LOGINElena's POVThe boardroom smelled like leather, fresh coffee and something that felt strangely like finality.I signed the last document and set the pen down, and for a second I just stared at my own signature, sitting on the page like it had always belonged there.The board members were already rising from their seats, one after another, and the applause started quiet then filled the whole room.Adrian was looking at me from across the table with that particular expression he gets when he is trying very hard not to make it obvious that he is proud of me."Congratulations, Ms. Sterling," the chairman said, reaching across to shake my hand."Thank you," I said, and my voice came out steadier than I expected.Adrian leaned toward me as the room began to settle, keeping his voice low. "You do realise," he said, "that from today you no longer have the luxury of seeing my face around this building every day."I laughed before I could stop myself, "You say that like it is a loss.""For you
Elena's POV"I still cannot believe you have a fireplace,” I said, tilting my wine glass toward the far wall.Claire didn't even look up from the last box she was unpacking.“It's gas.""I don't care what kind," I said, waving her off. “It still counts."Jenna laughed from the kitchen doorway, where something had been simmering for the past twenty minutes and filling the apartment with the kind of warmth that made everything feel genuinely lived in.We had spent the better part of the evening sorting through Claire's last remaining boxes, arguing about where everything should go, drinking wine while doing it, and now the three of us were finally standing back looking at the space properly.It was beautiful. But not in the loud, expensive way. Large windows pulling in the last of the evening light, warm neutral tones, books stacked in actual piles that looked genuinely read, candles on the coffee table, a low shelf along one wall lined with small plants and framed photographs."Okay,
Elena's POV"Miss Sterling, any thoughts on the Q3 figures?"I looked up from my notebook, where I had been writing absolutely nothing for ten minutes."The numbers look solid," I said, "especially the Denver division margins."The board member nodded and moved on. I exhaled quietly and let my mind drift straight back to this past weekend in Caleb's apartment.Specifically to Saturday morning, when he appeared near the elevator in slides and a hoodie with his keys already in his hand, looking like a man who had absolutely thought this through."I'm going to get coffee," he announced casually.Then I looked up from the couch."Sit down, Caleb.""It's one block away.”"You have a shoulder injury." "My legs work fine, Elena.""Caleb,” I said, shooting him a glare.He pointed at me across the room. "You are genuinely enjoying this way too much.""Sit down.”He sat down muttering something under his breath. I looked back at my magazine trying to hide my smile.He spent the entire weekend
Elena's POVThe previous night had ended with Caleb falling asleep on the phone with me.At some point he stopped responding and started breathing softly into the phone instead. I stayed on the line longer than I wanted to admit before finally hanging up and going to bed myself.Somehow that still didn’t stop me from missing him.Now, Friday morning, I was at work, failing at concentrating. Again.I read his text for the third time and put my phone face down on my desk. Then I picked it up and read it again.Caleb: Are you actually working right now or just pretending?I typed back, smiling.Me: I'm working.Caleb: You replied in two seconds.I set the phone down again, pressed my lips together, and stared at the report open on my screen. The numbers blurred slightly. I scrolled down, scrolled back up, and realized I didn’t understand a single line of it.This was fine, this was completely fine, I said. By three o'clock, I closed my laptop, gathered my things, and told myself I was l
Caleb's POVMy apartment was quiet.I was sitting on the couch with the television on, some match I'd pulled up without actually caring who was playing, and I hadn't watched a single minute of it, the city lights doing their thing outside the window, all that movement happening below me while I sat here completely useless.All I could think about was Elena. Specifically the second kiss.The first one, I kissed her. I made that choice, took that step. After hearing what she said, I just did. I couldn’t help it.But the second one?She grabbed me. Pulled me back. Kissed me.I replayed it again, the way she pulled me in before I could step away, the way she looked at me…Elena always hesitated. But not today. Today she grabbed me and kissed me like she finally got tired of running from it.I caught myself smiling at the ceiling like a complete idiot and shook my head at myself.This was embarrassing. I was a grown man smiling at the ceiling over a kiss.Four kisses.Not one.Four.My
Elena's POVI couldn’t stop looking at him.It was ridiculous. I’d known Caleb almost my entire life. Yet suddenly it felt like I was seeing him for the first time."So…" Caleb said, that small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.I was still trying to remember how to breathe properly. "So…" I said back…We were still standing close, the air between us different now, charged in a way it hadn't been before. Then he tilted his head slightly, eyes searching mine. "Does this mean I can stop pretending we're just friends?"I burst out laughing before I could stop it, then I shook my head. “You were never good at pretending anyway."He smiled at that, still cradling my face."Good. Because I was running out of patience."I laughed again, softer this time, and then we just looked at each other without saying anything else.Then he immediately pulled me a little closer and kissed me again lightly. For a second, I forgot about work entirely. Forgot about meetings. Forgot about everyth
Elena's POVI woke up to sunlight streaming through my curtains and for a blissful half second I forgot everything…Then reality came crashing back and I turned my head to see the signed divorce papers sitting on my nightstand.I stared at them for a long time, not moving, just thinking about every
Elena’s povI stormed out of the suite, vision blurry with tears. My body was shaking so badly I could barely walk straight.I couldn’t breathe. My chest felt tight, like someone was squeezing my lungs.I stumbled down the hallway toward the elevator and jabbed the button over and over like that wo
Elena's POVThe car ride home from the airport felt endless, every second stretching like it had nowhere else to go.I squinted, staring out the window watching Denver blur past in muted colors. I was exhausted.My body felt heavy. My head felt worse.Damien sat beside me in silence, his presence l
Elena's POV"You have exactly four minutes before the board meeting starts, and you haven't even looked at the agenda."I glanced up from my laptop to find my assistant, Patricia, standing in my doorway, hands on her hips, looking like she wanted to strangle me."I'm working on it," I lied, eyes al







