LOGINAdrian sat alone in his office, the morning silence broken only by the occasional hum of traffic beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.Spread across his desk were two sets of geological reports.The original version.And the "complete" version Carter Holdings had delivered the previous afternoon.He had spent nearly an hour comparing them.Every page was in order.The supporting data for the western section was there.Soil composition.Groundwater analysis.Load-bearing capacity.Everything that had been missing before.On paper...Nothing was wrong.Adrian leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on the reports.He should have been satisfied.Instead...Something felt off.Not because of what the documents contained—But because of how easily they had appeared.When Rivera Corporation requested the missing files, Carter Holdings had sent them over almost immediately.No delays.No objections.No excuses.As though they had been expecting the request all along.His fingers tapped light
The western section of the Horizon Bay construction site was noticeably quieter than the rest of the project.Tower cranes continued their slow rhythm in the distance while trucks moved in and out of the eastern entrance, but here, the heavy machinery had fallen silent.A small group of engineers stood around a digital survey station, speaking in hushed voices as they compared measurements.The atmosphere was tense.Not because anyone had found something.But because the numbers refused to agree.A black sedan bearing the Rivera Corporation emblem rolled through the security gate and came to a stop near the temporary site office.Elena stepped out first, fastening the button of her navy blazer as she looked toward the waiting engineers.Marcus joined her a moment later."What exactly happened?" Elena asked.The site manager walked over immediately."Thank you for coming so quickly, Ms. Rivera."He nodded respectfully to Marcus before continuing."Our survey team found inconsistencies
A shrill ringtone shattered the quiet of Sofia's bedroom.She buried her face deeper into the pillow."Mmm..."Her hand blindly searched beneath the blanket before giving up."Whoever it is...""They'll stop eventually."The ringing continued.Once.Twice.Three times.Sofia let out a frustrated groan."Oh, come on..."She rolled onto her back and stretched toward the bedside table, nearly knocking over a lamp before finally grabbing her phone.Without bothering to check the caller ID, she answered."Hello..."A sleepy yawn escaped her lips as she pushed a curtain of messy hair away from her face."Hija."The deep, commanding voice instantly chased away every trace of sleep.Sofia's eyes flew open."...Papá?"She slowly lowered the phone and glanced at the screen.DON SALVATORE ALVAREZ"...Damn."She whispered the curse beneath her breath before lifting the phone back to her ear."You finally decided to answer."His voice was calm.Too calm.Sofia remained silent.Neither of them spok
The atmosphere inside Rivera Corporation felt noticeably different.From the reception lobby to the executive floor, conversations carried a quiet sense of anticipation. Employees moved about their morning duties, but every now and then, someone glanced toward the elevators.Today wasn't just another workday.Today, their chairman was returning officially.The central atrium had been arranged for a brief welcome gathering. Employees from different departments gradually assembled, chatting quietly among themselves while members of the executive leadership team stood near the front.Elena Rivera exchanged a few words with the Chief Financial Officer before glancing at her wristwatch.Marcus stood nearby, tablet in hand, reviewing a schedule one last time."They're ready," he said quietly.Elena nodded.A moment later, the elevator doors opened.The conversations faded almost instantly.Richard Rivera stepped out.Dressed in a charcoal-gray suit with a crisp white shirt and navy tie, he
Elena had just arrived home from work.The day had drained every last drop of her energy. She dropped her bag on the bed, kicked off her heels, and collapsed onto the mattress, letting her back sink into the soft sheets.Finally…A moment to breathe.For a while, her mind was blissfully blank.Her eyes drifted toward the ceiling as her thoughts inevitably returned to Adrian.*So he pays attention to the way I take my coffee.*A small, unwilling smile tugged at her lips.For a second, she had almost believed he remembered. That he somehow still carried pieces of their past.But that would’ve been dangerous.Her mind flashed back to the elevator.The way he had draped his jacket over her shoulders without hesitation. The warmth of it. The faint scent of his cologne that still seemed to linger.Another smile escaped before she could stop it.Then it faded.She shouldn’t be thinking about him this way.She was the one who left him.If he ever remembered the full truth… he might never forg
The executive floor had grown noticeably quieter.Most employees had already returned to their respective departments after the project meeting, leaving only the occasional footsteps echoing through the corridor.Inside Elena's office, however...The work was far from over.Blueprints, contracts, and engineering reports covered almost every inch of the conference table.The single-page geological report Adrian had obtained lay at the center.Elena leaned over the table, one hand resting against its polished surface while the other flipped through the Horizon Bay master proposal.Adrian stood opposite her, sleeves rolled to his forearms, his tie loosened slightly after the long morning.Neither of them had spoken for several minutes.Only the soft rustle of paper broke the silence.Elena compared another document before shaking her head."No..."She picked up the geological report again."This doesn't make sense."Adrian looked up from the survey blueprint."What did you find?"She tur
Sophia Vale, Adrian’s sister, ignored the greetings trailing after her as she strode toward the elevator to his office, lips pressed thin, brows knitting.The elevator opened to Daniel, attention locked on his tablet. He seemed too busy to notice anything else—and that quiet disregard only deepened
The penthouse was quiet in the early hours, wrapped in stillness broken only by the distant hum of the city below. Elena's bedroom was a spacious, quiet retreat with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, the lights outside casting a faint glow across the minimalist space.Elena slept calml
Elena's thumb hovered over the call button for the third time that evening.Adrian Vale's name glowed on the screen like a ghost from a life she had buried five years ago.One call.That was all it would take to bring him back into her life. This could either save Rivera Corporation or reopen old
In a large office, the soft tapping of a laptop filled the room, mixed with the low hum of the air conditioner. The air smelled faintly of coffee and fresh paper, the scent of long work hours and unfinished reports.Behind the desk, Adrian Vale paused mid-keystroke, his eyes narrowing at the mess







