Kira.E 的作品

CHAPTER 28DINNER NIGHT The week passed in a strange, suspended quiet.Maria and Francis fell into a new rhythm—professional on the surface, but charged underneath. He no longer looked away when she caught him staring. She no longer pretended not to notice. In meetings, their eyes would meet across the table, and something unspoken would pass between them. A promise. A question. A warning.Nothing happened.But everything could.By Thursday, Maria was exhausted from the tension. She sat at her desk, staring at a spreadsheet she had read three times without comprehending a single number, when her phone buzzed.Boss: Dinner tonight. 7pm. Don't be late. Inviting someone.Maria frowned. He didn't come to the office today and now this.Then she smiled and before she could give a response another message came in.Boss: A dress would be sent to you soon. My driver would come pick you up by 6:40.That was a good sign.---The car came to a stop in front of the hotel.The driver opened the do

Chapter 27BE MY WOMAN “I can see you are busy, Miss Brooks, so I would have to go back without you.“ Francis said and started leaving.Maria tried to wriggle herself out of Gabriel's hands but he held her tighter.“Let me go, Gabe.““Why is it because of your boss.““You need to move on with your life, just like I am doing.““Well I can't I already broke up with Bella. It was a mistake and I want you back.““You can't have me back, Gabriel. Please just try to let me go.““Maria, don't…”“Please don't make it harder than it already is. I'm sorry for kissing you and giving you any silly thought that I want you back. My love for you died a long time ago.“ Maria said and used her hand to released herself from him.“We can be just friends if you want, Good night Gabe.“ She said and left.She came outside the club but Francis had already left. She flagged down a taxi, giving the driver her address, and spent the ride staring out the window at the city lights blurring past.The kiss replay

Chapter 26EX BOYFRIEND Maria turned and was surprised to see Gabriel, her ex boyfriend standing before her.“What are you doing here, Maria? It's been a while.“ He said with a smug smile.“Let go of my hand.“ Maria said looking at anywhere but his face.He let go and placed his hands in his pockets.“You are a bit overdressed for this kind of place, don't you think?“ He said looking at her dress.Maria stared at her dress, it was below her knee not too long and not short.“How is that any of your business, Mr Turner.““We are being formal now, are we?““We have no reason to be otherwise and I hope we both respect our boundaries.““Fine, what do you say we sit down and chat over a couple of drinks for old times sake.““Mr Turner, I didn't come here for fun. I came here for business.““At a club? Try better Maria that lie is….““Miss Brooks,” she cut him short.“Whatever,” he shrugged “Let's go over to that free table.“ he reached out to take her hand.Then Francis came in between him

Chapter 26 MOTHERLY ADVICE Sunday arrived wrapped in pale autumn sunlight, the kind that filtered through curtains and warmed floors without quite chasing away the chill. Maria woke late, lay in bed for a long while staring at the ceiling, and finally rose when the smell of cooking drifted up from downstairs.Aunt May was in the kitchen, as she always was on Sundays, her hands dusted with flour and her gray hair pulled back in a loose bun. The radio played softly from the windowsill—old jazz, the kind Maria had become used to."There she is," May said without turning around. "I was beginning to think you'd sleep the day away.""I was tired," Maria said, sliding onto a stool at the counter."More reason for you to eat something." May slid a plate across the counter—eggs, toast, a thick slice of tomato, all arranged with the careful precision she applied to everything. "Eat."Maria ate. The food was good, familiar, settling something in her stomach that she hadn't realized was unsettl

Chapter 24 A DECISION SHE NEEDED TO MAKE Maria woke to pale sunlight filtering through unfamiliar curtains. For a moment, panic seized her—the instinctive jolt of not knowing where she was, her limbs tangled in sheets that smelled wrong, too soft, too expensive. Her heart hammered against her ribs as fragments of the previous night rushed back: the storm, Sophia's insistence, the tea, the fire. The fire. She had fallen asleep on the sofa. She was certain of it. But she was in a bed now, cocooned in silk sheets that pooled like liquid around her legs. Her shoes had been removed and placed neatly beside the nightstand. Her coat hung on the back of a nearby chair, draped carefully, as though someone had taken care to let it dry. Someone had. Maria pushed herself upright, the sheets slipping to her waist. Morning light poured through tall windows, illuminating dust motes that drifted lazily in the air. The room was beautiful—pale walls, fresh flowers on the vanity, a painti

Chapter 23THE VISIT TO HIS MANSIONThe cab slowed to a halt before the tall iron gates of Francis’s estate. Rain drizzled lightly, misting the air, and Maria came down and paid the driver. She walked forward, clutching the file tightly against her chest. The guards approached, stern-faced, their uniforms crisp despite the damp weather. “Name?” one demanded. “Maria,” she replied, voice steady though her heart raced. “I’m here to deliver a file to Mr. Francis.” The guard exchanged a glance with his partner, then pulled out a phone. Maria stood awkwardly in the drizzle, her shoes damp, as he dialed. A brief conversation followed, clipped and efficient. Finally, the guard nodded. “You may enter. He confirmed.” The gates swung open with mechanical precision, and the she walked cautiously into the estate. Maria’s breath caught as the mansion came into view. ---It was breathtaking. Elegant fountains arched water into the air, their droplets catching the faint glow of garden lig