Page 1 of The Secret Heir Next Door

1

SERENA

“Excuse you,” somebody grumbles as I skirt past them.

I am in my own little world, balancing my laptop, water bottle, purse, breakfast, and a fresh coffee from the local café. Today’s special is “Salted Caramel Dreams,” and I can’t wait to taste it. I mentally prepare for the day, going through the checklist in my head of everything I need to accomplish today.

As I get close to my store, I shift everything in my arms, and my phone rings. Juggling my load, I glance down at the screen. It’s my best friend, Lila.

Damn it, Lila, couldn’t you have called five minutes later?

I glance up at my storefront and blow out a breath just as someone slams right into me—hard.

My coffee goes flying, splashing onto the wall of muscle before me and all down the front of me. My oatmeal and banana tumble out of my hand, splatting unceremoniously against the chest of the man who about ran me over. My laptop and everything else in my arms crash to the sidewalk.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” I exclaim, looking up into the furious blue eyes of the man I’ve just collided with.

Why am I apologizing when he clearly bumped into me?

He’s gorgeous, with sharp features and dark hair that looks like it was styled meticulously this morning. Unfortunately, his eyes are blazing with anger.

“Do you have any idea how much this suit costs?” he growls, his voice low and menacing. He reaches for my wrists, stopping me from futilely trying to clean the mess off his expensive-looking jacket.

“What the hell are you doing? Stop. Just stop.”

The touch of his hands sends an electric jolt through me, startling me. I freeze, staring up at him wide-eyed. “I’m really, really sorry,” I stammer. “I was just trying to…”

“Trying to what?Take a selfie? Post something stupid on social media? Maybe if you’d been paying attention, this wouldn’t have happened.”

My jaw drops. “How dare you! I looked down for one second!” I snap back, yanking my wrists from his grip. “And you weren’t there before! You ran into me!”

He scoffs, looking down at the oatmeal smeared across his chest and suit jacket.

I wish I hadn’t eaten any of it. I would have smeared even more all over his face now.

What a jerk.

“Unbelievable,” he mutters. “This is an Armani suit. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

I glance around at the mess on the sidewalk: my broken laptop, my spilled coffee, my ruined breakfast.

“I’m pretty sure you cost me my laptop, in case you haven’t noticed,” I snap.

He looks down at my scattered belongings and then back at me with a sneer.

“Maybe if you weren’t so clumsy…”

“Clumsy?! You ran into me! And for your information, I was about to answer my phone, not take a selfie.”

Why did I feel the need to explain that to him?

He rolls his eyes. “Typical. Always on your phone, not paying attention to where you’re going, I’m sure.”

“Look, I’ve apologized. It was an accident that we both could have avoided. I’m not sure how you’re the victim here. What more do you want?”

He glares at me, and for a moment, I think he’s going to keep berating me. But then he releases a sharp breath, taking a step back.

“Just… stay out of my way,” he says coldly, turning on his heel and walking away, leaving me standing there, staring after him in disbelief.

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