LOGINI ordered wine. The work wasn't finished. The room was quieter. She took the glass without comment. Drank. Set it down and kept writing. She spoke about the eastern corridor communities directly, without framing or adjustment, as if they existed in the room with us. Her hand moved as she talked, m
Edward's POV The door opened behind me. No knock. She came in already talking. "I need your numbers from Rotterdam before we fix anything else," she said. "The version you gave him assumes—" She stopped. I didn't turn immediately. Just reached for the towel, dragged it once over my face, then
The auctioneer's cadence moved through the wall. I had built something without him. That was still true. It would stay true. Whatever I said next didn't touch it. "I don't know," I said. "That's the honest answer. Not the managed version." I met his gaze. "I don't know if what's left is enough to
Alicia's POV The older man was still talking. "Seven years," he said. "Four jurisdictions. We moved water infrastructure across borders that hadn't spoken to each other in a generation." His hands traced corridors in the air between us. "The archive is the proof it happened. That it worked." He tu
“You entered without cause,” I said. “You stayed without one.” “I don’t know what this is between you two but—” “My wife.” No variation in tone. No additional weight needed. Alicia’s hand lifted a little, then halted mid-motion and settled again without completing the gesture. The woman exhaled
Edward’s POV “Forty thousand. Do I have forty-five?” The paddle was already raised. Alicia’s hand remained under mine, unchanged in position, as though neither of us had adjusted to its presence since it settled there. “Forty-five.” I raised. “Fifty. Fifty-five.” On the left, a man leaned forw
Alicia's POV Vivienne’s pearls caught the light as she reappeared, every inch of her radiating quiet authority. I rose before she reached the table. “I’m so sorry, Vivienne,” I said smoothly, my voice faking all sophistication, just how Lucy would have sounded, misted with honey. “You’d stepped aw
Alicia’s POV I stepped inside. The room smelled of leather, old books, and the faint trace of his cologne. The desk lamp cast shadows across his face. I didn’t sit. Just stood there with my arms wrapped around myself. “About last night,” I started. My voice was smaller than I wanted. “About that
My throat tightened. “I know.” “And whatever’s going on, you can tell me. I’m not going to break.” Yes, you will. You’ll break if I tell you I’m pregnant with a man who doesn’t want me. That I’m trapped in a marriage that was supposed to be temporary but became permanent the moment I fell in love
“Yes.” Her voice came out steady. I glanced at the mug. “You should eat something.” “I did.” She was lying. The kitchen was too clean. No crumbs, no dishes in the sink except the single mug. But I didn’t push it. “We should leave in five minutes.” She nodded. Poured the tea down the drain. Ri







