FAZER LOGINBy the time we left the gala, the night had transformed. The noise, the lights, the relentless movement of people—all of that stayed behind as the doors closed softly behind us. Outside, the air was cooler and calmer, like stepping into a completely different realm. I didn’t realize how much I craved that until I inhaled deeply.“Cold?” Daniel’s voice came from beside me, drawing my attention. I hadn’t even acknowledged the slight chill against my skin until he brought it up.“A little,” I admitted effortlessly.He didn’t respond with a lot of words—just shrugged off his jacket and held it out toward me. I paused, considering my next move. It wasn’t just the offer itself—it was the way he made it seem so natural. There were no theatrics, no expectations, just quiet thoughtfulness.“You don’t have to,” I pointed out.“I know,” he replied, calm and sure.That was all. No insistence, no pressure; just a genuine offer. There was something powerful in that simplicity that made it hard to
I stood in the middle of Sabrina’s room, feeling both uneasy and oddly familiar. “Turn around.”Her voice was calm yet commanding, and I obeyed instinctively. The brush glided across my cheek, delicate and precise.“Stop tensing,” she instructed. “Your face is fighting me.”“I’m just not used to this,” I admitted.“I know.”Her certainty held no judgment, but it unsettled me. The room smelled of vanilla and flowers, filled with neatly arranged clothes and scattered makeup—an oasis of self-assurance.I met my reflection as she worked, watching a stronger version of me take shape. “Do you have a dress?” she suddenly asked.I hesitated. “Not really.”The brush paused, and she locked eyes with me in the mirror. “Elena.”“What?”“You’re going to a gala with a man of influence, and you don’t have a dress?”“I didn’t think—”“Exactly. You didn’t think.”She left the room, and I felt a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. When she returned, she held a stunning black velvet dress that took
The stock drop caught me off guard. Eleven percent in less than a day. That shouldn’t have happened unless something serious went wrong.“Repeat that,” I said, not taking my eyes off the report.Daniel, one of my analysts, spoke up with clarity. “The Eastern regional stock has plummeted eleven percent since yesterday afternoon, sir.” I met his gaze with a steady focus. “What’s the reason?” Lara, my operations assistant, quickly interjected after exchanging a confident glance with Daniel. “There was an incident at one of the warehouses yesterday morning.” I lifted an eyebrow, intrigued. “An incident?”“A worker died, sir,” she said quietly.The words hit harder than I expected. My chest tightened, and for a moment I felt unsteady, though I forced my expression to remain calm.“And this was only reported to me now?”Daniel shifted. “The report was delayed. There were protests in that region as well, workers claiming unsafe conditions and unfair pay.”I ran a hand over my face. “Un
Sabrina was already in the kitchen when I came downstairs, humming softly to herself as she moved between the stove and the counter. The smell of butter, toasted bread, and something sweet filled the little space, warm and comforting in a way that still felt new to me after the polished chill of the life I had left behind.“Good morning,” she sang the second she saw me.“Morning,” I said, smiling as I slipped into a chair.A plate appeared in front of me almost immediately. Eggs, toast, sliced fruit, and tea. Sabrina had always loved feeding people as if it were her private love language.Phill was already seated at the table, coffee mug in hand, looking far too awake for that hour of the morning. He raised his mug toward me. “Big day huh.”I let out a breath and looked down at the plate. “Big day.”Sabrina slid into the chair across from me, eyes bright with curiosity. “So? How are you feeling?”“Nervous,” I admitted. “But I'm excited too.”“That’s normal,” she said at once. “First d
Melissa started complaining the second Adrian stepped into the bedroom.“Oh my God, Adrian, what is wrong with you?”He loosened his tie with one hand, already exhausted, the weight of the day clinging to him. “Melissa—”“No, don’t Melissa, me.” She folded her arms, irritation sharp across her face. “The past two days, you’ve barely spoken to me. You come home, and you zone out. You hardly touch me. We haven’t had any intimacy, nothing. It’s like I’m not even here.”Adrian remained silent at first. The truth was unpleasant. She was right; he had been distant, distracted, and preoccupied. But it wasn’t due to work, no matter how often he tried to convince her of that. It was the silence that Elena had left behind. He wasn't going to admit that.The strange, aching gap her absence had carved into the penthouse. The way the space felt too large now, too quiet, like something essential had been stripped from it. And no matter how many times he reminded himself that the contract was ove
I stepped out of the airport and into air that actually felt like air. Not filtered through vents. Not trapped behind glass and polished walls. Real warm, soft, touched with the faint scent of dust, trees, and something sweet I could not immediately name. For the first time in what felt like forever, I breathed deeply. And it did not hurt. “Elena!” I turned just in time to see Sabrina hurrying toward me, one hand waving wildly above her head. I barely had time to smile before she threw her arms around me. “Oh my God,” she breathed, squeezing me tightly. “Look at you.” I laughed, the sound slipping out easier than I expected. “Hello to you too.” She pulled back just enough to look at me properly, both hands still gripping my arms like she was making sure I was real. “No, seriously. Look at you. You look… older. Not old,” she added quickly. “Just more mature. More… I don’t know…Refined.” I raised a brow. “Is that your way of saying I look stressed?” She laughed. “A little.” I
Seven Years Ago“You’re not listening to me, Elena.”“I am, Mum.”I wasn’t.I was staring at the road, but all I could see were numbers. Debts. Deadlines. The weight my father had left behind.“They came again yesterday,” she said. “I can’t keep telling them to wait.”My grip tightened around my ph
Adrian leaned back against the headboard, eyes closed for a brief moment.Melissa shifted beside him, draped in one of his shirts, her fingers tracing idle patterns against his chest as she leaned closer, seeking warmth, closeness, something he wasn’t fully present for.“You’re so tense,” she murmu
I sat on the edge of my bed, the soft hum of the air conditioner blended with the quiet of my room. Around me, my packed luggage stood like silent witnesses to a decision I had yet to fully process. The divorce papers lay across the small table beside me, crisp and final, the ink still smelling fain
A few weeks before his death, Victor called me to his hospital room. The faint smell of antiseptic hung in the air, sharp and sterile, clinging to everything. He lay propped against crisp white pillows, frail and tethered to machines, his face thinner by the day, but his eyes were still sharp when







