“No, you can't do that to me," I said, my hands clenching at my side and the man just smirked as he stared at me.
I worked hard to be here, I worked tirelessly for that prize and then he's just going to look at me and tell me I don't look competent enough. Who does that? “I just did," he said smugly because he knew he had the upper hand. He didn't care that I was throwing a tantrum or being dramatic. He really wanted me gone. The fucking hot handsome bastard. I took deep breaths deciding to do this another way. “Is this how you do business Mr De Vito?" I asked as I crossed my arms and he just raised a brow wondering what I was going on about. I walked towards him ignoring his dangerous gaze as I stood behind his chair, then I leaned down so that my lips were close to his ear. “Are you saying you're going to refuse a potential client just because they don't look like a potential client?" I asked and I noticed the way his jaw clenched. I wasn't stupid, he knew that the argument I was bringing was one I'd win. “I never reject potential clients," he said and I smirked but he couldn't see me, “How do you know potential clients when you don't give them a chance?" My fingers brushed his shoulder before I calmly returned back to my seat as I pulled the chair and sat down, then I turned to him with a smile. "Until I am sure that I am as incompetent as you claim Mr De Vito, I am not leaving here, I am going to prove myself to you," his jaw ticked but he didn't say anything and I couldn't help the victorious smirk that took over my lips. I knew that this was far from over. Men like him hated being wrong. But he was a challenge I was willing to conquer. The maids who had been standing in a corner came back to serving breakfast as we ate in a tense silence. As we ate, my eyes couldn't help but look at him. He was a very interesting man, that was obvious. He looked so focused on eating his food. He could eat me if he wanted, I wouldn't mind. Emily! You're supposed to be mad at him. This man was just trying to end your dream but here you are having nasty thoughts about him. Are you stupid?! My internal voice yelled at me and to prove that I was indeed stupid, I pressed my legs together when my eyes looked at his veiny hands. I couldn't stop the image of him choking my neck with that strong hand while he slammed into me. I pressed my legs even harder. His eyes met mine so I quickly removed my eyes as I turned back on my food. When we finished eating Mr De Vito stood up and walked out of the dining room and I followed as I blew a kiss at Janet thanking her for the food. Outside the house the car was waiting and I was confused as to which car I would be leaving with. Would I be leaving with Mr De Vito or in my own official car? Angelo had basically told me that I was like Mr De Vito's wristwatch since men didn't carry handbags like women, you get what I mean. So I was to follow him everywhere he went like his shadow because as much as I would be working with him as a junior architect, I would also be learning from him. “Listen to me,” Mr De Vito suddenly stopped turning to me with his intimidating eyes trying to scare me but I kept my head high. "You see that little act you did there, isn't going to save you from what I have planned out for you,” he whispered as he leaned down and I just smiled looking up at him. "By the time I'm done with you, you'll be the one packing your bags and going back to wherever the fuck you came from,” my smile only broadened and his jaw ticked. "Well, good luck trying sir. We should probably get going to work, I wouldn't want to piss my boss off by showing up late on my first official day, would I?” I said with a smirk as his cold eyes narrowed. Mr De Vito straightened as he put his hands in his pocket, and then he moved aside for me to enter the car. I did a mock curtsy before I entered into the car and I heard him mutter something under his breath but I didn't catch what it was. I wasn't going to let him break me. He doesn't know how many sleepless nights I had before I made the designs that gave me this prize. I wasn't going to fold my hands and let him ruin my plans. Whether he was Mr De Vito or not. The ride to company was quiet and filled with tension. I'd occasionally glance at Mr De Vito who looked lost in his thoughts as he kept rubbing his hand on his chin. Poor man must be so stressed. I could offer him a good solution, I know a very good way to relieve stress but I had a feeling he wasn't going to like my suggestion so I kept it to myself. The car stopped in front of the company as I opened the door and quickly turned around and walked to Mr De Vito's side. He didn't wait for me, he just walked into the company and I hurriedly followed him with the sound of my heels clicking against the polished floor. We got into the elevator and I released a breath after the little run to keep up with Mr De Vito's long strides. We finally reached his office floor and I quietly followed behind. “Morning sir," Angelo greeted as he stood up, he turned to me with a smirk and I smiled. Mr De Vito stopped in front of Angelo's office and I stopped too. “Angelo, I need all the files on the Blue Haven project brought to my office, now," he said. I could see the way Angelo's brows crunch in confusion but he didn't ask any questions. Mr De Vito continued on his way to his office and I quickly followed him. He opened the door and walked in leaving it open for me. He walked to his table and got settled while I walked to the desk that was created for me inside his office. I felt eyes on me and turned to see Mr De Vito looking at me. “You want to prove yourself to me right?" He asked as he picked a pen on his table and started twirling it around his fingers. “Yes, that is what I said sir," I said and just then the door opened as Angelo walked in holding a bulk of documents he could barely carry. Mr. De Vito smirked before turning to me. “Angelo, drop the documents on Miss Ross' table," he said and I felt my heart stop as Angelo walked to my table and dumped the documents. “I want everything done before the end of today, no mistakes,"I don’t know how long I stood there in the bathroom, clutching the little stick in my trembling hand, staring at the two faint lines that had altered the very fabric of my life. Seconds? Minutes? An eternity?The tears wouldn’t stop. They slid hot and steady down my cheeks, dampening my lips, dripping onto the test I held so tightly I feared I might break it. My reflection in the mirror was blurred through the mist of them—me, but not me. Me, but new. Me, but more.Pregnant.The word had been repeating in my head like a song, like a prayer. Pregnant. With Lorenzo’s child. With the man who had cracked me open, put me back together, and made me believe in love again.I pressed my palm to my stomach, barely daring to breathe. Was there really life there? A heartbeat waiting to be formed? A future growing quietly inside me? It felt impossible and yet… so true.And then another thought struck me, one even stronger. I needed to tell him.Lorenzo.The father of this child. The man whose arms
The doctor’s presence in our suite should have comforted me, but instead it only made the knot in my stomach tighten. I sat on the edge of the bed, pale and trembling, Lorenzo’s hand never leaving mine. His thumb traced slow circles against my skin, grounding me, even as the world tilted on its axis around me.The doctor, a middle-aged woman with sharp eyes softened by years of practice, had already taken my vitals and listened to my chest. Her brow furrowed as she pressed the cold stethoscope against my stomach, then straightened with a thoughtful hum.“You’ve had nausea more than once, yes?” she asked gently, slipping the instrument into her bag.I swallowed hard, my throat raw from retching. “Twice. This morning. Last night too.”Lorenzo’s grip tightened at my answer, his jaw clenching. He looked like he was fighting the urge to demand she fix me instantly. I squeezed his hand, silently begging him to stay calm.The doctor nodded slowly, as if she had already pieced together a puzz
The first thing I registered when I woke was the sour taste in my mouth. My body felt heavy, sluggish, as if I had been swimming through smoke all night. For a moment, I thought maybe it was just exhaustion. After all, Lorenzo and I hadn’t exactly taken it easy last night. My body still throbbed in places I didn’t dare acknowledge out loud.But then the bitter tang coated my tongue again, and I groaned, rolling onto my side. My stomach clenched hard, a sharp warning that had me bolting upright before I could think.Oh God.The bile surged up my throat without mercy. I barely managed to fling the sheets back and stumble toward the bathroom. My knees almost gave out as I hit the tile floor and clutched the toilet, retching violently. My entire body convulsed as wave after wave tore through me.I was dimly aware of the heavy thud of footsteps—Lorenzo’s footsteps—crossing the suite in seconds. Then his hand was there, firm and steady, sweeping my hair away from my face with a tenderness t
The look in his eyes when I knelt between his legs was enough to undo me. Hunger. Possession. That sharp, almost feral edge of restraint about to snap. His shirt hung open, the crisp white fabric dampened by the humidity, clinging to the hard lines of his body. He was the kind of man who could command a room with silence alone, yet here he was—breathing hard, pupils blown wide, undone by me on my knees. I let my palms slide slowly up his thighs, savoring the way his muscles tensed under my touch. The air was thick, heavy with salt and heat and something far darker—the tension thrumming between us. “Emily…” His voice was rough, low, threaded with warning. My name on his tongue sent a shiver racing down my spine. “Shh,” I whispered, tracing my nails lightly over the seam of his trousers. “Let me.” The sharp inhale he made almost broke me. I loved that sound, the way it stripped away the control he wore like armor. Slowly, I tugged at his zipper, brushing my knuckles deliberately
The moment the jet touched down on the private strip in the Maldives, my chest ached with disbelief. I had seen pictures online, glossy postcards of endless turquoise water and white sand that looked too perfect to exist in reality. But now, stepping down the stairs of the jet with Lorenzo’s hand steadying me, I realized the truth: none of those images compared.The air was warm, salted with the scent of the ocean, and the horizon stretched endlessly in shades of blue that melted into each other like paintbrush strokes. Palm trees swayed lazily in the breeze, their fronds whispering secrets of paradise.Lorenzo’s palm pressed low against my back, guiding me toward the sleek boat waiting for us. His sunglasses masked his eyes, but I didn’t need to see them to know he was watching me, gauging every reaction, soaking in the awe that left me nearly speechless.“This…” My voice cracked, too small against the vastness before me. “This doesn’t feel real.”His lips twitched, almost a smile, b
The suitcases were already zipped shut, lined up neatly by the bedroom. Lorenzo was handling some matters before we leave, issuing instructions in that calm, commanding tone that made people scramble without question. I sat on the edge of the bed, tying the straps of my heels, watching him out of the corner of my eye as he spoke quietly into his phone, his jaw sharp, his expression unreadable.Maldives.The word pulsed in my head like a heartbeat. I still couldn’t believe it. A trip, a promise ring, a birthday I never could’ve dreamed of—and him. Always him.The driver loaded our bags into the car waiting in the driveway. Lorenzo took my hand and led me downstairs, his palm steady, firm, like even gravity obeyed him. He opened the door for me first, as always, helping me inside before slipping in beside me.As the car pulled away, I leaned against the window, my gaze idly following the blur of trees and the grand lines of the estate. That’s when I saw her.Amanda.She was standing at