LOGIN
Growing up, I had seen Mr. Luca on magazine covers, surrounded by rumors that he’d never marry and had no heir to leave his empire to. Now, after a month of working in his office, taking in his broad chest and commanding presence, I had to admit he looked far too good for forty-eight. But who was I? A twenty-three-year-old intern, secretly pining for the boss.
Oh Kayda, what are you thinking? Why would a man like him ever look twice at you?
I grabbed a stack of files to drop off in his office, totally unprepared for what was waiting on the other side of that door.
I froze, unable to process what I was seeing. Mr. Luca was at his desk, pleasure-bound, with my I*******m photos pulled up on his screen. Was he actually into me? God.
The door clicked shut. The files hit the floor with a soft thud, my heart leaping straight into my throat.
Mr. Luca looked up, and he wasn’t looking at me like a boss anymore. He was looking at me like he’d been holding his breath for a month. All the rumors about him being untouchable vanished in an instant.
"Kayda," his voice was rough, quiet. "You have no idea what you do to me."
Everything after that happened in a blur—sudden, overwhelming, yet completely fulfilling. I should’ve backed away, but when he stepped closer, control snapped. His hands were warm as he reached for me, desperate and claiming. When he kissed me, I melted into it; I had imagined this too many times to lie to myself now.
He lifted me effortlessly, spinning me around until my back hit the cold wall. The contrast made me gasp. My cardigan hit the floor, followed by his suit jacket. His mouth pressed hard against mine before trailing down my neck. He bit down—a sharp sting that instantly yielded to a wave of heat—whispering my name like a confession. I had to bite my lip to choke back a quiet moan, acutely aware of the whole floor right outside that door.
His lips moved lower, devouring my breast, biting and sucking my nipple while his hand mercilessly pinched the other, sending a surge of wetness straight down between my thighs.
Without warning, two thick fingers thrust inside me. I gasped, clinging to him as he sank to his knees. His hands worked in a furious rhythm while his thumb circled my clit. He pressed deeper, driving a third finger in, making me writhe against the wall.
Then came the cool, agonizing touch of his lips. Mr. Luca bathed me in heat and slick friction, his tongue working over me with deliberate precision. I tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling him closer as an electric surge made me feel entirely alive.
When he finally brought me down to the couch, the CEO mask was completely gone. Just Luca. Just a man who wanted me, and who I wanted back, even though we both knew this was dangerous.
The city lights glimmered behind the lowered blinds. Every touch felt like a secret we weren’t supposed to keep—and for the first time, I wasn’t Kayda the intern. I was his.
By the time we returned to Manhattan, I had reached one conclusion.Someone had gone to considerable lengths to keep my father's records hidden, and whoever that person was had never expected us to find Box 0417.Unfortunately for them, we had.Unfortunately for me, the box had raised more questions than it answered."You're awfully quiet," Luca remarked as we approached the city."I'm thinking.""That's usually when you get yourself into trouble."I turned toward him. "Are you saying I should stop thinking?""Not a chance. I'd never hear the end of it."I laughed despite myself.The moment passed quickly, but it reminded me that beneath Luca's controlled exterior was a man capable of teasing me without turning every conversation into a business meeting.Then I remembered the missing register."Do you think the person who removed it knew we'd find Box 0417?""I think someone knew the box existed and wanted to make sure we couldn't access everything inside it.""But why leave the other
Luca's message arrived at seven the following morning.I'm downstairs. We need to leave now if we're going to reach the estate before the legal team arrives.I grabbed my handbag, checked that the old key was still tucked inside its small pocket, and hurried out of my apartment.Luca stood beside his car, speaking to Daniel Mercer. His expression was serious, and a folder rested beneath his arm.When he saw me, he ended the conversation."Did you bring everything you need?""I think so.""Good. We have permission to examine the transfer records, but the legal team has restricted access to the original archive.""So we can't just open Box 0417?""Not without documenting everything first."I sighed. "I suppose that would be too easy."A faint smile touched his face."Nothing about your family seems to be easy."I wanted to argue, but he opened the car door before I could.As we drove away from Manhattan, I watched the city gradually give way to quieter roads.I couldn't stop thinking ab
I arrived at Romano Enterprises earlier than usual the next morning.I had barely slept after speaking to Luca. His explanation about recognizing my family name had answered one question, but it had left several others untouched.Why had my name appeared in the company's records before I applied for the internship?Who had connected my family to the Romano estate?And why had my grandmother hidden a box that someone had apparently searched for years ago?I placed my handbag beneath my desk and opened my laptop.Before I could begin searching through the ordinary company records, an email notification appeared.From: Victoria HaleSubject: Historical Archive UpdatePlease meet me in the executive records room at 9:00 a.m. I found something concerning the old estate visitor registers.My pulse quickened.Victoria rarely sent emails when a conversation would do. If she had put something in writing, she probably wanted a record of the request.I checked the time.Eight forty-seven.I clos
Luca and I hurried toward the security office.For the first time since this mystery began, we had found something that connected the missing records from 1988 directly to my family. Someone had classified a document under the Williams name, hidden it in restricted legal storage, and now appeared to be trying to access it.I couldn't stop thinking about one question.What had my grandfather promised?"Has security identified the person who attempted to access the register?" Luca asked when we entered the office.Daniel Mercer, the head of corporate security, stood beside a computer displaying the company's access logs."Not yet, sir. The system recorded an authentication attempt, but the user identification was incomplete.""How is that possible?""Someone used an administrative override. The request originated from a terminal inside the building, but the account details were partially erased."Luca's expression hardened."Can you recover them?""We're working on it.""Then keep worki
I barely slept that night.The visitor log lay on my kitchen table, its photocopied pages illuminated by the light above my stove.Thomas Williams.Richard Romano.Unknown Female.Child — accompanying female.Four entries. One evening. One promise that had somehow survived thirty-eight years of silence.I picked up my phone and reread the final message.FIND OUT WHAT YOUR GRANDFATHER PROMISED.Whoever was contacting me knew exactly what I had discovered. But instead of giving me answers, they kept pushing me toward another question.I turned the visitor log over.At the bottom of the page, I noticed a small reference number I hadn't paid attention to before.RF-06/17.I wrote it in my notebook.If the visitor log had been preserved somewhere, there might be other records connected to the same reference. I only needed to find out where to look.By eight thirty the following morning, I was back at Romano Enterprises.I hadn't even reached the elevators when Victoria approached me."Kayd
The date wouldn't leave my mind.June 17, 1988.The day before the promise.The day before my grandfather stood beside that woman and the little girl.The day before someone decided my family had a responsibility to protect someone.I stared at the photograph until my eyes hurt.The man in the background was still barely visible.But now that I'd noticed him, I couldn't unsee him.He was standing behind the building's window.Watching.Just like someone had been watching me eighteen years later.I zoomed in again.The image became grainy.The man's face was impossible to make out.But there was something on his wrist.A watch.Silver.With a small dark symbol.The same symbol.I slowly lowered my phone.That couldn't be a coincidence.Could it?---I called Maya again."Did Mom tell you anything about June 17, 1988?"There was silence."How do you know that date?""I found something.""Kayda, what exactly are you finding?""I don't know yet.""That's not reassuring.""I know."She sig







