Chapter 5

 Anna's POV 

I scribbled down every word he said—well, at least the ones I could catch.

He was too fast, and I struggled to keep up, my pen racing across the page.

Soon, he left me with a pile of folders—notes to整理, documents to print, and misplaced paperwork to arrange.

I got to work immediately, doing everything he asked. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.

From the other side of the spacious office—designed for the twins—I felt his gaze.

I looked up and met it.

Grey-blue eyes. Unwavering.

He was on a phone call, a smirk tugging at his lips as he spoke.

I couldn’t hear a word—he was too far away.

But I was certain it was a girl.

I looked away and forced myself to focus.

No distractions.

Eden’s POV

I couldn’t help it.

My eyes kept drifting to the woman seated several feet away from me, inside the glass-partitioned space.

How the hell had I fired her that day?

Yes, she was daring.

And no—I hadn’t been able to help myself.

I was on a nasty call with Jennie—my mother’s best friend’s daughter.

We talked about hooking up again. No feelings involved. On either side.

That was how we liked it.

I’m mafia—gangster, criminal, whatever name fits.

The only things that matter to me are my family and my team.

Falling in love? Developing feelings for a woman?

Out of the question.

But the pretty blonde…

She was something.

I felt it the moment Father made her Ethan’s assistant—something unfamiliar tightening in my chest.

Fuck, she was good-looking.

I kept stealing glances at her, and then—boom.

Her seafoam-green eyes met mine.

Every time she looked at me, she flinched.

I loved the effect I had on her.

A small smirk crept onto my lips as I held her gaze until she finally looked away.

“Eden? You there?” Jennie called.

Fuck. I’d forgotten I was still on the phone.

“Yeah, Jen,” I replied.

“I was just saying—you shouldn’t forget our deal.”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course.”

“Okay, cool. See you. Love you.”

She was still talking when I ended the call.

I stood up and walked toward her desk, pushed open the glass door, and leaned lightly against the frame.

“You good?” I asked.

Her shoulders tensed instantly.

She slowly spun her chair around, and our eyes met.

Fuck. Heartburn.

“Um… yes, sir?” she answered—more a question than a statement.

“Good.”

I nodded once and turned away before I could say—or feel—anything else.

Ethan’s POV.

I didn’t want anything to do with women—at work or in my personal life.

There was only one woman on my mind.

Belle.

My sweetheart.

When I found her, I would marry her. No doubts.

That necklace was all that mattered.

Once I saw it on her, I’d know.

But there was one problem.

My assistant.

She stirred something in me—this strange sense of familiarity, like I knew her too well.

Yes, we went to the same high school, but I never met her.

Maybe that was why she felt so familiar.

And I hated the way I felt when she looked at me with those eyes.

Only Belle should make me feel that way.

I’d make sure Anna left the job on her own—before things got complicated.

I didn’t need her.

Author’s POV

Anna worked tirelessly until she was done.

Soon, it was time to go home.

She packed her bag and was about to leave—

When Ethan walked in.

His arms were stacked with folders.

Behind him, a male staff member carried another pile.

Anna dropped her bag to the floor.

“And where the hell do you think you’re going?” Ethan asked, dumping the folders onto her desk. The staff member did the same.

Ethan gestured for him to leave—and he did.

“But it’s past closing hours. It’s 6:39,” she said, irritation slipping into her voice.

“Yeah,” Ethan replied coldly. “So who’s going to clear this up? Me?”

He leaned closer.

“You’re my assistant.

Do your part.”

Then he walked out.

Anna’s POV

The door closed behind him.

The sound echoed louder than it should have.

I stared at the folders stacked on my desk—too many, too heavy, too deliberate. My throat tightened, but I refused to let the tears fall. Not here. Not now.

I checked the time again.

6:41 PM.

My stomach growled softly, reminding me I hadn’t eaten since morning. I ignored it.

You need this job, I reminded myself.

For my father. For the hospital bills. For everything.

I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.

Paper after paper.

Print. Arrange. Staple. Sort.

My fingers ached. My eyes burned.

Minutes turned into an hour.

Then another.

At some point, my vision blurred—not from exhaustion alone, but from the effort of holding everything in. The humiliation. The unfairness. The way Ethan looked at me like I was disposable.

A mistake.

Author's POV 

When Anna reminded herself 

again that Ethan considered her 

nothing more than a mistake, 

she shouldered her bag and slipped quietly out of the office.

 In the dim corridor ahead, voices rippled—breathy giggles, the wet smack of lips against flesh, low moans that stirred something deep in her. 

Curiosity tangled with a faint thrill as she pressed herself against the wall and peered around the corner.  

The foyer lights were muted but not extinguished. In the glow, Eden’s tall frame hovered over a kneeling figure—Jen—her hands tangled in Eden’s hair as she coaxed him closer, her lips painting a trail of pleasure. Eden’s head tilted back, eyes half-lidded, moaning Jen’s name: 

“Oh, Jen…”

 Their rhythm was deliberate, savage, a rush of sound and heat that pulsed through Anna’s veins like electricity.  

Anna’s breath hitched.

 She felt a damp warmth flood her core. Unable to stop herself, she slid a hand beneath the hem of her lavender gown, fingertips tracing upward in trembling circles.

 Each stroke ignited a deeper ache until, unable to hold back, she released a soft moan and shuddered against the wall as her climax washed over her in rippling waves.

 The gasp of her release echoed weirdly in the empty hall—until Eden’s low laugh and Jen’s whispered chuckle signaled the end of their tryst and the glow of the lights winked out. 

Heart pounding, Anna seized her bag and tiptoed toward the elevator. 

Metal doors slid aside in a cold breath of silence—then a shadow lunged from the darkness and Eden’s voice cut through her haze: “Enjoy the show?”  

She spun, cheeks flaming. “Sir, I… I can explain. I was just leaving my office. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her voice cracked under his piercing gaze.  

“Yeah, right,” he murmured, stepping forward and pressing the button for her floor. 

The elevator dinged open, and they stepped inside together. The air felt suddenly thick and hot. 

Eden stood behind her, his presence a warm weight, his palms grazing her waist as if guided by hunger. A shiver skittered down her spine when he whispered.

 “Anna.”

She swallowed. He bent, lips brushing her ear. “You want that, don’t you?”  

Silence. She couldn’t explain why her pulse thundered in her throat, why her skin pulsed with craving—danger had never felt so intoxicating. When the doors slid open again, she stepped out too fast, clutching her bag. 

A flashlight beam stabbed the darkness. Eden’s arm shot around her, muffling a startled cry as he pressed her against the wall and covered her mouth with his warm palm.  

“Shh,” he murmured. “If anyone finds us here together, my dad might fire us both.” He held her there until the light receded, then gently released her.  

Neither spoke as they realized how close they were her now pointed nipples to his chest, his breath grazing her neck.

 He reached up, tucking a stray curl behind her ear, fingertips trailing down her cheek to rest just above her cherry-red lips.

 Without hesitation, he leaned in and pressed a bold kiss to her mouth, tongue brushing hers in a fierce dance. He broke away only long enough for her to gasp, then dove back in, claiming her lips with ravenous need.  

Anna melted into the kiss, heart in her throat, lost in the delicious pressure of his mouth. 

When he finally released her, she stood trembling, mind awash in stunned delight. 

He cradled her face with one hand and offered

her a gentler touch—a soft kiss to her forehead.  

“You okay, Anna?” he whispered.

She could only nod, still trembling from the fire he’d ignited between them.