All the Lies
Charlotte Byrd
Contents
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All the Lies
1. Emma
2. Emma
3. Emma
4. Emma
5. Emma
6. Emma
7. Emma
8. Emma
9. Emma
10. Emma
11. Liam
12. Emma
13. Emma
14. Emma
15. Liam
16. Emma
17. Emma
18. Emma
19. Liam
20. Emma
21. Emma
22. Liam
23. Emma
24. Emma
25. Emma
26. Emma
27. Emma
28. Liam
29. Liam
30. Emma
31. Emma
Connect with Charlotte Byrd
About Charlotte Byrd
Also by Charlotte Byrd
Copyright © 2020 by Charlotte Byrd, LLC.
All rights reserved.
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Cover Design: Charlotte Byrd
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a word of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Visit my website at www.charlotte-byrd.com
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Praise for Charlotte Byrd
“BEST AUTHOR YET! Charlotte has done it again! There is a reason she is an amazing author and she continues to prove it! I was definitely not disappointed in this series!!” ★★★★★
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“LOVE!!! I loved this book and the whole series!!! I just wish it didn't have to end. I am definitely a fan for life!!! ★★★★★
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“Extremely captivating, sexy, steamy, intriguing, and intense!” ★★★★★
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“Addictive and impossible to put down.” ★★★★★
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“What a magnificent story from the 1st book through book 6 it never slowed down always surprising the reader in one way or the other. Nicholas and Olive's paths crossed in a most unorthodox way and that's how their story begins it's exhilarating with that nail biting suspense that keeps you riding on the edge the whole series. You'll love it!” ★★★★★
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“What is Love Worth. This is a great epic ending to this series. Nicholas and Olive have a deep connection and the mystery surrounding the deaths of the people he is accused of murdering is to be read. Olive is one strong woman with deep convictions. The twists, angst, confusion is all put together to make this worthwhile read.” ★★★★★
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“Fast-paced romantic suspense filled with twists and turns, danger, betrayal, and so much more.” ★★★★★
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“Decadent, delicious, & dangerously addictive!” - Amazon Review ★★★★★
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“Titillation so masterfully woven, no reader can resist its pull. A MUST-BUY!” - Bobbi Koe, Amazon Review ★★★★★
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“Captivating!” - Crystal Jones, Amazon Review ★★★★★
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“Sexy, secretive, pulsating chemistry…” - Mrs. K, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★
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“Charlotte Byrd is a brilliant writer. I've read loads and I've laughed and cried. She writes a balanced book with brilliant characters. Well done!” -Amazon Review ★★★★★
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“Hot, steamy, and a great storyline.” - Christine Reese ★★★★★
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“My oh my....Charlotte has made me a fan for life.” - JJ, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★
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“Wow. Just wow. Charlotte Byrd leaves me speechless and humble… It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. Once you pick it up, you won't put it down.” - Amazon Review ★★★★★
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“ Intrigue, lust, and great characters...what more could you ask for?!” - Dragonfly Lady ★★★★★
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About Charlotte Byrd
Charlotte Byrd is the bestselling author of romantic suspense novels. She has sold over 700,000 books and has been translated into five languages.
She lives near Palm Springs, California with her husband, son, and a toy Australian Shepherd who hates water. Charlotte is addicted to books and Netflix and she loves hot weather and crystal blue water.
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Also by Charlotte Byrd
All books are available at ALL major retailers! If you can’t find it, please email me at [email protected]
* * *
The Perfect Stranger Series
The Perfect Stranger
The Perfect Cover
The Perfect Lie
The Perfect Life
The Perfect Getaway
The Perfect Couple
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All the Lies Series
All the Lies
All the Secrets
All the Doubts
All the Truths
All the Promises
All the Hopes
* * *
Tell me Series
Tell Me to Stop
Tell Me to Go
Tell Me to Stay
Tell Me to Run
Tell Me to Fight
Tell Me to Lie
* * *
Wedlocked Trilogy
Dangerous Engagement
Lethal Wedding
Fatal Wedding
* * *
Tangled Series
Tangled up in Ice
Tangled up in Pain
Tangled up in Lace
Tangled up in Hate
Tangled up in Love
* * *
Black Series
Black Edge
Black Rules
Black Bounds
Black Contract
Black Limit
* * *
Not into you Duet
Not into you
Still not into you
Lavish Trilogy
Lavish Lies
Lavish Betrayal
Lavish Obsession
Standalone Novels
Dressing Mr. Dalton
Debt
Offer
Unknown
All the Lies
To save my job, I have to get an interview with a reclusive bestselling author who is impossible to find.
It’s an insurmountable task until I get a lead. It’s probably a joke but given what just happened in my personal life, it’s an excuse to get away.
The last person I expect to see there is him, the dashing and mysterious stranger who was the only man who knew the truth that night.
He invites me inside under one condition: everything he says is off the record. He’ll answers my questions but I can’t write about him.
Then things get even more complicated.
Something happens between us.
His touch ignites a spark. His eyes make me weak at the knees.
We can’t do this.
But then he looks at me in that way that no one has ever looked at me and I can’t say no…
1
Emma
“You either get this done or you're fired,” my boss says, slamming the door to my office in my face.
A cold shiver runs down my spine.
This is an impossible task.
It's also a trap.
She knows that I could never get an interview with someone like D. B. Carter and it’s her way of finally getting rid of me.
I put my head on my desk and sob. I've never cried at work before.
I've always saved those moments of total breakdown for the couch in my living room where I could have a glass of wine in one hand and a remote in the other, but today I just can't stop myself.
Corrin Matthews has been trying to get rid of me for months. She's my immediate superior and she has made my life at Coast Magazine impossible.
She's the kind of boss who never lets up. She works harder than everyone else and is always the first one to get to the office and the last to leave.
It's not that I'm not a hard worker. It's just that I do my best work outside of here.
After a while, the walls start to feel like they're closing in and I need to grab my laptop and write somewhere else.
I hope that it doesn’t seem like I’m slacking, but I think it does.
Of course, it doesn't help that there's something else creating the wedge between us; my fiancé.
Tall, easy on the eyes, and broad-shouldered, Alex Wetterling first bought Corrin a drink during a girls’ night out after work.
When she went to the bathroom, he bought me one, too, and we ended up closing down the bar, driving to Zuma Beach, and making out in the front seat until the sun came up.
He was quite a gentleman that night and for three more dates after and we did nothing more than kiss, laugh, and talk.
After wiping my eyes, I call Alex on the phone, but he doesn't answer. I know that he can't always talk on the phone while at work. I text him a couple of times, but he doesn't reply.
I turn on the camera on my phone and check my appearance. My eyes are bloodshot. I dab a little concealer underneath and hope that’s enough to cover up the evidence of tears.
Everyone in the office knows that Corrin hates my guts and many have even admitted it out loud. I wish there was something I could do to change it, but I can’t.
Corrin’s uncle owns Coast, this fledgling magazine trying to compete in an ultra-competitive environment where print and online media outlets with much more power and gravitas go under all the time.
Coast started out as something of a lifestyle magazine focusing on coastal living and showcasing brands that represent that style.
However, when one of the writers broke a story about a movie studio executive abusing many well-known actresses and other female executives, Coast found something of a niche in juicy investigative journalism.
Daniel Matthews, Corrin’s uncle, was very keen to jump on all of this exposure and even found a few journalists from other news outlets to do deep dive pieces similar to this one.
Back at the University of Southern California’s School of Journalism, I wrote a number of pieces for the school’s newspaper that got picked up by the LA Times.
My stories focused on the sexual abuse that the head gynecologist perpetrated against female students for almost three decades.
USC had paid the students settlements in a number of these cases to keep quiet and I almost didn't get my degree in my efforts to uncover the truth.
It was Daniel Matthews who conducted my interview and who hired me on the spot. When he had a heart attack and had to take time off, his niece, Corrin Matthews, increased her sphere of influence.
Now she is the managing news director and in charge of my entire department.
It would be a stretch to say that Corrin is bad at her job.
She isn't. Actually, she's quite good.
The problem is that she can't stand the sight of me and despite how good she wants Coast to be, she’s going to do everything in her power to stop me from making a career here.
“Alex, pick up. I know you're there. I really need to talk to you,” I speak into my watch on the way to his office and it sends the text message.
We don't have plans to meet until our engagement party tonight, but his office is only five blocks away from mine in downtown LA and I know that he's going to be on his lunch break soon.
I stop into Just Thai and order two of our favorites to go and text him again. It’s not like him to ignore my texts, so I actually get worried that something might've happened.
Alex and I have been together for two years today. We decided to hold our engagement party tonight, on a Thursday, because it is our two year anniversary. We both took tomorrow off to have a little staycation in Laguna Beach in celebration of our impending nuptials.
I'm not much of a party planner, so my mom and sisters are taking care of all the details. My parents are even hosting it at their Calabasas home, which is tucked in the hills above Malibu.
My phone rings.
I answer immediately and then realize that it’s Lindsey, my very helpful, but often annoying, sister.
She’s three years older than I am, married and expecting her first child with her husband, who is an attorney in my father’s firm. While I have always been somewhat of a tomboy, favoring the color black and refusing to wear a dress even to prom, Lindsey is totally Blair from The Facts of Life.
She has never encountered a pink that she did not like and her room, growing up, always looked like a bottle of Pepto-Bismol had exploded in it. Her style matured in her twenties and now she always shows up so stylish and put together that I feel like she is walking out of an issue of Vogue.
“Listen,” Lindsey starts talking as soon as I answer. “This is an emergency. The caterer has totally flaked and now we have no idea what to do.”
My mouth drops open.
I shake my head and stare at my reflection in the mirror on the counter.
The front desk woman hands me my boxes of food and hungry patrons usher me out of the door.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“That's exactly what I mean. We didn't want to worry you, but it happened this morning and Mom and I are trying to find someone else. So far, we haven’t had much luck.”
“I'm really sorry,” I say after a long pause.
I know that I should be more concerned, but if it were up to me, I wouldn't even be having an engagement party. It was really Alex's idea to have this big bash and to bring the families together so that they can meet each other before the actual wedding.
“No,” Lindsey says. “I'm the one that’s sorry. I found that stupid caterer and a few celebrities had used her so I thought that she was reliable, but just because you have been written up in Cosmo doesn't mean shit. Sorry about my language.”
Lindsey is the kind of girl who curses like a sailor but then apologizes like a church lady, as if there is anyone in the room who hasn’t heard that word before.
“Lindsey, don't worry about it,” I say as calmly as possible. “You’re six months pregnant. You really shouldn't be getting all worked up about this.”
“How can you be so calm?” she gasps in frustration. “Agh. I knew that I shouldn’t have called you. Mom and I will deal with it. Don’t worry.”
All the Lies Page 1
