ログインEthan didn't stop running until he reached his room.The door shut behind him with a soft thud… Click.Locked.Safe.He leaned against it for a moment, his small chest rising and falling as he caught his breath, as if he had just escaped something truly dangerous. His fingers trembled slightly as they gripped the phone.Then he lifted it again, bringing the screen close to his face.Nina's image filled the display, her expression warm and expectant. He stared at her, gathering his thoughts with the seriousness of someone preparing to deliver crucial testimony.His jaw set. His eyes focused. Then, with the complete conviction of a prosecutor presenting damning evidence, he spoke;"...Bad."A weighted pause."...Daddy bad."For a second, Nina blinked, processing the solemn declaration. Then she burst into laughter. A soft, uncontrollable sound that filled the quiet of her apartment, bubbling up from somewhere deep and genuine. She pressed her hand to her mouth, but it did nothing to con
Nina stared at her phone for a long time.Too long.The screen had dimmed at least three times before she tapped it awake again, the blue light casting shadows across her face in the darkened room.Her thumb hovered over Lucas's contact, trembling slightly.She didn't press it.Didn't move.Just… stared, as if the name itself might offer some answer to the question she couldn't quite articulate.A quiet breath escaped her lips.This was ridiculous. It was just a call. Just a child… a boy who needed someone to check on him. And yet, her chest constricted, that familiar tightness wrapping around her ribs like a vice.Because children… Children had always been something she avoided, kept at arm's length with polite smiles and careful distance.Not out of dislike. Not out of indifference. But because of something far worse, something that lived beneath her skin like a second heartbeat.Pain.A slow, lingering ache that never truly left, no matter how many years passed or how deeply she bu
The room fell quiet after Axel's question."Do you actually know anything about that girl?"Lucas didn't answer immediately.For a man who prided himself on precision, on preparation, on staying ten steps ahead of everyone else, the silence stretched longer than it should have. It hung in the air between them, heavy with unspoken admission.Axel noticed, naturally. He had always possessed an uncanny ability to read the spaces between words.Lucas's fingers, which had been resting lightly on the polished surface of his desk, stilled completely. His gaze drifted not toward Axel, but somewhere else entirely, somewhere inward, to a place he rarely allowed himself to visit.For the first time that night, uncertainty flickered across his features. Then came the realization, creeping in like dawn through shuttered windows.Lucas slowly leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking softly beneath his weight. The faintest crease appeared between his brows as he confronted an uncomfortable tru
"Because she might not be dressed for an evening event. And…" Lucas paused, choosing his words with the same care he applied to contract negotiations. "she's beautiful at all times."The simple honesty of the statement hung in the air between them.Axel stared at him, momentarily speechless. A flicker of something… perhaps respect, perhaps exasperation, perhaps a mixture of both crossed his face. He opened his mouth, closed it again, then finally managed, "…You're unbelievable.""Fine!" Axel pushed himself upright, refusing to admit defeat. His competitive nature wouldn't allow it."Try this." He leaned against the desk again, adopting what he clearly believed was an irresistible pose, one he'd probably practiced in mirrors."You have the most captivating eyes."Lucas looked mildly uncomfortable, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. The compliment felt foreign in his mouth before he'd even spoken it. "No.""Why?!" Axel's voice rose in frustration, his carefully constructed
For a full ten seconds after Lucas finished speaking, Axel simply stared at him, his expression frozen somewhere between disbelief and dawning comprehension. The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken implications.Then he exploded.Laughter burst from him so violently he nearly choked on it. His whole body shook with the force of it, the sound echoing off the walls in uncontrolled waves."You?!" He pointed an accusing finger at Lucas as he doubled over, struggling to catch his breath. The irony was too rich, too perfect."I seriously can't believe you're the one saying this!" The words came out strangled, half-swallowed by another wave of mirth. Of all people, Lucas… the man who'd sworn off emotional entanglements like they were a contagious disease.He wiped tears from the corners of his eyes, his face flushed with amusement. "Are you possessed or something?" The question emerged between gasps, genuine bewilderment mixing with his hilarity.Lucas's expression darkened,
Bianca slowly straightened from where Sebastian had caught her before she could collapse. Her hand still clutched her chest, fingers pressed against the silk of her blouse as though she could physically steady her racing heart. Each breath came shallow and quick, her composure hanging by the thinnest of threads. The room seemed to tilt around her, the familiar contours of Lucas's office suddenly feeling foreign and hostile.She blinked hard, willing the world back into focus. Years of maintaining perfect control in boardrooms and social gatherings had prepared her for many things, but not this. Never this.Her eyes locked onto Axel with an intensity that would have made lesser men flinch. The air between them crackled with unspoken tension. In that moment, she looked every inch the formidable woman who had built an empire alongside her husband, except now that foundation felt as though it were crumbling beneath her feet."Repeat," she said slowly, each word measured and deliberate. He







