Madness or Love (Be With Me Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

wave of loneliness swept over her, and she felt the
urge to find something, someone. She looked up the grand staircase and made her
first step. The old hardwood squeaked under her feet. She was halfway up when
the wind carried a ringing that filled the air. Victoria looked around,
surprised, and was about to make another step when the sound began again,
persistent and piercing. She turned around . . . and opened her eyes.
     
    * * *
     
    Ian opened the door of his New York apartment and
entered. He loved the open-plan space, the large windows letting the sunrays in,
and the warm butterscotch colors. This particular day felt gray, and every
glass surface reflected the cloudy sky. He opened the wine cooler and poured a
glass of Rose. The pale pink liquid with a taste of strawberries didn’t make
him feel better, though. He sagged on the couch, looking blankly at the
stunning New York view. This wasn’t the worst day of his life, but still the
emotions of the past hour raged on. Disappointment, anger, perplexity, and
doubt swirled in his head. Every sip made him feel drained, empty, and numb.
Mindlessly he rummaged through the pockets of his faded leather jacket. His
fingers took ahold of a little piece of paper. He took it out and just stared
at it. The numbers had started to fade away but were still readable, all
fourteen of them. Funnily enough, the small paper miraculously changed the gray
to a bright array of sun-kissed colors. A smile finally touched his face and
settled in his blue eyes. Ian picked up the phone and dialed the numbers.
     
    ***
     
    Victoria looked around in the fog between dreamland
and reality. Her phone on the nightstand rang again, sending vibrations all the
way to her sleepy brain. She moaned but grabbed it. The neon alarm clock said two
a.m.
    “It’s two in the morning; this better be good!”
    The silence on the other end stretched.
    “Victoria?” Ian’s hesitant voice came on the line.
“I’m so sorry. I totally forgot about the time difference. I’ll call later . .
. I mean, during the day.” Ian felt genuinely ashamed and embraced by the anger
that showed through Victoria’s voice.
    “Ian?” The confusion took over her annoyance in an
instant. “Ian Young?” There was no mistaking it, and her tone softened.
    “Guilty,” came his response. “In the end, I’m clearly
the asshole you thought me to be. I’m sorry I called you in the middle of the
night. I’ll hang up now and leave you to sleep.”
    “No, wait,” she said in a hurry. “I’m awake now. I’m
sorry I snapped at you. Can we start over?”
    “You sure?”
    “Yes. Hi.” She paused, suddenly overwhelmed by worry,
sensing his distress. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
    Her questions made him smile. “I’m fine.” Who was he kidding?”
He sighed. “Actually, I’m not.”
    “Tell me!” She sat upright in bed, and a frown formed
on her forehead.
    He hesitated. Victoria Dean was a stranger despite
their brief encounter and the wonderful evening they’d spent together. But
still, in that precise moment of despair, she was the one he had called. 
    “I lost a job today; a job I thought was a done deal.
And I was so excited about that project, the chance to work with a director
that has been nominated for an Oscar — ” He
stopped abruptly and tried to control his raging anger.
    Victoria held her breath and gave him a moment to cope
with his emotions.
    “Then they cut me off like I meant nothing and tapped
someone else. I can’t give you more details, but I can tell you that I felt
betrayed and used like never before. And that’s not the worst part. They made
me doubt myself and question my abilities as an actor.” He stopped, and the
silence stretched. Ian wasn’t sure why he saw fit to tell Victoria his fears,
but the words slipped anyway. “It means I’m not good enough, right?” came his
barely-audible question. 
    Victoria gripped the phone tighter. “Was the project
really important to you?