Chapter: Chapter 34Maya's Pov I stood outside Luca’s office door longer than I meant to.My fingers hovered in the air, curled slightly. The hallway was quiet, the kind of quiet that made every breath feel too loud. My heart was pounding so hard I was certain he could hear it from inside, maybe he could sense my presence before I even knocked.“Maya, it's now or never” I sucked in a breath, held it for a second longer than necessary, then knocked.The sound echoed, soft but final, like a decision I couldn’t take back.“Come in,” Luca’s voice came through the door.My hand tightened around the door handle, and I pushed it open.I took one step inside and stopped.The room was dim, the overhead lights were off, only a single lamp casting a muted glow across the space. Shadows clung to the corners, stretching long and dark across the walls. The air smelled faintly of whiskey and something sharper, something I would always recognise, Luca’s perfume.He was standing near his desk, with a glass in his hand.
Última atualização: 2025-12-26
Chapter: Chapter 33Maya's Pov “Maya, you need to relax, Nico would be fine.” Sarah said.But I couldn’t, the guilt sat in my chest heavily No matter how I shifted on the couch, no matter how many times I inhaled slowly and let the air leave my lungs, it didn’t move. It stayed there, pressing down until my ribs ached and my throat felt tight again.Sarah sat beside me, with one hand resting lightly on my arm keeping me in place. She had been talking for a while now, in a calm voice, but it was only halfway reaching me.“Maya,” she said gently, squeezing my arm. “You need to breathe. You’re making yourself sick.”I nodded, though I wasn’t sure she noticed. My eyes were fixed on the floor, on a tiny crack in the tiles that I had never noticed before today. Everything felt sharper now, sounds, thoughts, memories. I could still hear Nico’s voice accusing me, and I could still see the way Luca’s face had hardened as he walked away with his son in his arms.“I didn’t do it,” I whispered, more to myself than
Última atualização: 2025-12-25
Chapter: Chapter 32Luca’s PovI froze.For a moment, time itself seemed to stop, and the rising tension coiled around me. “You!” Nico croaked, his voice came out raw and trembling. Coughing loudly again. “You tried to kill me!” he repeated again.I could see the panic in Maya’s eyes, the frantic way she opened her mouth to speak, trying to calm him, to reason with him, to tell him that it wasn’t her fault. And I could feel my chest tightening, the mix of fear and frustration boiling up inside me.“Mr. Luca, I didn’t, there was nothing wrong with the food! I checked, I swear!” she pleaded, with her voice breaking slightly, but Nico wasn’t listening neither was I.He was insistent, his tiny hands fisted at the edge of the table, his knuckles turned white. I had to do something quickly.“Calm down, Nico,” I said, my voice coming out harsher than I intended. My chest rose and fell rapidly, my focus narrowed entirely onto him. “Breathe. Listen to me. Breathe!”But he didn’t. I could feel the stares of the o
Última atualização: 2025-12-24
Chapter: Chapter 31Maya's Pov Soon our orders arrived, I stared at the meal and grabbed a fork and knife to dig in. When I heard Nico scoff. “I'm sure you haven't eaten something like this before.”I ignored him and continued eating, or at least I tried to eat. I really did.But every movement felt wrong, every breath slightly off like I didn't fit in. The fork in my hand felt heavier than it should, I was painfully aware of my posture, of how I sat, of where my elbows were placed, of whether I was chewing too slowly or too fast.The table was tucked away from the rest of the restaurant, far from curious eyes and wandering glances. Luca must have requested privacy wrapped in quiet luxury. The soft lighting barely reached us, casting warm shadows across polished wood and crisp white tablecloths.Still, despite the distance from everyone else, I felt exposed and out of place.It wasn’t about the restaurant but the company.Luca sat across from me, relaxed in a way that looked effortless, well he must ha
Última atualização: 2025-12-24
Chapter: Chapter 30Maya's Pov The restaurant loomed ahead of us like something pulled straight out of a glossy magazine.Tall glass doors reflected the afternoon light, polished so clean they looked almost unreal, and the golden lettering above the entrance gleamed softly, I have only seen this in movies.I slowed instinctively, my steps faltering as I took it all in. Everything about the place screamed money, quiet money, the kind that didn’t need to announce itself.Nico, on the other hand, looked thrilled.He tugged at Luca’s hand excitedly, his voice low as he talked about something I couldn’t quite catch. Luca listened, nodding occasionally, his grip on Nico was steady and natural, one thing I was sure of was the bond between them. There was an ease between them now, something warm and settled, and the sight of it made my chest tighten unexpectedly.They looked ..… good together.A small smile tugged at my lips as I watched them from a few steps behind. I liked seeing Nico like this talkative, eng
Última atualização: 2025-12-24
Chapter: Chapter 29Maya's Pov The first thing I noticed was how quiet everything suddenly felt.Not because the mall had gone silent but because all the noise seemed to fade into the background the moment I stepped out. The soft murmur of voices, the distant laughter, all blurred together as awareness settled heavily on my skin.I felt… exposed.The dress hugged me in a way I wasn’t used to, the fabric lighter than anything I owned, falling against my body with an ease that made me painfully aware of every shift, every breath. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, fingers curling at my sides, resisting the urge to tug at the hem or fold my arms over my chest.It wasn’t that the dress was inappropriate.It was just ..… me.I wasn’t used to being seen like this, well except with my mask on at the club, there I barely had any clothes on.My eyes lifted instinctively, drawn toward Luca before I could stop myself.He was staring.Not in a bad way but there was no mistaking the look on his face. Hi
Última atualização: 2025-12-24
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