Jasmine’s mindset in beginning of book PT 1

She dropped her face into her hands and bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from screaming in helpless frustration.

She couldn’t lose it here. Thousands of feet up in the air in Roth’s new jet with Johan, Mo, and a ridiculous amount of security present. Roth stood before her, so close she could feel his body heat. His cologne, a scent that normally would have reassured her, made her ill.

Why was he here? He should be at the Trentham Ball, making the most of this incredible opportunity. Tonight he had been the honored guest of one of the most influential men in the world, which granted Roth an all-access pass to the most sought after royals, politicians, and brilliant minds on Earth. Instead, he was here, escorting her to God knew where.

It had been a knee-jerk reaction to seek refuge in the mountains. Mountains signified solitude, and she needed that desperately. She needed away from the city, away from society. Away from Roth most of all, but he insisted on coming with her. Why, she didn’t know. Curiosity? Some latent protective instinct that had been roused when she returned to the ballroom distraught, disheveled, and in tears? Her being upset was nothing new. In fact, just a few minutes before Warren shattered her world, Roth accused her of being too emotional… Hours later, she was still crying. She tried to get a grip on her rioting emotions, but it was nearly impossible when the cause of most of her agony stood just inches away.

She’d already been metaphorically on her knees from the emotional blows she’d taken from Roth and Tucker Baldwin when her father’s crony cornered her in the library. Warren saw straight through their romantic propaganda to the cold-blooded business deal it really was. He accurately surmised that she had sacrificed herself to save Hennessy & Co.

Everyone benefitted from their marriage of convenience. Her sisters got to keep their dignity and reputations intact and in future, would regain full control of the company. Marriage publicly allied Roth with her family, which immediately solidified him in the American business world and society, two things her father had denied him seven years ago. Her brothers-in-law got first dibs on business opportunities through Roth. Their collective net worths were going to skyrocket.

But, what did she gain from their union?

The one hundred million dollar settlement Roth wrote into their contract was immaterial, since she inherited three times that from her father. Why had she sacrificed a year of her life for a company she had no financial stake in and for money she didn’t want or need?

The answer was humiliatingly obvious. She suspected everyone had seen it right from the start. That’s why Lyle tried to talk her out of it—he knew she was setting herself up for an epic fall.

**This is a raw draft of Bitter Sins. Please do not share or distribute.

Copyright © 2025 Mia Knight. All Rights Reserved.

Author's Note:

I've been jumping around in this book far more than I have in any other. The scenes and scenarios mid/later in the book were so much more solid and clear than the beginning, so I've allowed myself to mold those but have finally reached the point where I have to backtrack and figure out how we got here.

Jasmine's been... volatile, to say the least. She's had so many screaming freakout moments (justified, IMO), but I've been having the damndest time putting my finger on what exactly tipped the scales so far in one direction. Like, yes, she's upset at the end of the Ball and Roth was a douche prior to it, but what makes her give up? What changes her from the self-sacrificing daughter, sister, wife to a woman who realizes she's sold herself short? That she's given so much and now has nothing left and wants nothing to do with Roth?

A lot of those blurred drafts I showed the other day are me working and reworking her inner monologue because I wasn't able to put my finger on her actual breaking point and thought process. But, FINALLY I think I got it! At least, enough for me to have a better understanding of where all of this anger is coming from. I can always refine later.

Strangely, Roth has been much more open to me and easier to write, which is why so many of the scenes later in the book have been easier to write. Jasmine was so locked down, I couldn't really read her, but finally, I think we're on the same track and now... I can make Roth's life hell. Heh heh.