Favor Returned (Harvey Co. Billionaires Book 1), page 1
About the author
Copyright © 2024 by Hannah Allen
Dedication
Playlist
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Epilogue
About the author
Hannah Allen is a hopeless romantic who loves to write about sunshine characters and hopes to inspire people with her work and help others find themselves in the characters she finds a tiny bit of herself in.
During the day she is a full-time student at a business college, hoping to make writing her full-time job in the future.
Find more about the author on her social media!
@authorhannahallen on TikTok and Instagram
Copyright © 2024 by Hannah Allen
This is a work of fiction. Names of characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or locales is entirely coincidental. This book in its entirety and portions is the sole property of Hannah Allen.
Dedication
To the girls who love communicative men,
Don’t worry, Gabriel Harvey will talk you through it.
Playlist
No Control - One Direction 3:19
Feather - Sabrina Carpenter3:05
In My Blood - Shawn Mendes3:31
Just Because - Sadie Jean2:11
Attached – Armine3:28
Grace - Lewis Capaldi3:05
PILLOWTALK – ZAYN3:23
Risk - Gracie Abrams3:11
So It Goes… - Taylor Swift3:47
Thinkin Bout You - Frank Ocean3:20
Dress - Taylor Swift3:49
Late Night Talking - Harry Styles2:57
Seven - Taylor Swift3:28
The blue - Gracie Abrams4:59
Happy Listening and reading! Xo Hannah
Chapter 1
Elena
Monte Carlo, Monaco
You know how they say everyone deals with grief or a loss differently, and it affects them differently? Well that someone is not Reneè because the only way she is celebrating her runaway moment after she was being proposed to was booking tickets for her, and me to Monaco for two weeks, and that includes paddock passes for the race on Sunday.
Affordable is the last word I would use to describe this trip because we have been saving up for it since we became friends in our freshman year of college, and now after many years of manifestation, we are finally in the land of the magic and vroom vroom cars.
To be more specific, we are in Monte Carlo. We have been for the last two weeks and it might be the trip of my life.
The only thing I do not like about this trip is that we have to take the train from Nice to Monte Carlo every morning and evening because we could not quite afford to book a hotel here. It’s too expensive.
Luckily, the train tickets only cost about five euros and we can go back and forth without any problem.
But back to the first topic. Dealing with grief or more specific to my situation, loss.
Over two months ago I finally called it quits with my boyfriend - ex-boyfriend - Ben.
Benedict Dalton- His name sounds way better than he is, which will forever be a mystery. I know it might seem weird to still be hung up on him but I wasted four years on him and all through all of those, he was a selfish asshole.
I could have left him earlier if I had realized it sooner (or rather acted earlier).
Before I fell too hard for his bad, bad personality. But that is just who I am. My mum sometimes tells me I have too many feelings and should start learning to let go of someone. Otherwise, the only thing I will ever feel is hurt and neglected even if I shouldn’t just because I don’t want to let go of feelings.
I have gone to multiple therapists to help figure out why I tend to overlook those things, but they couldn’t help me at all.
I still am a person with too many feelings. I cry easily. Most people tell me I feel too much and while that might not be bad in some situations, it can be draining day by day.
I have always had too many feelings.
It got worse when I started high school and I was diagnosed with depression. Antidepressants didn’t help much either. The problem of feeling too much is when I start to have an episode. I will cry uncontrollably for hours with little to no end. Not until I feel like I have cried out everything I have and there isn’t enough oxygen in my lungs.
I have struggled with anxiety since I got diagnosed when I was nine and my apartment is a safe place where I can take out my frustration, somewhere where no one can see me or so my therapist described it that way.
But I have accepted the fact that now I have to be alone and comfort myself because one day my parents won’t be here and I can't rely on them for the rest of my life.
Also, a reason I always lie to my parents is that I am fine. I hate lying, especially to them because they taught me better but sometimes we have to do some things in life for us to move on.
I also have people-pleaser problems which mostly lead me into a black hole of my feelings - which means most of the time I disregard my feelings. It is not like I can’t say no or something, it’s just that I don’t want to. I hate upsetting people and the only way to avoid that is by never saying no and that has worked out in my favor. Not in a good way most of the time, but at least it’s something.
I also apologize, like a lot. Reneè makes me pay her a pound every time I apologize for any nonsense. I am all out of one note because of this agreement but it does help a little to let go of this habit.
Okay, that was another lie.
It is difficult to leave a habit like that.
“Don’t even think about it.” Reneé’s voice fills my ears and I come back to reality instead of staying stuck in my mind of chaos. The sounds around us stop blurring and I can hear the barrister next to us brewing a new coffee. The citizens of Monaco chatter in French in the background, it sounds aggressive sometimes when in reality they are having the time of their lives chatting.
This might be the fanciest cafe I have ever been to in my life and in the last two weeks I have spent more money here than I have spent in London my whole life. No wonder Monaco is called one of the richest countries in the world.
“I. Am. Not.” I tell her as the topic of what we were discussing comes back to me.
“He is a dick that cheated on you and doesn’t deserve a caring, loving, and sweet person like you,” she says, reminding me again of how much of a douchebag Ben used to be to me. Not that I miss him that much- maybe 1% of me does since he was a friend of mine since high school. I just miss his company.
“Right, Zanders?” She asks our friend who is sitting in the seat between us for support but he just nods which makes Reneè punch his shoulder. “Bitch.” he murmurs loud enough for both of us to hear.
“Oh, see. He can speak,” Reneè says in a dramatic tone, making me laugh and Zanders just mimics her words back. Zanders Knight is like a Michelangelo painting come to life. Golden-brown skin that is covered with black tattoos from the side of his neck to the tip of his fingers. He has broad shoulders and his body is sculpted as if he walked right out of the painting. It would not surprise me if someone were to find a signature of the artist on his bicep.
I let out a little laugh when Zanders nearly pushes Reneè out of her seat because she kept poking his cheek. For what do people have best friends? They can lighten up the mood with the smallest of action. Violence is the choice of action for them. If these two were ever stuck in a room together, I would be more afraid they would kill each other than have accidental intercourse out of boredom.
I glance back at my phone as a notification makes it ding, and I take a deep breath when I see who it is. He has been DMing me on Instagram the last couple of days, asking me to hang out so we can talk about what happened, I have been trying so hard to stop myself from texting him back, and every time I end up in the same situation where I am stuck in my mind. I reread the texts ten million times. Reneè leans close to me, and my fingers hover over the screen, contemplating if I should text him or leave him to rot in his own misery.
“Are you texting him?” She reaches for my phone and snatches it out of my hands, reading his texts out
I furrow my eyebrows at her, embarrassed she caught me in the act. Truth is, even after two months and a huge heartbreak later, I still don’t hate him. I should because not only did he cheat on me but also abandoned me when I found out my mum’s CF had gotten worse and needed him the most. My mum never liked him anyway so it was a win for her.
“Can I please have my phone back?”
“No,” she answers without hesitation, and packs my phone in her purse. “We are in Monaco to have fun before you start a new job and I have to be back at the bakery, and he,” she points at Zanders. “Well before he can go back and relax at home. Let us enjoy the last night of freedom.” She raises her coffee mug in the air and clicks with her tongue, raising her mug higher in the air before she takes the mug to her mouth and gulps down the espresso shot.
“This is not your preferred shot, you do know that, right?”
“No.” She frowns. “But it should be. Oh, my word, let’s take shots.”
“Here?” Zanders asks her, the poker face smeared on his expression that he wears 24/7. Zanders is one of the quiet ones. He doesn't talk much. I am pretty sure he is just a really private, reserved, and introverted person and that is why he does not seem to talk but I have no idea what the real truth is.
Most of the time it depends if Reneè gets on his nerves or not and maybe then he will utter a word or two. Which she does a lot.
“No, idiot.” She insults him and I dramatically gasp and act hurt by her words because no one is allowed to hurt my Zanders, knowing full well her love language is insults.
She rolls her eyes dramatically. “Vodka. Monaco.” She counts the words, one on each hand, and holds them up on each side of her body before clapping with them. “Cluuuuuubs,” she sings the last word, completely forgetting we are surrounded by people.
“Okay, calm down,” Zanders complains, but she just flips him off.
“And no club,” I add.
“Party pooper,” she whispers to Zanders loud enough for me to hear.
“Drunk,” I mumble, making sure she doesn’t hear it.
“Hey,” she says, catching my attention, and points her finger at me. Busted. “You owe me.”
Or not
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do. Remember the night of Halloween? I stayed at home with you because you had a small ‘cold’.” She puts the word cold in quotation marks as if I didn’t lay in bed shivering to death and she had to feed me chicken soup.
“I was sick,” I argue.
“Still counts.”
I roll my eyes at her and lean back in my seat, cross my arms over my chest, and look around me. Anywhere except her because I know she will pull the puppy dog's eyes and manipulate me to come with her.
And somehow I always fall for them.
Long story short, she does pull the puppy dog's eyes and I end up saying yes.
A regretful one, that is.
After an hour and a long walk around half the circuit of Monaco that is built for motorsport races that happen here, and a train ride, we are back in Nice, France.
The weekend with our paddock passes might have been the best time of my life and I don’t regret one bit that I took this trip. I met so many of the drivers and I was swooning under their attention. Okay, maybe I am being overly dramatic with the swooning but I had a long talk with Arden Fane and that was amazing. His father - Aiden Fane, was my childhood hero. When I found out that his son also started racing, I knew he would be a legend in the making. Although I have to admit I am a little disappointed he is driving for Scuderia Aravis instead of McAli Racing his perks are that his father is a huge sponsor for the team.
I find myself back in our hotel room as Reneè roams through my suitcase, trying to find an outfit for herself since she has already used up all of hers that she had planned.
“Since when do you have this sparkly dress?” She holds up my black sparkly dress that has a V-neck cut with a band to wrap around the neck and is backless. “Wait, does it itch at the neck, because I hate that.”
I nod. She groans in frustration and throws the dress back in the suitcase to continue her treasure hunting. I’m not going to lie; it hurts seeing her destroy my perfectly packed suitcase but I calm down when I remember I have time to fold them again when she is in the shower.
Also, I already have what I want to wear. I went for my classic satin short purple dress that is tight at the top and flow-ish at the bottom. Paired with a few jewellery pieces of my liking.
After what feels like hours she finds an outfit she likes and sprints to the shower since the hours are flying by. I shake my head at her and get to organizing my suitcase while I wait for her to leave the bathroom so I can freshen up. This is the second time in two weeks that we are going to the club and while it might not seem a lot to some, I am one of those people who hates loud music and my body sticking to other bodies. It’s disgusting.
And I do not want to even imagine how unhygienic some of the people are. Basic hygiene doesn't exist in some people's lives. Including Ben’s.
Ha.
A red flag of his that just grossed me out and let me take a step back from my feelings for him. I place my suitcase on the ground and hang up my airport outfit on the door of the wardrobe, making my anxiety loosen up.
Everything is organized and ready for tomorrow.
Except for Reneè because I already know she is going to be a huge pain in my ass in the morning.
I will leave her to Zanders. He can deal with her.
What are best friends for? To get you out of trouble at least in my opinion, In Reneé’s case, it’s the opposite.
She is my polar opposite and yet our friendship has been going strong since college. I find it so weird that she started with a psych major but never wound up working in that department and opened her bakery instead.
I have to say that her sweets taste awesome and she has a great business. I can imagine how relaxing this vacation was for her because she is busy all the time with the packed bakery.
Chapter 2
Elena
I never liked frat parties back in college, and I still don’t like parties. The loud music is always way too much for me and gives me a headache after only half an hour maximum and don’t even get me started on the light at the disco because those are blinding. I am not even sure they are alright for the human eyes but whatever helps people have fun, I am not judging.
Those aren’t the only reasons I hate parties. I hate being lost, and parties are like a maze. Monaco can be a strange place.
A scream erupts around the club and a body rams into the guy next to us, leaving us in shock as they both just lay there on the ground, Zanders - who got rammed - groans in pain and the other is screaming in success on top of him and gets up soon after.
“What the fuck.” Reneè curses as she laughs at the situation. “Zanders, you okay?” She asks our friend as he gets up, the other running away - who was wearing a cape with a ghost face mask. Someone watched one too many movies and since when is it Halloween?
Our friend gets back on his feet, swings his arm around Reneè and she keeps rubbing his back, as he massages his temple.
“Do you think he is okay?” She asks me as she holds on to our best friend Zanders and tries to keep him from passing out.
“He is a Gemini,” I tell her one last time, and she just agrees with me. My statement is to say that because he is a Gemini and has experienced worse, he will be okay so we don’t need to worry about Zanders. He has gotten into worse situations than this. He got kidnapped once when he was younger, but that is a completely different story and frankly a traumatising one to listen to.
“Makes sense.” She nods at me before she turns her head back to him, his arms around her shoulder as she holds his hand. “You will survive, buddy.” She taps him on his chest and lightly shoves him away and sits him down on the empty seat.
“As I was saying, it’s madness if he thinks that I will still sleep with him after he fucked that bitch Jessica.”
“Wait, who is Jessica again? The blond?”
“If you are thinking of the one with huge tits then no, the one with the small ones.”
“There is another blond?” I question her again, wondering why I am even questioning this and why I am even listening because Reneé’s life is pure chaos. A fun chaos.
