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
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-08-18
Chapter: Bonus Chapter One: The First NightBonus Chapter One: The First NightPOV: Split — Elias & NoahNoahHe told himself it was just another late night at the office.The spreadsheets glowed on his laptop, endless numbers blurring together until they felt like static. Outside, the city pulsed against the glass walls—headlights streaming like veins of light, skyscrapers lit up like sentinels, the hum of ambition never sleeping. Inside, though, the silence was heavy. Too heavy.Noah’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, but his pulse was racing for a different reason. Because Elias was still here.The CEO sat at the far end of the room, half-shadowed by the desk lamp. Jacket discarded, tie loosened, sleeves rolled up in a way that exposed sharp forearms and veins that caught the faint light. His hair was mussed like he’d run his hands through it a hundred times, but his posture—straight, contained, elegant—never cracked.It made Noah’s chest ache.“Why are you still here, Mr. Reyes?” Elias’s voice was low, a rasp that felt li
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-08-18
Chapter: Epilogue: Two Years Later Epilogue: Two Years Later POV: Noah Location: Paris The café was quiet. Tucked away on a cobblestone side street in the Marais, it smelled like strong coffee and freshly baked brioche. Rain misted against the window. The morning was slow, warm. Human. Noah sat with his laptop open, a cappuccino in one hand and Elias’s scarf looped loosely around his neck. Across from him, a young couple debated over branding fonts for a new wellness app. They didn’t know who he was. Which was exactly how he liked it sometimes. Because even empires needed quiet corners. They were in Paris for a month. Elias had a string of meetings at the EMEA Innovation Forum, but Noah had turned down three speaking offers just to take a breath. They hadn’t stopped since the launch of the Blackthorn-Reyes Group. In two years, it had gone global — media, tech, ethics consulting, luxury investment. And it hadn’t collapsed. They hadn’t collapsed. If anything, they’d grown sharper. Softer. Stronger. His phon
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-08-09
Chapter: The Rise Chapter Fifty – The Rise POV: Split — Noah & Elias Noah The press conference wasn’t held in a boardroom or ballroom. It was on the rooftop of their new headquarters. Glass. Steel. Sky. A panoramic view of the city they’d both bled for, now under their feet. Noah adjusted his collar in the reflective glass wall. Behind him, the media team adjusted sound levels. Drones buzzed overhead. The new logo shimmered on the screen behind the podium: Blackthorn-Reyes Group Built from the ashes. He felt it before he saw him—Elias’s hand settling against his lower back. “You look like power,” Elias murmured. Noah smirked. “That’s because I am.” They stood side by side as the cameras went live. Elias There were hundreds of them. Journalists. Investors. Influencers. Industry gatekeepers who’d once whispered about scandal, now leaning forward to hear the next chapter. Elias took the mic first. “I built Thorne & Vale with my own hands. But empires built alone are brittle.” He turned
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-08-08
Chapter: The Reckoning Chapter Forty-Nine – The Reckoning POV: Noah The gala was everything Julian Marsh loved—opulence, optics, and control. Crystal chandeliers glittered overhead like a ceiling of diamonds. Velvet drapes in imperial blue cascaded from twenty-foot windows. A string quartet played something elegant and forgettable in the corner. Every inch of the ballroom was curated to perfection, like a stage set for the grandest of lies. And in the center of it all stood Julian himself. Tailored tuxedo. Wine glass in hand. Smile sharp enough to bleed. Noah stepped into the room like he was walking into enemy territory. Black suit. Blood-red tie. The color of battle. He spotted Elias by the bar, unmoving, eyes locked on him. There was tension in the set of his shoulders—like he wasn’t sure if Noah was about to win a war or walk into a trap. Noah didn’t blink. Didn’t break. It was both. He crossed the marble floor slowly, each step deliberate, like he was being watched—and he was. Conversatio
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-08-08
Chapter: Julians final move Chapter Forty-Eight: Julian’s Final Move POV: Elias It hit him mid-meeting. A chime. A buzz. A dozen vibrating phones. All at once. The CFO’s face went pale as she looked down at her screen. Then the room fell into a hush so thick it felt padded. Elias felt it before he saw it. The blood draining from the room. The eyes. Then Marcus, legal counsel, slid his phone across the table toward Elias. HEADLINE: THE CEO WHO LET HIS BROTHER TAKE THE FALL Below that: a grainy photo from fifteen years ago. Elias, barely twenty-two. And Julian, handcuffed, shoved into the back of a patrol car. Fraud. Insider trading. Corporate cover-up. Except it had been Julian’s scheme. Julian’s signature. Julian’s mess. Elias had done what he always did — protected the company. Protected their name. But the headline made it look like he had walked free while Julian took the blame. Like he’d fed his own brother to the wolves. Elias didn’t remember how the meeting ended. All he knew
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-08-08
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.
Baca
Chapter: JamieChapter 27: Breaking PointPOV: JamieJamie hadn’t slept.Not after Levi’s words. Not after the slam of that office door. Not after Julian’s kiss that felt like both an ending and a beginning.His phone buzzed with texts he couldn’t answer. Avery’s frantic: WTF happened?? People are saying HR is calling an emergency session?? Then another from his mother: Your brother sounds upset. Call me.He couldn’t. Not yet.Because the truth was bigger now. He’d said it out loud—I choose him. There was no undoing that. No taking it back.And part of him felt weightless. Free.The other part was drowning.The boardroom smelled like coffee and paper when Julian walked in the next morning. Sharp suit, sharp jaw, sharper silence. Jamie sat two seats down, not supposed to be here, but he was—because apparently, he was the problem.HR. Legal. Two senior partners. The regional VP. Even Marlene, her face pinched in self-satisfaction, like she’d finally caught the scandal she’d been waiting for.“This mee
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-08-25
Chapter: Julian Chapter 26: Brothers and BetrayalPOV: JulianJulian had faced plenty of boardroom wars, but nothing in his life compared to the battlefield of Levi’s stare.His best friend. His anchor. His brother in everything but blood.Now—his executioner.“You love him?” Levi repeated, voice sharp enough to cut bone. “You say it like it fixes something. Like it makes any of this less disgusting.”Julian’s stomach twisted. “I didn’t mean for it to happen.”“You didn’t mean—” Levi’s laugh was hollow, dangerous. “You mean you didn’t mean for me to find out. That’s what you didn’t mean.”Julian braced against the edge of his desk, fingers gripping the wood hard enough to splinter. “I fought it, Levi. For months. For years. I told myself he was off-limits. That it was a line I’d never cross. But he’s not a kid anymore. He’s not yours to protect—”“He’s my brother!” Levi roared.The words crashed against Julian’s ribs.“He’s my responsibility,” Levi seethed. “You think I don’t know what kind of men ar
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-08-22
Chapter: Julian Chapter 25: No More SecretsPOV: JulianJulian had survived plenty of scandals.Clients storming out of boardrooms. Campaigns collapsing in flames. Lawsuits. Competitors gunning for his throat.But nothing—nothing—had prepared him for waking up with Jamie Reyes in his arms, the imprint of his body warm against his chest, his curls tickling Julian’s chin, his soft breaths reminding him of everything he’d sworn he couldn’t have.The problem wasn’t the sex. Or even the intimacy.The problem was that Julian didn’t want to let go.And when the world found out—as it inevitably would—he’d lose everything.The retreat ended with a town hall.Everyone packed into the ballroom, cheap coffee in hand, clapping politely while executives made speeches about “collaboration” and “synergy.”Julian sat near the front, jaw tight, pretending he was listening. His skin still buzzed from the night before, from the way Jamie had whispered ruin me like a prayer, from the way his body had answered without hes
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-08-22
Chapter: Jamie Chapter 24: Temptation ReignsPOV: JamieJamie had avoided Julian for three days.Three days of silence. Three days of cold professionalism. Three days of convincing himself that he could breathe without that man’s orbit pulling him in.He hadn’t died. He hadn’t quit. He hadn’t even cried (much).But God—it hurt.Every time he passed Julian in the hall and caught a whiff of cedar cologne, every time he saw him at the head of a meeting in those perfectly pressed shirtsleeves, every time their eyes met for half a second too long before one of them looked away—Jamie’s heart bruised itself against his ribs.He was surviving. Not living.And then came the Chicago retreat.It was mandatory. Company-wide. A “strategic offsite” to boost morale, deepen cross-departmental collaboration, and remind employees that Black + Lane was a family.Jamie wanted to puke.Especially when Avery texted him a screenshot of the logistics email:> Room assignments are double occupancy.Jamie groaned so loudly h
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-08-19
Chapter: Jamie Chapter 23: Lines in the SandPOV: JamieJamie’s heart was still racing when he stormed out of the conference room. His lips tingled, his shirt collar was crooked, and his skin still hummed where Julian had touched him.Every nerve screamed at him to turn back. To grab Julian again. To finish what they started on that table.But he didn’t.Because he was done.Done being the one who carried the weight, while Julian wore his mask of restraint and control. Done being the one to ache alone, while Julian pretended their fire was a passing spark.Jamie ducked into the bathroom, splashed water on his face, and stared at himself in the mirror. His reflection was wild-eyed, flushed, trembling.“Get a grip,” he muttered.Except—why should he?Why should he keep shrinking himself to fit the narrative Julian had written? The one where Jamie was temptation, a mistake, something to hide?Fuck that.The rest of the day dragged like molasses. Every time Jamie caught sight of Julian in the halls—comp
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-08-18
Chapter: Julian Chapter 22: Pressure PointsPOV: JulianJulian had convinced himself he could manage it.He’d survived worse temptations in his life—old habits, bad vices, toxic people. He’d learned the art of control so thoroughly that it had become his armor, his identity.But Jamie Reyes was not a temptation. He was a slow collapse. Every time Julian told himself to keep distance, Jamie smiled at someone in the office, or left coffee rings on his desk, or laughed too loudly at something Avery said—and Julian’s resolve cracked another inch.By Wednesday, it was dust.It started with the conference room.The Franklin team had left notes scattered across the table, mockups pinned to corkboards, the remnants of a late-night brainstorm. Julian came in early to review the boards. Jamie slipped in a few minutes later, laptop tucked under one arm, coffee in the other, and froze when he realized the room wasn’t empty.“Sorry,” Jamie muttered, hovering at the door. “Didn’t know you were in here.”Julian’s t
Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-08-18
Masuk
