Fighting the Inevitable

Chapter 1: Ice Queen

Copyright 2019 © Rosesareforever

This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author publisher.

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Author's note: Dear readers, I'd like to welcome you on this new journey. Thank you for taking the time to read one of my books. I sincerely hope you'll enjoy Ethan and Rachelle's book as much as I loved writing it.

Book two in the 'Fate Series'. This is a standalone novel and can be read separately, but I do recommend to read the complete series.'

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Fighting the Inevitable

Chapter 1

Ice Queen

Sipping from his glass of fine Crystal, Ethan Hardman's eyes scanned the enormous ballroom in search for familiar faces. Surprisingly, he only recognized a person or two in the large crowd of guests his older brother and new sister-in-law had invited to their big day. Ben, his brother, never had been a social butterfly. It was a true wonder how he managed to find this many people to attend to the wedding reception. Half of them were, no doubt, business connections. It was no secret that Ben was an impossible workaholic.

Catching sight of his mother, Ethan made his way through the thick crowd towards the back of the grand room where she was engaged in a conversation with an elderly couple he did not recognize. Contrary to his brother, June Hardman was very jovial and warmhearted. She was a member of several communities and often organized fundraisers for diverse charities. The woman was a true social butterfly.

"There's my handsome boy," June grinned as Ethan approached and pulled her into a sideways hug.

"Hello, mom," he greeted, ignoring the curious but interested stares various women were throwing his way. Ethan smiled inwardly. He didn't need a ring on his finger, trapping him. It was all too clear that was all women were interested in these days. He'd met enough gold diggers over the years to know he was seen as a treasured price to single ladies. He was handsome (and he damn well knew it), charming and incredibly rich. The perfect candidate for money sharks.

"I was just telling Mr. and Mrs. Collins about you. Their daughter Emma just got out of a bad breakup, isn't that horrible, honey? I feel so bad for her. She's such a lovely and beautiful woman. She deserves to have a nice man at her side." Ethan internally groaned. It was no secret his mother would love nothing more than to see all her children settle down and start their own families. Since Ben brought Amelia home, his mother became that much more aggressive in trying to find Ethan a good woman to settle down with.

"That's very sad, mom, but I'm sure she'll meet someone great someday." What more could he possibly say without encouraging his mother to set up a date? It wouldn't be the first time a strange woman suddenly showed up at their family brunch on Sunday because June invited her. It was starting to get out of hand. Ethan usually didn't mind his mother's meddling, but lately, she was taking it too far for his liking. The woman simply didn't know when to stop.

"I'm sure she will, honey. Maybe you should go talk to her and ask how she's doing? It can never hurt to look after a heartbroken woman." Ethan ignored the urge to roll his eyes and gave his mother an intent stare. She had lost her mind if she truly believed he'd go ask a strange woman how she was doing after her breakup.