MasukI didn’t hear it from my mother or from family—I saw it online, just like everyone else. A headline, a picture, a ring on her finger. And the man standing beside her? Philip Davenport. Billionaire. CEO. Untouchable. The kind of man who takes what he wants and keeps it. Including my mother. I was supposed to hate him—the man who replaced my father, the man I swore I’d destroy. So I made a plan: get close, get under his skin, make him want me… then watch everything fall apart. It was simple. Until he looked at me like I was the only woman in the room. Until his touch lingered longer than it should. Until every glance, every word, every moment started to feel like something I couldn’t control. Now I’m caught in a dangerous game of desire and deception, where the lines I drew are slowly disappearing. The closer I get to him, the harder it is to remember why I started. My mother trusts me, my boyfriend loves me, and the man I was supposed to ruin is becoming the one I can’t resist, and every step I take only pulls me deeper into something I was never meant to feel. I wanted revenge. What I got instead was something far more dangerous. And now? I might lose everything. Because falling for my mom’s fiancé was never the plan. And if I’m not careful, I won’t just lose the game… I’ll lose myself.
Lihat lebih banyakMaya The silence in the elevator stretches on, long enough that my breath starts to come in short, shallow pulls. Every inch of me is tuned into him: the way his thumb strokes the back of my hand, the steady beat of his heart I can feel through our joined fingers, the warm weight of his breath against my cheek.“I should have known this would happen,” he says, his voice low enough that only I can hear it. “That one day you’d walk into my life and turn everything upside down.”“You brought me here,” I whisper back, leaning in just a fraction closer. “You’re the one who asked me to be your intern. You’re the one who looked at me like I was more than just Monica’s daughter.”“I did.” His other hand comes up, brushing hair away from my face, his fingers graze my temple, then linger on my jaw. “But I never meant for it to be like this. Never meant to let you get so close.”“Too late for that.” My eyes drop to his lips, then back up to his face. The red emergency light casts shadows across
MayaThe wine hits me slow and warm as we walk back into Apex Industries…most floors are dark now, save for the security lights casting long shadows across the marble lobby. The silence feels heavy, like the building is holding its breath.“Let’s take the elevator up to my office,” Philip says, his hand resting lightly on the small of my back as we pass the reception desk. “I have the final Project Phoenix mockups loaded on my screen—we can walk through the campaign flow before tomorrow’s team meeting.”I nod, my fingers brushing the cool metal of the elevator button. “I reviewed the social media metrics again this afternoon. If we push the influencer partnership now, we can hit our pre-launch engagement goals two weeks early.”He hits the button for the twenty-third floor, and we step inside together…the doors sliding closed with a soft whoosh. The car glides up smoothly for a few seconds, then jolts hard to a stop with a metallic groan that makes me jump.The lights flicker once, tw
I nod, following him out of his office. Sarah looks up as we pass, her eyes widening slightly before she smiles and goes back to her work. The elevator ride down is quiet, we stand on opposite sides, not touching, but the air between us is thick with unspoken words and things we can’t name.When we step out onto the street, the city is alive..Cars honking, people walking by with shopping bags, street vendors calling out their wares. Philip leads me to a black sedan parked at the curb, opening the door for me with a small smile.“Thank you,” I say, sliding into the back seat.He gets in beside me, and the driver pulls away from the curb. We sit in silence for a few minutes, watching the city pass by outside the window. Every so often, I feel his eyes on me…warm, heavy, making my skin prickle. I don’t look at him, but I know he’s there. I know he’s watching me.At one point, the car hits a pothole, and I lurch forward slightly. His hand shoots out to steady me, his fingers wrapping aro
MayaThe rest of the day moves in slow motion. Every time I look up from my desk, Philip’s eyes are on me…quick glances over the top of his laptop, lingering stares through the glass of his office door. Each one sends a jolt of heat through me, making my fingers shake as I type up notes for our dinner meeting.Sarah notices, of course. She slides a cup of coffee onto my desk just after two, leaning in so close her perfume fills my nose, something floral and sweet.“Everything okay?” she asks, nodding toward his office. “You keep looking over there like you’re waiting for something.”“I’m just… focused on the project,” I say, but even I can hear how thin the excuse is. My eyes drift back to his door, and sure enough…he’s looking at me, his gaze heavy and dark. When he sees me looking, he doesn’t look away. He holds my stare for a full ten seconds before turning back to his screen.Sarah laughs quietly. “Focused, huh? That’s one way to put it. You know, in all the years I’ve worked for












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