LOGINToo Old For HimELENA’S breath caught.For a moment, the world narrowed to the sound of Evan’s breathing and the faint hum of the ceiling fan above them. Her hand, which had been smoothing his hair, stilled mid-motion.Evan noticed.He pushed himself up on his elbows, eyes wide and earnest. “Mom?” he asked again, gently this time. “Did I say something bad?”“No,” Elena said quickly, forcing a smile that felt too tight on her lips. “You didn’t say anything bad.”He relaxed a little, studying her face with the seriousness only children possessed. “It is just… everyone else has a daddy,” he continued. “Samuel’s daddy comes to school sometimes. And Aisha’s daddy bought her a new bag.”Elena swallowed.“Some people have daddies who live with them,” she said carefully. “Some don’t. Families can look different, Evan. Besides, you do have a daddy,” she gushed before she could stop herself, already annoyed for letting that last part out.“But I don’t want ours to be different,” he said simpl
A New DaddyTHIRTY minutes passed, and Elena was still locked out in the restroom cubicle, letting go her pains.Her hands trembled as she pressed her palms to her mouth, muffling the sob that tore out of her chest. Tears slid freely down her cheeks, hot and humiliating, splashing against the back of her hand as she struggled to breathe through the ache lodged in her throat.‘How dare he?’How dare Eamon look at her with those eyes— soft, earnest, dangerous, and ask her out as if her world hadn’t already been set on fire? As if Marcus hadn’t shattered what little faith she still had in people. As if Tiara hadn’t smiled in her face while sleeping with the man Elena once trusted with her heart.Her chest tightened painfully.She had come to work to survive, to keep her head down, to rebuild herself quietly. Not to be pulled into another emotional battlefield. Not to be the object of pity, curiosity, or worse— office gossip.She wiped her face roughly, straightened her shoulders, and sta
The Rejection That BurnedEAMON’S gaze lingered on the closed office door, the sound of Elena’s heels fading into the distance still echoing in his mind. He felt something foreign, something new, like a tight knot of disbelief and irritation forming in his chest. He had been rejected. Rejected. The word alone ignited a fire within him, one he wasn’t accustomed to feeling.What? He had never been turned away by anyone, not by a mortal, not by a woman of flesh and blood. Women had always flocked to him, drawn by the power, the aura, the dominance that clung to him like a second skin. They had hung on his every word, obeyed without question, and craved his approval. He used them, discarded them, played with their hearts as though they were mere toys. And yet, here she was— Elena Brooks— standing defiantly in the doorway, and she had dared to say no.He sat back in his chair for a moment, attempting to process the audacity of it. She wasn’t just any woman. She wasn’t there to be tamed, co
Confessions and Denials THE moment Elena stepped into the main hall, she felt it.The shift. That shift.The air itself seemed to thicken, heavy with curiosity, speculation, and barely contained judgment. Rows of employees filled the wide hall, some seated behind sleek desks, others moving briskly with files in hand, keyboards clicking, phones ringing. It was business as usual— until it wasn’t.Whispers followed her almost instantly.They weren’t even trying to hide it this time “Is that her?”“That is the one…”“The clerk from accounting— no, admin— no, finance?”“Why would the CEO come all the way down for her?”“Do you think she is sleeping with him?”“How could he? She's way older than him.”“Must be favoritism, then.”“No, it is more than that.”The voices blended into a low, buzzing hum, like flies circling something already wounded.Elena kept her head straight, her shoulders squared, even though every step felt heavier than the last. She could feel the eyes on her back, burn
When Power KnocksIT took a full two minutes of suffocating silence before reality finally settled into the room.Two whole minutes of nobody breathing properly, of eyes blinking too fast or not at all, of minds scrambling to make sense of the impossible sight standing in their doorway. Then, almost as if a silent alarm had gone off, chairs scraped loudly against the tiled floor as everyone jumped to their feet at once. The sudden movement filled the office with sharp, squeaky sounds, but none of it seemed to matter.He didn’t even spare them a glance.Eamon stood tall and immovable, his presence alone bending the atmosphere of the room. His gaze was fixed, undeniably and unmistakably, on Elena.On the woman who had occupied his thoughts for three restless nights.Elena, on the other hand, was still seated.Shock had glued her to the chair, her fingers resting uselessly on the keyboard, her mind blank. The power in his stare made it impossible to move, impossible to think. It wasn’t u
Quiet Evenings and Loud MemoriesSUNDAY evening settled gently over the small house, wrapping it in a hush that felt almost sacred. The sun had dipped low, leaving behind a soft orange glow that filtered through the thin curtains and painted the living room in muted warmth. Elena sat on the couch, her legs tucked beneath her, a book resting open in her hands.She had been staring at the same page for over ten minutes.The words blurred together, refusing to make sense. No matter how hard she tried to concentrate, her mind kept slipping away from the pages, drifting back to memories she desperately wished she could forget.Friday night. That messy Friday night.The club.The lights.The music.And the sight that had shattered something deep inside her.Elena closed the book slowly, pressing it against her chest as she leaned her head back against the couch. Her gaze fixed on the ceiling, but all she could see was Marcus— her husband of eight years, standing there without shame, without







