shouldn't you and Scott be the ones who meet with him first? Why doesn't he come to the hospital?"

For a second, Chloe was not pleased by the fact that she had to take responsibility that was not hers. She knew her sister too well.

"Scott told him everything. He'll be arriving in town early morning… I don't know why he decided not to meet us first at the hospital instead of his office.

"Scott said his brother wants to take care of our shop first. I guess that's the main reason he came here in the first place, to help Scott.

"Please, you know all about this and the shop better than me." Melanie sighed before saying, "Chloe, this is my way to make things right."

"Okay!" Chloe raised her voice slightly when she cut in and then took a deep breath when she realized it. Some other time, one day, she really would speak to Melanie about what had burdened her.

"Just send me the details."

"Yes! I'll text you the details. Thanks, sis!" Melanie squealed lightly.

LIAM

Liam Kingston tossed the magazine onto the seat next to him on his private jet, his gaze fixed on the view outside the window. He still couldn't believe what his brother Scott had done—gotten his girlfriend pregnant.

"How could he be that stupid?" Liam thought.

As the firstborn of the Kingston family and Kingston Consolidated, Liam was the man who protected both the family and the company. He safeguarded the Kingston family legacy—what his father had built from the ground up—from those who sought to exploit his family's wealth. And when he said "the people," he meant gold-diggers in particular, like Scott's girlfriend.

Don't get him wrong, he loved women. But trusting them was another story. He wasn't wallowing in self-pity; sure, he'd had some bad experiences with both good and bad women, but there weren't any old wounds that would make him feel sorry for himself.

There are no wounds at all. Only lessons.

And from the look of it, Scott hadn't learned anything.

Liam took a deep breath, feeling overwhelmed for a moment. He was tired of always having to clean up his brother's messes. Maybe if Scott was his only brother, he wouldn't be so overwhelmed, but he had two more brothers younger than Scott—Jackson Kingston and Marley Kingston.

Liam had taken over his father's role, along with the obligation to keep his family steady, and he was always the son his mother counted on. In fact, the reason he was on the jet to Alvero City to help Scott was for their mother's sake as well. There was nothing Liam wouldn't do for his mother, Elouise Kingston.

Liam knew his mother had struggled with being alone ever since his father had died a decade ago. It had been a rough time for the company and the family, but he wasn't one to dwell on the past or indulge in self-pity.

Liam just couldn't believe that after everything had finally started to improve over the past year, one of his brothers had to create a new problem. Again.