LOGINPOV: Evelyn Reeve
The desk calendar in front of Maya was currently the most important document in the building. Three heads—mine, Maya’s, and Stella’s—were huddled over it like we were plotting a heist.
In a way, we were. We were planning a getaway from the relentless grind of corporate Florida.
"Look at this," Maya whispered, her eyes gleaming behind her glasses as she tapped a Friday on the next month's page. "It’s a holiday. If we take tha
Jovan watched me eat with a look of quiet satisfaction. I knew he had no regrets about that rejected email to the London office. Not when he could sit here and watch me finally enjoy a meal without looking over my shoulder."Oh, by the way," Jovan said after a sip of his iced tea. "My mother called again this morning."I stopped mid-bite, my eyes widening. "Odette? What did she say? Please tell me she isn't asking about grand-kids already."Jovan laughed so hard he nearly choked. "No, we haven't reached that level of interrogation yet. She just wanted to know how you were. She kept asking, 'Where is that sweet Evelyn? Why hasn't she hopped on a FaceTime call lately?' She misses talking to you."A flush of warmth spread across my cheeks. Being accepted by his family was a concept that used to feel impossible, a dream I had given up on with Archer’s family. Now, it felt so natural."Tell her I said hi," I murmured, feeling shy but happy. "And t
POV: Evelyn ReeveThe desk calendar in front of Maya was currently the most important document in the building. Three heads—mine, Maya’s, and Stella’s—were huddled over it like we were plotting a heist.In a way, we were. We were planning a getaway from the relentless grind of corporate Florida."Look at this," Maya whispered, her eyes gleaming behind her glasses as she tapped a Friday on the next month's page. "It’s a holiday. If we take that Friday off, we’ve got a three-day weekend. Total bliss."Stella took a slow sip of her coffee, her expression unreadable but her nod approving. "I’m in. The workload has been manageable since the last audit. Where are we thinking? A drive down to Key West? Or maybe we charter a boat to the Bahamas?"I leaned my chin on my palm, a genuine smile tugging at my lips. For the first time in months, the idea of a future didn’t feel like a heavy weight."The Baha
The second I closed my bedroom door, I collapsed onto the bed, a ridiculous, giddy smile plastered on my face. I grabbed a pillow and hugged it to my chest, rolling over like a teenager after her first real date.My heart felt full—almost too big for my ribs. The fear was gone. The trauma that used to make my hands shake in the dark had been replaced by the steady, warm memory of Jovan’s hand in mine.I reached for my phone on the nightstand. There was only one person who needed the play-by-play.I tapped Sophie’s name on iMessage and hit the call button."EVELYN?! TELL ME EVERYTHING!"Sophie’s voice exploded through the speaker before I could even get the phone to my ear. I winced, pulling the device back with a grin."Soph, breathe. You're going to give yourself a heart attack.""Screw breathing! I saw your Instagram story! That hand! That watch! That was definitely a man’s hand, Evie! And not just any
POV: EvelynThe Miami night air was thick, a humid velvet that carried the sharp tang of salt and the distant, rhythmic pulse of the Atlantic. Neon lights from the shoreline hotels bled into the dark sky, casting shimmering streaks of violet and gold over the hood of Jovan’s vintage silver Porsche.Jovan drove with a relaxed, one-handed grip on the wheel, but I could feel the hum of his thoughts vibrating through the small space of the cabin. He was too quiet. Not the comfortable silence we usually shared, but the kind of quiet that follows a monumental decision.He didn't know I saw the notification on his phone earlier. A confirmation of a sent email. A 'No' to a dream he’d chased for five years. With one click, he had walked away from the London headquarters, the corner office overlooking the Thames, and the kind of global influence that defined men like him.He’d traded the world for a life here. For me.The thought sent a wave of heat through
I stared at the blue lines. The Keys project. It was a five-year commitment, at least."It looks solid, Rhett. I knew the team could pull it off," I said, though my smile felt brittle.Rhett clapped me on the shoulder, a heavy, friendly thud. "It’s your leadership, man. The team hasn't been this synchronized in years. Everyone’s saying the next five years are going to be the Golden Era for Meridian if we keep this line-up."Five years. The team was counting on me. Rhett was counting on me."Yeah... let's hope so," I muttered."Count on it! Anyway, I’m heading back to the pit. Technical briefing at four?" Rhett rolled up his papers and whistled his way out, oblivious to the fact that his captain was currently considering sinking the ship.I rubbed my face with both hands. The weight of it all was crushing. How could I walk away from a team that finally felt like a brotherhood?Before I could catch my breath, the door creaked open again
POV: Jovan BradfordThe iPhone on my desk thrummed with a persistent, low-frequency buzz that cut through the sterile silence of my office. The screen illuminated, flashing 'Kendrick Beckham' in a demanding rhythm.I didn't move. I sat back in my leather chair, elbows anchored to the mahogany surface, fingers laced over the bridge of my nose. I watched the light fade, letting the call slip into the void of voicemail, only for the vibration to start again seconds later.Kendrick was never one for taking a hint.I exhaled a long, jagged breath. There was no running from this conversation. Not today. I reached out, my thumb sliding across the glass to answer, before pressing the cold device to my ear."Hey, Kendrick," I said. My voice was a flat line, a careful mask for the storm brewing in my chest."Jovan! Finally. I was starting to think you’d pulled a disappearing act or were busy dodging destiny," Kendrick’s voice crackled with an annoying
Back at Kensington Tech, the atmosphere was a stark contrast to my misery. Sophie walked through the glass doors, her face a mask of professional ice.Archer was already there, pacing in front of her desk like a caged predator. His face was a storm of tension, his eyes darting toward the door as if
POV: EvelynThe engine of Sophie’s car hummed—a low, rhythmic vibration that felt like it was trying to shake the marrow from my bones. Outside the window, Manhattan was a blurred streak of steel and glass, indifferent to the fact that my world had just imploded in a Midtown bistro.I leaned my for
POV: EvelynThe city blurred past the window of Sophie’s car, a chaotic smear of yellow cabs and gray concrete. I was barely listening to her chatter about a new gallery opening in Chelsea until we slowed down for a red light near Midtown.That’s when the world stopped.Through the floor-to-ceiling
"No regrets," I whispered to the empty air. "There's no reason to regret this."I forced a small smile. Reaching out, I traced the line of his jaw with my fingertip, from his ear down to the stubble on his chin. He didn't stir. He looked peaceful, almost innocent in the early light.I moved to get







