LOGINThird Person POVThe bar was the kind of place where people went to disappear.Tucked away in a rundown part of the city, far from the glitz and glamour of the Rossi name, it was the perfect hiding spot for someone who didn't want to be found. The lights were dim. The smell of stale beer filled the air like a fog.Adrian had been there for hours.His jacket was discarded on the seat beside him, his tie loosened, his shirt untucked. Empty glasses lined the bar in front of him, and his eyes were glassy, unfocused, fixed on some distant point that only he could see.The bartender, a grizzled man who had seen too many people drink themselves into oblivion, refilled his glass without being asked."You sure you want another one, Sir?" he asked, his voice flat.Adrian laughed nonchalantly. "What do you think?""I think you're going to regret it in the morning." The bartender said respectfully."I'm not planning on making it to morning."The bartender shrugged and walked away.Adrian grabb
I closed my eyes. She was right, I knew exactly what I was feeling. I was just feeling terrified.Terrified that I still loved him, terrified that I'd never stop, terrified that if I let myself fall again, I would shatter into pieces I would never be able to put back together.> “I need to go. I have work.” I yawned, already feeling the exhaustion in my bones.> “Sure you do.”> “I'll call you tomorrow.”> “You better. I want all the details.” Brielle was so shameless.I set the phone down and stared at the ceiling.---Third Person POVThe bar was the kind of place Vanessa normally wouldn't be caught dead in.Dim lighting that was more grime than atmosphere. Sticky floors that hadn't seen a proper mop in years. A jukebox was sitting in the corner playing something scratchy and old, the kind of music that felt like it belonged to a different decade entirely.But Vanessa wasn't here for the ambiance.She was here because the message had been specific. "Come alone, don't tell anyone. A
"I'm not lying.""Then why are you pushing me away?"Because I'm scared. Because I still haven't forgiven you for walking away, and I don't know if I ever will.But I didn't say any of that."I'm not pushing you away," I said instead. "I'm being realistic. We're not the same people we were five years ago. We can't just... fall back into something because it feels familiar.""I'm not asking you to fall back into anything." His voice was rough. "I'm asking you to give me a chance. That's all.""A chance for what?""For something." “Just let it go.” I insisted."You haven't moved on." He groaned."Stop." "You haven't," he insisted. "If you had, you wouldn't have kissed me back. You wouldn't be sitting here right now, looking at me like you're trying to convince yourself to leave.""You don't know what you're talking about.""I know you, Aria." He leaned closer, his voice dropping to barely a whisper. "I know you better than anyone. And I know that you still feel this. Whatever this is
Aria POV The drive was silent.Not the comfortable kind of silence, the kind that felt like two people had too much to say and didn't know how to start. Mason drove with one hand on the wheel, the other gripping his thigh like he was trying to hold himself together. His eyes were fixed on the road ahead. The city blurred past outside the window, buildings, streets, people living their lives, each going facing their own challenges.I kept stealing glances at him. The way his knuckles were white against the steering wheel. We drove for what felt like forever.Then he pulled off the main road onto a narrow, winding street I didn't recognize. The buildings thinned out, replaced by trees and open space. The city noise faded into something softer, like a birdsong, the rustle of leaves, the distant hum of the river.He parked the car near a small park I'd never seen before. It was quiet here. The kind of place that felt like it existed outside of time.He killed the engine and sat th
"I said you look fine." Jeffrey's smirk widened. "Fine. That's exactly what you look like. Completely fine.""Jeffrey," the coach warned again.But Mason was already stepping closer. His hands were clenched at his sides, his jaw tight, his entire body vibrating with barely contained rage."You have something to say," Mason said. "Say it to my face. Stop hiding behind bullshit.""Bullshit?" Jeffrey laughed. "That's rich. You're the one who's been dragging this team down. You're the one who's distracted. You're the one who can't seem to get his head in the game.""Dragging the team down?" Mason's voice rose. "I've carried this team on my back for years. Where were you?""Where was I?" Jeffrey stepped closer, his voice rising to match Mason's. "I was on the ice, actually working. Not hiding in the locker room. Not pretending to be injured.""Don't talk about something you know nothing about.""I know everything about you." Jeffrey's eyes were cold. "I know you think you're better than ev
She dragged herself back from his arms and stood up as she gently and slowly took off her clothes in front of him.She could see the reaction she had on him. She walked towards him seductively, dropping down to her knees as she slowly unzipped his pants. A faint sigh escaped her mouth the moment she brought his cock out. “You are so naughty.” He groaned.“Maybe, but you started it.” She commented, grinning sheepishly.She wrapped her both hands around his cock, slowly moving her hands.“This is so fucking good.” His breath came faster.She moved her hands faster, exactly like a pro.After a while, he pulled her up and shifted his focus back to her lips. From her lips he progressed down to her clitoris. “Hmmm” She moaned. He knew she was already aroused but he wasn't ready yet, he wanted to torture her more.After a while he took off his clothes, she watched him seductively.After taking the last piece of clothing off, he wore a condom then joined her on the bed. He separated h
Adrian closed the report.He left his office, and walked down the hall. Past the empty corner office, past the reception desk, even past the elevator banks, toward the bullpen where the lower-level employees worked.He didn't have a reason to go there. His job didn't require it. But he went anyway.
My phone buzzed on the desk, jolting me out of my thoughts.I glanced at the screen.Ethan.I stared at his name for a moment, then let the call go to voicemail.I wasn't ready to talk to anyone yet. Iwent back to my research.Sarah Mikowski. Former VP of Operations at Rossi Industries. Left the co
The search results were... underwhelming.Yes, I knew his family well enough, why wouldn’t I? But it wasn’t on a deeper level, we were in a situationship I guess, more like friends with benefits.We didn’t want to put a name to it then, so I had barely any deep knowledge about his family.Mason's f
Vanessa stepped closer to his desk, close enough that he could see her face clearly, read the expression she was deliberately arranging."You want front-page stories," she whispered. "That's what you keep telling everyone in morning meetings. You want stories that people actually read. Stories that







