LOGIN~MARCELLA~
I take one slow step closer to him, letting the bass roll through my body.
I stop just close enough for him to smell my perfume—warm, sweet, dangerous.
Up close, he’s even better. Sharp jaw. Long lashes. Lips that look like they’ve never learned how to beg. Calm eyes that don’t rush me, don’t undress me openly like the others.
That alone makes me want to ruin him.
I trace a finger lightly along the edge of his drink, then tap the glass.
“You look like someone who doesn’t belong here,” I say, voice smooth, curious. “Too calm. Too… put together.”
His gaze drops briefly to my finger, then lifts back to my eyes.
“And what about you?” he asks.
I smile slowly. “Oh, I belong everywhere.”
I slide closer, my thigh brushing his, deliberately unhurried. I lean in like I’m about to share a secret.
“You know,” I murmur, “most men would’ve already asked my name by now.”
“And you’d tell them?” he asks.
I laugh softly. “No. But I’d like the effort.”
His lips twitch. Almost.
“I’m not most men.”
That’s interesting.
I lift my brows. “Is that confidence… or shyness?”
“Whatever you see it as,” he replies.
I hum thoughtfully, circling him now, letting my fingers trail briefly across his arm, testing.
His muscles tense under my touch—but he doesn’t grab me. He doesn't pull me back.
Still holding back.
I step in front of him again, placing my hands on his chest this time, feeling his heartbeat under my palms.
“Dance with me,” I say, already moving.
He hesitates for half a second too long.
That’s all it takes.
I grab his hand and pull him onto the dance floor before he can change his mind.
The music swallows us immediately.
I don’t give him time to think.
I turn my back to him and start moving.
My hips roll, slow and deliberate, wine-colored fabric hugging every curve as I grind back just enough to make a point.
I lift my arms, fingers threading through my hair, tossing my head to the beat, feeling eyes burn into my skin from every direction.
I let the rhythm take over, pressing back into him, just enough to blur lines.
My hands slide up my own body as I dance, showing him exactly what I know he’s thinking about.
My ass grinds against him slowly, deliberately, teasing instead of begging.
Most guys would already be gone by now—hands on my waist, mouths at my ear, saying something stupid and desperate.
But him?
He barely moves.
I glance over my shoulder, lips parted.
“Touch me,” I say, almost playful.
His hands finally settle on my waist. But that’s all.
No pull. No heat. No hunger.
I dance harder….twerking now, controlled, precise. The crowd cheers somewhere behind us. Cash flutters near my feet. I feel more eyes everywhere.
Still, he barely moves with me.
He’s there… but not there.
His hands hover at my hips like he isn’t sure he’s allowed to touch. His body is stiff, restrained, almost… polite.
I glance over my shoulder, smirking.
“Relax,” I purr. “I don’t bite. Unless you want me to.”
Nothing. No heat returned.
I spin around, facing him, and dance closer—too close—letting my breasts brush his chest, my lips hovering near his ear.
“You’re allowed to enjoy this,” I whisper.
His jaw tightens. “I am.”
But he isn’t.
I am lowering myself slightly now, rolling my body upward slowly, deliberately. I meet his eyes again, daring him to react.
He swallows.
But he still doesn’t move.
The spark flickers. Then dies.
The excitement drains from me slowly, replaced by something sharp and annoying.
I straighten, stepping back, folding my arms and studying him openly like a disappointing toy.
“Wow,” I say, shaking my head lightly. “What a waste.”
He frowns. “Excuse me?”
I step closer, lowering my voice so it cuts.
“It’s a pity,” I say, eyes sweeping him deliberately from head to toe. “You’re hot. Sexy. Handsome. Tall, broad shoulders, handsome face. The kind girls warn each other about. Exactly my type.”
I pause, then shrug and pull back, my eyes sharp now, smile gone sweet but edged.
“But you’re boring. And someone as boring as you shouldn't be in a club.”
That hits.
I tilt my head, smile turning cruel-sweet.
“I don’t flow with boring guys. You're too hot to be boring. You should really… up your game.”
I don’t wait for his reply. I step away from him, already dismissing him.
I turn and walk away, hips swaying with intention, already feeling eyes chase me. And I'm sure his eyes must be following me as I walk back to the crowd.
Another guy catches me immediately—confident, eager, smiling like he’s won something.
“Hello, gorgeous. Can I have a dance with you?” He asks.
“Sure,” I reply almost immediately without thinking.
Time to show that boring, handsome guy how it is done.
The new guy steps in and matches my rhythm perfectly.
I back into him, grinding my ass against his cock.
His hands are firm, fingers harsh as they squeeze my ass.
He reacts to every move, every grind, every tease.
He’s into me.
Very into me. Too into me.
He's rocking my ass hard and his palm is slightly above my pussy lips.
He wraps a hand around my neck to pull me close.
Yeah! Just like that! I love this vibe!
I take the opportunity to study him.
He is a decent looking guy. Tall and muscular with a neat beard and dark eyes.
I dance with him for a while….fast, reckless, loud—till I feel the wetness through his trousers. He just released in his pants!
I smile a knowingly, seductive smile and continue to rock him hard, arousing him again—but the thrill fades quickly. I'm suddenly bored.
He isn’t as handsome. Not as sharp. Not as frustrating as the boring guy.
I pull away abruptly.
“I need air,” I say, already moving without waiting for a response from him.
Outside, the cool night wraps around me as I step out, heels clicking against concrete.
I inhale deeply, letting the noise fade behind me, the bass now a distant thump with irritation buzzing under my skin.
Damn that boring guy! No one has ever rejected my seductions before.
Why do I care though?
I have thousands of guys that would do anything just to spend a few seconds alone with me.
The boring guy can go to hell for all I care!
I lean against the wall, folding my arms, annoyed at myself more than anyone else.
“Fuck, I left my cigarettes in my bag with Stephanie. I really need to smoke right now,” I mutter aloud.
Before I can think of what to do next—remain outside for a while? Or get back inside the club for my cigarettes?
I hear footsteps walking towards me.
Slow. Intentional.
I don’t turn around.
Some men don’t like being dismissed or being walked away from.
And something tells me… he’s one of them.
~LUCAS~She's speaking now, but I don’t hear half of what she’s saying.The meeting continues….voices speaking, papers shifting, someone presenting numbers, but all of it fades into a distant blur because my eyes are locked on her.Or… the person who looks exactly like her.My chest tightens slowly, painfully, like something is pressing inward.Marcella.The name echoes in my head like a ghost I can’t bury.But the longer I sit here… the longer I watch her, the more something feels wrong.Terribly wrong.My jaw tightens as I lean back slightly in my chair, forcing myself to breathe, to think, to see.Because this?This woman in front of me?She is not the girl I knew.The Marcella I remember wasn't like this.She wasn’t cold, she wasn't sharp.She didn’t sit in rooms like this, commanding silence with just a look.And Marcella…..my Marcella…..would have reacted. Even if it was anger. Even if it was denial. She would have felt something.My Marcella laughed to
~LUCAS~The moment I step into the room, everything in me stops.My hand is still on the door, and my breath catches halfway in my chest.Because sitting at the head of the table is her…Marcella.She's sitting there…back straight, chin slightly lifted, eyes sharp and unreadable.What is Marcella doing sitting here with lawyers when she isn't a law student??It doesn’t fit her.My grip on the door tightens unconsciously, the metal cold against my palm, grounding me because suddenly the room feels like it’s tilting. This isn’t right. None of this is right.My heart starts pounding harder, and before I can even process it….“Oh, here he is.”The voice pulls everyone’s attention to me, but I barely hear it, because I'm still staring at her.Still trying to understand what I’m looking at.“Our new intern. Mr. Lucas Santis.”The introduction barely registers, because her eyes are on me now.And just like earlier, there’s nothing in them….no recognition, no reaction,
~FIORELLA~“Mr. Santis,” I repeat, my voice dropping dangerously, “I do not repeat myself often. You are already on unstable ground. I suggest you start explaining yourself.”He finally speaks again.“I’m sorry, once again.” His words are quiet, and measured. “I apologize for coming in late.”My eyes narrow slightly because he's too calm, too controlled.“I was early,” he continues. “I got to the company before time.”A faint shift moves through the room ... .they are interested again, and hope that he might salvage this.I remain unmoved.“And yet,” I say, “you are standing here late.”“Yes,” he admits with no excuses…. just that single word.“There was… a situation,” he adds.Something in his tone shifts. It's subtle, but I catch it.A situation.My mind flashes instantly…. the chaos, the moment he mistook me for my sister.My jaw tightens almost imperceptibly.Of course it was that.Of course he was that problem.A quiet, humorless scoff slips past my lips.“
~FIORELLA~No, this is not happening.I don’t react because I never show my reaction in public, and yet, for the briefest, most treacherous second… something inside me stills when my eyes land on him.The stranger from earlier, the one who touched me without permission.My expression does not change….it never does.But beneath the stillness… beneath the perfect composure I wear like skin, something sharp and unwelcome coils in my chest.Please..…let it not be him.My gaze flicks, just once, to the empty chair, and then back to him….still standing at the door, still breathing slightly harder than he should, still looking at me like….No.I cut the thought off instantly.He means nothing.He is nothing….. just a stranger, just an inconvenience, just….“Oh, here he is.”The senior partner’s voice cuts through the silence like a blade.And just like that, everything inside me drops slow, heavy, and final.No!!“…our new intern,” he continues, relief evident in his t
~FIORELLA~I'll never have to see him again…. right??The thought lingers for half a second too long, and I hate that.I stop walking….not abruptly, not in a way anyone else would notice.Just a slight pause… a near-invisible hesitation.But I feel it….that tiny crack in my control.My fingers curl slowly at my side, nails pressing lightly into my palm.This is unacceptable, because I don't hesitate, I don't question, and I definitely do not let strangers crawl into my thoughts and stay there.I inhale, slowly, controlled, and measured, then exhale just as steadily.And just like that…it's gone.Everything soft, everything uncertain, everything unnecessary….gone.My spine straightens slightly, my shoulders settling back into perfect alignment.My expression smooths out, every trace of irritation, curiosity, and distraction erased like it was never there.Everything is back to being cold, composed and untouchable.That’s who I am, and that's who I remain.The so
~FIORELLA~“Marcella…”The name hits me before anything else does.It's soft, broken, and desperate, and then I feel arms.Strong arms wrap around me out of nowhere, pulling me into a body that is completely unfamiliar.My entire body stiffens instantly.For half a second… just half a second…I freeze.Not out of fear, but out of shock.Because no one….no one….touches me like this.No one dares.“I found you…”His voice is right there, too close, too intimate… like he’s holding something precious.Like… he’s holding someone he lost.And that’s when it hits me.Disgust surges through me so fast it burns.“EWWWW!!!”The word rips out of me before I can stop it.My hands slam against his chest, shoving him off me with force.“What the hell…”The audacity.The absolute audacity!!!Before he can even recover, my hand moves on its own, and I slap him hard on his cheek.The sound echoes sharply, drawing attention immediately.Good.Let them look.Let them see what hap
~MARCELLA~I shouldn't have looked in Lucas’ direction again, but I made the mistake of looking.And now, Xavier has seen him.His jaw ticks.“Ah,” he says softly. “There he is.”I snap my eyes back to him. “Don’t.”The warning leaves my mouth before I can stop it.He laugh
~MARCELLA~My breath leaves me in a sharp, broken gasp.The shock isn’t mild. It’s blinding.For a second, I genuinely can’t process what just happened. My brain lags behind my body. My skin burns where his fingers wrap around my arm, firm and unapologetic.Xavier is holding
~MARCELLA~The moment I see him clearly, my entire body goes rigid.Xavier.Not just Xavier.Xavier walking in like this is his event.Like he belongs here.Like he wasn’t the last person I expected to see tonight.My surprise isn’t soft. It’s violent. It slams into me so ha
~LUCAS~The box is the first thing I notice when I wake up.It's there…. right where I left it before going to bed last night.Like it knows I haven’t made peace with myself yet.It's pushed neatly against the wall like it hasn’t been silently haunting me all night. Like







