Chapter: Chapter 28ArianaDamien closed the distance between us before lowering himself onto the sand beside me, stretching one leg out while bending the other, his jacket resting beside him.The waves rolled onto the shore, retreating just as gently as they came.I looked at him, confused. "Why were you looking for me?"He turned his head toward me, squinting slightly as though the answer should've been obvious. "Why wouldn't I? I left you at home this morning because you weren't feeling well."His gaze swept over me once before settling on my face again. "I came back, and you're nowhere in the penthouse." One dark eyebrow rose. "Of course I was going to look for you."Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten. I looked away first. "I'm not sick." I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "I'm just going through a... temporary phase."He gave a noncommittal shrug. "Sounds the same to me.""It isn't." I snapped my heads towards him fast. "It is. I know you're in pain."Matter-of-fac
Last Updated: 2026-07-14
Chapter: Chapter 27ArianaThe first thing I noticed when I woke up the next morning was that I wasn't in agony.The familiar ache was still there. But compared to yesterday?It was bearable. I let out a quiet breath of relief. Maybe the medication had finally started working.Or maybe Damien's ridiculously strong ginger tea had actually done something.The thought made me smile before I could stop myself. Who would've guessed?I slowly sat up, waiting for another sharp cramp to hit. It didn't. Not immediately, anyway.Progress.I stretched carefully before swinging my legs over the side of the bed. My body still felt a little heavy, but no longer like it was actively plotting against me.After brushing my teeth and taking a warm shower, I changed into a comfortable cream-colored knit top and loose linen trousers. My stomach growl reminding me it needed rescue. I quietly opened the bedroom door and made my way downstairs.The penthouse was unusually silent. No sound of Damien on the phone."Damien?"No
Last Updated: 2026-07-13
Chapter: Chapter 26ArianaI winced as another cramp twisted through my lower abdomen. Curling onto my side, I rested my head against the soft pillow and pulled the duvet a little higher over myself.It didn't help.Nothing ever really did during the first day.The pain came in waves—sometimes dull enough to ignore, other times sharp enough to make me question every life decision that had led me to this moment.I let out a slow breath, pressing the warm towel Damien had somehow managed to get against my stomach.If someone had told me this morning that Damien Valmont would be the one buying me painkillers and sanitary pads...I would've laughed in their face.Yet here I was. Alone in the guest room of his penthouse while he had gone out to buy them himself.The memory alone made me want to bury my face in the pillow.I still couldn't believe I'd actually told him.It's... my period. I'd wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.It had taken him nearly five minutes of patient questioning before I'd
Last Updated: 2026-07-12
Chapter: Chapter 25DamienI stole another glance at Ariana. She thought she was eating. She wasn't.She'd been moving the same piece of grilled chicken around her plate for the past five minutes, cutting it into smaller pieces without actually taking more than two bites.Something was wrong. I noticed it back at the second meeting. She'd been quieter than usual.Not that Ariana was particularly talkative around me to begin with. We spoke when necessary, exchanged the occasional sarcastic remark, argued more often than either of us cared to admit...But this was different.Every few minutes, her brows pinched together almost imperceptibly before smoothing out again. She'd shift slightly in her seat, then pretend nothing had happened.Most people wouldn't have noticed. I did."You've barely eaten."She looked up from her plate, clearly not expecting me to speak."I'm eating.""No."I gestured toward her plate."You're relocating food."Her lips parted slightly before she glanced back down."I guess I'm no
Last Updated: 2026-07-11
Chapter: Chapter 24ArianaI couldn't remember the last time I'd slept that peacefully.Maybe it was because I was exhausted from the journey. Or maybe it was because the bed in Damien's penthouse was so ridiculously comfortable that it felt like sleeping on a cloud.Either way...When I finally opened my eyes, I found myself staring at the unfamiliar ceiling for a few seconds before remembering where I was.France. Right.I let out a small groan and rolled onto my back. For one dangerous moment, I considered staying exactly where I was.Unfortunately...I wasn't here on vacation.I was here because my impossible boss had practically kidnapped me onto his private jet for a business trip.Work. The reminder alone was enough to make me force myself upright. The moment I sat up, a dull ache settled low in my abdomen.I winced. I closed my eyes, pressing a hand lightly against my stomach.I knew that feeling.My monthly period was probably on its way. Every single month, without fail, the cramps arrived first.
Last Updated: 2026-07-10
Chapter: Chapter 23ArianaShopping with Damien Valmont was an experience. Not because he asked for my opinion or because he patiently waited while I browsed through clothes.The man treated shopping the same way he treated business meetings.Fast. Efficient. And completely devoid of emotion.The moment we stepped into the boutique, three sales associates greeted him as though he owned the place. Within minutes, dresses, blouses, tailored trousers, coats, shoes, handbags, and even toiletries had appeared from every direction.Every time I picked something modestly priced, he'd simply shake his head before instructing one of the attendants to bring another option.Something more expensive. Something I wouldn't have dreamed of buying with my own money.At some point, I'd simply stopped arguing.It was like arguing with a brick wall. An incredibly rich brick wall.By the time we left, I was convinced I'd somehow become the owner of an entirely new wardrobe.The shopping bags filled nearly half the trunk of
Last Updated: 2026-07-09
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