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Chapter 29: The Shattered Lamp

last update 최신 업데이트: 2025-09-20 03:36:17

Zara’s POV

I gulped, blinking rapidly to keep the heat from rushing to my cheeks.

“I’m fine. Please… return to your seat. We’re here for a business meeting,” I announced, forcing my voice into something steady, my gaze fixed anywhere but on him.

“I don’t care that we’re here for a meeting,” Sterling said, his tone low and dangerous.

I caught my reflection in the glass doors, dark circles carved under my eyes like shadows I couldn’t erase. I’d tried to cover them with makeup, but blending was never my talent.

“I was… watching my favorite series all night. Didn’t sleep much,” I lied quickly.

“Hmm.” It was the kind of sound that said he didn’t believe me but wasn’t going to argue yet.

“Please, just return to your seat,” I insisted, pushing the wall back between us brick by brick.

For once, he listened. He rose slowly, like a predator pulling back, and sank into his couch again. The moment he sat down, he slipped into business mode, polished, sharp, as if that raw concern a minute ago had
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