LOGINZOE’S POV I knew what I had done was a coward's way out but I really hadn’t been thinking when I called Maureen on Sunday night and requested to take three days off my yearly leave. So here I was on a Tuesday morning walking down the shopping aisle, absentmindedly adding items to my shopping cart. The weekend had gone by in a blur, with me being tucked in bed and occasionally responding to messages and video calls from the messy Express group chat. Lani and Ella were worried about me so they had constantly kept checking in. Julian had called at least two dozen times in the last seventy-two hours but I hadn't picked up. I still needed time; I wasn't ready to be sucked in by his intoxicating presence just yet. At least, that was what I kept telling myself. But apparently, Julian Hart had decided that if I wouldn’t answer his calls, he would simply find other ways to get my attention. It started on Saturday. A dozen bouquets of white roses had arrived at my apartment with
JULIAN’S POV It took alot of willpower not to smash everything on my desk after Zoe ended the call. The moment Peter, the head of my PR team, had told me there was another issue whilst turning his laptop screen towards me, with images of Zoe and me plastered all over it, I knew things were deeper than I thought. I stood near the conference room window dialing Zoe’s number again but it went straight to voicemail. Either she had turned off her phone or she had redirected my calls. “What do we do about the articles and images sir?” Sarah the head of my legal team, asked. “The public is asking questions. How do they trust the integrity of a candidate who is having an affair with an employee?” I turned to face the room, my features schooled into impassivity. “Issue a statement making it clear that Hart Holdings takes the privacy of its employees seriously. These allegations are baseless, and we will not allow fabricated narratives to dictate how this company operates. I wa
ZOE’S POV Almost twenty minutes later we sat side by side on one of the salon couches. I had cried so much my head hurt. Lani handed me another tissue. “You good now?” I blew my nose.“This is humiliating.” “It really isn’t.” “No.”I turned my phone toward her.“Read the comments.” She took it and her expression darkened immediately. The longer she scrolled, the angrier she looked. “Oh, absolutely not.” “What?” She kept reading then finally locked the screen. “They’re miserable.” I laughed weakly.“They seem pretty convinced.” “They don’t know you.” “It still hurts.”I stared at the floor. Lani sighed. Then gently took my hand. “Talk to me. Tell me everything.” So I did. I told her about the dinner with my parents, the marriage pressure, and my father's betrayal, and now this article. By the time I finished talking, my throat hurt. Lani sat quietly for several seconds. Then she picked up my phone. “What are you doing?” “Fixing something.” She opened
ZOE’S POV The office felt unusually quiet. Or maybe it only felt that way because my mind wouldn’t stop spinning. Across the hall, Julian had been locked in meetings with his PR and legal teams for most of the morning. People had been moving in and out of the executive floor for hours. Normally I would’ve been involved in some capacity, but after everything that had happened this week, I was grateful for the distance. At least it gave me time to think. Or overthink. I stared blankly at the spreadsheet open on my monitor, reading the same line for what had to be the fifth time without actually processing a single word. My phone sat beside my keyboard. For the third time in ten minutes, I picked it up. Still nothing. I opened my messages and stared at the conversation with Talia. Me: This isn’t fair, Talia. Dad can’t just decide who we marry because it’s convenient for him. I know we don’t always get along but surely you see how messed up this is. The typi
JULIAN’S POV The loud crack of Aaron’s golf club echoed across the quiet course as the ball soared cleanly through the morning air. “Damn,” he muttered, lowering the club. “That one felt good.” I barely looked up from where I stood near the golf cart, adjusting my glove. “You say that every time.” “Because I’m talented.” I snorted“You’re mediocre at best.” Aaron scoffed. “And yet somehow I’m still beating you.” “You’ve been keeping score?” I asked dryly. “Obviously.” A faint smirk tugged at my mouth as I stepped forward and positioned myself for my shot. The cool Thursday morning air helped clear my head slightly, but not enough. Not with everything currently happening. I swung smoothly. The ball flew across the green with precision before landing farther than Aaron’s had. His face twisted immediately. “I hate you.” “That is talent,” I replied calmly. Aaron rolled his eyes before grabbing another ball. “You’ve been in a weird mood all morning.” I di
JULIAN’S POV I stared at the reports spread across my desk, irritation simmering beneath my skin. Aaron and the rest of the campaign team had left hours ago. Maureen had also left for home a few minutes ago, after informing me that another venue had been canceled in Connecticut. Another “anonymous source” was feeding information to the press before my campaign even officially launched. And whoever was behind it knew exactly how to apply pressure without leaving obvious fingerprints. I let out an exasperated sigh as I skimmed through another email from one of the campaign coordinators. This was no longer a political competition. Someone was actively trying to destabilize me before I could even gain momentum. A frantic knock interrupted my thoughts. I barely looked up before calling out. “Not now.” The door opened anyway. Normally
JULIAN’S POVI watched as Zoe scrambled out of my office like she’d just seen a ghost.Seeing her flustered always amused me. The way she tried so damn hard to keep her composure, to act like my presence didn’t affect her, when her eyes and body said otherwise—it was addictive. Nothing turned me on
JULIAN’S POV “Cassandra, that doesn’t work.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, leaning back in my chair. “No, listen to me—if Burke wants a meeting, fine, but tell him I’m not interested in getting into politics myself. Not now, not this year. I already told him this.” Cassandra’s calm clipped
LIAM’S POV You know that feeling when you’ve messed up so bad you can’t even tell which way’s up? Like every move you make could save you… Or blow everything to hell? Yeah. That’s where I was. Madison was already waiting when I walked into the restaurant ,her back was to the window, her hair
Zoe’s POV I stared at him, waiting for him to laugh — to tell me he was joking. But Julian didn’t move. He just leaned back against the seat, watching me with those dark, unflinching eyes that stripped away every last layer of composure I had left. “Don’t look so alarmed,” he m







