Elena's POV I was walking through the hallway, scrolling aimlessly through my phone, trying to distract myself from the swirl of emotions still lodged in my chest from the meeting. My finger hovered over a new message I hadn’t opened yet when—thud—I bumped straight into someone.“Ah—sorry!” I exclaimed, taking a startled step back.“It’s fine,” the girl said, her voice oddly familiar.I looked up.Soft features, dark brown eyes with golden flecks, and a smile that could disarm even the grumpiest of people.And then it hit me.“You’re the girl from that night,” I blurted, eyes widening.She blinked before recognition sparked in her gaze. “Oh, yeah! You’re the mascara girl!” she laughed.I laughed too, sheepishly. “That's me. Clumsy and chaotic.”She extended a perfectly manicured hand toward me. “I’m Nina. That night, we didn’t really get to say hello properly.”“Elena”, I said, shaking her hand. “Thanks again for saving me from makeup doom.”She gave me a once-over and smiled warmly.
Rowan's POVHer lips were still warm.I hadn’t moved—not a damn inch—since she stormed out and left the door swinging behind her. The echo of it clicked somewhere in the back of my mind, but my body was still recovering from the taste of her—like whisky and wildfire and something maddeningly sweet.My pulse was chaos. My jaw ached from the tension I hadn’t even noticed building. My hands still tingled with the memory of her—of how tightly I’d gripped her waist, how her fingers had fisted in my shirt like she didn’t know whether to pull me closer or shove me away.God, she’d kissed me like she hated me. And I think that’s exactly what made it so goddamn good.It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t gentle. It was war.And I’d go to battle with her every single day if it meant tasting her like that again.I touched my mouth, still stinging from where she bit me. She didn’t even hesitate. The moment I kissed her, she came alive—every inch of her, electric. And then, just as quickly, she stopped.Her v
Elena's POVI expected to see Damon again. I just didn’t expect it to be this soon.And I definitely didn’t expect him to be the CEO of Volkov Corporation.That… that was impressive.Volkov Corp was one of the most respected names in the industry—clean reputation, bold moves, and consistent innovation. I’d heard whispers in meetings, snippets in headlines; even Greta once called them “The House of Ice and Brilliance”.But sitting across from him? Damon? The same guy who saved me on the street and offered me chocolate ganache with a shy smile?That was still sinking in.But something else… something immediate… demanded my attention.Rowan, my tyrant of a boss, was acting like someone had personally served him a plate of nails for lunch.His expression hadn’t softened once since we returned to the office.His stride was sharp, his silence louder than any argument, and his jaw was tighter than the vault at Fort Knox.I followed him into the office, clutching my tablet like it was my emot
Rowan's POVI shouldn’t have done it. I knew the second I leaned in, the exact moment my lips met the side of her neck, that I had crossed a line. A dangerous one. But the feel of her – so close, so real – made me forget the rules I spent years building.Her skin was warm beneath my mouth, soft in a way I wasn’t prepared for. Her breath hitched, barely audible, but I felt it. Felt the tremor in her chest, the way her body stilled like time had collapsed in that second. And damn it, the sound was enough to awaken every inch of me.I didn’t mean to pin her. I didn’t even realise I’d done it until she was there—trapped between my hands and the desk, her wide eyes staring into mine, silently asking me what the hell I was doing. And I didn’t have a proper answer. Not one that didn’t sound like madness.She made me insane. That was the truth. The moment she walked into my office looking like she was about to run a marathon, with that flushed face and too-quick breath, I knew she was hiding
Elena's POV“You’re the one who saved me that night,” I muttered, barely hearing myself.He looked up—his brows raised in the same kind of disbelief I must’ve worn on my face. A stunned silence passed between us, like the entire restaurant had faded into static, and all that remained was the two of us.“Wow,” he finally said, a soft, surprised chuckle escaping his lips. “I didn’t expect… this.”Neither did I.He stood up slowly, almost cautiously—as if he, too, wasn’t quite sure whether this was fate or some elaborate joke. His smile widened, and it was devastating. The kind of smile that made you feel like he already knew you. Like you weren’t just a stranger he happened to pull from death two nights ago.He was wearing a deep navy suit with a faint sheen, no tie, just the collar of his crisp white shirt slightly unbuttoned. He looked devastatingly handsome—just like he did that night, except now under warm golden light instead of streetlamps.“Looks like the universe is trying to ge
Elena's POVThis was not what I expected.It had been more than forty-eight hours since that moment—Rowan’s words, his touch, the silence that followed, the way he looked at me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t decide whether to solve or destroy. But even after all that time, the feeling hadn’t left me. Like a thin film of unease clinging to my skin.And now, on a day that already felt heavy and strange, my father just had to make it worse.I was heading out the door, clutching my bag, already mentally half at work when his voice stopped me cold.“Elena”, he said sharply, stepping out of the living room like he’d been waiting to ambush me. “Don’t forget—you have a date tonight.”My spine stiffened. I turned slowly, biting back the sigh that clawed up my throat. “I remember.”He narrowed his eyes at me, then extended a folded piece of paper with clipped movements. “This is the restaurant. Reservation’s under the boy's name. Eight o’clock sharp.”I took the paper, nodding silently, but of