A Tempting Offer

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• In the Name of Ambition   Too Close

  AnnelieseMy grandfather’s name hit me like a punch to the chest.Leonel Baumann.The last person in the world I wanted to disappoint, and, ironically, the one I’d been disappointing the most these past few years. He raised me like a princess, but I turned into the hurricane that leaves wreckage everywhere I go."Is he okay?" I asked, my throat dry, still wrapped in nothing but the hotel sheet.Ettore looked at me with the expression of a man who was tired of playing babysitter."He hasn’t slept in two days. Thinks you were kidnapped. Or that you jumped off a bridge. You didn’t even answer your phone since you set foot in this city with your l

• In the Name of Ambition   Nothing New

  AnnelieseAn alarm clock blared beside me, and I couldn’t figure out where that awful noise was coming from. I tried to move, but my head felt like it weighed thirty pounds, so I dropped it back onto the mattress while grabbing a pillow to cover my face—someone had the bright idea of turning on the lights in my room at this ungodly hour."Turn off that damn light!" I snapped."Easy there, kitten," a man’s voice said way too close to me. "Just trying to find my clothes."Those words set off an alarm in my head, only making the pounding worse. I pressed the pillow harder against my face and tried to pretend this wasn’t happening. Again."Tell me you’re someone from my team who forgot a piece of clothing he

• In the Name of Ambition   Finally, Together

  PietraI had no idea what to expect when I knocked on Anton’s office door. My heart was pounding with a mix of anxiety, guilt, and... hope. The secretary let me in without hesitation, and when I saw Anton look up at me that way—as if he still loved me, despite everything-my impulse to run was drowned by a calm certainty: I needed to be there.When I told him why I’d come, I noticed—for just a split second—that his face faltered. It wasn’t a smile. It wasn’t a surprise. It was… a contained disappointment. As if he’d rather I’d never found out.And it was in that exact moment that everything made sense to me.He hadn’t done it to impress me. It wasn’t for show. Not a dramatic gesture to grab my attention. He did it because

• In the Name of Ambition   Worries

  AntonI rang the doorbell once, twice, three times, until I started wondering if something was wrong. I knew Pietra should’ve been home from the diner by now. The door finally opened, revealing Andressa with an awkward smile. "Sorry for the delay," she said, stepping aside. "I thought Pietra was still in the living room. That’s where I saw her last before heading to my room, but apparently she left and didn’t say anything."I tried not to let my frustration show. But I felt it. Every time I came over, no matter how simple the reason—bringing Isaque, dropping off food, or just stopping by to say “hi”—just seeing her was enough to brighten my day. And once

• In the Name of Ambition   Unexpected News

  PietraWork at the diner had been more exhausting than I’d expected, and all I wanted when I got home was a hot shower and a few minutes of silence."Finally!" Andressa’s excited voice made me jump.She was sitting on the couch, grinning so wide it took up half her face, but she quickly sprang up, her eyes sparkling. What caught my attention, though, was her outfit.Black dress pants. A white button-up blouse. The same one she’d worn to her last job interview before her surgery. My stomach twisted slightly."You went out?" I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral, but she caught the edge in it.Andressa rushed over and hugged me tightly."I’m so happy, Pietra! So, so happy!"My mind immediately raced through possibilities, good and bad."Did you go to a job interview?" I asked, my voice firmer than I’d intended. "Why didn’t you tell me?"She took my hands, as if trying to soothe the tension building inside me."Please don’t be mad. I just wanted to surprise you."She adjusted herself e

• In the Name of Ambition   Same Old Routine… Or Not.

  PietraThe lunch rush finally eased. The tables were emptier now, the chatter had quieted, and I could hear my thoughts. Which, sometimes, wasn’t a good thing.I took a deep breath, discreetly rubbing my lower back as I rearranged the napkins on the counter. Dona Maria had told me I could sit during breaks, but I refused—because if I stopped, the back pain and nausea would make me give up before my shift ended.I was behind the counter, wiping down the last trays, when the diner’s door opened, the overhead bell jingling. I looked up with the same automatic indifference of someone who’d already seen a hundred customers that day… but froze when I recognized him.Anton.He walked in slowly, hands in his pockets, his gaze scanning the place until it landed on me. And when it did, he smiled. Not that cocky smirk he used to wear when he wanted to get under my skin. This was different. A soft smile. Calm. Almost… shy.My heart raced. I set the tray down and walked toward him, still unsure wh