Semua Bab Seduced Into the Boss's Service : Bab 71 - Bab 77

The wind outside whispered through the lodge’s shutters, brushing snowflakes against the window panes like tiny fingers asking to be let in. Annette sat on the edge of her bed in her hotel lodge. It was 9: pm, the golden light of the antique lamp beside her made everything feel a little softer, like the world was holding its breath with her. Just as she was about to switch off her bedside lamb, her screen lit up with a video call from Jane. She hesitated for a beat, wondering what time it was in New York. 2pm. She swiped to accept. The screen came alive instantly with a chorus of overlapping voices. "ANNETTE!" "There she is!" "Took you long enough, stranger." Jane’s familiar grin beamed at her. George waved from behind, half-visible, tapping on a keyboard. Cassie popped her head into the frame with wide, sparkly eyes and a fancy bonny headband. “Okay, we’re all here," Jane said, crossing her arms dramatically. "You owe us a full update. And don’t you dare hang up in twenty m

“Didn’t you say you’d marry the guy who baked you that cake?”Annette looked up from the bowl she was stirring, a brow arching suspiciously. Then she recalled.“That was a drunken exaggeration.”Sam leaned against the fridge, arms crossed, a smug glint in his eyes. “You said, and I quote, ‘I love you, Cake Man. I’ll marry you so I can eat this forever.’”She blinked at him.He grinned. “And guess who baked it?”Her eyes narrowed. “No. That was your grandfather’s recipe.”“And I’m his grandson. Legacy flows through these blessed hands.” He held up his palms with mock reverence.She tried not to laugh. Failed. “You’re so full of it.”“You’re in my kitchen, in my shirt,” Sam said, leaning against the counter with a smirk.Annette glanced down at herself—his oversized shirt dusted with flour. She hadn’t brought a change of clothes for their baking date, and somehow, borrowing his had felt… easy. Natural.They’d had a few of these cozy moments over the past week, low-pressure, oddly domes

Annette’s suitcase clattered onto the terminal floor with a hollow thud, the sound echoing in the cavernous space as she exhaled for the first time since the plane had touched down. Her body still felt tethered to Athens, the warmth of the sun, the smells of the city, the memory of Sam’s apartment, and yet, here she was, back in New York. Her chest tightened with a mixture of relief, dread, and exhaustion. She’d flown halfway across the world to escape, only to return carrying the heaviest weight of all: the life growing quietly beneath her ribs.The moment she stepped out of the sliding doors into the late afternoon glare, she spotted Jane immediately. Her best friend’s eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed from running through the terminal, hair escaping in loose tendrils from the scarf wound haphazardly around her neck. Jane had that combination of shock and delight that made Annette’s heart ache a little, seeing someone care so much was comforting and painful all at once.“Annette!”