LOGINClara froze mid-step, her fingers tightening around her bag as the man by the car called her name.The familiarity in his tone made her brows pull together. She looked at him properly this time, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Who are you?” she asked, her voice edged with caution.Her gaze flicked to the car, sleek, tinted, expensive. But nothing about it gave away who owned it.Before the man could respond, the backseat window slid down smoothly.Clara’s breath hitched. Matteo.He sat inside, one arm resting lazily against the door, his expression as cold and unreadable as ever. Luca was beside him, his presence quieter but just as sharp.Clara straightened slightly, masking her surprise. “Mr Devereaux.”Matteo didn’t return the greeting. His eyes moved over her once, assessing, before he spoke.“Get in.”It wasn’t a suggestion.Clara hesitated. Every instinct in her told her to refuse, to keep her distance, to avoid being pulled into whatever mood he was in.But then she looked at hi
Matteo didn’t move immediately. His gaze remained fixed on her, steady and cold, but something beneath it had shifted. A flicker of disbelief, quickly buried under control.‘Who does she think she is?’No one spoke to him like that. Yet here she was, standing in his office, throwing words at him like she had nothing to lose.His jaw tightened slightly.“What exactly gives you the audacity to speak to me like that?” he asked, his voice low, controlled, but edged with something dangerous.Clara didn’t answer. Instead, she held his gaze for a second before lowering it thoughtfully.Matteo leaned forward slightly, his fingers resting against the desk.“The next time you speak to me in that manner,” he continued, his tone sharper now, “you’ll receive a query from your employer.”Clara nodded once.Matteo’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Use your words.”Her lips pressed together briefly before she replied, “Understood.”The room settled into a tense quiet.Matteo leaned back again, his gaze stil
Clara stood in front of Matteo’s door, her fingers tightening slightly around the files in her hand. For a moment, she didn’t move.Then she drew in a slow breath, steadying herself, and lifted her hand to knock.Once. Silence.Her brows pulled together faintly. She waited a second, then knocked again. Still nothing.A small frown formed on her face as she shifted her weight, glancing briefly at the quiet hallway. Maybe he wasn’t in after all.She knocked a third time, firmer this time, the sound echoing lightly against the door. Nothing.Clara exhaled, her patience thinning. “Great,” she muttered under her breath. “Another wasted trip.”She turned slightly, already preparing to leave.“Come in.”Her body stilled.Clara blinked, her head snapping back toward the door. That was his voice.Her brows furrowed, irritation rising quickly to the surface.“So he’s been inside this whole time?” she murmured, her lips pressing into a thin line. “And he just let me keep knocking?”A quiet scoff
The silence Vanessa left behind didn’t feel empty.Clara stayed still for a few seconds, her fingers resting on the edge of her desk, her gaze fixed on the closed door. Her mind replayed the last words over and over again.‘Just like that picture of Mr Devereaux kissing someone.’Her jaw tightened.“How?” she murmured under her breath, the question slipping out before she could stop it.She leaned back slowly, exhaling as her thoughts began to spiral.If Vanessa knew… then who else knew?Her eyes dropped to her desk, unfocused now. The image flashed in her mind, the angle of the photo, the lighting, the blur. It hadn’t been clear enough for strangers to identify her immediately.Her stomach twisted slightly.Tara had figured it out because of the bracelet. Vanessa… What did she use?Clara pressed her lips together, forcing herself to stop. Panicking wouldn’t solve anything.With a sharp inhale, she straightened and pulled her laptop closer. “Focus,” she muttered quietly.Her fingers m
Clara’s eyes lifted from her desk, her expression neutral, but a flicker of recognition passed through her. She didn’t let it show. Instead, she leaned back slightly in her chair, studying her visitor with quiet attention.Up close, the woman was even more striking.Her skin carried a warm tan glow, smooth and even, and her long brown hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves, the tips tinted a lighter shade that caught the light. Her outfit was polished, but not modest — a fitted blouse that hugged her figure and a short skirt that showed off toned legs. It wasn’t inappropriate, but it was deliberate.Clara noticed the difference immediately.Earlier in the meeting, a few buttons had been undone, her red lipstick bold, her presence almost provocative. Now, everything was toned down, but still attractive, still confident, just controlled and intentional.Clara gestured toward the chair opposite her desk. “Have a seat.”The woman smiled faintly and sat, crossing her legs with ease.“I
When she opened them again, Amara was still watching her carefully.“Are you okay now?” she asked.Clara nodded, though the unease hadn’t left her completely.“I will be.”She was still speaking when the door pushed open suddenly. Clara turned, startled.Luca stepped in, his presence immediate, his eyes scanning her from head to toe like he was assessing a situation that had already been reported to him.“The flowers,” the other woman who had taken them out said quickly from behind him. “She reacted to them…”Luca didn’t wait for more.“We’re going to the clinic,” he said, already moving toward Clara.Clara blinked, caught off guard by the urgency.“I’m fine,” she replied, straightening slightly. “It’s already passed.”His gaze didn’t soften.“That didn’t look fine.”“It’s normal,” she insisted, brushing her fingers against her arm. “I’ll go to a hospital on my way home.”“There’s no need for that,” Luca cut in, his tone firm but controlled. “There’s a clinic in the building.”Clara p
Clara couldn’t look away from him.There was something different about Matteo this morning. Not just the coldness, that had always been there, but the intensity beneath it. It felt sharper, but barely controlled.Her chest tightened slightly as she studied him, her thoughts slipping before she coul
Clara didn’t move.For a second, the room blurred at the edges, her thoughts stalling completely. She hadn’t expected this. If anything, she’d expected Matteo to introduce her himself, control the narrative the way he controlled everything else.Not throwing her into it without warning.Her fingers
The door creaked open wider, and both Clara and Mark turned at the same time.Luca stood at the entrance, composed as ever, his sharp gaze taking in the scene in a single sweep. His presence filled the room effortlessly, calm yet authoritative in a way that made the air shift instantly.Clara recov
A soft, persistent sound pulled Clara out of sleep.“Mm…”Her brows furrowed as she shifted slightly on the couch, her neck protesting from the awkward angle. The sound came again.A low, insistent meow.Clara blinked her eyes open, disoriented. The living room lights were still on.Nyx stood besid







