Beyond Myself

He once held out a diamond ring and asked, "Will you marry me?" She pushed him away with three words, "I need time."
Celia Harlow. The name used to ring fear through her enemies and lust through every man she ever encountered. Celia was a bitch with a cold heart, beautiful to a fault and brought up to be heartless. That all changed when she finally realised the flaws of her family and she's been making amends since, but will it be enough? With her brother and parents in prison, and her younger siblings under her care, she needs to make smart decisions about herself and their lives. To her, love was a luxury, and rich men were nothing but trouble.
Jake Hollingworth. Billionaire. A playboy in the public eye until he meets Celia. He is not what he looks like. Not what everyone thinks him to be. He is the leader of Songsbirds and Butterflies that operates in the shadows of the world. He hunts criminals, finds what cannot be found and plants rumors and gossip with an ease no one could ever comprehend. And he has never told his beloved Celia who he really is.
He thought giving everything meant protection. What she needed most was honesty.
A misunderstanding broke them apart. Three years later, Jake returns with the truth, and Celia is no longer the same woman he left behind. He shields her from blades; she turns spies to their side. He learns to share his weakness; she learns to trust again.
From "I need time" to "We face this together." Their love proves one thing: the strongest bond isn't built on rescue, but on fighting side by side.