MasukEvelyn POVI told him about firing the six employees.He told me I should have let him handle Gregory Hart, and when I asked what "handle" meant, he just smiled and changed the subject.I told him about Biscuit barking at the hairdryer. He told me the breeder had warned him the dog was "spirited," which was apparently code for "will attempt to eat every shoe you own."I told him about Grace producing a water bowl from her desk drawer without being asked, and he said Grace sounded like the kind of person who should be running a country, not an office."She's getting promoted," I said. "Managing Director. We're announcing it at the Green Valley launch.""Does she know?""Not yet," I shook my head."She'll cry.""She'll absolutely cry, and then she'll complain about me overdoing or overstressing about things I shouldn't concern myself with.Gabriel laughed again. The sound was becoming addictive. It changed his face completely, stripped away the severity and the shadows and left behind s
Evelyn POVA smile spread across my face before I could stop it. Of course, he was exactly on time. Gabriel Ross was many things. Unpredictable, dangerous, infuriatingly guarded. But he was never late.I grabbed my clutch, slipped on my heels, a simple pair of black stilettos that added three inches to my height, and hurried to the front door. The puppy, whom I'd started calling Biscuit in my head even though I hadn't committed to the name yet, scrambled after me from the living room, his tiny claws clicking on the hardwood."Stay," I told him. He sat, tail wagging, looking deeply offended at being excluded.I opened the door, and the sight I saw nearly made me faint. Two men stood on my porch.Gabriel was on the left. In a dark suit, no tie, white shirt unbuttoned at the collar. His dark hair was pushed back from his face, and his jaw was freshly shaved. He held a bouquet of deep red peonies in one hand, the stems wrapped in black paper. Vincent was on the right. Camel coat over a
Evelyn POVI'd been staring at my wardrobe for forty-five minutes, and somehow I had less clothing now than when I started.Dresses lay across my bed in a small mountain of rejected options.The red one was too obvious. The black one was too safe. The green one made me look like I was attending a corporate gala, and the white slip dress made me look like I was attending... well, not dinner.I'd tried on a blouse-and-trouser combination that looked like I was headed to a board meeting, a wrap dress that felt too casual, and a bodycon number that Belle had talked me into buying six months ago that I'd never had the nerve to actually wear in public.This was ridiculous. I was a grown woman. I ran a company. I'd fired six people this morning without breaking a sweat, and now I was having a meltdown over what to wear to dinner.But this wasn't just dinner.This was dinner with Gabriel Ross. The man who'd sent me a puppy this morning. The man who'd slept with me and then pushed me away. The
Evelyn POVHis voice was different now. The veneer of confused professionalism was gone, replaced by something harder and uglier underneath."Am I?" I said."You have no idea what you're dealing with." He leaned forward, his wire-framed glasses catching the overhead light. "Do you think Victoria was operating alone? Do you think this was just one woman and a few employees skimming from the books? You're scratching the surface of something much bigger than your little company, and if you think firing six people is going to make it stop, you're more naive than I thought.""Is that a threat, Gregory?""It's a warning." His voice dropped. "I know things about this company that would make your investors run for the hills. I know about the Whitmore connection. I know about the deals your father made before he died, the ones that aren't in any official record. I know about the Ashford account and the money that moved through Bennett Holdings before you were old enough to read a balance sheet
Evelyn POVThe large conference room had a different energy today.Usually, it was a space for quarterly reviews and strategy sessions, for meetings where people brought laptops and lattes and spent the first ten minutes making small talk about their weekends. Today, the air felt different. Charged. Like the room itself knew something was about to happen.Grace had done her job perfectly. All six of them were seated around the table when I walked in at ten o'clock exactly.Gregory Hart sat at the near end, his wire-framed glasses perched on his nose, his thinning brown hair combed neatly to one side. He had a leather portfolio open in front of him, as if he'd come prepared for a normal meeting. Linda was beside him, scrolling through her phone. Derek Simmons was reviewing something on his tablet. Priya Menon sat with her hands folded, her expression pleasant and vacant. Raymond Voss was typing on his laptop. Janet Cross was applying lip balm and looking bored.Six people. Six parasite
Evelyn POV"Gabriel!" I said quietly when I reached him. "It's such a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to see you here because this is a new address. How did you...""C'mon, Evelyn," he cut me off, "I know things, I thought I already made it clear.""Fine." I nodded, holding his gaze for a few minutes before looking away. "Thank you for the dog, Gabriel. I think it's what I need now more than ever.""When I saw it, I thought of you instantly, and I know we have a lot of unsettled scores between us, but I have to see you today, maybe after work?""Why?" I tried to compose my features. "You're seeing me now, whatever you need to say to me, you can say it right now.""Yes, I know," He nodded. "But you're on your way to work, and I have a meeting with Adrian soon. I'll be leaving Bangria within the week and I want to leave here on a clean slate. So, can you spare me time today, please?""There's nothing to say between us, Gabriel," I sighed. "We are adults, and we can handle ourselves."
Evelyn POVI stared at it for a moment, debating whether or not to answer. I hadn’t spoken to him for the longest time.These days, we hardly cross each other at home either. I came in late and left early before anyone was out of bed. Victoria these days seemed quiet. Often, I’ll say I’ll pop into
Adrian POVI looked up from my desk, annoyed at the interruption. "What news? And where are your manners? Don't you see I have company?"Joshua barely glanced at Emma before turning back to me. "There's a video going viral. It's Bennett Corporation. Evelyn just announced that Vincent Hayes is makin
Evelyn POVI slammed the office door harder than I meant to.The sound echoed through the hallway, and a few heads turned, but I didn’t care.I dropped my bag on the chair and sank into my seat, my chest rising and falling fast. My hands trembled as I placed them on the desk. I stared at the neat st
Evelyn POVI had just lain down on my bed when I heard the soft knock on my door.I stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, hoping it would go away. But after a few seconds, the knock came again.I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head. I was so tired. My body ached. My mind was exhausted. A







