Adrian POVI closed the door gently behind me, the soft click sounding louder in my head than it had any right to. My fingers stayed wrapped around the doorknob for a second longer than necessary, knuckles tight, heart tighter.They thought they were subtle.They thought they were clever.They weren’t.Not to me.I had seen Sarah flushed like that before, but not in a long time. And never around anyone else. That slight tremble she thought she’d hidden behind her clipped words. The way Alessandro had stood, protective and possessive, like a lion caught mid-prowl, daring me to cross a line he assumed he had the right to guard.I walked down the corridor slowly, carefully. A few heads looked up from late desks, but I did not indicate that anything was wrong. If anyone asked, I’d just say I came to drop off some files. Smile. Nod. Exit.But my thoughts were already spinning like sharp blades in the quiet of my mind.This wasn’t about some relapse of emotion between ex-lovers.No, this wa
Sarah POVWeekend EveningThe apartment smelled like lavender baby lotion and cardamom tea, the comfortable mix of motherhood and my stolen moments of peace.It was Saturday. Soft, Unhurried.Gabriel had finally gone down for his late nap, and I had the rare luxury of curling up on the couch with a worn novel and ten blessed minutes of stillness.Until the doorbell rang.I blinked, frowning. I wasn’t expecting anyone.I moved quietly to the door, my robe hanging loosely over my tank top and leggings. I automatically tightened my hold as soon as I realized who was on the other side.Adrian.Wearing slacks and a white button-down shirt, he stood there with a box of what appeared to be dubious pastries. His hair was a bit too groomed and blown about for someone who was just stopping over.“Hi,” he said smoothly. “I was in the area. Thought I’d stop by. Brought something sweet for Gabriel.”I hesitated for a beat. “He’s asleep.”Adrian’s smile didn’t falter. “Then it can wait till he wa
Sarah POVThe knock had barely faded when I whispered, “Shit,” under my breath.My pulse was still thrumming from what had just happened, Alessandro, the couch, the way his breath had felt on my skin, but my body snapped upright like a soldier hearing the sound of boots outside her door.I grounded myself by flattening my palms against the desk."Come in," I said, my voice remarkably firm given I could still taste his on my lips.The door eased open.And there he was.Adrian.Sharp suit. Subtle smirk. Mistrust burned faint but present behind his calm gaze.His eyes flicked from me to Alessandro, who was standing a few feet away from the couch, blazer now on, shirt still slightly wrinkled, no matter how well he’d tried to fix it.My blouse was dragged back into place, but my cheeks were heated, and I was instantly acutely aware of the redness that remained on my skin."I hope I'm not interrupting," Adrian replied softly, in a nonchalant tone that only someone extremely skeptical could
Alessandro POVBy 9:00 a.m., I was at Amario Enterprises, not my usual territory, but necessary.The Tokyo investor brief had triggered a chain reaction, and Sarah and I were determined to land it right. Last night had pushed the foundation back into place, but now came the precision work, revisions, translations, data reshaping, and coordination with two time zones.The glass conference room on the 21st floor was surprisingly silent, with discussions blending into a muted professionalism. Sarah occupied the table's head, dressed in a slate-grey gown, her hair pulled back, intense and enigmatic.We didn’t speak much beyond the task at hand.She reviewed figures; I flagged translation issues. We corrected formatting and tightened the deck. Our teams, looped in overnight, sent updates every thirty minutes. The Tokyo translators confirmed revisions by noon.By three, Gianna’s assistant had a PDF of the final investor pack ready for submission, including a clean version and a tracked-comm
Sarah POVIt was nearly 9:00 PM when the email came in.I was halfway through folding Gabriel’s laundry, still in soft cotton joggers and a loose tee when the ping echoed from my phone. I almost ignored it, anything arriving after sundown usually meant stress. But some instinct told me to look.Investor Brief – Urgent Revisions (Tokyo)- The file was a mess. Graphs unaligned. Sentences butchered by poor translation. A disaster disguised as data.I stared at it for a full minute before sighing and tossing a onesie into the basket like it had offended me.There went my quiet night.I padded barefoot into the kitchen, opened my laptop, and began pulling files, cross-referencing the last meeting notes with the spreadsheets, already preparing for the all-nighter I hadn’t planned.While the baby monitor sat on the counter, Gabriel's gentle breathing provided a steady tempo in the background.Someone knocked on the door as I had just finishing pouring a glass of water.A solid, deliberate kno
Sarah POVNext MorningI woke up feeling smug.Not light or easy exactly, not after the previous night’s wicked performancE, but I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time.Power.Not in a malicious way. Not the cold kind that left men crawling and bruised. But the warm kind, like stepping into heels that finally fit again. Like looking into a mirror and seeing the version of yourself who never begged, never bent, and never forgot her worth.I made my coffee slowly. Dressed intentionally. Red lipstick. Hair up. Black blouse tucked into tailored beige trousers. I looked sharp. Polished. Like I hadn’t locked a six-foot-two Italian man outside my apartment in a raging hard-on storm the night before.I smiled to myself.Control was sweet.11:23 AM – Amario OfficeIt was a quiet day, and the team was deep in project coordination. The mood was mellow, productive. I was walking down the hallway holding a tablet, flipping through notes for the investor pitch we were leading next week, whe