LOGINELENA'S POV Packing for a one-day business trip shouldn’t be this difficult, but somehow my entire closet was now on my bed and my suitcase was still half empty."Finished packing yet?"Caleb's voice came through my phone speaker as I stood in my bedroom surrounded by chaos.My suitcase was open on the bed, work clothes scattered everywhere, my laptop sitting on top of a pile of files I still needed to organize.Everything was a complete mess."Just finished," I lied, shoving a blazer into the suitcase. "Flight's tomorrow morning.""Good," he said slowly, "Then you're free tonight.”I paused, holding a pair of heels."Caleb, why does that sound like you're making plans for me?""Because I am," he said, and I could hear the grin in his voice."Caleb…""My full team's back in town," he said quickly, "We're celebrating our win tonight, at a lounge on Fifth, you should come. I want you there.""I don't know...""Come on," he said, "You're part of my life, Elena, you should know my friend
ELENA'S POV Monday mornings were usually my reset button.New week. New deals. New problems to solve.By the time I walked into the office lobby with my coffee in hand, I was already mentally running through my schedule for the day. The Axiom deal was sitting at the top of my priority list, along with three meetings, two conference calls, and a board update I still needed to finalize.I was just stepping into my elevator when my phone buzzed in my hand. I unlocked it.Adrian: I'm in your office. Where are you?I stared at Adrian's text, my coffee cup halfway to my mouth, and felt irritation flood through me.The elevator door opened in front of me and I started walking faster, my heels clicking loudly against the marble floor. Caleb told me Adrian was the one who informed him about Damien and me and now I was going to give my brother an earful about keeping his mouth shut.I pushed through the doors to the executive floor, ignored Patricia's greeting, and walked straight into my of
ELENA'S POV Sunday morning was quiet.I woke up late, and stayed in bed longer than I should have, staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything that happened the last two days.Caleb being back still felt a little unreal, like I was going to wake up and find out the last two days had been a dream.I was just glad to have my best friend back. I mean, yes, I had Jenna and Claire but my friendship with Caleb had always been different.My phone buzzed on the bedside table, pulling me out of my thoughts.Jenna: Come over today. Claire is coming too. We’re cooking, drinking wine, and forcing you to talk about your life.I smiled at the message. Speak of the devil.Me: That sounds less like an invitation and more like a threat.Jenna: It is absolutely a threat. Be here by 4.So by Sunday evening, I was standing in Jenna’s kitchen, cutting garlic while music played in the background and Claire criticized my cooking like she always did."If you add any more garlic to that, we'll all b
Elena's povSaturday morning traffic was light, and the city felt slower than usual, like Denver was still half asleep.I pulled into the parking lot of the old coffee shop on Fifth Street and immediately spotted Caleb’s car.Of course he was already here.Back then, he used to be early for everything. Practice, classes, games, even group projects he didn’t care about. Meanwhile, I was always the one running five minutes late with coffee in one hand and my bag half open.I parked a few spaces away and sat in the car for a second, looking at the familiar building.The sign was new, the paint was new, but the place still looked the same. Same big windows, same small patio outside, same stupid bell on the door that used to announce our arrival like we were regulars in a movie.We practically grew up here.I grabbed my bag, stepped out of the car, and walked toward the entrance. When I opened the door, the bell chimed above my head, and the smell of coffee hit me immediately.I stopped
Elena's POV "What are you doing here?"My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I couldn't help it. I stood in front of my building, staring at Caleb like I was seeing a ghost.He pushed off his car, taking a few steps toward me, his hands still in his jacket pockets."I was in the area," he said, staring softly at me.I raised an eyebrow."Okay, that's a lie," he admitted, grinning now, "I came to see you.""When did you get back?" I blurted out, even though I already knew from Jenna."Two days ago.""And you're just coming to see me now?"He shrugged, that familiar smile still on his face."I was giving you time to miss me."I scoffed, crossing my arms.Then he tilted his head, studying my face carefully."You look tired," he said, "You have bags under your eyes."I gasped, my hand flying up to touch my face immediately."I do not have bags under my eyes!"He laughed, loud and genuine, and I hated how much I'd missed that sound.His laughter died down and silence came again.
Elena's POV Two days after our girls’ night, I walked into the office expecting another normal workday.Emails. Meetings. Decisions.The usual.But the moment I stepped inside, something felt… off.It was subtle at first.Conversations dropped a little too quickly when I passed. People glanced at me, then looked away. Something was wrong. The usual morning energy felt different, like the entire building was holding its breath.I slowed slightly, my eyes scanning the space.That’s when my assistant, Patricia, appeared, moving toward me faster than usual.“Ms. Sterling,” she said, a little breathless, “there’s an urgent executive meeting in fifteen minutes.”I frowned. “What’s it about?”“I’m not sure,” she said quickly, but she didn’t quite meet my eyes.Which meant she knew.I didn’t press. I just nodded and continued down the hallway, the tension following me all the way to the conference room.I pushed the door open and stopped short.Aunt Catherine was already seated at the tabl
Elena's POV Maya's words had been stuck in my head for three days now, playing on repeat every time I tried to focus on anything else.It was Friday now and I sat at my desk, staring at my computer screen, the quarterly reports blurring together into meaningless numbers.My fingers drummed against
Damien's povSeventeen days. Seventeen silent days.I stared at the screen in front of me again, but all I could think about was her. Then David, my colleague, leaned into my office."Damien, do you have the Q4 projections ready?"His tie was loose around his neck, looking as tired as I felt."Yeah
Damien's POV She laid on top of me, with her head on my chest and her fingers moved absently, tracing slow, lazy circles on my chest like she wasn’t thinking at all.My heart was still racing, my body still warm from her, from us.In that moment, everything in the world felt right.“Stay,” I whisp
Elena’s POV The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Damien.The morning light was streaming through my bedroom window, soft and golden, and he looked so peaceful lying there sleeping beside me.I'd been awake for twenty minutes now, maybe longer, I wasn't sure.I was just watching him, stu







