LOGINClaire's POV I woke up the next morning exhausted, every muscle in my body sore in ways I really didn't want to think about. Then it all came rushing back … last night, Grey, my door, his hands, his lips on mine, and panic slammed into me so hard I nearly fell off the bed.I whipped around, scanning the room. No Grey. Not in the bed, not anywhere. He was already gone.I let out this huge, shaky breath. Relief and something else, something I refused to name, tangled up together in my chest."Stupid," I muttered to myself, dragging my hands down my face. "You are so fucking stupid!"I hated every single part of me that still wanted him. Hated it.My phone buzzed on the nightstand and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I grabbed it, checked the screen.Grey: Good morning. Try to be early today.That was it. No mention of last night, nothing. Just work stuff, like always. I stared at the screen for way longer than necessary before I forced myself up and got dressed fast, trying so h
Grey's POV I got to the club and asked the guy at the booking desk for Leah."Who?" He looked at me blank."The dancer. Gold eye mask."His face lit up with recognition. "Oh…you mean Foxx?"Foxx. I almost laughed out loud. Corniest fucking stage name I'd ever heard in my life. But I nodded anyway, played along like I'd known that the whole time."She's got a set in about an hour," he said. "Getting ready right now, can't really pull her out for that.""Can I book a private session with her? Right after.""How many minutes you looking for?""How much time does she have left tonight?" I asked instead. "Hours, whatever she's still got to make before she's done."He glanced at his screen, scrolling. "She's got three more hours on the clock. Needs to clear at least four fifty before she can head out.""Book the private session for the full three hours," I told him. "I'll cover whatever's left on top of that."He didn't even blink, just started typing it up like guys dropped tha
Claire's POV My head shot up so fast I probably got whiplash.I looked at Alto first ..like maybe I'd misheard him, like maybe he was gonna laugh and say he was kidding. He wasn't. Then I looked at Grey. And he didn't look shocked. Didn't look bothered. Didn't look like anything at all, actually, just sat there calm as ever, like this was something he already fully knew about."He's already signed the marriage agreement," Alto continued, flipping through his papers like he was talking about the weather. "The engagement will be announced tomorrow."I looked around the table and I swear I was the only person there who looked remotely disturbed by any of this. Everyone else just sat there, nodding, business as usual, like they hadn't just casually dropped a bomb in the middle of a subsidiary meeting.I didn't even know what to do with myself. Some ugly, disappointed feeling curled up in my chest and sat there, heavy, even though I had zero right to feel it. I didn't want anything ro
Grey's POV Work the next day was... off. Awkward as hell, if I'm being honest. I figured it had to be about last night, how could it not be? She probably felt like shit about the whole thing, and if I was being real with myself, I probably overreacted too.She's a fucking adult. Why the hell did I care if she strips at one of the most dangerous clubs in the city, full of God knows what kind of criminals and creeps? She can handle herself. If she gets into trouble, that's on her, not me. That's what I kept telling myself, over and over, like repeating it enough times would actually make it true. But it wasn't working. I was stressed. Genuinely stressed, over something that had nothing to do with me.And for some insane reason, I hated it. Hated the idea of her having to put her body on display for a room full of strangers just to scrape by. The thought alone made me want to put my fist through something, which is not normal. Not okay. I'm her boss. That's it. That's all I'm supposed
Claire's POV Grey had let me off early. Way too early. He'd been rushing out the door like the building was on fire, wouldn't even look at me properly, wouldn't tell me how the session went, nothing. I don't know how the therapy session went and honestly at this point I've stopped asking. When he told me to leave, I left. I heard him say something as I was walking out but I wasn't sticking around to find out what,I wanted to get to the club before he could change his mind and decide he needed me for something stupid like going to a random bar and sitting down looking all stupid as I watch him have a meeting which has nothing to do with me..By the time I got there I went straight to the changing room, same as always. Grabbed a bikini set out of my locker, threw it on, slapped on some makeup fast because I was already running behind. Got on stage, did my thing. The crowd was loud tonight, cheering like they always do, and for a while I just let my body move and my brain go quiet. Tha
Grey's POV I sat across from the therapist, watching him scribble something down on his notepad before he'd even said a word to me. Room was dead silent except for that stupid clock ticking away on the wall, loud enough to make me want to rip it off and chuck it out the window.Guy looked to be mid fifties, gray hair, glasses that somehow made him look even older than he probably was. Finally he looked up."So, Mr. DeLuca. How long have you had these symptoms?""Since I woke up," I said. "Since I regained consciousness. Hasn't let up since.""And what do you think might've triggered it?"I sat with that for a second, didn't really want to say it out loud, but figured what was the point of paying this guy if I wasn't going to be honest."Her."He looked up from his notes, waiting for me to clarify who the hell "her" was."My secretary." I added"Ah." He made this small sound, half acknowledgment, half something else I couldn't read. "Was there anyone else in the room when yo
Grey’s POVI headed straight for the bathroom the moment I got home. It had been a long night, and the scent of fresh blood still clung to my skin.I wasn’t complaining.There was something almost ceremonial about washing Frederick’s blood from my hands. I had imagined this night for years — the ni
Claire’s POVBack to presentI was about to head in when something caught my eye. The Italian tattoo on the side of his neck.Grey De Luca. My supposed fiancé… or ex-fiancé. Sometimes, I wished we were still engaged.He was putting on a black suit, holding a black briefcase. Fuck, if I said I didn’
Claire’s POVAs Grey's cruel words echoed in the room, my eyes blurred with tears, and a sob escaped my trembling lips. Grey's indifferent gaze remained fixed on me as I broke down, crying uncontrollably. My cries grew louder, echoing in the room, but Grey seemed utterly unaffected. He crossed his
Claire’s POVI quickened my pace, struggling to catch up with my dad. He was way too fast, and he didn’t bother turning back to see if I was still following him or if I had failed to keep up.“Dad, wait for me!” I called out, scrambling to fix a hairpin that had come loose in my ginger hair.“Clair







