ANMELDENVICKY’S POVLeo’s fingers twitched at his sides, his chest heavin' as he sent a deadly glare straight down at me. A silent command was burnin' in his eyes, a warning tellin’ me to shut up, stay out of it, and let him crush this guy.He was tryin’ to mark his territory. Maybe he thought Enzo was lookin’ at me like a prize to win, and his primitive instincts were demandin' total control over me and who I work with.But joke's on him. I’m Vicky. I’ve fought through way too much drama to let anyone (not even the almighty Leo Verilli) control me or make me look weak on my very first day on the job.If I backed down now, the board and every other gossipin' employee in this company would think I was just a puppet incapable of handling real business.I want this account, and I'm takin' it.I straightened up in my heels, slammin’ both palms firmly on the table as I met Leo's intense gaze head-on."Hold the phone, Mr. Verilli," I began, defyin’ the warning glare he sent me earlier."Who said a
VICKY’S POVHe still had that irritatin’ half-smile plastered on his face, his eyes locked onto mine, observin' my expression with undivided interest.Why is he here? Could he be one of the Italian investors?He didn't look like an investor; he looked like a cat that had just spotted a giant bowl of cream, and I was the cream."Vicky," Alaric speaks up, breakin' the thick silence that has settled over the room. He gestures toward the far end of the room.“This is Enzo Moretti. He is the CEO of Moretti Autos, the number one exclusive luxury automotive and trade group in Italy. His company represents the main investment sector we are contractin' with today."My hands curl into tight fists in my lap. A sudden jolt of panic and surprise hits me straight in the chest, makin' my heart do a wild flip.Holy crap, the guy is actually the international investor Leo has been talkin' about?I feel a sudden urge to slide right under the table and hide, but I force my face to stay stoic. I have to
VICKY’S POVFreya and I were just about to settle in at our desks and start reviewin' the massive stack of distribution files Cindy left before me when the intercom on the edge of Freya’s table blared loudly, shatterin' the quiet.Freya jumped a little, nearly droppin' her pen before she scrambled to pick it up."Yes? This is Miss Vicky's office," she murmured into the receiver, her voice still carryin' that timid vibe.She listened for a quick second, noddin' frantically."Okay, sir. Right away."She ended the call, and I leaned back in my chair, crossin' my arms."Who the hell was that, Freya? I thought we were done with the welcome wagon.""It was Mr. Alaric," Freya said, her eyes widenin' slightly as she clutched her digital notepad."He said you are needed on the forty-sixth floor for the board meeting immediately. He said it’s important and you have to come right away.""The meeting?" I muttered, a sharp frown creasin' my forehead.“Why the hell would they need me up there? I ju
LEO’S POVA heavy silence befell the boardroom, the temperature in the room plummeting to zero as the words left my mouth.Every single person at the table went frozen, sensing the dangerous shift in the atmosphere.Jason cleared his throat nervously to break the ice.“Wait… do you actually know who this person is, sir?”Alaric answered before I could.“Yes, that’s Vicky Grover, Cindy’s new manager. She officially resumed work today, and I assume she has probably crossed paths with Mr. Moretti. I can’t really blame him, though. Vicky is a very memorable person.”“Oh, Vicky,” Jason said, nodding his head as he checked his notes.“Is she the one Arthur is orienting today? Because Arthur explicitly told me to handle this negotiation for him because the CEO ordered him to see her through the entire legal orientation process.”“Yes, she is the one,” Alaric confirmed.Enzo Moretti leaned back in his leather chair, a smug smile creeping back onto his handsome face.He turned his eyes toward
LEO’S POVThis meeting had been scheduled for months. The company’s shipping network was the prize every international company had been competing for, just like the Italians sitting across from me.They were desperate for our North American freight lines, saying they didn’t trust other companies to handle their valuable cargo.Only Verilli could do the job.“If we allocate twenty percent of our Atlantic carrier capacity to your textiles and automotive parts, Signor Bianchi,” I said, leaning forward and resting my forearms on the board table.“I need a guaranteed exclusivity clause for the next three fiscal years. The Verilli Group does not share cargo space with mid-tier logistics firms.”Signor Bianchi, head of the logistics department of Moretti Automobile Company in Milan, an older Italian man with a perfectly groomed gray beard and a pinstripe suit, nodded thoughtfully.He took a sip of his espresso before speaking.“The exclusivity is not the issue, Mr. Verilli. Ma, we must discu
VICKY’S POV By the time ten o’clock rolled around, Freya and I were headin’ down to the legal and compliance wing on the thirtieth floor for my orientation. I thought it was gonna be some boring slideshow about corporate synergy, but the joke’s on me. This is a high-level corporate warfare school. We were led into a soundproof conference room where the Verilli Group’s chief legal counsel (a guy named Arthur who looked like he hadn’t smiled since 1995) was waitin’ with a stack of folders. Freya immediately scrambled to pull out my chair, her hands shakin’ a little as she set down a legal pad and a pen for me. She sat right beside me, pullin’ out her own tablet, lookin’ like a nervous student ready to take notes. Arthur didn’t waste any time. He opened the first folder and slid a document across the glass table. “Ms. Vicky, since Mrs. Cindy Verilli has officially transferred her operational proxy to you, you hold full power of attorney and voting rights for the Luxury Glo
꧁꧂PROLOGUE꧁꧂Flashback: First Night on the CruiseVICKY’S POVI’ve never been the type to sit around moonin’ over some guy.Hell, after I finally booted my ex-husband outta my life two years ago, I swore off the whole damn species.Marriage? Kids? No thanks.I was wicked happy runnin’ that cozy lit
CINDY’S POVThe cruise was all fun and games until it had to end two days early because of me.The seasickness came on suddenly, waves of nausea that left me pale and trembling, clinging to the railing while the Mediterranean sparkled mockingly below.Damian was getting better.He barely needed ban
CINDY’S POV I paced the elegant lounge just inside the ship, my heels sinking into the plush carpet with every anxious step. My mind was out on that deck with Damian and my father, imagining every possible outcome. What if he decided Damian wasn’t worthy? What if he’d hurt him worse? The tho
DAMIAN’S POV“We’re beginning our descent into Athens,” the flight attendant’s gentle voice announced, waking us.I blinked awake, groggy, and looked across the aisle.Alaric and Vicky were stirring too, both looking like they’d dozed off mid-conversation, Vicky’s head still resting on his shoulder







