Chapter: Bonus Chapter: seven POV: NoahThe rooftop felt like another world.The night air was sharp, every gust tugging at Noah’s open collar and whipping strands of hair across his forehead. Below them, the city unfurled in a glittering sprawl, a thousand jeweled lights scattered across black velvet. Cars streamed through the streets in glowing ribbons, horns and sirens floating faintly upward, swallowed by the height.His jacket lay forgotten somewhere behind him, kicked aside the moment Elias pressed him against the steel railing. Noah should have been cold, should have been shivering from the bite of the wind. But Elias’s hands were on his hips strong, steady, claiming and heat burned through him with every touch.“Look,” Elias whispered, his breath hot against Noah’s ear.Noah’s gaze flicked downward. The city blinked and pulsed, alive and endless. It felt as though every window, every headlight, every eye belonged to them. Watching.“They’ll see us,” Noah said, his voice thin, caught between fear and desire
Last Updated: 2025-09-04
Chapter: Bonus Chapter: SixPOV: EliasThe storm had cut the city’s power.Skyscrapers across the skyline were blacked out, their glass facades reflecting nothing but lightning. Inside Thorne & Vale’s headquarters, the emergency lights glowed dimly, throwing the offices into eerie half-shadow.Elias sat alone in the boardroom, his tie loosened, his sleeves rolled up. He should have been reading through the quarterly reports, strategizing contingency plans for the outage. But his thoughts were elsewhere.On Noah.Noah was down the hall, probably still hunched over his laptop, working by battery light. The boy worked like the company’s survival was balanced on his shoulders — and maybe it was. Maybe Elias had let it become that way.The building groaned in the wind. Somewhere, a door slammed in the draft. Elias’s jaw clenched.He wasn’t used to this kind of silence. Without the hum of power, the office felt like a cage. And Noah was trapped in here with him.When the footsteps finally came, Elias knew them instant
Last Updated: 2025-09-04
Chapter: Bonus Chapter: FivePOV: Noah The water was hot, steam curling around the glass walls like a cocoon. Noah leaned his forehead against the tile, letting the spray beat down his back. His muscles ached, his chest tight. The day had been endless — reporters digging into his past, whispers in the office hallways, another article calling him a distraction, a liability. He wanted to wash it all off. Scrub away every word that clung like dirt beneath his skin. The door slid open behind him. Noah didn’t turn. He didn’t have to. He knew the weight of that presence, the gravity of Elias Thorne filling the room. “You didn’t wait for me.” Elias’s voice was low, almost unreadable under the hiss of water. “I needed this.” Noah’s voice was hoarse, carried on exhaustion. “I needed to feel… clean.” There was silence, then the soft thud of clothing hitting the floor. Elias stepped into the shower, the glass fogging further, his body joining Noah’s under the stream. He didn’t touch him at first. Just stood
Last Updated: 2025-09-04
Chapter: Bonus chapter: FourPOV: Noah The rooftop stretched above the city like a secret kingdom. Noah’s breath fogged in the cold air, his jacket discarded somewhere behind him, forgotten the moment Elias had pulled him close. Wind tugged at his hair and clothing, sharp as ice, but he hardly noticed. Elias’s hands were on his hips, steady, anchoring him against the dizzying sprawl of skyscrapers and traffic below. “Look,” Elias murmured, his lips grazing the shell of Noah’s ear. Noah did. The city glittered beneath them, a thousand jeweled lights blinking in rhythm with the heartbeat pounding in his chest. Cars slid through the streets like streams of fire, horns and sirens carrying faintly upward. It was beautiful. Alive. Watching. “They’ll see us,” Noah whispered, voice breaking with thrill and terror. Elias’s teeth scraped the edge of his jaw. “Good.” The word landed like a spark, setting fire to his veins. He shivered, not from cold but from the sheer recklessness of it. They had been careless
Last Updated: 2025-09-04
Chapter: Bonus Chapter: ThreePOV: EliasThe penthouse was silent except for the rain tapping against the windows.Elias loosened his tie, tugging it free from his collar with deliberate slowness. His meetings had run until midnight, his mind still humming with numbers, contracts, rivals who thought they could take something from him. But the moment he stepped inside, he found Noah sprawled on the couch in sweatpants, hair damp from the shower, scrolling absently through his phone.At the sight of him, Elias’s pulse shifted. The noise of the world dulled. The tension in his shoulders burned into something else entirely.He dropped his briefcase by the door. “Come here.”Noah blinked up. “Elias—”“Now.”Noah set his phone aside, padding across the room. Barefoot. Relaxed. Unaware of just how tightly Elias’s control was wound tonight.When he reached him, Elias didn’t kiss him. Didn’t even touch. He simply lifted the tie in his hand and let it dangle between them.“Take off your clothes.”Noah’s breath hitched. “Her
Last Updated: 2025-09-04
Chapter: Bonus Chapter Two: Forever
Bonus Chapter Two: ForeverPOV: Split — Elias & NoahNoahThe gala lights sparkled like stars scattered across the ballroom ceiling. Chandeliers glittered, champagne flowed, and laughter rose in elegant waves from the crowd. But for Noah, none of it mattered.Because Elias was across the room, cornered by a small group of investors, and still—still—he was looking at him.Even in a sea of tuxedos and gowns, Elias stood out. His suit was perfectly tailored, black with a subtle sheen, his tie the exact deep navy that Noah had chosen for him. His hair gleamed under the golden light, sharp jawline softened only by the faintest smile he reserved for one person.For Noah.Two years. Two years since they’d stepped out of the fire and into something they had built together. The new firm thrived, their names no longer whispered with scandal but celebrated with respect. Their story had become less about ruin and more about resilience.And yet—Elias still looked at him like he was the only thing
Last Updated: 2025-08-18
The Quarterback's Roommate
Dante Cruz looks untouchable star quarterback, all muscle and tattoos, the guy everyone either wants to be or wants to have. But his grades are tanking, and if he fails one more class, football won’t save him.
Eli Summers never expected to room with him. Eli’s a lit major, more at home with novels and coffee stains than roaring crowds. He’s blonde, silly, always running late, and his painted nails drive Dante crazy in ways he can’t explain.
What starts with late-night tutoring and bickering over laundry turns into something else something hotter, riskier. A kiss in the wrong place. A touch that lingers too long. Suddenly, keeping boundaries feels impossible.
But the campus is watching. Rumors spread fast, and Dante has everything to lose if anyone finds out. Eli has to decide if he’s okay being Dante’s secret or if love this strong deserves to be seen.
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Chapter: Chapter 30 Parting DoubtsChapter 30 – Parting Doubts (Eli POV)The morning I was supposed to leave felt like the room had shrunk overnight.My suitcase sat zipped by the door, backpack slung over one shoulder, plane ticket pulled up on my phone for the third time just to make sure the gate hadn’t magically changed. Dante was sitting on the edge of his bed—still in the same gray sweatpants from last night, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor like it held the answers to questions neither of us had asked out loud.I’d already said goodbye to the fairy lights (left them plugged in, because turning them off felt too final). The cat mug was packed. The notebooks. The croissant pillow. Everything except the tension hanging between us thicker than the December fog outside the window.He hadn’t said yes to coming home with me.He hadn’t said no either.I shifted my weight, backpack strap digging into my shoulder. “Uber’s gonna be here in ten.”He nodded once. Didn’t look up.I swallowed. “You sure you’re good
Last Updated: 2026-01-09
Chapter: Chapter 29 Holiday Temptations Chapter 29 – Holiday Temptation (Dante POV)The semester was winding down like a slow fourth-quarter drive—everyone counting the seconds until break, the campus half-empty already, lights flickering off in dorm windows as people packed up and left.Eli was leaving tomorrow morning. Early flight home to his family in some quiet suburb two states away. He’d been packing all afternoon—methodical, organized in his own chaotic way—suitcase open on his bed, fairy lights still glowing like they refused to accept the room was about to be split in half for three weeks.I sat on my bed, pretending to scroll through my phone, but really just watching him.He folded a hoodie (the coffee-stained one), tucked it into a corner, then paused, looking over at me.“You’re quiet today,” he said.I shrugged. “Just thinking.”“About?”I set my phone down. “Break. You going home. Me… not really going anywhere.”He tilted his head. “Your family’s not close?”“They’re close enough.” I rubbed the back of my
Last Updated: 2026-01-09
Chapter: chapter 28 Rules BrokenChapter 28 – Rule Broken (Dante POV)The morning after we fell asleep tangled together—again—should have felt like a mistake.It didn’t.Sunlight sliced through the blinds in sharp golden bars, landing across Eli’s bare shoulder where the blanket had slipped down. His curls were a disaster against my pillow, lips parted in sleep, one hand still loosely curled against my chest like he’d been holding on even in dreams.I didn’t move.I should have. Should have slipped out, made coffee, acted like last night was just another hookup that ended with separate beds.Instead, I watched him breathe. Watched the slow flutter of his lashes. Felt the steady rise and fall of his ribs against mine.My arm was numb from being trapped under him, but I didn’t care.When he finally stirred—small, confused noise in the back of his throat, eyes blinking open to find me staring—he froze.Then smiled. Sleepy. Soft. Dangerous.“Morning,” he mumbled, voice wrecked from last night.“Morning.”He didn’t pull
Last Updated: 2026-01-09
Chapter: Chapter 27 Miscommunication Fix Chapter 27 – Miscommunication Fix (Eli POV)The fallout from Jax’s conversation hit like a delayed sack.Thursday evening, the dorm felt too quiet. Dante had come back from practice in silence—dropped his bag, stripped to boxers, and headed straight for the shower without a word. No glance. No smirk. No casual brush of shoulders.When he came out, towel around his waist, water still dripping from his hair, he didn’t look at me. Just grabbed clean clothes from his drawer and dressed like I wasn’t there.I sat on my bed, laptop open but untouched, pretending to read. My stomach was in knots.Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore.“Dante.”He paused, shirt halfway over his head, muscles flexing under the damp skin.“What?”His voice was flat. Controlled.I closed the laptop. Stood up. “You’ve been weird since yesterday. Since Jax said something.”He pulled the shirt down, crossed his arms. “I’m fine.”“You’re not fine. You’re doing the thing where you go quiet and pretend everything’s c
Last Updated: 2026-01-09
Chapter: Chapter 26 Outside InterferenceChapter 26 – Outside Interference (Dante POV)The team meeting ran long on Wednesday.Coach had pulled up last week’s game tape, dissected every missed read, every dropped ball, every time I’d held the pocket too long. By the time we filed out of the film room, my head was pounding and my shoulders felt like concrete.Jax caught up with me in the hallway outside the locker room, gym bag slung over his shoulder, still in his practice shorts.“Yo, Cruz,” he said, voice low like we were trading state secrets. “You good?”I grunted. “Tired.”He fell into step beside me as we headed toward the parking lot. Most of the guys were already gone—rushing to dinner or girlfriends or whatever—but Jax had that look. The one that said he’d been chewing on something all practice.We reached his truck first. He leaned against the door, arms crossed.“So,” he started, casual too casual, “you and your roommate.”My stomach dropped half an inch.I kept my face blank. “What about him?”Jax shrugged, but
Last Updated: 2026-01-09
Chapter: Chapter 25 Cracks Appear Chapter 25 – Cracks Appear (Eli POV)The cracks started small.A lingering hand on my lower back when Dante passed me in the narrow space between our beds. A soft “goodnight” muttered into my hair after we’d finished and were supposed to separate. The way he’d pull the blanket up over my shoulder when he thought I was asleep.They were tiny things. Easy to ignore. Easy to explain away as post-sex haze or roommate politeness.But they were there.And they were growing.It was a Tuesday night—midterms looming like storm clouds—and we’d both been grinding all day. I came back from the library around eleven, brain fried, shoulders knotted. Dante was already there, sprawled on his bed in nothing but boxers, scrolling through play footage on his tablet. The fairy lights were on, casting that familiar warm glow over everything.He looked up when the door clicked shut.“Rough one?” he asked.I dropped my bag, rubbed the back of my neck. “My brain feels like overcooked pasta.”He set the ta
Last Updated: 2026-01-09
Bound by Desire: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride
Liana Elizabeth Rose of the prestigious Rose family woke gasping—remembering everything.
At first, she thought it was a dream. Or a hallucination. Maybe heaven, maybe hell, or wherever people go when life has been cruel enough to steal their breath.
But the room was the same. The curtains were the same. The smooth, unscarred skin she touched was the same. As if the last five years of betrayal and humiliation had never etched themselves into her.
Then the panic hit. She remembered. Every. Single. Thing.
The cold metal of prison bars. Her husband Adrian’s dead, beautiful eyes accusing her of the accident. The trial. The cousin who framed her. The family who abandoned her. The little brother who no longer remembered her voice. Her death.
And the cruelest truth: she wasn’t even from this world.
It was a book a stupid novel her roommate had recommended. She died inside a story she didn’t write. And now, she woke up at the moment everything began to crumble.
Fine.
Sharpen her mind. Feed her ambition. And when the plot tried to drag her back, she’d pull harder.
Then there was him—Adrian.
From his point of view, the world shifted. Her scent. Her voice. Her existence. Everything about her crawled under his skin, sank into his bloodstream, coiled around his bones. He didn’t understand it. He didn’t want to. He only knew: if she breathed, he wanted it. If she moved, he followed.
Obsession wasn’t a symptom—it was his nature. And Liana? She had rewritten herself into the one thing he could never let go of.
This time, she wasn’t the victim. She wasn’t a plot device. She was the storm. And Adrian? Learning, too late, that even possession has a price.
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Chapter: CHAPTER SEVENTEEN — LIANA’S FIRST PUBLIC STRIKE CHAPTER SEVENTEEN — LIANA’S FIRST PUBLIC STRIKE (Liana’s POV)The afternoon after Charlotte’s first humiliation was too quiet.Eleanor had vanished into her study. My aunt had taken to her room with a “headache.” Even the maids moved like ghosts.Adrian and I spent the hours with Liam (quiet, careful hours). He was colouring again, humming under his breath. Every time Adrian leaned over to help tape a new page to the wall, the cold in his eyes melted completely.By seven o’clock, a maid appeared with a silver card.“Madam Eleanor requests the family join her for dinner at eight. Formal dress.”Adrian looked at me.I smiled.Trap.I chose a black silk gown (high neck, long sleeves, slit to the thigh). Modest until I moved. Then it was a weapon.Adrian wore black tie (old habits, perfect fit). We walked into the dining room together.Eleanor sat at the head, diamonds flashing.Charlotte was already there, in ice-blue chiffon, hair swept up, neckline plunging. She looke
Last Updated: 2025-12-08
Chapter: CHAPTER FIFTEEN — CHARLOTTE’S ARRIVALCHAPTER FIFTEEN — CHARLOTTE’S ARRIVAL (Liana’s POV)The morning light filtered through the heavy curtains of the guest suite like it was afraid to wake us.I opened my eyes to find Adrian already dressed (or half-dressed): black trousers, white shirt unbuttoned, tie loose around his neck. He stood at the wardrobe, staring at his reflection in the mirror, fingers frozen on the top button.I sat up slowly, sheet pooling around my waist.“Adrian?”He turned, the cold mask cracking just a little when he saw me.“Just glimpses,” he said, voice rough. “The wedding. A dinner where I… left you sitting alone. Nothing more.”I nodded, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed.“Get dressed,” I said. “Liam’s waiting, and Eleanor won’t let us forget we’re under her roof.”He finished buttoning his shirt with mechanical precision, the old Adrian’s habits bleeding through.I slipped into a black dress (simple, severe, armor), tied my hair back, and slid on heels that clicked like warnings on th
Last Updated: 2025-12-08
Chapter: CHAPTER FOURTEEN — THE ESTATECHAPTER FOURTEEN — THE ESTATE (Liana’s POV)The Jin family estate looked exactly the same as it had the night Adrian’s car crashed: marble steps, iron gates, manicured gardens hiding poison. Only this time, I walked through the front doors with my head high and Adrian at my side instead of in a body bag.Eleanor waited in the grand foyer.She had aged ten years in three weeks. The woman who once looked like polished ice now had cracks.She didn’t look at me.She looked only at her son.“You came home,” she said, voice thin.Adrian’s hand tightened on mine.“I’m not staying,” he answered. “We’re here for Liam. That’s all.”Eleanor’s gaze finally slid to me.Cold. Calculating.Then she stepped aside.The staff had prepared the entire east wing for Liam: hospital bed, monitors, a private nurse on twenty-four-hour call. Money had moved mountains again.Liam was already there, sitting up in bed, eyes wide as he took in the room.“Lia!” He held out his arms.I went to him, hugged
Last Updated: 2025-12-08
Chapter: CHAPTER THIRTEEN — THE FIRST CRACKS IN MEMORYCHAPTER THIRTEEN — THE FIRST CRACKS IN MEMORY (Liana’s POV)Three days after the hospital visit, the first crack appeared.I came back from a modeling meeting (my first in this life, a small test shoot that felt like reclaiming a piece of myself) to find Adrian in the penthouse study, phone pressed to his ear, voice low and sharp.“—I don’t care what my mother said. Transfer the funds now. The account is in my name. If you delay, you’re fired. Understood?”He ended the call and turned, the tension in his shoulders melting the instant he saw me.“Liana.”I stopped in the doorway.The desk was covered in papers (financial statements, medical trials, a list of doctors’ names I didn’t recognise).“What is this?”He hesitated (just a fraction, but enough to make my pulse spike).“For Liam,” he said. “I… made some calls.”I stepped closer, picking up the top sheet.A wire transfer confirmation for two million dollars to a Swiss clinic. Another for a private jet. Emails from his assist
Last Updated: 2025-12-08
Chapter: CHAPTER TWELVE — THE LITTLE BROTHERCHAPTER TWELVE — THE LITTLE BROTHER (Liana’s POV)The children’s oncology ward smelled like antiseptic trying to hide under strawberry shampoo.I walked the corridor exactly the way I had practiced in my head for weeks: shoulders back, chin high, the same stride I used on runways. Adrian followed three steps behind, coat collar up, black medical mask hiding half his face. No one would recognise the Jin heir unless they were looking for him. I had made sure of that.Room 412.The door was cracked open. Inside, the lights were low. Machines hummed a lullaby no one wanted to hear.Liam lay propped against a mountain of pillows, eight years old and already too familiar with needles. His hair had grown back thin and soft after the last round of chemo. He was colouring something with the kind of concentration only children facing death can manage.He looked up when I stepped in.His whole face lit like sunrise.“Lia!”The crayon rolled off the blanket.I was across the room
Last Updated: 2025-12-08
Chapter: CHAPTER ELEVEN — THE FIRST CRACKCHAPTER ELEVEN — THE FIRST CRACK (Liana’s POV)I woke to the sound of rain against glass and the weight of Adrian’s arm locked around my waist.He had not moved all night. After I left him trembling against the mirror, he had followed me to bed like a shadow (silent, obedient). He had lain exactly where I told him, on his side of the invisible line, hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles were white. At some point in the dark he had rolled over and wrapped himself around me from behind, face buried between my shoulder blades, breathing me in like oxygen. I had pretended to be asleep.Now morning light bled grey through the windows, and his grip had only tightened.I tried to slide free.His arm locked harder.“Liana,” he mumbled, voice rough with sleep and something darker. Not a plea this time. A warning.I turned in the circle of his arms until we were face-to-face.His eyes were open (black, sharp, no trace of the broken man from last night). For one heartbeat
Last Updated: 2025-12-08
Inappropriate Conduct
Jamie Reyes doesn’t do one-night stands. But after a soul-crushing breakup and too many glasses of whiskey, he lets himself fall—just once—for a stranger’s hands, lips, and whispered promises in the dark. No names. No strings. No future.
Until Monday morning, when his anonymous hookup steps into the conference room… as Julian Black, his new department supervisor.
Julian is everything Jamie shouldn’t want—older, emotionally locked down, and strictly off-limits. Yet the tension simmers, sharp as ever, and pretending it didn’t happen is impossible when every brush of fingers feels like a memory.
They’re supposed to be professionals.
They’re not supposed to want more.
And if they’re caught, everything Jamie’s worked for could fall apart.
But what happens when the lines blur, and a one-night mistake becomes the one thing neither of them can walk away from?
A steamy, slow-burn MM office romance filled with forbidden tension, secret glances, and the kind of chemistry that doesn’t stay buried.
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Chapter: Jamie Chapter 37: At the TablePOV: JamieThe smell of garlic and adobo filled his mother’s kitchen, familiar and grounding. Jamie had been craving home all week, craving something solid to stand on when the rest of his life felt like quicksand.But as he set the table with his little sister, Mari, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d walked into an ambush.Because Levi was here.Levi, in his pressed shirt and lawyer’s scowl, leaning against the counter like he was cross-examining the roast chicken.And he hadn’t said more than three words to Jamie since he walked in.“Sit, sit,” their mom urged, fussing over the serving bowls. “Eat before it gets cold.”Jamie slid into his chair, Mari plopping down beside him, already reaching for the rice.Levi took the seat across, dark eyes fixed on his plate.The scrape of utensils and the low hum of the radio filled the silence.Jamie shoveled food onto his plate, pretending not to notice Levi’s silence, his mom’s worried glances, Mari’s smirk.“So
Last Updated: 2025-09-19
Chapter: Julian Chapter 36: Ghosts of Scandal POV: Julian Julian didn’t go home that night. He sat in his office long after the cleaners had left, long after the building emptied, staring at the city lights through glass that suddenly felt too thin. Jamie’s campaign had been brilliant. Everyone was talking about it. Proud whispers. Admiration. Respect. And Julian hadn’t been there to see it. Not because he didn’t want to. But because he couldn’t risk tainting it. Couldn’t let anyone think Jamie’s success was his hand guiding the wheel. He told himself it was the right choice. Professional. Necessary. So why did it feel like punishment? He poured himself a drink from the decanter he kept for late nights. The whiskey burned down his throat, but the ghosts it conjured burned hotter. Because this wasn’t the first time he’d sat alone like this, staring at a skyline and wondering if everything he’d built was about to collapse. The last time had been years ago. A different city. A different com
Last Updated: 2025-09-19
Chapter: Jamie Chapter 35: On His Own POV: Jamie Jamie had spent the morning pretending not to notice the stares. The whispers were still there—sliding around him like smoke—but today, there was something sharper waiting for him at his desk. A manila folder with his name on it. He froze. Avery leaned over the partition. “That’s either your termination papers or your big break.” Jamie shot her a look. She just grinned. He opened the folder. Inside: a campaign brief. His campaign brief. Franklin Foods wanted a new line of ads aimed at college students—cheap meals, quick fixes, late-night comfort. It was exactly the demographic Jamie had lived through only a few years ago. And now the assignment was his. Not Julian’s. Not a hand-me-down. His. Jamie’s pulse spiked as he skimmed the notes. Timeline: two weeks. Deliverables: concept deck, taglines, mockups. Evaluation: board review. His mouth went dry. Avery whistled. “Well, damn. They’re throwing you into the fire.” Jamie shut the folder
Last Updated: 2025-09-17
Chapter: Julian Chapter 34: Sabotage POV: Julian Julian Black wasn’t used to losing. He wasn’t used to waiting either. Promotions came to him like clockwork—earned through late nights, impossible pitches, and a reputation so polished people mistook it for perfection. But this week, the silence had stretched too long. The board had promised an announcement about the open Senior Creative Partner seat. Julian had been the obvious choice. Everyone knew it. So when the email finally came, his chest tightened—not with nerves, but certainty. Until he opened it. The board has decided to delay the promotion decision pending review of recent internal concerns. Pending review. The words hit like a fist to the gut. Julian sat frozen at his desk, the glow of the screen painting him in blue. His pulse pounded in his ears. This wasn’t about performance. His numbers were untouchable. His campaigns had carried half their revenue this quarter. No. This was about Jamie. His jaw clenched so hard it ached.
Last Updated: 2025-09-17
Chapter: Jamie Chapter 33: Almost Goodbye POV: Jamie The office was empty by the time Jamie shut down his computer. Darkness pressed against the windows, the city glittering beyond like it was mocking him—bright, untouchable, alive. He rubbed his eyes, exhaustion dragging at every muscle, but he couldn’t make himself leave. Because leaving meant silence. And silence meant facing everything alone. He found himself walking to Julian’s office without even deciding to. His feet just…took him there. The door was cracked open, a faint glow spilling out. Julian sat at his desk, jacket off, sleeves rolled, tie discarded on the armrest. He looked tired, shadows carved deep under his eyes, but when he saw Jamie, something in his face softened. “You should be home,” Julian said quietly. Jamie leaned against the doorway. “So should you.” They stared at each other for a long moment, neither moving. Finally, Jamie stepped inside and shut the door. Silence filled the space between them. Heavy. Charged
Last Updated: 2025-09-16
Chapter: Julian Chapter 32: Appearances POV: Julian Julian Black had never been told to “tone it down” in his entire career. He’d been told he was too aggressive, too ambitious, too relentless—but those were compliments disguised as criticism. He wore them like armor, because they meant he was winning. But now? Now the same board that had once begged him to save their sinking campaigns was telling him to control appearances. Like his love for Jamie was a stain that needed bleaching out. The message came in a “casual” sit-down with two senior partners and HR. They didn’t meet in the boardroom this time. Too formal, too visible. Instead, they booked a small corner office, blinds half-shut, voices pitched low as if his life were a secret to be managed. “Julian,” one of the partners began carefully, “you’ve been invaluable to this company. No one doubts your talent, your leadership, or your record. But—” “There’s always a but,” Julian said flatly. The man winced. “Optics are critical right now
Last Updated: 2025-09-16
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