LOGINCHAPTER 39â This wall will break Jasmine was still staring at the tablet in front of her when the knock came again. Not rushed. Not hesitant. Certain. Her fingers tightened around the stylus. She didnât have to look up to know who it was. âCome in,â she said anyway, forcing steadiness into her voice. The door opened, and Alex stepped inside like the room already belonged to him. Suit jacket gone. Tie loosened. Sleeves rolled up, exposing forearms that had no business looking that distracting. too distracting for someone supposed to be working. He closed the door behind him with a soft click. Not loud. âHow are you settling in?â he asked, voice easy, conversationalâtoo normal for the way his eyes lingered on her face. âBe honest.â She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms, creating distance where she could. âOverwhelmed. Excited. Slightly terrified.â A corner of his mouth lifted. âThatâs a good mix. Means you care.â She scoffed lightly. âOr that
CHAPTER 38- The deal with the devil Alex and Jasmine stepped out of the conference room side-by-side, both wearing calm smiles that hid the storm that had hit them minutes ago. The employees waiting outside instantly straightened. Phones lowered. Postures tightened. Conversations died abruptly. And togetherâlike a perfectly coordinated power coupleâthey walked out as though nothing had happened. Alex nodded politely at the staff. Jasmine returned every greeting warmly, her professionalism glowing. If anyone had heard raised voices earlier, they would never guess. They looked steady. Composed. Untouchable. Once the elevator doors closed, Jasmine finally let out a breath. Alex glanced at her, a small smile tugging at his lips. âYou handled that well.â She rolled her eyes but couldnât hide the little smile. âI had no choice.â âI can make things easier for you, you know,â he murmured. âAnd yet you never do,â she joked quietly. He huffed a soft laugh. The elevator opened to an
CHAPTER 37- Is everyday this dramatic The walk out of Alexâs office felt like wading through fire. Employees pretended to work, eyes glued to their screens, but everyone was listening. Everyone saw Mia. Everyone saw Jasmineâs stiff posture, the coldness in Alexâs expression, the unfamiliar tension sparking between the newly introduced âpower couple.â Jasmine didnât slow down. She didnât look back. She was quite sure that one of two of them had posted everything on tik Tok and she was already thinking of excuses. Her steps were quick, controlled, steadyâalmost too steady. Alex followed behind her like a shadow, or like her bodygraud. âJasmineââ he tried softly. She kept walking. âJasmine.â The third time, he reached out and touched her wrist. She frozeânot because she wanted to, but because her heart reacted before her head did. He gently pulled her into a small private conference room and shut the door behind them. The silence was sharp. Jasmine crossed
Chapter 35 - I'm on my way Jasmine didnât flinch. She didnât gasp. She didnât cry. She didnât even blink at Mia standing there half-dressed like sheâd walked out of a cheap drama series. She just lifted her chin. Cold. Calm. Like the whole scene was beneath her. Alex, on the other hand, looked like someone had lit a fuse inside him "jasmine". But Jasmine lifted a hand. âItâs okay.â Alex spun toward her. âJasmineâno, itâs notââ She shrugged like her heart wasnât cracking in half. âIâm just your contract wife, remember? I donât care what you do or who you do it with.â Her voice was steady. Only her eyes betrayed her. She turned to leave. Alex grabbed his phone instantly. âCaroline. Come to my office. Now.â His secretary rushed up seconds later, nearly stumbling. âYou see this?â Alexâs voice was dangerously calm. âIf you EVER let Mia into my office again, youâre fired.â Caroline nodded frantically. âYes, sir! Iâm so sorryâshe said she had your perm
Morning came far too quickly. Sunlight slipped through the curtains like it owned the place, warm and golden⊠completely opposite of the atmosphere inside the penthouse. Jasmine woke up feeling like sheâd barely slept. Correction: she hadnât slept. Her brain spent half the night replaying everything. The kiss that almost went too far. The argument. Her saying they should stay out of each otherâs lives. His silence. Her heart felt like a fist had been squeezing it for hours. She sat up, rubbing her face. âGreat,â she muttered. âAnother day of being a complete disaster.â After a long inhale, she pushed herself off the bed and opened the door. And immediately froze. Alex was there. But not the usual polished, controlled Alex. This Alex sat on the couch, hair messy, dark circles under his eyes like he didnât sleep either. A half-finished glass of water sat on the table. His phone lay untouched next to him. He looked⊠Tired. Human. He glanced up when he heard her footst
chapter -34: just one day Jasmineâs breath hitched the moment their lips brushed. For a secondâjust a secondâshe let herself melt into the warmth of it, the closeness, the unfamiliar softness of being wanted⊠or whatever this was supposed to be. But something snapped inside her. No. This wasnât real. This wasnât love. This wasnât anything she had earned or deserved or even understood. She jerked back so fast Alex blinked, stunned. Jasmine took two shaky steps away, touching her lips like they were burning. Her heart thundered so loudly she wondered if he could hear it. Alex frowned and reached out, fingers brushing her wrist gently. âJasmine⊠hey. Whatâs wrong?â His voice was low, confused, almost soft. She pulled her hand out of his grasp. âStop.â âStop?â His brows drew together. âWhat did I do?â âYou know exactly what you did.â Her voice trembledânot with fear, but with the kind of anger born from hurt. Alex blinked again, thrown off. âJasmine, if this is







