Falling in Love with my cocky boss

The stranger from the bar.The man whose lips I had kissed like I owned them.Matteo. Bloody. Russo.I stopped breathing.He looked up from the file in his hands, his expression unreadable cool, detached, corporate.“Miss Hart, I presume?”I froze.He didn’t smile. Didn’t blink. Didn’t give the slightest hint that he recognized me from the night before. No flare of amusement in those stormy eyes. No smug smirk. Just ice.I opened my mouth, then closed it. My voice caught in my throat. “I… yes.”He shut the file with a soft thud and set it aside like it bored him. Then he stood, tall and intimidating in his tailored navy suit, and came around the desk with that same panther-like grace I’d memorized the night before.“You’re late,” he said curtly, glancing at his Rolex. “By seven minutes.”I blinked. “I what?”“You’ll find I value punctuality, Miss Hart. Especially in an assistant.”“Assistant?” I repeated, my brain still short-circuiting.“That’s correct. Didn’t you read the job offer?

I wouldn’t care today, wouldn’t flinch, wouldn’t let Matteo Russo and his smug mouth ruin a second of my precious sanity or self-worth not after last night’s tequila therapy.With my skirt freshly pressed, heels sharp enough to stab egos, and confidence just barely stitched together, I walked into Thorne Enterprises ready to prove that no arrogant billionaire would shake me again.The receptionist gave me a cautious look, probably remembering how I nearly tripped on my way out yesterday, cheeks burning and pride trailing behind like the hem of my too-short dignity.I kept my chin high, clutching my tote bag like it was my emotional support animal, determined to glide through the building like a woman on a mission untouchable, unbothered, unbreakable.But the elevator doors opened, and fate had other plans for me, because the moment I stepped onto the top floor, I saw her and I saw him, and the air in my lungs turned toxic.She was tall, blonde, and gorgeous in that effortless, polishe

I barely remembered walking back to my desk.The world felt muffled, like I was hearing everything from underwater. My vision had gone a little hazy too, though I couldn’t tell if that was from unshed tears or the way Matteo’s voice sharp and merciless kept replaying in my head on a cruel loop.“You’re a replaceable piece of shit who got lucky…”Every word lodged deeper than the last.Not because I believed him deep down, I knew I was capable, I worked hard but because some small, fragile part of me had hoped I meant something more. Something real.And that part? It was bleeding.I stared at the glowing screen of my monitor. The blinking cursor on the open email mocked me.I couldn’t type. Couldn’t move.I just sat there, letting the echo of his voice unravel me in silence.The worst part wasn’t even the insult it was the fact that he’d meant it. Every word. Cold and deliberate.He’d looked me in the eyes like I was nothing.And for a terrifying moment, I’d almost believed it.Hours p

The bell above the door jingled as I stepped into Ella’s.Warm lights, soft chatter, and the rich aroma of roasted beans wrapped around me like a hug. It was quiet enough to think, but busy enough to get lost in.And right in the corner, in her usual spot by the window, was Mia waving her arms like I was a runaway dog.I forced a smile and walked over, dropping into the seat across from her with a sigh of pure exhaustion.“You look like you survived a war,” she said, sliding a croissant toward me.“It felt like one,” I muttered. “One where the enemy wore designer heels and sprayed herself with a thousand-dollar grudge.”“Isabelle again?”“Isabelle always,” I sighed.She sipped her coffee, watching me carefully. “You okay?”I broke off a piece of the croissant. “Not really. But I’m getting there.”And I was. Sort of.Sitting across from Mia, in this tiny sanctuary we’d discovered back in college, felt like breathing after drowning.“So,” she said, leaning in. “What exactly did she say?

Matteo's POVThe moment I left the office, I told myself I wouldn’t think about her again, wouldn’t let her name echo through my mind like a curse I never meant to say aloud.I drove with the windows down, hoping the wind would clear the static she’d left behind, the scent of her perfume still clinging to the corners of my memory like it belonged there.My penthouse was silent when I walked in, the marble floors cool underfoot, the lights casting long shadows that usually calmed me but tonight they just made everything feel empty.I dropped my keys on the table, peeled off my jacket, and stood there like a man waiting for something he didn’t dare to name, heart pounding harder than any boardroom pressure ever managed to provoke.I poured a drink, neat and dark, then moved to the window, the city glittering below me like it was in on some cruel joke, like it knew I couldn’t get her out of my damn head.Sarah Hart.The woman I was supposed to ignore, supposed to destroy with deadlines a