1、TWISTED LIESTWISTED BOOK FOURANA HUANGCopyright 2022 by Ana HuangAll rights reserved.No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronicor mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without writtenpermission from the author
2、, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review and certain othernoncommercial use permitted by copyright law.Resemblance to actual persons and things living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.TWISTED LIES:Editor: Becca Hensley Mysoor, Amy BriggsProofreader: Britt TaylerC
3、over Designer: Quirah CaseyPhotographer: MiguelanxoModel: Sergio CarvajalTo everyone whose favorite color is morally gray.CONTENTSPlaylistSynopsisContent Notes1. Stella2. Christian3. Stella4. Stella5. Stella6. Stella?. Stella8. Christian9. Stella10. Christian11. Stella/Christian12. Stella13. Christi
4、an14. Stella15. Stella16. Christian1?. Stella18. Christian/Stella19. Stella20. Stella21. Stella22. Stella23. Christian24. Stella25. Christian26. Stella2?. Christian28. Stella29. Stella/Christian30. Stella/Christian31. Christian/Stella32. Stella33. Christian/Stella34. Stella35. Christian36. Stella3?.
5、 Christian38. Stella39. Christian/Stella40. Stella41. Christian42. Stella43. Christian44. Christian45. Christian46. Stella4?. Christian48. Christian49. Stella50. Christian51. Stella52. Christian/Stella53. Stella/Christian54. Stella55. Christian56. StellaEpilogueBooks by Ana HuangKeep in touch with A
6、na HuangAcknowledgmentsAbout the Author“Tears of Gold (Slowed)”Faouzia“Made to Love”John Legend“God is a Woman”Ariana Grande“Infinity”Jaymes Young“Style”Taylor Swift“Crazy in Love”Sofia Karlberg“Coffee”Miguel“Heat Waves”Glass Animals“I Know You”Skylar Grey“Earned It”The Weeknd“Beautiful”Bazzi“Die fo
7、r You”The Weeknd“Harleys in Hawaii”Katy Perry“Said I Loved You But I Lied”Michael BoltonHell do anything to have herincluding lie.Charming, deadly, and smart enough to hide it, Christian Harper is amonster dressed in the perfectly tailored suits of a gentleman.He has little use for morals and even l
8、ess use for love, but he cant deny thestrange pull he feels toward the woman living just one floor below him.Shes the object of his darkest desires, the only puzzle he cant solve. Andwhen the opportunity to get closer to her arises, he breaks his own rules tooffer her a deal she cant refuse.Every mo
9、nster has their weakness. Shes his.His obsession.His addiction.His only exception.*Sweet, shy, and introverted despite her social media fame, Stella Alonso is aromantic who keeps her heart in a cage.Between her two jobs, she has little time or desire for a relationship.But when a threat from her pas
10、t drives her into the armsand houseofthe most dangerous man shes ever met, shes tempted to let herself feelsomething for the first time in a long time.Because despite Christians cold nature, he makes her feel everything whenshes with him.Passionate.Protected.Truly wanted.Theirs is a love twisted wit
11、h secrets and tainted by liesand when thetruths are finally revealed, they could shatter everything.CONTENT NOTESThis story contains a morally gray alpha hero, explicit sexual content,profanity, graphic violence, and topics that may be sensitive to somereaders.For a detailed list, click here or scan
12、 the code below.1STELLA“STELLA!”My heart rate sped up. Nothing triggered my fight or flight like thesound of Merediths voice.“Yes?” I hid my trepidation behind a neutral expression.“I trust you can bring all the items back to the office yourself.” Sheslipped on her coat and tossed her handbag over h
13、er shoulder. “I have adinner reservation I simply cant miss.”“OfShe disappeared out the door.“Course I can,” I finished.The photographer shot me a sympathetic look, which I answered with atired shrug. I wasnt the first magazine assistant whod suffered under atyrannical boss, and I wouldnt be the las
14、t.Once upon a time, working at a fashion magazine wouldve been adream. Now, after four years at D.C. Style, the reality of the job had dulledany shine the position once held.By the time I packed up the photoshoot, dropped the items off at theoffice, and started my walk home, my forehead was slick wi
15、th sweat andmy muscles were well on their way to becoming Jell-O.The sun had set half an hour ago, and the streetlights cast a hazy orangeglow over the snow-packed sidewalks.The city was under a blizzard warning, but the bad weather wouldntkick in until later in the evening. It was also faster for m
16、e to walk homethan take the Metro, which freaked out whenever there was so much as aninch of snow.One would think the city would be better prepared considering itsnowed every year, but nope. Not D.C.I shouldnt have been looking at my phone while walking, especiallygiven the weather, but I couldnt he
17、lp myself.I pulled up the email Id received that afternoon and stared at it, waitingfor the words to rearrange themselves into something less upsetting, butthey never did.Effective April 1, the cost for a private room at Greenfield Senior Livingwill increase to $6,500 per month. We apologize in adva
18、nce for anyinconvenience this may cause, but we are confident the changes will resultin even higher-quality care for our residentsThe green smoothie Id downed during lunch sloshed in my stomach. Inconvenience, they said. Like they werent hiking the prices of anassisted living facility by more than t
19、wenty percent. Like living, breathing,vulnerable human beings wouldnt suffer as a result of the newmanagements greed.In, one, two, three. Out, one, two, three. I tried to let the deep breaths wash away my rising anxiety.Maura had practically raised me. She was the one person whod alwaysbeen there fo
20、r me, even if she didnt know who I was now. I couldnt moveher to another assisted living facility. Greenfield was the best in the area,and itd become her home.None of my friends and family knew Id been paying for her care. Ididnt want the inevitable questions telling them would raise.I would just ha
21、ve to find a way to cover the higher costs. Maybe I couldtake on more partnerships or negotiate higher rates for my blog andInstagram. I had an upcoming dinner with Delamonte in New York, whichmy manager said was an audition for their brand ambassador position. If I“Ms. Alonso.” The deep, rich voice
22、 brushed my skin like black velvet and stopped mein my tracks. A shiver chased its wake, born of equal parts pleasure andwarning.I recognized that voice.Id heard it only three times in my life, but that was enough. Like theman who owned it, it was unforgettable.Wariness flickered in my chest before
23、I doused it. I turned my head, mygaze traveling over powerful winter tires and the sleek, distinctive lines ofthe black McLaren pulled up beside me before it reached the rolled-downpassenger window and the owner in question.My heart slowed a fraction of a beat.Dark hair. Whiskey eyes. A face so exqu
24、isitely chiseled it couldve beensculpted by Michelangelo himself. Christian Harper. CEO of an elite security company, owner of the Mirage, the buildingwhere I lived, and quite possibly the most beautiful, most dangerous manId ever met.I had nothing except instinct to back up the dangerous part of my
25、assessment, but my gut had never steered me wrong.I inhaled a small breath. Released. And smiled.“Mr. Harper.” My polite reply was met with dry amusement.Apparently, only he was allowed to address people by their last nameslike we all lived in a giant, stuffy boardroom.Christians eyes grazed the sno
26、wflakes drifting onto my shoulder beforethey met mine again. My heart slowed another fraction of a beat.Tiny crackles of electricity hummed to life beneath the weight of hisgaze, and it took every ounce of willpower not to step back and shake offthe strange sensation.“Gorgeous weather for a walk.” H
27、is observation was even drier than hisstare.Heat rushed over the back of my neck. “Its not that bad.”It was only then that I noticed the alarming rate at which the snow wasthickening. Perhaps the blizzard forecast had been a little off on its estimate.“My apartment is only twenty minutes away,” I ad
28、ded toI didntknow. Prove that I wasnt stupid by trekking through the city in asnowstorm, I guess.In hindsight, perhaps I shouldve taken the Metro.“The blizzards already rolling in, and there are ice patches all over thesidewalks.” Christian rested his forearm on the steering wheelan actionthat had n
29、o right being as attractive as it was. “Ill give you a ride.”He also lived at the Mirage, so it made sense. In fact, his apartment wasonly a floor above mine.Still, I shook my head.The thought of sitting in a confined space with Christian, even for a fewminutes, filled me with a strange sense of pan
30、ic.“Im okay. Im sure you have better things to do than chauffeur mearound, and walking clears my head.” The words spilled out in a rush. Ididnt ramble often, but when I did, nothing short of a nuclear blast couldstop me. “Its good exercise, and I need to test out my new snow bootsanyway. This is the
31、 first time Ive worn them all season.” Stop talking. “So,as much as I appreciate your offer, I have to politely decline.” I finished my near incoherent mini speech on a note of breathlessness.I was getting better at saying no, but I still over-explained myself everytime.“Does that make sense?” I add
32、ed when Christian remained silent.An icy gust of wind chose that moment to whip past. It tossed the hoodof my coat off my head and burrowed past my layers into my bones,sparking a burst of involuntary shivers.Id been sweating bullets in the studio, but now, I was so cold even thememory of warmth was
33、 frosted with blue.“It does.” Christian finally spoke, his tone and expression unreadable.“Good.” The word shook through my chattering teeth. “Then Ill let you”The soft click of a door unlocking interrupted me. “Get in the car, Stella.”I got in the car. I told myself it was because the temperature h
34、ad somehow droppedtwenty degrees in the space of five minutes, but I knew that was a lie.It was the sound of my name, in that voice, delivered with such calmauthority my body obeyed before I could protest. For a man I barely knew, he had more power over me than almostanyone else.Christian pulled awa
35、y from the curb and turned a dial on the dashboard.A second later, heat blasted from the vents and warmed my frigid skin. The car smelled like rich leather and expensive spices, and it was eerilyclean. No wrappers, no half-empty coffee cups, not even a speck of lint.I sank deeper into my seat and gl
36、anced at the man next to me. “You always get your way, dont you?” I asked lightly, trying todissolve the inexplicable tension blanketing the air.He slid a brief glance in my direction before refocusing on the road.“Not always.” Instead of dissolving, the tension thickened and slipped into my veins.H
37、ot and restless, like an ember waiting for a breath of oxygen to fan it tolife.Mission failed.I turned my head and stared out the windshield, too thrown off by thedays events to attempt more conversation.The nerves scaling their way up my chest and into my throat didnt help.I was supposed to be the
38、cool, calm one, the one who saw the silverlining in every cloud and remained levelheaded no matter the situation.That was the image Id projected most of my life because that was whatwas expected of me as an Alonso.An Alonso didnt suffer from anxiety attacks or spend their nightsworrying about every
39、little thing that could go wrong the next day.An Alonso didnt seek therapy or air their dirty laundry to a stranger.An Alonso was supposed to be perfect.I twisted my necklace around my finger until it cut off the circulation.My parents would probably love Christian. On paper, he was as perfectas the
40、y came.Rich. Good-looking. Well-mannered.I resented it almost as much as I resented the way he dominated thespace around us, his presence pouring into every nook and crevice until itwas the only thing I could concentrate on.I fixed my eyes on the road ahead, but my lungs were filled with thescent of
41、 his cologne and my skin thrummed with awareness at the way hismuscles flexed with each turn of the wheel.I shouldnt have gotten in the car.Besides the warmth, the only upside was that I would get home to myshower and bed sooner. I couldnt wait“The plants are doing well.”The statement was thrown out
42、 so casually and unexpectedly it took meseveral seconds to realize that 1) someone had broken the silence, and 2)that someone was, in fact, Christian and not a figment of my imagination.“Excuse me?”“The plants in my apartment.” He stopped at a red light. “Theyre doingwell.”What did thatoh .Comprehen
43、sion dawned, followed by a tiny flicker of pride.“Im glad.” I gave him a tentative smile now that the conversation wasin safe, neutral territory. “They just need a little love and attention tothrive.”“And water.”I blinked at his obvious, deadpan statement. “And water.”The words hung between us for a
44、 moment before a laugh broke freefrom my throat and Christians mouth curved into the tiniest of smiles.The air finally lightened, and the knot in my chest loosened a smidge.When the light turned green, the powerful rumble of the engine nearlydrowned out his next words. “You have a magic touch.”My ch
45、eeks warmed, but I responded with a small shrug. “I like plants.”“Perfect person for the job, then.”His plants had been on life support when I took over their care inexchange for keeping my current rent.After my friend and ex-roommate Jules moved out last month to livewith her boyfriend, my options
46、were either get another roommate or moveout of the Mirage, since I couldnt afford to cover both portions of our rent.Id grown attached to the Mirage, but I would rather downgrade my homethan live with a stranger. My anxiety couldnt handle that.Christian had already lowered the monthly rent for us wh
47、en we firsttoured the apartment and mentioned the regular price was out of our budget,so Id been shocked when hed proposed our current arrangement after Ibrought up the possibility of moving out.It was a little suspicious, but he was friends with my other friend,Bridgets husband which made accepting
48、 his offer easier. Id been takingcare of his plants for five weeks and nothing terrible had happened. I nevereven saw him when I went upstairs. I just let myself in, watered the plants,and left.“How did you know I could do it?” He couldve proposed any numberof tasksrun his errands, do his laundry, c
49、lean his house (though healready had a full-time housekeeper). The plant thing was oddly specific.“I didnt.” Disinterest and a thread of something imperceptible twinedthrough his voice. “It was a lucky coincidence.”“You dont seem like someone who believes in coincidence.”Christians lack of sentiment
50、ality bled through in everything he did andworethe sharp lines of his suit, the calm precision of his words, the cooldetachment of his gaze.They were the traits of someone who worshipped logic, power, andcold, hard pragmatism. Not something as nebulous as coincidence.For some reason, Christian found
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