로그인~Isabel~The office had begun to quiet down as the clock ticked toward closing time. I was already mentally picking out which shoes would survive a club floor for tomorrow night when my desk phone buzzed."My office. Now," William’s voice was curt, stripped of the strange, observant calm he’d shown earlier.I felt a prickle of annoyance but smoothed my skirt and headed toward the corner suite. When I walked in, he didn't even look up at first to know if it was me or someone else. He was leaning over a spread of architectural blueprints, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing the corded muscles of his forearms. He looked every bit the man Jax had described—buried into work."You needed me?" I asked, standing by the door."You’re coming into the office tomorrow," he said, finally straightening up. His eyes were sharp, devoid of the heat from the breakroom, replaced by a cold, professional steel. "There’s important work that needs your attention."I blinked, certain I
~Isabel~I sank into my chair, stretching my back. The air in the open-plan office felt thick though the air condition was mild, I was feeling exhausted and hot, and no matter how many times I told myself to focus on the folders Sophia had dumped on my desk, my mind kept drifting back to the fiftieth floor. To him. To the way he hadn't argued. William Sterling had been calm, and somehow, this supposed calmness and warmth was more terrifying than his cold attitude.I pulled a stack of boring administrative files toward me—mostly tedious data entry and filing that Sophia used to keep me busy. It was mindless work, but today, I couldn't even manage that. My mind kept replaying the way he looked at me, his whiskey-colored eyes searching mine as if he were trying to read my soul.By 3:00 PM, my brain was a scrambled mess. I needed caffeine. I made my way to the breakroom, but before I could even reach for a stir stick, Jax materialized at my side, leaning against the counter with a frien
It was strange; I’d spent so much time wishing William would just leave me alone, but once he actually became a ghost in the house, the silence became deafening. I didn't see him at breakfast, his chair was empty at dinner, and the heavy oak door to his study remained firmly shut. Part of me wondered if he was avoiding me because of the kiss—or if he was just done with me entirely.By Friday, I couldn't take the walls of the house anymore. I headed into the office, my mind set on one thing: my future. If I was going to survive this internship, and I needed to be in the legal departmentWhen I arrived at the Sterling Global headquarters, the glass tower felt even more intimidating than usual. I checked my reflection in the lobby mirrors, adjusting the lapels of my blazer. Today wasn't just about filing papers; I was going to ask for what is practical to my field of study.When I stepped off the elevator on the fiftieth floor, I ran into Jax. He was leaning against a desk, nursing a
"No I haven't, You're Marcus," Chloe blurted out before the guy could even open his mouth.He froze, his hand still reaching for the frisbee on the grass. He blinked, clearly caught off guard, but then that slow, lopsided grin returned, wider than before. He straightened up, tucking a plastic disc under his arm, and looked at Chloe with a mix of shock and genuine amusement."Well," he laughed, his voice warm and rich. "I guess I don't need to introduce myself then. I was literally about to say my name is Marcus, but you beat me to it."I shot Chloe a look—the kind of look only best friends understand. It was a mix of 'Hello, girl, go for it!' and 'Wow, you really did your homework.' I gave her a subtle nudge with my elbow, trying to encourage her to keep the momentum going. After the night I’d had, watching someone else’s love life play out felt like a much-needed breath of fresh air.Marcus chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at Chloe. "It’s good to know I’m not the
~Isabel ~The morning light felt like a physical assault as it poured through the sheer curtains of my room. I groaned, burying my face in the silk pillow, but as I shifted, a strange sensation washed over me. My body felt... different. Sensitive. There was a lingering hum in my veins that I couldn't quite place until the memories of the night started to rush back in a blurry, golden wave.William. Here. In my room. His hands—I bolted upright, my heart beating a frantic rhythm. I looked at the nightstand. There sat a glass of milk and a plate of cookies, untouched and cold. My breath hitched. Was it a dream? It had to be. The way he had touched me, the warmth of his skin, and the way I had practically begged for him—it was too vivid, too real to be anything but a high-definition fantasy cooked up by my own starved subconscious self.I slid my hands over my face, heat blooming across my cheeks. "Get a grip, Isabel," I whispered to the empty room.I shouldn't be having dreams li
~William ~I stood outside her door for a long minute, staring at the tray in my hands. A glass of milk and a plate of those cookies she liked. My father had noticed she barely touched her dinner, and in his usual "everyone must be happy and i should bond more with my Step-sister we are family now” discussion.He had suggested I take something up to her. I should have told him no. I should have handed the tray to a maid. But instead, here I was, with my heart doing a slow, heavy throb against my ribsI pushed the door open quietly. The room was dim, lit only by the moonlight filtering through the curtains. I walked over to the nightstand to set the tray down, but my eyes drifted to her. Isabel was fast asleep, her dark hair fanned out across the white silk pillow like a crown of shadows. She looked so peaceful, her breathing was deep and even, her face also softened by sleep. In the office and while awake, she was a fireball all sharp words and stubborn glares.But now in fro
William step out of the car in his glory, The second his polished leather shoes hit the pavement, the entire campus seemed to freeze. It was like a vacuum had sucked all the oxygen out of the quad, leaving everyone breathless."Is that… no way. Is that William Sterling?"The whisper rippled throu
"Which university did you graduate from?" I asked him as we continued our journey to school.I kept my voice casual, looking at his profile. He had a jawline that looked like it had been carved out of granite, shadowed by the slightest hint of morning stubble.He didn't answer immediately. Instead
Outside the morning air was crisp and smelled like damp earth. A matte-black SUV sat idling in the driveway, its engine making a low, rhythmic thrum that I could feel vibrating right through the soles of my sandals. William didn't even bother to open the door for me. He just hopped into the driver
The room felt way too big and way too quiet. After I finished that bowl of hot soup, I must have completely crashed, because the next thing I knew, the fever had finally dropped. It left me feeling weak and shaky, like a limp piece of toast. Every time I drifted off, I kept seeing the same thing:







