CHASED BY THE DUKE

PROLOGUE(edited)

THE CHASE SERIES:

1. CHASING TEMPTATION - COMPLETE( BYRON & JULIET)

2. CHASED BY THE DUKE- COMPLETE(LIAM & VICKY)

3. CHASING BLUES- COMING SOON

BLURB

FALL FOR A BILLIONAIRE-BILLIONAIRE ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

THE CHASE SERIES: BOOK TWO

Liam Grosvenor, the coveted Duke of Cornwall, had always known what he wanted until Charlotte broke his heart with no warning. Ever since then, he had been uncertain of almost everything in his life until the moment he met Victoria, a popular author's agent and heiress to her father's company, on vacation. Extremely gorgeous, curvaceous and rich, Victoria is the type of woman that would easily make any man fall for her, but after a love-gone-wrong situation, she is completely uninterested in men. Not even a certain Duke with an irresistible appeal could make her change her mind.

Two lost souls, two bitter exes that do not know when to quit, a royal family that prefers reputation over love, suspicions, deceit, blackmail and just about a whole bunch of craziness.

PROLOGUE

Victoria Carrington had never wanted a glamorous wedding-no, she’d wanted this. Flower crowns, oversized bouquets of burgundy Asiatic lilies and just about any assortment of flowers, mismatched bridesmaids’ velvet dresses and unexpected pieces of décor, especially the taper candles, rustic details and potted succulents. She’d wanted the off-the-shoulder lace wedding dress from David’s bridal and she’d dreamed of this exact moment as it was except that it was not her beside him. No, it was someone else and this broke her heart more than she wanted to admit aloud. She had no idea what hurt the most. The fact that Ryan was marrying someone else or that he was giving her dream wedding to another person.

“You don’t have to watch this, you know,” Juliet said hesitantly, but for some reason Vicky wanted to. Nine months later, she still didn’t want to believe he didn’t love her anymore. Maybe it was all a bad dream that she’d wake up from soon.

“Yes, I do. Maybe he’ll change his mind and not marry her because he realizes he is still in love with me,” Juliet felt sorry for her best friend. It had been nine months since he left her for good and yet she would not move on from her ex-boyfriend. It was not that he was the hottest man she’d ever seen. It was more than that. It was how he’d fire up the temperature of her body with his touch, leave her wanting for more and ignite her soul with just a thought.

Juliet sighed. Maybe Vicky really needed to see her ex getting married so it could finally sink into her head that Ryan did not love her at all anymore. Maybe this was all she needed so she could finally move on from him. It was only after the bride and the groom pledged their vows, that the first stream of tears rolled down Vicky’s face. The promises of forever that he should have told her, he pledged them to his now-wife. That’s when it finally stung her heart, the one place she would not be able to reach.

“He really stopped loving me,” she muttered in a soft, broken voice.

Quietly, Juliet pulled her into a hug and let her cry. Ryan had been Vicky’s first love and first everything and now he was married to someone else. The truth that her feelings were never his priority hit her hard as she pulled back from her embrace.

“Anyway, what is the use of crying over him, right? He is married and I’m moving out of the country,” she shrugged, attempting a smile.

“Whoa! Slow down girl. Moving out of the country?” Juliet was quite taken aback by that.

“Yeah. I quit my job and, well, there is this huge publishing company in Seoul that wants me to be an agent for one of their top writers. His name is…um…ugh! I can’t even remember, but that doesn’t matter now. It is just a two-year contract and after that I’ll be back in the US, hopefully having moved on with my life,” she smiled despite her tears. She needed to believe that she would be okay despite everything, that she would heal and move on from him-she needed that more than anything.

“Is the pay better?” She questioned instead.

“Better? It’s the best. It's actually double what my company used to pay me and, not to mention, accommodation and a two-week paid holiday twice a year,”

“Oh. Now I’m jealous. Well, the drinks are on you tonight,” Juliet shrugged.

“Did you forget you can’t drink now?”

“Oh, bullocks,” She touched her tummy, the now four-month bump pretty visible.

They stood up and they were both about to walk out when Vicky turned on her heel at the last minute, heading to the front, her heels clicking against the floor. Juliet had no time to stop her and, well, Vicky was pretty strong-headed for a mere twenty-two-year old.

“Vicky,” Ryan muttered, his hand still holding onto his new wife.

She looked at the man she had been irrevocably in love with, no trace of guilt appeared in his eyes. She had hoped that maybe she would see it hidden somewhere in his eyes, but no, they were just green marbles staring back at her. Swallowing down the bitterness, she tried to hold back her tears at the sight.

“I hope she breaks your heart like you broke mine over and over till you feel like you can’t breathe. I really pray she makes you want to numb the pain with alcohol and she destroys the last sane part of you,” she said, then turned around and walked towards Juliet.

“You know, for a moment, I thought you were going to do something crazy,” Juliet confided as she joined her on their way out, ignoring the stunned crowd that was now whispering amongst themselves.

“If this is what love is, then I don’t want it anymore,” Her voice broke slightly as she wiped away the tears flooding her cheeks.

Love was a no-go zone for her now.

Fuck men.

Fuck love.