I was supposed to be focused on my work.Mary and Kimberly had been unusually quiet since Nicholas shut her down privately last week. But silence from someone like her never meant peace. It meant planning.I had just finished reviewing the figures for our client pitch when my phone buzzed. Unknown number. My heart skipped. I knew better than to answer random calls after everything with Dan. Still, I tapped the green icon like an idiot."Miss Moore," a familiar voice said, low and oily.Dan.I stood up from my desk and walked fast toward the restroom. "How did you get this number?"He chuckled. "Same way I got that photo. I told you, Regina. You're in a different league now.""I blocked you.""Yet here I am." His voice dropped. "You looked rattled last time. I thought I'd send you another gift.""Another gift? I don't even understand you any--"But before I could continue, he had already hung up. The fuck!Seconds later, my email pinged and an image popped up on the screen. No subject.
Regina's POV The office felt too quiet. Phoned rang and customers were clearly around but even with phones ringing, keyboards clacking, and everyone fake-laughing down the hall, I couldn't shake the silence inside me. Like my instincts were trying to scream—but I had them on mute.Nicholas hadn't texted me since last night.Not good night, not are you okay, not even a thumbs-up emoji.I stared at my phone for the hundredth time today. Still nothing."Whatever." I heaved in. I wasn't going to beg.I pulled my attention back to the project we were finalizing—a massive client pitch that could win the firm a big contract. I'd practically bled over this presentation. If we landed this deal, it would silence every whisper about how I only got here because of Nicholas.The thought made my stomach turn. I earned this. Every late night, every win. Nicholas or not."Regina, conference room in ten," my team lead called out.I nodded, but my throat felt tight. This meeting needed to go well. It
Regina kept to herself for the next few days, she knew that Jenna must have been beyond anxious waiting for a response from her and this was confirmed when she heard a knock on her door and it turned out to be Jenna. Regina sat still in her seat while waiting for her to speak up. Regina was in no hurry and neither was Jenna as well. It did not seem to matter to Regina how long the silence would last, she was determined to wait until Jenna would break. Jenna stood awkwardly by the corner of Regina’s office, her eyes darting everywhere except at the woman seated across from her. Regina’s expression was unreadable, her arms folded as she leaned back slightly in her chair. The tension in the room was thick, coiling around them like smoke. Finally, Jenna's voice broke through the silence, brittle and uneven.“I’m sorry, Regina. I really am.”Regina arched a brow, her voice smooth but cool. “Sorry? For what exactly, Jenna? For lying to me for months? For playing both sides? Or for only de
Morning light crept through the half-closed blinds of Regina’s apartment, casting long golden slashes across the hardwood floor. She had barely slept. The weight of the last day’s work was weighing on her. She did not feel like getting up from her bed but she had no choice. Work awaited. Picking herself up from the bed, she went into the bathroom and freshened up. She decided on a mini green dress that looked both official and sexy and a nude colored heels to match the color of her handbag. She made her hair into a ponytail and she was all ready for work after a slight make up. Her phone suddenly came alive with a text message and she would not say she was surprised to see that it was Jenna. The message was short: “Can we meet this morning? Please. It’s important.”Regina stared at it for a long minute, suspicion gnawing at her. She had already known that Jenna would reach out to her but she did not just expect it to so quick. But curiosity, coupled with a simmering need for answer
The presentation went well and Jenna was on her way back from there. She could no longer ignore the rumbling in her stomach so she went to a small fast food got herself something to eat. After satisfying her hunger, she walked out of the place and went towards her car.As she made to pull the door open, her eyes met with a fine dark green bag sitting by the window of a store. She could not help but to notice how beautiful the bag was, even from afar. She stood where she was by her car, a thought crawling into her head. What would she think if she did something like that so suddenly after giving her the cold shoulders? Yep, Regina. Would she accept the gift? But there was no need to think twice. So she crossed over to the other side of the street-- thankfully the red traffic light was turned on-- and walked into the store. Moments later, she returned with a fancy green hand bag neatly stored in a box and only then did she get into her car and continue driving her way.The rest of t
Jenna was feeling nervous as she made her way to ni Nicholas' office. No matter how slow her steps were, her legs still led her to his office and now she was standing just outside. Adjusting her clothes, she knocked twice and went into the office. Her heart skipped when she saw Regina standing inside the office as well. Maybe it was truly what she feared after all."Oh good you're here." Nicholas said as he noticed her after looking up. "Sorry to bother you at all but I have an errand for you and Regina. Come sit and let me explain." He invited her over to sit. Regina was already sitting. Jenna batted her lashes once. "An... Errand?" She asked uncertainly. Nicholas gave a nod of his head and pointed at the seat next to Regina, asking her to sit. "Ah of course..." She muttered softly as she hurried up her steps to take a seat.She bowed her head to Regina as a simply greeting. More of a nod. She did not bother to look at her. Regina responded with a simple nod as well and a gentl
Sitting at the dining table at her apartment, Jenna traced the tip of her white coffee mug absentmindedly. Her other hand rested on her cheek while leaning on the table. As still as her lips remained, several conversations ran non stop in her head. She could not stop herself from thinking about what she had witnessed. How intimate it was...The memory was fresh in her head like a very fresh wound. Tormenting her mind and keeping her awake. She felt torn between responsibility and her own personal feelings. She had not noticed how much time had passed by where she was sitting. It was already after midnight, her coffee had even gone cold, yet she traced round the edges with her finger, lost in a maze created by her own thoughts. Her finger tips left the mug and wrapped around the coffee mug handle, raising the mug to her lips, she took a sip. The cold liquid felt so irritating that she spat it out without thinking twice. Dropping the mug back on the table, she picked up a tissue pap
Nicholas stumbled through the door of his penthouse, the heavy thud of it closing behind him echoing through the empty space. The club had been loud, chaotic— filled with music and people and all the distractions he’d desperately chased tonight. But none of it had worked. The gnawing emptiness inside him had only grown.He shrugged off his jacket and kicked off his shoes, his body sluggish and uncoordinated from the alcohol coursing through his veins. His tie hung loose around his neck, and his shirt was half-untucked, a mess that matched the storm in his chest.Dragging himself toward his bedroom, Nicholas barely managed to make it to the bed before collapsing face-first into the mattress. The room spun around him, but he couldn’t summon the energy to care. All he wanted was for the pain to stop, even if only for a few hours of restless sleep.With a groan, he sat up just long enough to strip off his wristwatch, the weight of it suddenly unbearable. He opened the drawer of his bedsid
Nicholas had always thought of himself as a man in control— control of his business, his image, his emotions. But the days following Regina’s sudden disappearance stripped him of every illusion he had about his own strength.At first, he had clung to anger. He told himself she was being childish, that she’d come around eventually. He kept calling, kept texting, convinced that persistence would wear her down. But when his messages remained unanswered and days turned into a week, something darker began to settle inside him.It started with sleepless nights. He would lie awake until dawn, staring at the ceiling, his mind running in circles. The silence of his penthouse, once a comfort, now felt like a prison. Her absence echoed in every room, every corner, as if the very walls missed her.And then came the drinking.At first, it was just a glass of whiskey to calm his nerves. But soon, one glass turned into two, then three. By the second week, Nicholas found himself at the bottom of a bo