LOGINJulian“Who are you, Julian?”I stared at Gemma, but no words came out.She stood in front of me, breathing hard, her eyes filled with anger and disbelief. Her body shook with rage as she spoke. I had never seen her this angry before, and I hated that I was the cause. I wanted to reach for her, pull her into my arms, and explain everything, but I knew she wouldn’t let me touch her.“Answer me!” she shouted.I looked at the picture on the table. Joe’s dead body. The secret I had kept buried was now sitting between us, and there was no way to take it back.“Gemma…”“No!” She raised her hand. “Don’t call my name. Don’t you dare stand there and call me like everything is normal.”“I never said everything was…”“Then tell me who you are!” Her voice broke. “Because I don’t know you anymore.”I had faced men who wanted to destroy my business, people who threatened my family, and enemies who thought they could bring me to my knees. And I dealt with all of them without blinking.But standing i
GemmaMy mind refused to accept it. My lips trembled. I called Julian. He picked up on the first ring.“Where are you?” I demanded, my voice shaking with rage and fear.“Gemma? What’s wrong?”“WHERE ARE YOU?” I screamed.There was a brief silence on the other end.“I’m at the office, babe. What…”I cut the call.My chest rose and fell rapidly. I could barely keep breathing, my fingers felt numb. Katia stood in front of me, staring with wide eyes.“Gemma, what’s going on? Who called you? What happened?”“Go home,” I told her.She frowned. “What?”“Go home, Katia. I’ll be coming soon.”“Gemma, you’re shaking. At least tell me…”“I said go home!” My voice cracked on the last word. I grabbed my bag and rushed out before she could ask anything else. I couldn’t stay there. I couldn’t sit still and pretend everything was fine.Julian had to explain.He needed to look me in the eyes and tell me what I was seeing, because there was no way I could accept it without hearing from him first.I dro
Gemma“Stay a little longer, Gemma.”I picked up my handbag and looked at Julian. “I have a business to run.”“You can spare me another hour.”“And who will run my business while I sit here entertaining you?”He took my hand and pulled me closer. “I’m sure your staff can manage without you for an hour.”“Then you’re sure of the wrong thing.”He leaned down to kiss me, but I turned my face, making his lips land on my cheek. “Behave yourself, Julian.”“I’m trying, but you aren’t making it easy.”I laughed and freed my hand from his. Last night didn’t mean I was ready to let him back into my life, and I wasn’t about to confuse one night together with something more. I wasn't going to let a man become the centre of my world again.“I’ll call you later,” I told him before leaving.“I’m holding you to that.”*****My restaurant was already busy when I arrived. The waiters moved between tables with trays of food, while the kitchen staff worked on the pending orders.I greeted everyone before
GemmaI never wanted to ask. The question slipped out of my mouth, and the moment I heard myself, I wished I could take it back.Julian slowly moved away from me, giving me room to sit up.“Yes,” he answered. “It was just a one-time thing.”I wasn’t supposed to care. I had done the same thing. Simon and I understood our arrangement, and Julian and I weren’t even together when he slept with whoever it was.So why was I suddenly so annoyed?I looked away, trying to make sense of the unreasonable jealousy rising inside me. Perhaps it was because I knew exactly what Julian was capable of doing to a woman when he wanted her. The thought of him sharing that side of himself with someone else bothered me more than I cared to admit.How ridiculous. I was the one who moved on, yet here I was, getting upset over something I had no right to complain about.“I need to get breakfast,” I announced, pushing myself off the bed.I barely made it to the door before Julian held my hand.“Are you upset?”
GemmaI woke up and reached for Julian, only to find his side of the bed empty. I blinked sleepily and sat up, looking around the room. Last night was beautiful, especially the kiss we shared before falling asleep. I pressed my lips together, trying not to smile like a fool.Where was that man?I slipped out of bed and grabbed one of his white polo shirts. It was big enough to fall loosely over my thighs, and I didn’t bother looking for anything else. After tying my hair back, I walked out of the bedroom.A sound from the gym caught my attention. I followed it, slowing down when I reached the entrance. Julian was inside, working out while talking to someone through his earbud. I couldn’t make out most of what he was saying, but one word caught my attention.Life.I frowned.“What life?”Julian turned around, clearly surprised by my sudden appearance. He quickly ended the call and approached me with a smile that looked too innocent for a man who had just been discussing something he di
JulianI woke up before Gemma the following morning.She was still asleep beside me, her face relaxed and beautiful. I stayed where I was, watching her, reluctant to disturb the peace of the moment. I spent so long wishing to have her close to me again that waking up beside her felt unreal.But I knew better than to mistake her presence for forgiveness.One pleasant evening wouldn’t erase the past, and I wasn’t going to rush her into giving me something she wasn’t ready for.After admiring her for a while, I carefully slipped out of bed and left her to sleep. I had already given my staff two days off. I wanted the house to ourselves, without anyone interrupting us or making Gemma feel uncomfortable.I headed to the home gym, changed into my workout clothes, and began exercising. My phone was connected to my earbuds, and James was on the other end of the call.“It’s done,” I told him, lifting the weights before lowering them again. “The deal with Vincent is off.”There was a pause.“Wh







