LOGINZOEâS POV I knew what I had done was a coward's way out but I really hadnât 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 wouldnât 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
JULIANâS 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 Zoeâs number again but it went straight to voicemail. Either she had turned off her phone or she had redirected my calls. âWhat do we do about the articles and images sir?â Sarah the head of my legal team, asked. âThe public is asking questions. How do they trust the integrity of a candidate who is having an affair with an employee?â I turned to face the room, my features schooled into impassivity. âIssue 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
ZOEâS 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. âYou good now?â I blew my nose.âThis is humiliating.â âIt really isnât.â âNo.âI turned my phone toward her.âRead the comments.â She took it and her expression darkened immediately. The longer she scrolled, the angrier she looked. âOh, absolutely not.â âWhat?â She kept reading then finally locked the screen. âTheyâre miserable.â I laughed weakly.âThey seem pretty convinced.â âThey donât know you.â âIt still hurts.âI stared at the floor. Lani sighed. Then gently took my hand. âTalk to me. Tell me everything.â 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. âWhat are you doing?â âFixing something.â She opened
ZOEâS POV The office felt unusually quiet. Or maybe it only felt that way because my mind wouldnât 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 wouldâve 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 isnât fair, Talia. Dad canât just decide who we marry because itâs convenient for him. I know we donât always get along but surely you see how messed up this is. The typi
JULIANâS POV The loud crack of Aaronâs golf club echoed across the quiet course as the ball soared cleanly through the morning air. âDamn,â he muttered, lowering the club. âThat one felt good.â I barely looked up from where I stood near the golf cart, adjusting my glove. âYou say that every time.â âBecause Iâm talented.â I snortedâYouâre mediocre at best.â Aaron scoffed. âAnd yet somehow Iâm still beating you.â âYouâve been keeping score?â I asked dryly. âObviously.â 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 Aaronâs had. His face twisted immediately. âI hate you.â âThat is talent,â I replied calmly. Aaron rolled his eyes before grabbing another ball. âYouâve been in a weird mood all morning.â I di
JULIANâS 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 âanonymous sourceâ 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. âNot now.â The door opened anyway. Normally
JULIANâS POVI watched as Zoe scrambled out of my office like sheâd 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 didnât affect her, when her eyes and body said otherwiseâit was addictive. Nothing turned me on
JULIANâS POV âCassandra, that doesnât work.â I pinched the bridge of my nose, leaning back in my chair. âNo, listen to meâif Burke wants a meeting, fine, but tell him Iâm not interested in getting into politics myself. Not now, not this year. I already told him this.â Cassandraâs calm clipped
LIAMâS POV You know that feeling when youâve messed up so bad you canât even tell which wayâs up? Like every move you make could save you⌠Or blow everything to hell? Yeah. Thatâs where I was. Madison was already waiting when I walked into the restaurant ,her back was to the window, her hair
ZOELLA I have done a lot of things in my life but stalking has never been one of them. But right now as I sat across from Julian, it sure felt like I was stalking him. Come to think of it, he had called me a stalker when I slipped into the backseat of his car. Life really knew how







