Mag-log inHazel’s POVBy the time Sophia left my office, the rest of the workday flew by in a blur of financial reviews, contract approvals, and endless strategy meetings.Having Marcus and the rest of the guard detail standing outside my doors definitely drew looks from every executive on the floor, but just like I’d told Sophia, I stopped caring. The extra layer of protection gave me a strange sense of grounding. It reminded me that I had too much at stake—and too many people depending on me—to take stupid risks.When my clock finally hit six in the evening, I packed up my tablet, slipped back into my heels, and let the team escort me down to the waiting SUV.The drive back to the penthouse was quiet. The evening sun was setting over Rome, casting a deep amber glow across the ancient stone buildings and busy streets. By the time I walked into the penthouse, the quiet inside felt heavy, almost peaceful after such a chaotic day."Kai?" I called out, setting my keys and leather bag on the entry
Hazel’s POVIf I had to walk into E&H Investments looking like an underworld boss, I was at least going to own it.The heavy black SUV pulled up directly to the front doors of E&H headquarters. Before my personal driver could even unbuckle, the doors on the two escort vehicles behind us swung open simultaneously.Four men in identical, tailored black suits stepped out into the morning sun. They moved with a silent, sharp sync that practically screamed dangerous. Two of them immediately set up a perimeter near the revolving glass doors, while the other two opened my car door and offered me a hand out.I smoothed down the skirt of my emerald green tailored suit, pulled my dark sunglasses over my eyes, and stepped onto the pavement."Good morning, Miss Sinclair," the head guard, a tall man named Marcus with a scar across his left eyebrow, said smoothly. "We’ll clear the lobby first.""You all can just walk with me, Marcus," I replied, keeping my head held high. "We're here to run a corpo
~~Kai’s POV~~"Just make sure you're ready, son," Victor said, his hand resting on the golden top of his cane. "Because Marcelo isn't the only problem coming your way."Before he could push the elevator button to leave, the light footsteps of heels clicking softly against the hallway floor broke the heavy tension in the room.Hazel stepped out of the bedroom corridor into the grand living room. She was wearing a cream-colored silk robe, her dark hair tumbling over her shoulders, still looking a little sleepy. But the second she saw my father standing there, she froze, her eyes widening in surprise."Oh," she murmured, quickly pulling her robe tighter around herself. "Good morning, Mr. Valentino. I didn't realize we had company."I watched my father turn toward her. A year ago, back when she was trapped as Damon's ignored wife, Victor wouldn't have even looked at her. But now? Now she was running E&H Investments, tearing up European real estate markets, and standing on her own two feet
Hazel’s POVThe silence in the penthouse was suffocating.I paced back and forth across the marble floor of the living room, my heels clicking sharply against the stone. Every shadow outside the floor-to-ceiling glass windows felt menacing, every distant sound from the city making my chest tighten. Kai had told me to wait here, but thirty minutes had felt like thirty hours.And now it's been almost two hours and he wasn't back.Suddenly, the private elevator chimed softly.The heavy doors glided open, and my breath caught in my throat.Kai stepped out into the foyer. His dark suit jacket was gone, his crisp white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. He looked disheveled—dark hair slightly untamed, a sharp, dangerous edge radiating off him, and a subtle scent of smoke and faint metallic iron trailing in his wake."Kai!"I didn't hesitate. I rushed across the living room, closing the distance between us and stepping right into his space. I gra
~~Kai’s POV~~The twin turbochargers of the Bugatti roared through the empty Roman streets, the digital speedometer hovering dangerously high as I tore through every red light between Lake Albano and the city center.Beside me, Hazel kept glancing at me from where she sat in the passenger seat, her hands tightly clutched around her seatbelt. The peaceful, starlit glow from the lake was completely gone, replaced by a sharp, suffocating silence inside the cabin."Kai, please talk to me," Hazel begged softly, her dark eyes wide with mounting concern. "What is going on? What happened on that call? You're driving like we're running for our lives.""Nothing you need to worry about right now, bellisima," I said, forcing my voice to remain even and smooth, though my knuckles were turning bone-white against the leather steering wheel. "Reed called because an issue came up at one of my properties. I just need to get you home safely." I lied, but it wasn't entirely a lie if you looked closely be
~~Kai’s POV~~The soft, rhythmic lapping of Lake Albano against the shore was the only sound keeping us anchored to reality.I had Hazel tucked beneath my heavy arm, her head resting over the steady, comforting beat of my chest. We were stretched out on the soft velvet blanket, watching the stars twinkling through the golden canopy of fairy lights. The air smelled of burnt vanilla candles, fresh crimson roses, and the clean scent of the lake."I don't think I want to go back to the city," Hazel murmured softly, tracing mindless circles over the soft cotton of my dress shirt with her fingertips. "We could just stay here forever. No E&H, no Moretti Group, no meetings."I let out a low, breathless laugh, my fingers gently tangling in her hair. "Don't tempt me, bellisima. I'll buy this entire glade tomorrow and build a cute beach house here for us."She smiled, leaning up to press a quick, sweet kiss against my jaw. "You would, wouldn't you?""In a heartbeat," I murmured, my eyes locking
I couldn't sleep.I lay in the guest bedroom for hours, staring at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of the house. At some point around 2am, I gave up pretending and went downstairs to the living room. I curled up on one of the couches with a blanket, my mind racing with everything I had heard at
I didn't sleep that night. I lay in the guest bedroom, which had become my usual bedroom even though I was supposed to be married, and I listened to the sounds of the mansion settling around me. I listened to Damon's footsteps as he moved through the house. I listened to him talking on the phone to
***** ~~ Hazel's POV ~~ ***** I had been planning this day for weeks. Three years. Today marked exactly three years since I became Mrs. Damon Moretti. Three years of a marriage that was supposed to change everything and instead had slowly, quietly, broken me in ways I didn't know a person could
I woke up late the next morning, to sunlight streaming through the windows in my room. For a moment I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, my mind replaying everything from the night before–the board with all those photos of me, Kai’s intense eyes, the way he had carried me inside like I already







