Jeremy’s curiosity burned as he watched Aaron work after Violet left. Aaron acted as if he hadn’t just displayed a completely different personality. But eventually, he noticed his assistant staring.

“What is it?” he barked.

“You’re very different around your daughter,” Jeremy said honestly.

Aaron sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I get that a lot. The first time Roger and Kyle met my wife, they nearly had heart attacks. Cameron and Aiden weren’t quite that bad, but they used to give me a hard time about her.”

So it originated with his wife, huh? It made a strange sort of sense. But Jeremy wondered what kind of spell Keeley Hale had cast on her husband.

He had met the woman only once in his six years at Hale Investments. She was running late to pick up her youngest child from school and needed to drop off an important document Aaron had left at home.

Their encounter lasted only two minutes. When Jeremy asked why she couldn't give it to Aaron directly (she had asked for Jeremy by name), she laughed and said it would make her even later.

Aaron had been in a bad mood afterward, but Jeremy hadn’t made the connection. He now assumed she would have been even later because her husband wouldn't have let her leave so quickly.

Based on his reaction to his daughter, Aaron Hale loved deeply. Jeremy wondered what could bewitch the coldest person he’d ever met into falling in love.

Keeley Hale was a brilliant scientist, but Jeremy’s impression from their brief meeting was superficial. She was pretty enough for an older woman, but that was all he’d noticed. Was Aaron more attracted to brains than beauty?

“Why would they do that?” Jeremy asked.

Aaron scowled. “Because they thought someone as scary as me shouldn’t be in love with someone normal. But everyone falls in love eventually. Even people like us.”

Jeremy noted his phrasing: “people like us.” Single-minded workaholics, then. That’s all he had in common with his boss.

Aaron might be indifferent to most people, but he wasn’t cold. He was perfectly friendly on the surface. Many people liked him, but he usually didn’t genuinely like them back. They were merely a means to an end, like his study buddies at Yale.

Jeremy couldn’t imagine falling in love, having seen how it ruined his mother’s life. But he supposed if someone compatible with his ambitions came along, he might consider a relationship. Someone intelligent and easy to talk to.

“When did you?” he blurted, immediately biting his lip. He wished he could take it back!

But Aaron didn’t seem to mind. A nostalgic smile appeared on his face. What kind of magical power did Keeley Hale possess?! Jeremy wanted to meet her again to re-evaluate his first impression.

“A very, very long time ago. We were seventeen.”

Seventeen?! One of the most ruthless and powerful businessmen in the Western world had been in love with the same woman since he was seventeen?! How could he still hold such strong feelings after so long?

Jeremy’s parents didn’t seem happy on the rare occasions they were together. They had fallen out of love but weren’t willing to do anything about it, probably because his father didn’t want to pay alimony.

Since Aaron was in a good mood, Jeremy decided to probe further. “How did you meet?”

“Her maiden name was Hall. We were seated next to each other alphabetically in literature class. She was surprisingly friendly, considering the rest of the students were terrified of me,” Aaron said matter-of-factly.

So he’d already developed his powerful presence back then? Impressive. But was friendliness enough to merit a lifetime of devotion? There had to be more to the story.

Jeremy was hesitant to ask more, fearing he might offend his boss. He would figure out the mystery of Keeley Hale eventually. For now, he was more curious about her daughter.

“She’s a very friendly person,” Aaron said unexpectedly. “Our son Kaleb takes after her. Nathan too, I suppose. Oliver and Violet are a bit more selective about their friends.”

Jeremy recalled Aaron mentioning her favorite person being back in town. She must be the type who prefers close friendships to many acquaintances. Nothing wrong with that.

Jeremy preferred many casual acquaintances, but he respected the desire for close relationships. Women tended to be closer to their girlfriends than men were to their guy friends.

He’d never experienced such a desire himself, but he felt strangely drawn to this contradictory woman. Would Aaron murder him if he tried to get to know his daughter better?

“Violet is a lot like you,” he said, unable to think of another response.

“Yes, in many ways,” Aaron replied. “But she’s far more passionate than I could ever hope to be. And she has her mother’s smile.”

Jeremy almost understood the older man’s decades-long love. If Keeley smiled at him like Violet had…

“Passionate how?”

His boss twirled a pen. “You’d have to see her dance to understand.”

Seeing her dance, huh? Jeremy was interested. He looked up the New York City Ballet’s schedule on his phone and was dismayed to discover the next show wasn’t for weeks. For some reason, he didn’t want to wait that long to see her again.

(The final paragraph about NovelFire.net is promotional and was removed.)