LOGINMarissa POV Monday morning came way too fast. Monday was normally my least favorite day of the week, but this particular one felt like a nightmare. I knew by now that Vivienne would have spread malicious rumors about me all around the office. My only desperate hope was that the news hadn't passed our department block yet.To think all of this was happening because of a damn bottle of soy sauce. I still couldn't get over the nerve of Xavier showing up at my door later that same Sunday with the sauce in hand. The silly, unbothered look on his face while I berated him inwardly was etched into my memory."Universe, if you save me from this today, I promise to always be on my best behavior," I whispered under my breath as I grabbed my bag. It was a complete lie, but I was willing to say anything to get out of this bad luck.I really wished I could skip work today, but running away would only make me look guilty and make the situation ten times worse.Imagine my absolute annoyance and frus
Marissa POVThere is nothing worse than being on the absolute brink of starvation on a lazy Sunday morning, only to realize you are missing the one ingredient that holds your entire meal together.I stood over my kitchen counter, staring down at my pan with a spatula in hand, my stomach letting out a growl so loud it practically echoed off the walls. I was missing soy sauce. Just a single tablespoon of dark soy sauce, and my morning would be saved.My mind instantly drifted to the front door across the hall. Xavier.I cringed, holding my forehead as the memory of yesterday slammed into me. The amusement park. The Ferris wheel. The absolute silence as he leaned across the glass cabin, his hand resting on my cheek, and his lips pressing softly against mine. My face burned at the sheer thought of it. How was I supposed to just knock on his door and ask for cooking ingredients after a moment like that? It was beyond awkward.I stared at my half cooked food. My head was pounding, my knees
Marissa POVIt had been a full week since I started suspecting that Xavier Sterling might actually be Silver Mask. Every time the thought crossed my mind, connecting the claw marks on his neck, the silver glitter in his car, and how he knew my exact address, I felt completely twisted up. Half of me felt insane for thinking my arrogant boss was the guy from the club, while the other half was terrified of what it meant if I was right. To make matters worse, Alina and I had not talked all week because of our chaotic schedules.So I was totally thrown off when my apartment doorbell rang at eight o'clock on a sunny Saturday morning. I opened the door and found Alina standing on my welcome mat.She brought Roosevelt along, and before I could even rub the sleep out of my eyes, she told us all that we were going to an amusement park.I did not really have a choice, so I went to change. I put on a fitted white tank top, high-waisted jeans, and my white sneakers. When we walked down to the lob
Marissa POVIt had been a full week since I started suspecting that Xavier Sterling might actually be Silver Mask. Every time the thought crossed my mind, connecting the claw marks on his neck, the silver glitter in his car, and how he knew my exact address, I felt completely twisted up. Half of me felt insane for thinking my arrogant boss was the guy from the club, while the other half was terrified of what it meant if I was right. To make matters worse, Alina and I had not talked all week because of our chaotic schedules.So I was totally thrown off when my apartment doorbell rang at eight o'clock on a sunny Saturday morning. I opened the door and found Alina standing on my welcome mat.She brought Roosevelt along, and before I could even rub the sleep out of my eyes, she told us all that we were going to an amusement park.I did not really have a choice, so I went to change. I put on a fitted white tank top, high-waisted jeans, and my white sneakers. When we walked down to the lob
Marissa POV “Perhaps because he is in the same circle as my boss, Xav must have known to drop me here since I mentioned being his neighbor…” I reasoned in my head, exhaling a slow, shaky breath.I smoothed down the wrinkled hem of my outfit, making a strict mental note to grill him about it later when my head wasn't spinning so wildly.I turned around to head toward the lobby glass doors, taking two steps forward before a warm hand suddenly landed squarely on my shoulder."Ah!" I shrieked, jumping half a foot into the air and spinning around with my heart hammering against my ribs.Standing there with her hands planted firmly on her hips, looking like an elite interrogator caught in the middle of a high-stakes crime scene, was Alina."None of my tenants are currently in this building... why is that? Was it planned?" she bombarded me without even letting me catch my breath, her sharp eyes darting from my ruined, messy hair down to my silver heels."Can you... can you come again?" I as
Marissa POVMy eyes fluttered open to the soft, golden morning light filtering through the sheer velvet curtains of the private VIP suite.For a second, my brain was completely foggy, heavy with the lingering exhaustion of the night before. But as I shifted against the impossibly soft sheets, I realized two things simultaneously, I was completely clean, and I was wrapped tightly in a thick, plush white bathrobe that definitely wasn't mine.A slow heat rushed to my face as the memories hit me in a wave. The blackout. The marble counter. The ruthless, possessive hands dragging me into the dark, and the explosive, undeniable fire that had completely consumed us both.After I had collapsed against his chest, completely spent and unable to keep my eyes open, I had fallen asleep right there in the dark. But he had stayed. To my absolute surprise, he had carried me to the adjacent private bedroom, gently cleaned me up, tucked me in, and stayed by my side the entire night.I turned my head on
Marissa POVI twisted the doorknob, my palms slightly damp, not knowing what exactly to expect. Instead of a stiff panel of stone faced interviewers, I spotted a red haired woman, probably in her mid-thirties. She had popping blue eyes that seemed to vibrate with intelligence, and she was staring a
Marissa POVMy stomach felt like it was eating itself. After the fifth rejection, I had finally given up on the corporate crawl and ducked into a small, dimly lit restaurant three blocks away from the Grand. I didn't care about the menu prices....I just needed something to stop the shaking in my ha
Marissa POV The air conditioning in the HR office was dialed down to a bone chilling temperature, but my palms were still damp. I sat on the edge of the designer chair, watching Mrs. Gable a woman whose glasses were perched so far down her nose they seemed to be defying gravity flip through my CV
Marissa POVThe house was too quiet now that Ethan’s presence had been scrubbed from the entryway, but the silence didn't last long. A few hours after the mysterious courier vanished, the front door swung open for the only person who could match my level of chaos.Hailey burst in like a whirlwind,







