Ivy's POV The storm had finally slowed down, but not completely. But at least the headlines has finally stopped screaming "Affair" and "Scandal," all thanks to Liam shutting it down at the press conference. I thought once the noise faded, things would go back to normal, but it didn't seem so. Because Liam hasn't been himself since. He didn’t actually say anything out loud, but I noticed it. I noticed the way his ties were always loosened, like he couldn’t quite breathe. The way he had so many eye bags from too many late nights. I saw the way his study didn't look as pristine as usual when I walked past, papers were scattered all over his office desk, all sort of slides, numbers and notes with scribbled red ink.Normally, I would have left him to it. He was Liam Calloway after all. He always thrived under pressure. But this time I just couldn’t do it.That’s why I walked in on him past midnight with a bunch of files I just spent the past few hours sorting out.He didn’t hear me com
Ivy's POV I already expected this: The press conference becoming a nightmare.There were reporters shouting, cameras flashing, all of them were like sharks that sniffed blood.But it wasn’t me who saved the moment, It was Liam.He stood next to me like a wall, calm and steady. His hand rested lightly on my back. Slowly he let go of me and stepped up to the podium, and as he spoke, his voice cut through all the noise."There’s no truth to the rumor," he said. "My fiancée’s loyalty isn’t up for debate. You can ask us about the charity gala or the business expansion, either that or don’t ask at all. We’re finished here."That was it, there was no stumbling or hesitation from him. Just certainty.The room instantly fell quiet. For once, none of those bloodthirsty reporters had the courage to push further. It was like he ended the chaos in just one breath.And he did it for me.By the time we got into the car, the silence between us was almost deafening. I stared at the city lights blurri
Ivy's POV My morning started almost normal..... Almost.I had a meeting with Victor Hayes, one of the biggest investors sniffing around Monroe Atelier. He was twice my age, ridiculously well-dressed, and a very touchy person who kissed both cheeks like we were in Paris even though we were only in New York. It was pure and simple business. We talked about numbers, deadlines, production plans. And when we were done, we smiled and shared a simple hug.I didn’t even think much of it until Mason texted me two hours later.'You’ve seen this, right?'A link was attached. My stomach flipped as I tapped it. There it was. A grainy photo already trending on some gossip forum: it was me and Victor, his head tilted too close, and my smile frozen mid-word. The caption was brutal."Monroe heiress cheating already? Liam Calloway can’t keep his fiancée satisfied?" My heart dropped straight to the floor. I scrolled. Comments were pouring in. "Wow, didn’t expect her to be like that." "Poor Li
Liam's POV "Then why did you make me feel like I was?" The guilt landed in my chest like a punch to the guts. "I was an idiot," I admitted, the words rough. "I don’t know what else to tell you Ivy, I'm sorry." The air stretched tight between us. She was standing so close to me now, I could see the flecks of gold in her brown eyes, the way her lashes trembled. And when her gaze dropped, quick, almost nervous to my mouth… I almost lost it. So I leaned in. She didn’t pull away. Her lips brushed mine first, it was soft, almost testing. My hand slid up to her cheek, and she leaned into it like she had been waiting. Then the kiss deepened, slow at first, then it got hotter, hungrier, until I couldn’t tell where I ended and she began. It wasn’t like the almosts we've had before. This wasn't even heat of the moment or accident. This was real. And when she finally pulled back, her breathing was uneven, her lips red. She gave me that look again, the one where she looks li
Liam's POV I couldn’t get her out of my head. Days had passed since the resort, but every second was burned into me. The way her lips felt under mine. The way her breath caught when I pressed her against the wall. The way her fingers clutched my shirt like she didn’t want to let go. And then the part that killed me most, me pulling back. I was the one who stopped it, I told myself it was because I didn’t want just her body, I wanted everything. Her heart, her trust. But the truth was I was terrified. I was terrified of wanting her too much, terrified of going too fast, and ruining whatever this fragile thing between us was turning to. And now we were back in New York. we were back to work, back to the city that never shut up, back to continue proving to the media that we weren't just business partners with a fake ring tying us together. Even if it actually was fake at the start, nothing about it felt fake anymore. At least not to me. I sat in the back of the town car,
Ivy's POV The morning sun was too bright. It streamed through the curtains like it was mocking me, lighting up the suite that had seen way too much almost happen last night. My body still remembered it, I still felt a tingling sensation from the way his mouth crushed mine, the weight of his body pinning me to the bed, the heat of his hands roaming around my body like he was trying to memorize every inch of me. And worse… the way I hadn’t stopped him. God. I pressed the heels of my palms against my eyes, willing the memory away. It didn’t work. All it did was replay the moment when he pulled back, breathing hard, eyes burning, and said, "Not like this." Not like this. Somehow, those words hurt more than if he’d just gone through with it. I finally dragged myself out of bed, tied a robe around me, and stepped out, only to find the cause of my upcoming insanity already in the kitchen. Shirt rolled at the sleeves, tie hanging loose around his neck, coffee in hand like he w