Masuk~~ Hazel’s POV~~ The silence in the conference room after my refusal was suffocating. Damon leaned forward, resting his hands flat on the polished table, his dark eyes fixing on me with a sudden, sharp intensity. The smooth, polished businessman mask he usually wore was beginning to crack. "You know, Hazel," Damon said slowly, his voice dropping an octave. "It’s very strange. One major structural steel suppliers and two leading concrete contractors broke off negotiations with us in the past three weeks. No reasons given. No counter-offers accepted. It’s almost as if someone with massive financial leverage in this city put out a blacklisting order on the Moretti Group." Adrian narrowed his eyes from beside me, but I didn't even flinch. I just leaned back in my executive leather chair and met Damon’s gaze cold and straight. "Are you accusing E&H of something, Damon?" I asked, keeping my voice smooth and indifferent. "I’m saying the timing is suspiciously convenient,"
Hazel’s POV I lowered my phone, the screen going black, and let out a long breath. "Everything okay with Adrian?" Sophia asked, looking up from the sofa where she had been quietly watching me. "Damon and Melissa are pushing," I said, leaning my head back against the cool glass window. "They've been coming by the ENH offices demanding meetings. Adrian managed to stall them, but I have to go into the office tomorrow morning to handle it myself." Sophia set her empty coffee cup down on the table and stood up, stretching her arms. "Well, speaking of work... I actually have to step out for a few hours today too. My head chef has called me three times in the last hour. Apparently, the inventory delivery at the restaurant got completely messed up, and since I haven't been there in three days, things are starting to go chaotic." "Oh, Sophia, go," I said immediately, feeling a pang of guilt. "You've been stuck in this hospital with me for seventy-two hours straight. Go take car
Marcelo’s POV I stepped out of the coffee shop into the cool morning air, turning up my collar as I walked down the sidewalk toward my car. I looked back through the glass window one last time. Hazel was still standing by the table, holding her tray of coffees, looking a little less like she was carrying the weight of the entire world on her shoulders. I pulled my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the SUV parked at the curb. Sitting down behind the wheel, I didn't start the engine right away. I just sat there in the quiet car, leaning my head back against the headrest and chuckling softly to myself. If Kai knew I just had coffee with his girl, he'd probably pull a gun on me the second he opened his eyes. He'd made that clear the first time I met Hazel, even though I saved his woman he was still an asshole about him. Kai was possessive as hell when it came to Hazel, and he made sure everyone in the syndicate knew it. Part of me had wanted to tell her who I was just n
Hazel’s POVIf I stayed in that hospital room for one more second staring at the heart monitor, I felt like I was going to lose my mind.It was mid-morning, around ten o'clock. Kai was still stable, sleeping through his third day of the coma. Zara was sitting by his bed, softly talking to him, and Sophia had stepped back in after getting some rest. Having them there meant I didn't have to feel guilty for leaving the room, but my chest still felt tight. The air in that VIP suite was just too heavy, thick with antiseptic and the quiet panic I had been carrying around since the shooting.I walked out of the clinic, practically sinking into my oversized coat as the cool morning air hit my face. It was the first breath of real air I'd taken in forty-eight hours, and it actually stung a little.There was a small, quiet coffee shop two blocks down from the hospital. I ducked inside, the warmth of the shop hitting me along with the rich smell of freshly roasted espresso. It was relatively
Sophia’s POV By two in the morning, the hospital floor was so quiet you could hear the faint hum of the fluorescent lights in the hallway. Inside the suite, Hazel and Zara had finally passed out. Hazel was curled up on the small sofa with a blanket pulled over her shoulders, and Zara was fast asleep in the armchair right next to Kai’s bed, her hand still resting near her brother's. I stood up as quietly as I could, my joints popping from sitting in one place for hours. My head felt heavy, and my throat was dry as paper. I just needed to step out for five minutes, stretch my legs, and grab a cup of water from the breakroom down the hall. I slid the heavy wooden door open, trying not to make a sound, and stepped out into the dim corridor. The moment the door clicked shut behind me, my heart did a stupid little jump. Standing right beside the door frame was Reed. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, looking every bit like the dangerous lieut
Hazel’s POVI couldn't stay in that resting room any longer. After sleeping for only five hours, I woke up with my heart pounding, my legs felt heavy but laying on a couch staring at the ceiling wasn't doing anything except making my head spin. I stood up snd headed back upstairs, needing to see Kai with my own eyes to make sure he was still breathing.I pushed open the door to Kai’s VIP suite. The room was quiet, bathed in the deep orange glow of the sunset spilling through the blinds. The steady beep... beep... beep of the heart monitor was a constant comfort.When I pushed the door open, Reed was standing in his usual spot near the far wall. He looked up, giving me a short nod."How is he?" I asked, walking over to the bed."Same," Reed replied, his voice low. "Doctor Lorenzo came in twenty minutes ago to check his vitals. Everything is steady.""Thanks, Reed."I pulled the chair closer to the edge of the mattress and sat down. Kai was still so quiet. His face was pale, the
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 had the divorce papers ready by evening.I called my lawyer, Mr Hartley, someone who didn't ask too many questions. I told him exactly what I wanted-a clean break. No alimony. No fighting over assets. I just wanted my freedom and my dignity, what little I had left of both.He prepared the papers q
The emergency room was chaos.Doctors and nurses rushed past us in a blur of white coats and urgent voices. Melissa was already being taken deeper into the hospital, away from us, and Damon was following her, his hand on her shoulder, his expression a mixture of rage and desperation.I came through







