All Chapters of Pen & Passion: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

I returned to my desk after a short meeting, only to find my annotated drafts were missing. My heart lurched. They weren’t just any notes—those were the raw edits from the other night, the ones Joaquin asked me to revise. Where the lines blurred. Where it felt… too honest.“Looking for these?” Joaquin’s voice broke through my spiral.I turned, and there he was—leaning against the glass wall of his office, casually flipping through my notes like he was reading a breakfast menu.Panic surged. “Y-you weren’t supposed to—don’t read that!”He didn’t respond right away. Just looked at me with a gaze that unnerved me far more than it should’ve. His fingers hovered over a page I remembered vividly—because I’d basically poured my soul into it by accident.“I thought you said these were edits,” he said softly. “But this… this feels personal.”My mouth went dry. “It’s… fictional. You’re the author. I was just echoing the tone.”“You’re too good at it,” he murmured, eyes unreadable.I forced a sh

It was almost evening when we finally made it to the boutique.One of Joaquin’s, of course. Because apparently, the man has a secret lair of luxurious shops across the city like a stylish Batman. This one was sleek, modern, and smelled like money and jasmine.Jessy gasped the moment we walked in. “Oh my god. This place is gorgeous. It smells expensive. Does it smell expensive to you? Because it does to me.”Ethan, calm as ever, had already spoken with the saleslady at the front. “We’ll need a private fitting room for both ladies. And please extend the shop hours. We’ll compensate everyone for their time.”The saleslady blinked, startled—but nodded with a respectful, “Yes, sir.”Jessy nudged me, eyes wide. “Okay, when he goes all authoritative like that, it’s kind of…”“Hot?” I offered, teasing.She shot me a grin. “I was gonna say intimidating, but sure, let’s go with hot.”Ethan turned to us and blinked. “What are you two whispering about?”“Nothing!” we said in chorus.Soon, we were

I groggily blinked my eyes open, reaching for my phone on the nightstand. The screen glared back at me with a painfully bright glow. 3:04 AM.My mouth was dry, and I could feel the fuzz of sleep still clinging to my brain. I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes and glancing to the side. Jessy wasn't beside me."Bathroom?" I mumbled, but the bathroom door was open and the light off.Weird.I slipped on my slippers and padded out into the hallway, yawning as I made my way downstairs to the kitchen.And then I froze.My sleep-deprived brain short-circuited.There they were.Ethan and Jessy.In the kitchen.Getting spicy.Like, really spicy.Jessy was sitting on the counter, her legs loosely hooked around Ethan's waist, his hands on either side of her thighs. Her fingers were tangled in his hair, lips locked with his in a kiss that was far from innocent.Sleep? What sleep? Thirst? What thirst? I was awake-awake now.I stumbled back and hid behind the hallway wall, pressing my back to it and cov

The moment I tiptoed back into my bedroom, I found Jessy curled up under the covers, fake-snoring so badly it could win an award.I stared. "Cut the act."Jessy opened one eye dramatically, then groaned. "Ugh. I was hoping you'd think I was asleep.""You think I didn’t see you playing tonsil hockey with Ethan in the kitchen?"She sat up, pillow in hand. "You saw that!?"A grin spread across my face as I dodged the flying pillow. "Oh, I saw everything."Jessy groaned and flopped back down onto the bed. "Great. Just great. What else did you see? Did you catch my very flattering attempt at whispering like a seductive librarian?"I snorted, crawling into bed beside her. "No, but I did catch the part where you said you wanted to taint him.""Ughhh, kill me."I laughed until my sides hurt. She groaned again and buried her face under another pillow."So... is this a thing now? You and Ethan?"She peeked out. Her face was still pink. "Maybe. We're going to try."I blinked. "Wait, seriously? J

The gala was exactly the kind of event that made me want to crawl under my bed and live there forever. Glittering chandeliers, velvet drapes, champagne fountains—it was basically a Pinterest board of “Places Where Awkward People Should Not Exist.”And tonight, it was masquerade-themed.Jessy, of course, looked like she had stepped out of a magazine cover—sleek black gown, gold-trimmed mask, hair curled to perfection. Ethan, in his tailored tux and dark mask, couldn’t stop glancing at her when he thought no one noticed. Spoiler: everyone noticed.As for me, I was in a floor-length emerald gown that hugged me in all the right places—thank you, Jessy, for picking it out—and a lace mask that somehow made me look… mysterious. Joaquin had insisted on sending his personal stylist to help me get ready, which was both sweet and nerve-wracking.We arrived together, arm in arm, to a flurry of flashes from photographers and the hum of whispers from employees and business partners. Joaquin looked