LOGINYULIAWeeks later, waiting for my results was somehow more stressful than sitting the actual exams. At least during the exams, I knew what I was dealing with. I had the questions in front of me, my answers on paper, and a clear moment when everything would finally be over.Now, I had nothing to do except wait.The aroma of fresh tea and warm pastries greeted me before I even entered the dining room.Dad was already seated at the table with his tablet in front of him, while Daphne was pouring herself a cup of tea.“Good morning,” I greeted.“Good morning, baby girl,” my father responded.Daphne smiled warmly. “Look who finally decided to come downstairs.”I pulled out a chair. “I've been awake for hours.”“Doing what?” she asked.“Checking my results.”Dad chuckled. “They haven't been released yet.”“I know.”“Then why keep checking?”I shrugged. “Because maybe the university will suddenly change its mind.”I reached for a piece of toast.Daphne lifted her tea. “Congratulations on fin
YULIAOne Of The Girls by The Weeknd, JENNIE & Lily-Rose Depp blared from the speakers of the upscale Soho club, only a short drive from campus. There were strobe lights, sparklers being carried by scantily clad women, and bartenders and servers moving through the crowd. “It’s live as fuck in here,” Damon said, taking a sip of his whiskey.“Yeah,” I agreed, taking in my surroundings seated on Kendrick’s lap.“I’m about to get lit!” Adeline shrieked, wiggling her body.I chortled at her excitement. “Yeah, right.” “You want something else from the bar or is this shit cool?” Kendrick queried, palming my stomach as I sat in his lap.I smirked, loving how he always looked after me. “No, these drinks are fine. Want me to pour you something?”He bobbed his head, so I opened the bottle of Don Julio and filled his glass halfway. I mixed myself some Patrón and apple juice. Adeline and Damon moved to the dance floor, engaging with other people, leaving Kendrick and me alone in our section.I
KENDRICKThe quarterly project review had gone on longer than I expected. I sat behind my desk, one hand resting against the arm of my chair while the project manager stood across from me with his iPad. The afternoon light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long shadows across the office.My attention remained fixed on the figures displayed on the screen.“The development team has completed the second round of testing,” he explained. “We're still within the projected timeline, but there are a few areas that require additional resources before we move into the final phase.”I nodded slowly. “Which areas?”“Cloud infrastructure and security testing. If we increase the testing team by two people, we should be able to make up for the lost time without affecting the quality of the final product.”I leaned forward, scanning the numbers again. “How much additional funding?”“Sixty-two thousand pounds, Sir.”“Do it.”“Okay.” He made a note on his tablet right away. “We'll
YULIAMy phone buzzed just as I finished highlighting another section of my notes. I cheesed, feeling excited as I saw Kendrick's name flash across the screen.It’s been three weeks since I last saw him. I’ve missed my man.I picked up, grinning. “Hi, baby!”“Hey, Peaches.” His deep voice pulled me in more on our call. “How's the studying going?” he asked.Just hearing his voice eased the tension in my shoulders.I leaned back in my chair and looked at the mountain of books surrounding me, replying, “Good. I think.”He chuckled. “That doesn't sound very convincing.”I sighed heavily. “I'm tired, Kendrick. I've been reading for what feels like my entire life.”“You've been saying that for the last two weeks since you started.”“Because it's true.”He laughed softly. I heard sounds in the background like he was moving around.I spun my pen between my fingers. “But seriously, I'm doing okay. I just have one last paper left, and then I'm done.”He hummed in agreement. “That’s good.”“Yes!
KENDRICKLanding back in London, I could already tell Yulia wasn't ready for the trip to end. She sat beside me in the back of the car, staring out the window with the most miserable expression I'd seen all morning. Her arms were folded across her chest, and every few minutes, she'd let out a dramatic sigh as though the universe had personally offended her by making us return to reality.I glanced at her again and chuckled at her childishness. “Cheer up, Peaches.”She slowly turned toward me, her lips still pushed into that adorable pout. “Yeah, right. Back to reality.”I kissed her cheek, feeling the softness of her skin. “I'll leave you to finish your final exams, and after that, you're all mine to spoil.”She gave me a skeptical look. “You've already done enough.”I laughed. “Yeah, but there's more to go.”She tried to suppress her smile before eventually giving up and leaning her head against my shoulder. I wrapped an arm around her, enveloped in solemn silence as Edwin drove us
YULIAThe elevator doors slid shut behind us, and Kendrick immediately pulled closer, kissing my temple. I sighed in contentment.I tipped my head to peer into his grey eyes. “Thank you for bringing me here. I needed the change of scenery. I didn't realize how badly until we got here.”He nodded, massaging my hips as he talked. “I knew you needed it. Me too.”“I can't believe our little vacation is already over.” My lips pushed into a pout. “It went by too quickly. I don't want to go back to reality.”Kendrick chuckled, gently pulling at my hair. “Then we'll have another little getaway.”“When?” I asked, feeling excited.“After you finish school.”My eyebrows lifted. “You're serious?”“Very.”I couldn’t help but simper. I was on cloud nine.Kendrick bent down and scooped me into his arms when the elevator chimed. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he carried me through the open elevator doors.He carried me toward our suite. He stared at me, and I held onto his gaze, which made us s
YULIA“So you’re telling me that you’re living with the Kendrick Fernsby?” Adeline asked dramatically, raising both hands to make quotation marks in the air. I laughed, taking another sip of my pineapple smoothie. I had decided to meet her at The Good Life Eatery because their smoothies were ridic
KENDRICKI shouldn’t have kissed her. It wasn’t even a kiss worth overthinking—just her cheek, a brief moment of contact that should’ve meant nothing.But it did, and that was the problem.I ruffled my hair, staring blankly at the surveillance analytics displayed across my MacBook’s screen while ab
YULIA“This is it?” I asked, glancing around the parking lot filled with cars. “Yes.” Kendrick parked his car and turned to me. “Ever been to a street race?”I shook my head wildly, speechless all of a sudden. His expression barely changed, but his eyes said otherwise . “Then prepare yourself. Yo
YULIA“We’re almost there, baby girl.” My father watched me as I angled towards the side window, lost in my thoughts.“I still can’t believe you eloped and got married.” I glanced at him, and he was smiling.“Well… I can’t be single forever. I’m ready to settle down and spend the rest of my life wi







