SARAHThe room was quiet, save for the faint hum of the air conditioner. The party had ended hours ago, leaving the house in an eerie calm. I sat cross-legged on my bed, my back resting against the headboard. A sense of victory pulsed through me, steady and reassuring, like a beat I hadn’t heard in years.The recorder in my hand felt heavier now, though it wasn’t from its weight. I pressed play again, letting Isabella’s shaky voice fill the silence.“Of course I did it! You think I care about anyone but myself? Sarah doesn’t deserve Marco, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them apart!”I paused the tape and leaned my head back, a small, satisfied smile tugging at my lips. That moment earlier—the look on Isabella’s face when her own words turned against her—played on a loop in my mind. The way her jaw dropped, her eyes darting around the room as if searching for a way to escape. And then, the best part: her sprinting out of the house like a thief caught red-handed.It felt… good. N
SARAHIt had been a week since the party, and I still wasn’t over my “anger”—not completely, anyway. Okay, maybe I was, but Marco didn’t need to know that just yet. I wanted to enjoy the little game we had going on. He’d been relentless in his efforts to apologize, and honestly, I was having way too much fun watching him grovel.I got up and started my usual morning cleaning routine.Starting in the living room, I fluffed the pillows and wiped down the coffee table. My thoughts drifted, as they often did lately, to Marco. He had always been a proud man—too proud sometimes. But this past week, he’d been on a mission to win me back, and his creative attempts were something else.This morning, it seemed, was no exception.As I moved to dust the shelves, I noticed a yellow sticky note stuck to the edge of a photo frame.“Good morning, my queen. The house isn’t as bright as your smile, but it’ll do. – M.”I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help the smile tugging at my lips. “Really, Marco?”
SARAHI woke up to the soft morning light spilling through the curtains, the room still quiet except for the faint sound of birds chirping outside. Stretching lazily, I blinked a few times before sitting up in bed, my mind already running through the usual morning routine. First stop—tidying up my room.I got to work, straightening the sheets, fluffing the pillows, and organizing the random pile of books and trinkets on my bedside table. I made a mental note to dust later, even though I knew Martha would probably insist I let her do it.Once I was satisfied, I headed to the bathroom. The mirror greeted me with my slightly disheveled reflection, and I smiled at the sight. My hair was a mess, and I had pillow creases on my cheek, but I didn’t mind. Turning on the shower, I let the warm water wash over me, refreshing my sleepy mind.After drying off, I wrapped myself in a towel and returned to the mirror. That’s when I noticed it—the subtle but undeniable curve of my belly. My baby bump.
MARCOI sat at my desk, flipping through the reports for the latest quarter. The numbers looked solid—better than I’d expected. The global expansion of our shipping operations had finally paid off. Efficiency had improved in almost every region, profits had doubled in others, and even the problem areas we’d been struggling with for years were starting to stabilize. For the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn’t staring at a disaster waiting to be fixed. No fires to put out, no sleepless nights wondering where I’d gone wrong. It felt… good. Better than good. I leaned back in my chair, letting the satisfaction sink in for a moment.It wasn’t just about the money. Sure, the profits were a nice bonus, but this was about proving something to myself. That I could still do this, still build something that worked, even when everything else in my life felt like it was teetering on the edge of collapse. I wasn’t going to let the cracks spread. Not this time.I flipped another page, jot
SARAHI curled up on the couch, my feet tucked under me as I searched for something to watch. It had been a long day, and all I wanted was to unwind. Flipping through the streaming options, I settled on a lighthearted anime I’d seen a few clips of online. Within minutes, I was already laughing at the silly humor and over-the-top characters.Resting my hand on my growing belly, I smiled, feeling a wave of warmth spread through me. “Do you like this too, little one?” I asked softly, glancing down. “Is it funny to you?” The thought of my baby growing up and maybe loving the same silly things I did made me giggle. It was such a wholesome, peaceful moment that I wished I could bottle it up.I was halfway through the first episode when I heard the sound of the front door opening. I turned my head and smiled instinctively as Marco walked in. As always, he looked effortlessly put together—his black button-up shirt fit him perfectly, and his presence seemed to fill the room the second he stepp
SARAHI stepped out of the shower, the warm steam clinging to my skin as I wrapped myself in a soft towel. For a moment, I let myself just stand there, the quiet hum of the bathroom fan filling the silence. Tonight felt… different. It wasn’t like we hadn’t gone out before, but something about the way Marco had asked, about the way he looked at me earlier, felt new.My eyes drifted to the clock on the wall. It was nearly eight. Marco had been very clear about the time—unusually clear, in fact. I smiled to myself, shaking my head. He always had this way of making even the smallest details seem important, and tonight, it seemed, was no exception.I dried off quickly, slipping into my robe before beginning my routine. My hands moved automatically—cleansing, moisturizing, brushing back my damp hair. As I worked, my thoughts wandered. It had been a while since we’d done something like this, just the two of us. Life had felt so… busy. Sometimes, it felt like we were more like two people shar
SARAHWe pulled up to the entrance of the art house, and my breath hitched. The entire area was lit up with golden lights, the long red carpet stretching out in front of the grand building like something out of a movie. People in elegant gowns and tailored suits moved about, and the buzz of cameras clicking filled the air.Marco stepped out first, his expression calm and unreadable. As he walked to my side of the car and opened the door, I could already hear the rising chatter of reporters and the flashes of paparazzi cameras going wild.“Marco! Over here!”“Who’s the lady with you tonight?”“Marco, can we get a statement about—”“Mr. DeLuca, just one photo!”The voices were endless, overlapping and relentless. Marco ignored them completely, his focus solely on me as he held out his hand.“Ready?” he asked, his tone as steady as ever.I nodded, slipping my hand into his and stepping out. The second my heel touched the carpet, I felt the weight of a hundred eyes on me. The cameras shif
SARAHThe rest of the event passed in a blur, but my mind wasn’t in the room anymore. It was stuck on Marco.His words lingered in my head like an echo I couldn’t shake. That flower—The Eternal Bloom. His determination to get it, the way his voice had cut through the air when he placed those bids, the confidence in his tone. And then that moment when he turned to me, just for a second, his eyes softening in a way that made my heart trip over itself.Why did he care so much about it? Why did he want it so badly? Was it just about the rarity, the prestige of owning something so unique? Or was it… was it about the legend?I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. Marco sat calmly, his expression unreadable as always, but I couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to it.And then, my own thoughts started betraying me. Why did I feel this warmth when I looked at him? Why did I feel like my heart was caught in a vice every time he was near? This wasn’t the first time he’d surprised me
SARAHI woke up to the sound of Marco snoring beside me, his arm lazily draped over my waist. His face was buried in the pillow, his mouth slightly open, and the sound coming from him was loud enough to rival a chainsaw.I stifled a laugh, watching him for a moment. He looked so unbothered, completely knocked out, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.Smirking, I grabbed the small pillow beside me and whacked him lightly on the head.Nothing. Not even a flinch.I laughed even harder, hitting him again, but he just let out a deep sigh and turned his head the other way, his snoring continuing like some sort of broken engine.“Oh my God, Marco,” I whispered between giggles. “Are you even breathing properly?”He didn’t respond. Obviously.Shaking my head, I slid out of bed and padded towards the bathroom, still laughing to myself. As I turned on the shower, my mind drifted back to last night.The way Marco had held my hands, looking at me with such intensity. The way his voice had sof
ISABELLAThe bass pounded through the club, the kind of heavy, pulsing beat that made people forget who they were for a few hours. Bodies pressed together, the air thick with sweat, liquor, and bad decisions waiting to happen.I sat back in my booth, one leg crossed over the other, my drink swirling in my hand as I watched the chaos from a comfortable distance. This was a place where people lost themselves.But I wasn’t here to lose anything. I was here to gain.Aisha.Marco’s secretary. His loyal employee. His trusted little confidante.And my personal rat.His trusted little worker bee. The one with access to his files, his schedules, his secrets.And the one who had been feeding me just enough information to keep her bank account happy.The things people did for money. It never failed to amuse me.Just as I lifted my drink to my lips, my phone buzzed on the table. I picked it up, bringing it to my ear without much interest.“Who’s this?” I asked lazily, even though I already knew.
SARAHI sat in the living room, my fingers working the knitting needles in a slow, steady rhythm. The yarn twisted and looped, but my mind wasn’t in it. It was supposed to help me relax, to keep my hands busy, to distract me. But tonight, it wasn’t doing anything.The unease in my chest had settled there hours ago, and no matter how much I tried to ignore it, it wouldn’t go away.Something was wrong.I didn’t know how, I didn’t know why, but I could feel it.Marco had been different lately. Not in an obvious, loud way. No, it was the kind of change that someone else might not notice. But I did. I noticed everything about him.The silence. The way his stares lingered a little too long on nothing. The way he checked his phone constantly, his jaw tight, his shoulders stiff. I wasn’t sure he even realized he was doing it. Marco wasn’t the type to fidget, but lately, he’d been on edge in a way that didn’t sit right with me.And then there was that phone call.That night, I had woken up to
MARCOI lit a cigarette, letting the bitter taste settle on my tongue, the smoke curling up toward the ceiling. The office was too quiet, just the faint hum of the AC and the soft scratch of the papers I’d tossed aside. But my eyes kept drifting back to those damn records, like they were mocking me from the corner of the desk.I took a deep drag and leaned back in my chair, trying to shake off the tension coiled in my chest. The numbers didn’t lie. But the problem was, I didn’t have the answers yet. That’s what got under my skin the most—not knowing.I shifted in my seat, finding a comfortable spot, my body sinking deeper into the leather. My eyes felt heavy, the stress weighing me down more than I realized. I stared at the ceiling, the smoke blending with the shadows, and before I knew it, my mind drifted somewhere else. Somewhere softer.I saw her. My baby. I hoped Sarah woould give me a girl. Laughing, her little hands reaching for me, her smile brighter than the sun outside. She w
MARCOThe office was dead quiet, the kind of silence that made the tick of the clock on the wall sound like a drumbeat. The only other noise was the rustle of papers as I ran through the pile on my desk. Contracts, invoices, shipment logs—it was all the usual shit. Stuff I could practically do in my sleep by now. I signed off on the weapon shipments first, making sure the docks were clear for the incoming load from Eastern Europe. Then I moved to the laundering reports, checking the cash flow through our fronts—clubs, restaurants, real estate. Everything seemed to be running like clockwork.But my mind wasn’t in it.Petrov’s last words from that call still echoed in my head. He’d been vague—too vague for my liking. The whole thing about “unexpected shifts” and “watch your back.” It wasn’t like him to be cryptic. Petrov didn’t deal in riddles, and the fact that he was suddenly choosing his words carefully had me on edge. I didn’t want to overthink it, but I couldn’t help it. I had Sara
MARCOThe tires crunched against the gravel as I pulled into the office building’s lot, the usual buzz of early morning activity humming in the background. But none of it registered. My mind was still stuck on Petrov’s call, his words looping over and over like they were burned into my skull.“There’s a leak, Marco. Someone close. Watch your back.”I killed the engine, staring out the windshield for a moment longer before stepping out of the car. The cool morning air hit my face, but it didn’t do a damn thing to shake off the heaviness sitting on my chest. I grabbed my suitcase from the backseat, slamming the door shut harder than necessary. The sound echoed in the parking lot, but I barely noticed.As I walked toward the building, a few of the guys outside greeted me—nods, quick “Mornin’, boss,” the usual routine—but I didn’t even glance their way. Their voices were just background noise, fading into the mess of thoughts swirling in my head. My focus was shot to hell, and that wasn’t
SARAHI woke up to the soft glow of morning creeping in through the curtains, but it didn’t bring that warmth it usually did. Instead, it felt like the light was highlighting everything I was trying not to think about. My eyes stayed fixed on the ceiling, tracing the small imperfections in the plaster, anything to distract myself from the nagging feeling in my chest.Marco’s steady breathing beside me was usually comforting, but today, it felt like a reminder of everything I wasn’t sure about anymore. The words I overheard last night played on a loop in my mind, each time pulling tighter at the anxiety twisting in my stomach.“We can’t be too careful. Someone’s leaking information from the inside.”He hadn’t seen me standing there, tucked just out of sight by the hallway wall, listening to the clipped edge in his voice as he spoke to his worker. The tension in his tone, the sharpness in his words—it wasn’t just business. It was something more, something dangerous. And no matter how mu
SARAHThe soft scent of fresh paint lingered in the air, mingling with the faint aroma of Marco’s cologne as he stood beside me, sleeves rolled up, paintbrush in hand. The nursery was bathed in the warm glow of the late afternoon sun, casting long shadows on the walls we were trying to turn into something perfect—something safe.Marco dipped his brush into the pale blue paint, then paused, tilting his head. “I still think we should’ve gone with the sage green,” he said, his tone light but his brow slightly furrowed, like this was a high-stakes decision.I chuckled, standing back to look at the wall. “You’re only saying that because you think blue is cliché.”“Well, it is.” He gave me a playful smirk, one that made my heart do that stupid little flip, the same way it had since the day I fell for him. Dangerous. Beautiful. Mine.I picked up my own brush, swiping a bold streak of blue across the wall. “Too late now. Besides, it’s soft. Calming.”Marco raised an eyebrow, stepping closer.
ISABELLADamien’s eyes lingered on me, sharp and calculating. For a man who prided himself on control, I could see the faint cracks in his composure, the unease that flickered just beneath his confident exterior.“You’re serious,” he said finally, leaning forward. His voice was low, skeptical, but there was a hint of something else—curiosity, maybe, or intrigue.I gave him a small smile, the kind that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “I don’t make empty promises, Damien. If you let me take the lead on this, Marco won’t just lose. He’ll crumble.”He leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly as he studied me. His gaze was piercing, searching for any signs of weakness or deception, but I didn’t flinch.After what felt like an eternity, he nodded once, a sharp, deliberate motion. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll give you a chance. But understand this, Isabella: if you screw this up, there won’t be a second chance.”“I wouldn’t expect one,” I replied smoothly, my tone steady.For a moment, silence stretc