تسجيل الدخولSophie The car slowed down two streets later.I kept a safe distance behind it, trying not to look like the world’s worst spy, which I probably already was.The car turned left, then right. It finally pulled into the parking area of a building I didn’t recognize.I slowed down too. My heart was beating faster than it should have been.“This is ridiculous,” I muttered under my breath.The car parked, and the engine went silent.I parked farther away, trying to look like someone who had absolutely nothing to do with that vehicle.For a moment, nothing happened.No one came out, no doors opened.I stared at the windshield.Was it even him?Maybe I had followed the wrong person.Maybe I had just spent the last ten minutes chasing a random stranger like a lunatic.I leaned forward slightly, trying to see better.Then the driver’s door opened… and he stepped out.Alexander.Of course it was him.I leaned back in my seat slowly.“Well,” I whispered, “this just got awkward.”I watched him cl
SophieDropping Eve off at school took longer than it should have.It was not because of traffic or anything related to parking. It was basically because Eve had suddenly decided she had a thousand questions she needed answers to before stepping out of the car.She sat in the passenger seat, staring at the school gate like it had personally offended her.“I don’t want to go,” she said for the third time.“You said that already.”“I mean it this time.”“You meant it the first two times too.”She sighed dramatically and leaned her head against the window.“School is too early.”“It’s eight o’clock.”“That’s early.”“It’s normal.”She turned to me. “Do you think Uncle Alex wakes up this early?”“Yes.”“No he doesn’t.” She rolled her eyes and looked at me. “And I mean it.” “Eve, he does.”“He looks like someone who sleeps all day.”I laughed. “You’ve known him for one day.”“That’s enough.”She crossed her arms. Then suddenly asked, “Is he coming to pick me up after school?”My hands tig
SophieAlexander was laughing.This was not the small smirk he usually gave people, or the quiet chuckle he tried to hide when someone said something stupid.He was actually laughing.And I was the reason.We were walking down a street I didn’t recognize. Somewhere warm. Somewhere bright. People were everywhere, but no one seemed to bother us. Some even stopped to look at us… not in a bad, but in a curious way, like they were trying to figure something out.“Are they models?” someone whispered.“No,” another person said. “They must be celebrities.”Alexander rolled his eyes when he heard that.I laughed and nudged his arm. “You heard that.”“I hear nonsense every day.”“That wasn’t nonsense.”“That was exaggerated nonsense.”A woman walking past us stopped and smiled. “You two look beautiful together,” she said.Alexander nodded politely. “Thank you,” he replied.I looked at him sideways. “You didn’t argue with that one.”“I pick my battles wisely.”“Oh really?”“Yes.”“And what made
AlexanderMalik didn’t move immediately after I said it.“Lisa?” he repeated.“Yes.”He narrowed his eyes slightly. “Since when do you call her Long?”“That’s not your concern.”Malik leaned one shoulder against the doorframe instead of leaving.“Right,” he said slowly. “And since when do you call employees into your office personally?”“Since today.”“That’s interesting.”“Malik.”“What?”“Do your job.”He tilted his head. “You know what’s funny?”“I’m sure you’re about to tell me,” I replied flatly.“You’re acting like someone who definitely has something going on.”“Nothing is going on.”“With Lisa?”“Yes.”“That sounded too fast.”“Malik.”“Relax,” he said, raising both hands in mock surrender. “I’m just asking.”“You’re assuming.”“I’m observing.”“There’s nothing to observe.”He looked at me for another moment.Then he smiled faintly. “You know, if there was something going on, I’d say you’re playing a very dangerous game.”“There isn’t.”“Good,” he said casually.But he didn’t
Alexander I read the same line in the file three times.You know, three times can look like a lot…And I still had no idea what it said.The paper sat in front of me on my desk. Numbers. Contracts. Figures that normally would have my full attention.Today, they meant nothing, because my mind kept drifting back to the same thing.Long.Or rather… Lisa.I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my temple.This was stupid.I had handled bigger problems before. Bigger risks. Bigger secrets.But this one… this one had the potential to explode in a way I couldn’t control.She was my employee.That alone was already a problem. But that wasn’t the real problem.The real problem was time.Secrets had a way of surviving for a while and then suddenly collapsing all at once.People talked.People noticed things.And when the truth came out … and it always did … it would not be quiet.I stared at the ceiling.Who are you going to get rid of? Me or her.Her voice from last night replayed again in my he
Alexander I have no idea how to feel about Eve being in my house.That’s the truth.I expected noise. I expected chaos. I expected questions that would give me headaches.Instead, I got a small girl who looked at everything like she was measuring it, like she was trying to understand how the world worked.And I got Sophie … staying.That part mattered more than I wanted to admit.At least she was not packing a bag to run back to her apartment. At least she was not walking out every morning to “check on things.” At least she was here…Under my roof, where I could see her… where I could make sure she did not drift too far from me.I stood in the hallway after Sophie took Eve upstairs. I could hear faint whispers. Then a small gasp. Then laughter.The sound did something strange to the house. It made it less quiet. Less cold.I leaned against the wall and exhaled slowly.“She speaks too much,” I muttered to myself.But I was smiling.Later that evening, Sophie came downstairs alone. She
Alexander I stared at her, still trying to catch my breath from everything that had just happened, and asked, “Are you okay?”The look Sophie shot me made it feel like I had asked her if the sun was square.“Am I supposed to be okay?” she snapped, eyes wide and still vibrating with leftover adrena
AlexanderThe last thing I should be worrying about is the woman Derrick is fucking and promising marriage. It's none of my damn business but I can't just pretend that it doesn't remind me of Sophie…of what he put her through. I got into my car still muttering under my breath about Derrick and hi
Alexander Aside from the permeating smell of coffee lingering in the air, I knew who the other strong cologne belonged to. I let out a small breath, staring at my mother who remained on her chair, her blonde hair in a roller. She was getting ready for an event and well… I can’t be the one to dro
Sophie Glad that nobody else had any other question, I gave my fake smile one last time, bringing the meeting to an end. From getting the recorder switched off to the polite handshakes, I was already logging out mentally. This is so much already. The conference room felt oddly smaller once the







