CARLYI received the address after he hung up the phone. I picked the files from the desk and put them in my tote bag. I hit the road as soon as I entered the address in the car’s GPS. It said that I would arrive in one hour. My boss was really time efficient. He could have just told me earlier to bring these files to him so I could go home early. But this was what I paid for, right? To never complain.Thirty minutes to the address, I realized I was leaving the city. The place seemed just trees, like a forest. Rome must love the wilderness. I mean, I loved it too, but did he really live there? In some cabin in the woods? Maybe we had something in common after all.I arrived earlier than the estimated time on my GPS. The two-story cabin came to view, and the electronic steel gate slid open. I remembered the house owned by my family. It was more like an old colonial manor, but I loved that place.I parked the car beside the black truck. This must be Rome’s. I hopped out, forgot I was
ROMETo be honest, I was not entirely thinking straight. I had no plan to invite her to my house or ask her to bring the files when I could have just asked Zee to take them from her. But clearly, I was stupid. Stupid enough that I cooked for our meal and enjoyed it with her.There was something about Carly that I couldn’t let go of. I was like drawn to her like a magnet every time we were in the same room together. Despite her holding something up and saying that her secrets were not any of my business, I was looking forward to seeing her today.And I was glad that she came over.An hour later, the rain had not stopped. I joined her in the living room. She was watching an animal docu on Netflix until she just dozed off.I lowered the volume and went to take a blanket. I covered her with it before I grabbed the files she put on the coffee table. I placed a pillow cushion under her head, and she stirred, which made me freeze. She then breathed evenly and went back to sleep.When the tem
CARLY It was always difficult and painful for me to speak out about my failures in life. But it didn’t take a while to tell someone like my boss because maybe we were relatively strangers or because of this tension between us. When he started talking about his past, I felt like he was opening up his life to me, and I had to do the same. And I had this feeling that my secrets were safe with him. I somehow felt like losing a few tons of weight over my shoulder. And what was great after that heart-to-heart with him was no awkward moment. He made me tea, and we watched docuseries for a while before he called his driver to send me home. “Call me once you get home safe,” those were his last words before he shut the door, and we drove out of his property. I ignored Zee’s watchful eyes from the rearview mirror. I focused on the beautiful scenery around us. Minutes later, he cleared his throat. “Just ask away, Zee. Can I call you Zee?” I stayed in that position, still watching the blu
ROME We needed to walk from the parking area to the shop, and we were like strangers. I offered my arm. “Storm, I don’t bite.” She rolled her eyes before she gave in. “Fine.” “I thought after what we shared last night. You already learned to trust me.” “What we shared?” Her cheeks burned bright red. Maybe her idea went a little deep. I didn’t mind, though. It sounded appealing. Only I didn’t know if it would happen sooner. “We barely shared anything.” “I was looking forward to another sharing session with you.” “Sharing session?” She looked amused. “Maybe we should attend a grief session one of these days.” “I don’t mind as long as you come with me.” “No, thank you.” “At least you didn’t ignore me the whole day.” “Why would I? I still need this job.” “Am I really a terrible boss?” “I’ll send you my full evaluation by the end of the month.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “I should do the same.” “It’s nice to hear you laugh, not always barking around like a rabid dog.” “I pr
CARLY “You are buying me lunch at a food cart?” I asked him in surprise. I like it more when people treat just an ordinary girl. In his defense, he didn’t have any idea who I was. “You can’t be picky for a free meal. And you mentioned that you want a burger or a chicken sandwich.” Rome was smiling as we filled in line, waiting for our turn, and it was actually pretty long. “Boss, do you need help?” “No, Zee. You go ahead and take a break.” “Boss,” Zee hesitated. “I was in the military too, and may I remind you that I worked in security service once. I can handle myself. And Storm is safe with me. Now, go.” He literally shooed Zee away. “I’ll be right back. Call me—” “We’ll be fine.” When Zee left, I turned to my boss. “So, tell me about the last girl.” “What last girl?” he asked innocently. “Where is she now?” “No idea. I’m not keeping track of my exes.” “How many?” “Tell me about the asshole.” I knew who he was referring to. “He was good at what he did.” “In bed?” I
ROME Jess was best at his job. The tux fit perfectly. I put on my cufflinks and then looked at myself in the mirror. I trimmed my stubble, and the hairstylist did something to my hair, and now I looked like a well-cleaned-up human. But I was more excited to see the person in the guest room of the penthouse. The renovation of the living was still ongoing, but the rooms were finished. “Mr. Langston, she’s done,” the makeup artist I hired called out from upstairs. “Thanks.” I climbed up. “Are you sure you didn’t put too much color on her face?” “Her skin is gorgeous, Mr. Langston, and she’s already beautiful. All I did is polished up.” “Thanks.” I knocked on the door. “Storm, are you ready?” I couldn’t wait to see the dress on her. More likely, I couldn’t wait to see her. I knew without a doubt she would be perfect whatever she put on herself. “Yeah. I think so.” She sounded unsure. “Can I come in?” I already twisted the knob, pushing the door open. I suddenly felt nervous. My
CARLY “What’s wrong?” With his furrowed brows, Rome asked before he looked over his shoulder. “Nothing.” I thought I saw Aunt Alessia. “Um. I need to use a restroom.” “I’m coming with you.” “To the restroom?” My eyes widened. “Not inside.” I stepped back. “I’ll be fine. It’s just the crowd is kind of overwhelming. And I need to freshen up.” “Alright. Come find me when you’re done. I’ll be with Mykel.” I gave him a thin smile. “I will. Thanks.” I rushed out of the crowded ballroom toward the hallway. My stomach was constantly in knots. I knew my father’s illegitimate sister was in New York, but I wasn’t expecting to bump into her tonight. Aunt Alessia ran a multi-million dollar fashion magazine. Now I realized I was with a billionaire, and chances were feasible. I entered the bathroom, which was empty, thank God, until someone just grabbed my wrist. I yelped. “Princess Carlott?” I froze. My body turned as cold as a corpse. I instantly recognized the voice behind me. “Princ
ROME I was such an idiot. I’d been flirting with her the whole night, and now that she flirted back and kissed me, I just stood there until she shut the door right into my face. And I still did nothing. Who does that? I’d been waiting for that time. I thought I needed to do something, hoping it was not too late. Now I might not be so lucky to get the chance again. So I did the obvious. I knocked. She did not respond, obviously, and chose to ignore me. I dialed her number, but it went on and on until my call was sent to her voicemail. I knew we were both surprised by the sudden turn of events, but I would be the luckiest man to kiss her and do something more. But too late for that. She might not want to see me or shut me out for the entire week. So I decided on a simple way. I typed a message. ROME: We need to talk I went down after sending the message. Zee was still waiting for me. “Are we going home?” he asked from the driver’s seat. “Yeah.” I checked my phone again