From a Wrong Turn to Mr. Right novel Chapter 1

Hung up.

Olivia Bennett’s fingers clenched around her phone. She lowered her eyes, and a cold, hollow ache spread from her chest to her fingertips.

Her assistant, Helen Adams, hovered nearby, looking like she was about to burst into tears.

She’d been with Olivia since day one of the studio, knew every ounce of sweat and late-night pizza that had gone into building it. Through the stress, the setbacks, the months of eating mac and cheese for dinner—Olivia had powered through it all for her love of photography.

Now, when things were finally starting to look up, she was being forced to shut it all down.

Helen couldn’t even imagine how hard this must be for Olivia.

“Olivia…”

Helen’s voice wobbled with worry and sadness.

“I’m fine,” Olivia said, swallowing back the bitterness. She mustered a smile, trying to reassure her. “Can you call the clients who booked us for the next few days? Cancel everything. If they want a refund, give it to them. Whatever it takes—just let me know if anything gets tricky.”

Helen’s eyes shimmered with tears. “Olivia, is there really nothing we can do? I can’t believe this is happening…”

Olivia gently wiped away Helen’s tears and tried to keep things light. “Come on. It’s just a studio, not a funeral. We’ll still see each other, you know.”

Helen gave a watery laugh and hugged her tight. “Don’t say stuff like that! God, Olivia, just tell me who did this—I’ll curse them out for you, I swear!”

Olivia blinked back her own tears. The studio was her whole world. If Helen was heartbroken, she was devastated.

But what could she do?

Power, tactics, ruthlessness—she was no match for Daniel Gill.

But if he thought he could bully her into surrendering, he was dreaming.

She patted Helen’s back and whispered, “Hey, don’t cry. This isn’t the end of the world. I’ll figure things out.”

Olivia didn’t even twitch.

He frowned, voice deepening. “Olivia.”

She closed her eyes, rage and frustration flickering through her like a match to gasoline. When she looked at him again, her gaze was icy.

Her lips twisted in a bitter smile. “The studio’s closed, just like you wanted. What else could you possibly threaten me with?”

She looked down, counting on her fingers, mock-serious. “Let’s see… The studio’s gone, nothing left to take—oh, except for my apartment, but I bought that myself, so unless you’re planning to kick me out, too…”

Daniel winced at her sarcasm. “Please, Olivia. Just get in the car. Let’s talk.”

Talk?

Olivia’s laugh was sharp and humorless. “Does Lavinia Bennett know you’re here?”