Love Is Complicated

01 | Great Start

N O A H

I leaned against the edge of my bedroom window, staring blankly at the city lights sprawling beneath me. How did it come to this? I had everything—a thriving career, wealth beyond my wildest dreams, and an endless parade of beautiful women eager to be by my side.

But in a single moment of weakness, I lost it all.

The video of me and my ex-girlfriend had gone viral, and suddenly, I was the laughingstock of my own life.

The whispers of scandal echoed in my ears. My phone buzzed incessantly with calls from the media, messages from friends that felt more like daggers than words of support, and social media notifications that constantly reminded me of my failure.

My father, Kevin Jackson, was a hard man, and he didn’t take kindly to embarrassment. I could hear his voice in my head, heavy with disappointment. “You’ve embarrassed this family, Noah. You’ll stay in that guesthouse until I say otherwise.”

The chime of my phone pulled me from the edge of my darkening thoughts. I glanced down to see my father’s name flashing on the screen, and my stomach twisted. Taking a deep breath, I tapped to answer, bracing myself for another dose of disappointment.

“Noah,” his voice cut through, cold and sharp. “I trust you understand the gravity of the situation.”

He didn’t pause long enough for me to answer.

“I expect you to remain on your best behavior while you are confined to that guesthouse. To ensure you’re not up to anything foolish, I’ve arranged for cameras around the property. You’re being supervised.”

The words hit like a slap. Supervised? 

“Are you kidding me?” I muttered, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice.

“Cameras, Dad? You don’t trust me to keep myself out of trouble?”

He gave a humorous chuckle. “Trust? After what you’ve put us through? This is about protecting the company, not you.”

“Right. Because it’s always about the company,” I bit back, knowing it wouldn’t make a dent.

The Reddish Company had always been his first love, his ultimate priority. I was nothing more than a reflection of its image, expected to be flawless, no matter what.

“Remember, Noah, you brought this on yourself.”

The line went dead before I could respond, leaving me alone with a fresh wave of anger. I tossed the phone onto my bed, feeling the press of invisible eyes now that I knew they were there.

The thought of being watched for every move recorded and reported made my skin crawl. This guesthouse had officially become a cage, and my father had thrown away the key.

Just then, a knock on my door pulled me from my thoughts. It was Leelo, my personal assistant and also my best buddy since high school, who was the only one who managed to keep the chaos of my life from completely spiraling out of control.

“Noah, we need to talk,” he said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.

“What now?” I snapped, the frustration bubbling to the surface.