LOGINAdrian's"Look at her go, Adrian—I mean, the girl has been hauling those forty-pound vintage crates up five long flights of concrete service stairs for four hours straight, and she hasn't dropped a single zipper or shed a single tear in front of Vance," Julian's lazy, mocking voice cut through the quiet, climate-controlled air of my executive suite, instantly scratching at my raw nerves like a rusted blade.I didn't turn away from the floor-to-ceiling glass wall.I stood completely frozen in place, my hands shoved so deep into my trouser pockets that my fingers clutched into tight, white-knuckled fists, my split skin—still discolored and raw from the violent afterparty scandal at the venue—stinging beneath the fine tailored fabric. From this five-floor-high vantage point, the main design floor below looked like a sprawling, white-tiled grid, populated by junior designers, pattern-cutters, and wardrobe assistants who scurried around like tiny, insignificant insects.But my eyes weren't
Liora's By the time my flat shoes struck the landing of the third floor, my lungs were burning as if they were filled with dry ash, my breath forming faint white puffs of vapor in the dim air. The sweat was pouring down my face, melting the high-fashion cosmetics the makeup artists had applied the previous afternoon, leaving my skin feeling sticky and cold. My fingers were slick with sweat, the rough wood splintering into my palms as the dead weight of the iron zippers pressed down on my ribcage, making it completely impossible to draw a full breath of air. Just keep moving, I prayed silently into the dark corners of the concrete landing, my eyes wide with a desperate panic as my vision began to flicker slightly at the edges. Do it for Evelyn. Just survive the steps. I pushed through the heavy fire doors of the fifth floor, my chest heaving in short, jagged gasps as I carried the first archive box onto the main design floor. The conversation among the departments died down to a
Liora's "If you have enough energy to destroy this company’s elite reputation at a high-society function, you have enough energy to earn your pathetic wage," Miss Vance’s voice barked, slicing through the heavy, humid air of the lower basement textiles archive like a rusted blade. I stood completely frozen at the base of the metal shelving units, my chest heaving beneath my gray uniform as my fingers clawed tightly into the edges of my canvas bag. The suffocating weight of the transport shuttle ride—and the deep-seated hatred from the pattern-cutters who had spent the morning whispering about my pregnancy—was still vibrating through my nerves. But facing the head wardrobe manager was an entirely different kind of psychological warfare. Miss Vance stood under the flickering, caged halogen bulbs of the basement, her arms crossed tightly over her designer tweed blazer, her sharp eyes mapping the pale lines of my face with absolute, unadulterated venom. "I am ready to work, ma'am,"
Liora's Pov The morning sun beat down mercilessly onto the cracked asphalt of the outer transit station, but the heat outside was nothing compared to the blistering, toxic hostility radiating from the crowd of workers waiting for the early corporate transport shuttle. I stood near the back of the queue, my fingers clawing into the rough fabric of my canvas bag, my heart hammering a frantic, exhausting rhythm against my ribs. I had my head firmly bowed, the stiff white cap pinned securely into my dark curls, desperately trying to shrink into the heavy gray cotton of my maid uniform. I wanted to be an invisible ghost. I wanted to dissolve into the shadows of the lower staff and forget the shattering intensity of what had happened in Adrian's room just hours before. But the universe had absolutely no intention of letting me hide. "Look at her, still pretending she doesn't know she's the most hated woman in the city today," a sharp, venomous voice hissed from the center of the
Liora's Pov The harsh morning sunlight cut through the gaps in the heavy velvet drapes like a sequence of physical blades, instantly shattering the warm, dark illusion of the night before. I woke up with a sharp jolt, my heart immediately hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs as the reality of my surroundings crashed back into my mind. I was lying on the absolute edge of the massive king-sized mattress, the heavy down comforter clutched tightly against my chin, hiding the bare skin beneath. Two feet away, the silk sheets shifted with a loud, crisp rustle. Adrian sat up, his broad, bare back completely rigid as he swung his long legs over the side of the bed. The raw, muscular density of his shoulders was framed by the bright morning light, but his entire posture was locked into a line of pure, unyielding stone. The frantic, breathless vulnerability of the night—the low moans, the frantic whispers against my neck, and the desperate hunger that had completely shattered his
Liora's Pov Adrian’s weight pressed down on me, a heavy, solid heat that anchored my shivering body to the silk sheets. The frantic shouting from the elite party, the sting of my stepmother’s public rage, and the cruel, classist insults he had hurled at me just moments ago all faded into the background. The only things that existed in the room were the rhythmic, ragged gasps of his breathing and the erratic drumming of my own heart against my ribs. He didn't move aggressively. For a long, agonizing second, Adrian simply pinned me beneath him, his dark, wild eyes searching mine in the dim amber moonlight filtering through the heavy velvet drapes. The hard, untouchable mask of the corporate executive was entirely gone, replaced by a raw, turbulent vulnerability that made my chest ache. His large hands traveled slowly up the sides of my arms, his touch no longer a cold, iron grip but a feverish, trembling stroke that left my skin tingling. "Liora," he whispered, his voice
Liora's Pov I sat exposed, looking entirely small and terrified under their glares. Vanessa and Chloe stood in the threshold, their arms crossed, wide smirks twisting their lips as they looked down at my gray uniform and my shivering frame. "Look at the future Mrs. Hawthorne," Chloe mocked, poi
Liora's Pov The fifth-floor office restroom smelled heavily of bleach and expensive lavender soap, a stark contrast to the thick, toxic dread pooling in my stomach. I sat curled up on the cold toilet seat, my knees pulled up tightly to my chest under my gray uniform skirt, desperately trying to
My fingers dug into the fabric of my coarse linen apron as I hurried down the sweeping gravel path of the estate, the crunch of the stones beneath my flat shoes sounding deafeningly loud in the crisp morning air. I kept my head bowed, the fabric of my gray uniform scratching against the collar of
Liora's PovThe moment the frosted glass doors close behind me, my mind instantly race into a chaotic, terrifying maze of wild, unwanted thoughts.As I walk toward the deep-sunken porcelain tub, my imagination begins to spin completely out of control.Why is he doing this? Is he going to force me i







