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Axel returned to the reports afterward, and only a few minutes passed before a knock came at the door. He didn’t stop reading. He only listened to the slow opening of the door, followed by the soft sound of it shutting again. Then her scent reached him. It had become familiar without his permission, settling somewhere in his mind far more deeply than it ever should have. And he hated it. He hated how naturally he noticed her now, how his senses reacted to her before his thoughts even could. It was becoming a problem. "Hey—I mean… good evening." He heard her cringe at herself the second the words left her mouth. His only response was another turn of paper. But Mia didn’t seem discouraged. She moved to stand in front of him, hands folded neatly together, smiling far too brightly for someone receiving almost nothing in return. And those eyes… They looked at him as though simply being near him was enough. And Axel? He refused to acknowledge the shift he felt t
Mia sat in her office, replaying Axel’s last words over and over in her head. "One more slip-up, and we're done." Then he had simply gone back to his laptop like he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on her and walked away emotionally untouched. And what had she done? She nodded. She actually nodded. Why would she nod to that? That was basically the human equivalent of signing terms and conditions without reading them first. And Mia absolutely did not agree to staying away from Axel. Her eyes stayed fixed on the tablet in her hands. Well, at least she’d finally been properly equipped like Axel wanted. Not thanks to Andrew, though. Andrew had apparently been too allergic to responsibility to do it himself and dumped the task onto somebody else instead. Still, she now had the previous assistant’s office and all the necessary devices. Her office was directly below Axel’s. All she had to do was look up at the ceiling to remember that. But then she sighed, dropped th
They got back to the company shortly after, pulling into the parking space as another car left. The moment Mia moved to get out, Daniil stopped her with a light grip on her wrist. She blinked down at it, then slowly looked back at him. She already knew what he wanted to say. That look gave it away instantly. "I'm sorry." Just as she thought. "No, don't be." She smiled a little. "Seriously, it's fine." Daniil didn't look convinced in the slightest. "It isn't fine," he muttered. "I should’ve gotten you back sooner." She blinked at him. Why was he apologizing like this? It wasn't as if he'd forced her to stay out longer. If she'd checked her phone earlier instead of enjoying herself so much, she would've known the client had arrived already. Mia exhaled softly, then gently took his hand off her wrist and held it between both of hers instead. "We’ll figure this out later. Right now, I need to survive whatever mood your boss is in." She let out a nervous laugh.
Mia still found it hard to believe she was outside the office with Daniil of all people, standing at a place called Fritzzy Scoop with cups of ice cream in their hands. And somehow… she was actually having fun. The cold weather should’ve made the ice cream a terrible idea, but Daniil’s jacket kept her warm, and the vanilla flavor he’d picked for her was annoyingly perfect. When was the last time she had even done something like this with someone? She took another spoonful and sighed happily. "Okay, this is amazing." Daniil smirked. "I do have excellent taste." "In ice cream?" "In general." She rolled her eyes. "This place might actually become my new favorite spot." "And here I was thinking I’d be your favorite part of the experience." "Oh, your ego is alive and thriving, I see." "My ego?" He pointed at himself innocently. "I’m just naturally charming." "Only when you’re quiet." He gasped dramatically, pressing a hand to his chest. "Mia, you wound me."
"Get that through your empty skull and stay the hell away from her." Daniil didn’t look affected in the slightest. His expression never cracked. "Unless she says no herself, I don’t see the problem." With a faint smirk, he looked back at Mia, still holding the jacket out for her. The man seriously needed to stop looking at people like that. One second too long and it felt like he could read her thoughts. It didn’t help that his eyes were ridiculously pretty either... clear like the sky and weirdly reminiscent of Damien. Damien liked flirting with her too, sometimes just to get a reaction out of her. Come to think of it, she hadn’t even spoken to Damien since arriving here. He probably thought she’d forgotten all about him, and honestly, that wasn’t exactly great-friend behavior. Meanwhile, Daniil was over here offering her a jacket, and she was refusing despite practically freezing to death. And with an entire workday still ahead of her, stubbornness suddenly didn’t seem ve
In the conference room, Mia stood beside Axel like a statue… except her pen kept moving awkwardly across her notepad while the woman spoke, mostly because she was absolutely freezing. Somehow, everyone else looked perfectly comfortable, which honestly made her suspicious. It was like they all had hidden heaters under the table. Thankfully though, the meeting was being conducted in English. Right before sitting down, Axel had coldly stated, "All discussions will be conducted in English." Not for her sake, obviously. He simply couldn’t afford having a temporary PA who understood absolutely nothing while important discussions were going on. The woman eventually sat down, and Mia immediately started feeling bad for the next man who stood to present. The nervousness on his face was painfully obvious. And honestly? She understood why. Axel was intense. The poor man looked like a student forced to present in front of the entire school. "Uhm…" He glanced at the papers trembl
Mia was typing reports on her laptop when Angela hurried toward her.Angela was a close friend, close enough to worry, but not close enough to know everything. Mia never spoke about her family. She’d made it clear she wanted nothing to do with them, yet she never explained why."Mia! Mia!"Mia look
Luis laughed as well. "Who knows?"Rogers's expression turned serious. "Let's be honest," he said. "If you're planning anything, I'd advise you to drop it immediately.""I could expose your secret whenever I want. I still have the evidence."Luis's smile didn't falter. "Relax. I'm not that petty."
Luis was already on his way to meet Rogers at the address they had agreed on. Dozens of cars surrounded him, the formation tight like he was the president, and people stopped mid-step just to stare. *Gosh, isn’t that the Hawthornes? *Who else moves with that kind of security?! *Oh my God… lo
It was already late at night, and Mia stood by the roadside waiting for a taxi.She kept glancing left and right, silently willing one to appear. Her stomach let out a low, irritated growl, twisting painfully. She pressed a hand against it, trying to quiet it. She knew needed to eat - anything, be







