MasukZOEâS POV I watched as Elijah Burke walked out of Julianâs office, the door clicking softly behind him. For a second, I thought he would walk straight past but he didn't. His gaze landed on me insteadâbold and assessing. Not the kind of look you brushed off easily. It felt⌠intentional. Like he wasnât just seeing me, but reading me. Something about it made my spine stiffen. He slowed, then stopped right in front of my desk. âZoella,â he said. It wasn't a question but a statement. My fingers tightened slightly around the pen in my hand. âYes⌠Mr Burke.â A faint smile touched his lips, but it didnât reach his eyes.âI watched your presentation yesterday.â I kept looking at him, because truthfully I didn't know what to say to that. âYou handled yourself well.â It was a compliment that should have made me feel flattered but for some reason it didn't.. âThank you,â I said, keeping my voice steady. His gaze lingered on me for a second longer than necessary. Then
JULIANâS POV âMr Hart. Elijah Burke is here to see you.â I looked up to see Maureen, my temporary assistant, standing at the door, her hand resting against the frame. I had been neck-deep in reports from the campaign launchâan undeniable success, despite the one complication the media refused to let go of. Parker. His very public dismissal had already begun to circulate, twisted into narratives I didnât particularly care for: corporate ruthlessness, abuse of power, internal conflict. Pick your poison. It had taken two hours with my PR team to contain it and get the right story out. Two hours I wouldnât be getting back. And now this. I leaned back in my chair slowly, pressing my thumb against my temple. Of all the people I didnât have time for today, Elijah Burke with his political propositions topped the list. The man had a talent for showing up exactly where he wasnât wantedâand a habit of pushing until he got what he came for. âI donât remember scheduling a m
ZOEâS POV âAnd then, next thing I knewâParker was being dragged off the stage, shouting, âThis isnât right!â and âYou made a mistake!â like that was going to save him.â âWhat?!â Lani shrieked, nearly dropping the comb in her hand. A client sitting under the dryer turned to look at us, mildly alarmed. Lani didnât care. âOh my Godâthat is wild!â she continued, bursting into laughter as she bent forward, clutching her stomach. âNo, waitâwait donât tell me, was he crying too?â I laughed, shaking my head as I slid into the salon chair. âNot crying. But he was definitely panicking.â âSame thing,â she waved it off. âI would have paid real money to see his face in that moment. I know it mustâve been priceless.â I shook my head as I wiped the corner of my eyes. âYouâre terrible.â âDonât act like you didnât enjoy it.â she chided. âI didnât,â I said automaticallyâthen paused. âŚOkay, maybe a little. A small smile tugged at my lips. âI was too
THE NEXT DAY â WOLFE CAMPAIGN LAUNCH ZOEâS POV The energy in the air was⌠overwhelming. That was the only word I could think of to describe it. The Wolfe campaign rally had drawn a massive crowd of supporters, media houses, investors, stakeholdersâeveryone packed into the open field, their voices rising in waves as they chanted Damian Wolfeâs name. âWolfe! Wolfe! Wolfe!â I stood with the rest of the team near the front line, my hands clasped tightly in front of me, trying to look and feel composed but it wasnât working. My heart hadnât stopped racing since I got here. Every sound felt amplified and every movement caught my attention. I exhaled slowly, forcing my shoulders to relax. Youâre fine, Zoe. Nothing has happened. Yet. But that was the problem, wasnât it? Something was going to happen. I could feel it. Like a storm building under my skin. From the corner of my eye, I caught movementâand then I saw Parker. He was standing a few feet away with the
JULIANâS POV Zoe stood just inside my office door, her phone still in her hand, her posture stiff. Her breathing was uneven, like she had been having a panic attack. She looked scared and nervous. And it pissed me off to see her that way. âWhat do you mean youâre the target?â The words came out with a hint of anger as I pushed the door open and stepped inside, shrugging off my jacket. She turned to me.âIâI overheard him,â she said quickly, folding her hands in front of her. âIn the break room. He was on the phone andââ âSlow down.â I moved behind my desk and took a seat, forcing my tone into something more controlled.. She needed me to be calm even if I wasnât feeling it. âStart from the beginning.â She swallowed, nodding. âI went to get coffee. I didnât even mean to listen but⌠I heard his voice and I justââ she hesitated, then exhaled. âHe said I didnât know anything. That even if I suspected something, it wouldnât matter.â My jaw tightened, my fingers mo
ZOEâS POV I walked into the office building on Monday morning, fully ready for the new week. Or at least thatâs what I told myself. My body still ached in places I didn't know could ache and my mind kept flashing back to all the filthy, nasty things Julian had done to me over the weekend. We had awoken hours later and then he had proceeded to fuck me again till I was too weak to walk. He had to carry me out to the car cradled in his arms while Aaron gave us a knowing smirk. I shook my head as if that would dispel the memories but it didnât , it only made it worse. A small, involuntary smile tugged at my lips before I forced it away, straightening my shoulders as I approached the elevator. Focus, Zoe. Work. Normalcy. âMorning, Zoe. Looking good today.â I looked up to see Mason leaning casually against the wall beside the elevator, his usual easy smile already in place. Oh. Mason. Predictable, safe, and normal Mason.Everything Julian wasnât. He had been
ZOEâS POV I sat by my desk using the company backup laptop whilst I waited anxiously. The wait was unbearable, Cassandra had gone into Julianâs office over twenty minutes ago. I tried to work, but my hands trembled too much to type. Every time footsteps passed my desk, my heart jumped. Whispe
ZOEâS POV A lot of thoughts went through my head at that moment as I stared at her name on his screen but the loudest was âWas he sleeping with her too?â A pang of jealousy pierced my chest..Images of him touching her the way he touched me flashed through my mind before I could stop it. J
ZOEâS POV I got off work early. My confrontation with Cassandra had left me feeling unfocused and antsy, my thoughts looping no matter how hard I tried to shake them. Even the quiet of my car felt too loud as I drove home, fingers tapping the steering wheel, mind replaying her words over a
JULIANâS POV âShe looks quite young,â Aaron said casually, swirling the ice in his glass, âand you're clearly attached. Never thought I'd see the day that would happenâespecially not afterââAaron trailed off as I pinned him with the full brunt of my stare. He knew better than to finish that sta







