Chapter 116He lifted her and set her down on the edge of her makeup table, knocking over a few brushes and bottles that clattered to the floor, completely forgotten. His lips never left hers, urgent and consuming, like he’d been starved of her and could finally breathe again.He kissed her like he she was his air, like the world had stopped and only they existed in that moment.She gasped when his mouth moved to her neck, then to her ear, his teeth grazing her earlobe. The sound that escaped her made him groan deep in his throat, and her fingers tangled into his hair, gripping tight as if anchoring herself.Her thoughts blurred, her mind a haze of sensation and need. Every stroke of his hand sent another tremble through her. He touched her like he knew every part of her, what made her weak, what made her breathless.His fingers slipped lower, finding her already wet, trembling, and aching for him. A knowing smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.Mia narrowed her eyes, trying to glar
Chapter 115Mia stayed in the shower way longer than she needed to. The hot water burned her skin, but she didn't care. She wanted Stefan to wait. She wanted him to feel as frustrated as she felt.First love.Those words kept playing in her head. Over and over. The way that woman had said it with such confidence, like she still owned a piece of Stefan's heart.And Stefan had just sat there. Said nothing.Mia scrubbed her hair for the third time, working the shampoo through her curls with angry movements. She wasn't usually the jealous type. She was better than that. But something about seeing another woman look at her husband like that made her blood boil.After an hour, she finally turned off the water. Her fingers were wrinkled and her skin was red from the heat. She wrapped a towel around herself and stepped into the bedroom.It was empty. Stefan was gone.She blinked, her heart doing something weird in her chest. She'd expected him to be pacing around the room, trying to explain
Chapter 114The moment the clock on the wall ticked to seven, Stefan closed the file in front of him. He hadn’t finished the work, not even close, but right now, work didn’t matter.He was tired and fraustrated. Not from the long day, but from the silence Mia had wrapped herself in since the meeting. She hadn’t yelled, hadn’t accused, hadn’t even said much, and somehow, that silence was worse than anything she could have said out loud.He was done watching her keep him at a distance with polite smiles and clipped words like he was just another associate.He glanced at her across the room.She was still seated, flipping through a document like nothing was wrong. Like she hadn’t just watched another woman call herself his first love in front of a boardroom full of people. Her face was calm, unreadable, but he knew Mia too well. She was hurt. She just refused to show it. And it was because of him. That was the most painful part of it all.He stood and walked toward her, determined.“Mia
Chapter 113Mia felt the room spin inside her heart, for a second.Everything felt like it paused.Stefan didn’t speak.She turned to look at him slowly, searching his face for… something. Some sign that this was a misunderstanding. A prank. Anything.But all she saw was his clenched jaw and dark eyes, glaring at the woman across the table.That silence told her more than she wanted to know.Her spine straightened, but she didn’t flinch. Didn’t let her smile slip, either.Instead, she looked at the lady..... Stefan had called Sammy, slowly..... her expression unreadable, her smile as bright and wide as ever. “Why would I have a problem, Miss Sammy?” she said coolly. “You’re his past. I’m his future. You were his first love. But I'm the one he'll love till his last breath.”She paused for just a second, then added with a softer smile, “Now, if we’re done with the personal history lesson, can we focus on what we’re all here for?”Elena couldn't help the wide smile that appeared on her
Chapter 112Stefan had wanted to go alone.“It’s late,” he said, already reaching for his hoodie. “You don’t have to.....”“I have to,” Mia cut in, already slipping into sneakers. “It’s our building, Stefan. I’m coming.” He didn’t argue again. He just nodded once and they both headed out.The city was quiet.... too quiet for what had just happened. The streets were still asleep, but here they were trying to save the one thing that mattered to them.By the time they reached the construction site, fire trucks were already there. A few workers that had to spend the night, stood around. Mose met them near the gate, a flashlight in hand, a thin layer of sweat on his brow.“We were lucky” he said before they could even speak. “The fire didn’t spread.”Stefan's brows furrowed. “What do you mean? I thought.....”Mose gave a tired smile. “I thought so too, but it was stopped on time before it spread. And remember the fire-resistant system we had installed? That flame-blocker wallboard and the
Chapter 111Samuel closed his eyes briefly and exhaled, long and slow.Mia words weren't praises, they were jab directed at him. This isn't a stray bullet, it's a direct hit.One he was more than willing to hit back. No one messes with him. No one.Mia and Stefan didn’t stay a minute longer after the speech.There was nothing left to say. Nothing more to prove.The message had been sent, loud and clear.You can't stop us because we're an unstoppable force.As they made their way down the stage, Elena was already waiting for them, practically bouncing in place.She smacked Mia’s palm in a dramatic high-five.“Girl! The way your dad’s face froze… if he doesn’t call his doctor tonight, I’ll do it myself,” she said, half-joking, half mocking.Mia chuckled, shaking her head, “Stop it.”“I’m serious,” Elena grinned. “I was ready to dial 911 right there.”Before Mia could respond, Ethan approached them with a quiet smile. His hands were tucked into his pockets, but his steps were steady... n