Planning ForwardStefan’s POV~Life with Natasha shifted into full engagement mode after I proposed, and we spent most evenings at her apartment, sorting through wedding details. Her place was cozy, with a small dining table covered in papers and her laptop open to websites about venues and rings. I sat across from her one night, sipping coffee while she scrolled through options for a ring engraver. The screen glowed, showing fancy fonts and designs. “This one’s nice,” she said, pointing to a cursive style. “We could put our initials inside. What do you think?”I leaned over, glancing at it. “Looks good,” I said. “Simple but personal.”She nodded, clicking to save it. “Okay, that’s settled. Now, the guest list. We need to invite the board cause I mean, it’s good for business. Helix will look stronger with them there.”“Yeah, makes sense,” I agreed, but my voice felt flat. I took another sip of coffee, staring at the table. Natasha was all in, her excitement filling the room as she ty
A Proposal’s WeightStefan’s POV~It happened a week before the big signing event with Clawford, at a quiet restaurant downtown called Bella Vita. The place had dim lights, small tables with candles, and soft music in the background. Natasha sat across from me, her dark hair loose, wearing a simple green dress. We’d been working late at Helix, closing a deal, and decided to grab dinner to unwind. As we ate, I kept thinking about how steady she’d always been there for meetings, quick with solutions, making my life easier after the mess with Valenticia ended.Over plates of lasagna, we started talking about the future. “Helix is growing fast,” Natasha said, cutting a bite. “The new wearable line’s going to put us ahead. You’re killing it, Stefan.”I smiled, sipping my water. “We’re killing it. You’ve been key on every contract this year.”She laughed, shaking her head. “Team effort. But seriously, where do you see us in a year? More deals? Bigger office?”Her question caught me off guar
Bitter RevelationsValenticia’s POV~The memory of the dinner that I had with Stefan stayed in my mind for days, like a bright spot I couldn’t shake. We had talked so easily at Luigi’s, laughing over old stories and business wins, and his smile felt real, like the Stefan I knew from years ago. It sparked a quiet hope in me that maybe our history wasn’t completely gone, that we could at least be friends again. I caught myself replaying his words, “Glad we did this, means a lot,” and wondering if there was room for more. But I pushed it down, reminding myself it was just a business dinner to celebrate the deal, nothing else. Still, the warmth lingered, and I held onto it as I went through my routine, balancing work at Clawford Enterprises with plans to bring Nana home from the hospital.The signing event for the sensor deal came a few days later, and I arrived at the downtown conference center feeling focused. The room was big, with long tables covered in white cloths and a podium up f
Sealing the DealValenticia’s POV~Rosanna’s health kept on disturbing me in my mind constantly, and I spent my days juggling work at Clawford Enterprises with visits to the hospital, where she stayed for treatment. Her pneumonia wasn’t improving as fast as I had hoped that it would, and every cough I heard during our talks made my stomach twist. I wanted her home with me, safe in the spare room I was already setting up with her favorite blankets and a teapot for chamomile. But work didn’t stop, and the responsibility of running the company felt heavier than ever. Emails piled up, meetings stacked my calendar, and I barely had time to breathe. Still, I made it work, driven by the need to keep Clawford strong and get Nana settled.That morning, as I drove to the office, my phone pinged with another email from Stefan. He’d been pushing for months about a partnership deal, an exclusive sensor supply for Helix’s new tech line. The idea was big, promising a twenty percent profit boost if
Fading Strength Rosanna’s POV~Days passed in the Willow Creek Elderly Home, and I stuck to my usual routine as best I could. I ate breakfast in the dining hall with the other residents, walked a little in the garden if my legs felt up to it, and read by the window in my room all afternoon. But the cough I’d had for weeks kept getting worse. It began as a tickle, but increasingly it was accompanied by sharp chest pain that woke me up at night, making me tired and short of breath. I had tried ignoring it and convinced myself I only had a cold, but somehow I knew that something was wrong.The nurses noticed too. One morning, Nurse Clara brought a tray of tea and toast. “Rosanna, you’re coughing quite a bit,” she said, placing the tray on my table. “We’re planning to have another visit with the doctor today, all right?”I nodded, forcing a smile.“Fine, but I’m tougher than I look. Don’t fuss too much.”She patted my hand gently. “You’re plenty tough. Just let us help.” It made me feel c
Echoes of the NightValenticia’s POV~I woke up the day after the ball in my own apartment, but could not get the picture of Stefan and Natasha dancing out of my head. Their steps, which were so smooth and perfect in my mind, ran over and over again, and the pain I felt in my chest was hard as I felt like it had just happened. I rolled out of bed, brewed some coffee and sat down at my tiny kitchen table to shake it off. Why did it bother me so much? It had been more than a year since Stefan and I broke up, and I was over it. But after seeing them last night, that all came flooding back and I didn’t know what to do with it.I opened my laptop, checked my email in the hopes that work might give me something else to think about. I was working for Clawford Enterprises these days, and my agenda was packed full, and meetings and calls awaited me. At 9 a.m., I pulled on a blazer, skirt and made my way into the office. I took the elevator up to my floor. My assistant, Lena, was waiting for