Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 321 - Chapitre 330

321Matteo’s POV Work events were always the same.Expensive suits. Polished smiles. The kind of fake enthusiasm that made my skin itch. I usually got through them with a drink in my hand and a carefully measured level of small talk. But tonight?Tonight, my attention was locked on one thing and one thing only.Gianna.She stood across the room, poised and composed in a sleek black dress that made my brain short-circuit. She was talking to some executive from finance, her smile polite but distant.Classic CEO mode.I wondered if she knew I was here yet. If she could feel me watching her the way I always did.She hadn’t spoken to me since the elevator. Since I’d laid out my cards and told her exactly what I planned to do.I’d meant every word.And if I had any doubts, they vanished the second her eyes flickered in my direction.There it was. That hesitation. That awareness. Yeah. She still felt it too.I made my way through the crowd, nodding and exchanging the usual pleasantries on m

323Gianna POVThe worst part was, I knew it was going to happen.It was inevitable.Matteo had always been funny—annoyingly so. He had this way of slipping humor into moments when I least expected it, making me laugh even when I didn’t want to.And now? Now he wasn’t even trying to be his usual cocky, persistent self.He was just there. Existing in my space. Acting normal.It was throwing me off.Because for weeks, I had been bracing myself for the full Matteo treatment—the relentless flirting, the smug little comments, the infuriating confidence. But instead, I got this version of him.Quieter. More patient. Still infuriating, but in a way I didn’t entirely hate.And then, of course, I had to go and ruin everything by laughing at his damn joke.It happened in the break room of all places. I had gone in for a much-needed coffee, barely holding on after a brutal morning of meetings. It was one of those days where everything felt heavier than it should have, where even the smallest inc

325Gianna’s POVI had every intention of avoiding him today.Really, I did.But Matteo had a way of ruining my best-laid plans. It started with a simple meeting—one I couldn’t get out of. He sat across from me, tapping his pen against the table, his eyes flicking to mine every few minutes. I ignored him. Or at least, I tried toThen there was lunch. I walked into the office kitchen, and there he was, leaning against the counter, stirring sugar into his coffee like he knew I’d be there.“Gianna,” he greeted, far too casually.I exhaled. “Matteo.”He smirked. “Good to see you.”I grabbed my coffee, turned on my heel, and walked right back out.But then came the real problem—when I was finally alone in my office, attempting to regain some semblance of peace. That was when he knocked.I could have ignored it but I didn’t.“Come in,” I called, already regretting it.Matteo stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. That was my second mistake because the moment he closed the door, I kne

327Gianna’s POV I noticed.Of course, I did.The thing about Matteo was that he had never been subtle. Not when he wanted something. Not when he wanted me.So, when little things started happening—the things no one else would’ve picked up on—I knew exactly who was behind them.Like when my coffee order was already on my desk before I even made it to the office.Or when the stack of paperwork I had been dreading mysteriously disappeared from my inbox, only for Lila to mention later that Matteo had “offered” to take some extra work off my plate.Or when I worked through lunch, only to have a protein bar appear on my desk. No note. No explanation. Just there.I pretended not to notice.But I did.And I hated that I did.I stepped into my office, juggling my phone, a tablet, and the general frustration of being awake before eight a.m.And there it was.A coffee cup.I stared at it.The logo from the café down the street was unmistakable.So was the exact way I took my coffee.Medium. Tw

329Gianna’s POV Matteo had been good these past few weeks. Too good. He hadn’t pushed. He hadn’t teased. He hadn’t tried to force anything, and somehow, that made it worse. Because instead of ignoring him, I’d started noticing things. Small things. Like how he never left the office before me. How he always made sure I had eaten, even when he didn’t say anything about it. How he never let a single meeting end without catching my gaze—just for a second, just long enough to remind me he was there. And I had no idea what to do with that.So I did what I always did. I buried myself in work, convinced myself I was fine, and pretended I didn’t see the way he watched me when he thought I wasn’t looking.Everyone else had already left, but I was still in my office, staring at a report that my exhausted brain refused to process.I rubbed my temples, exhaling. Maybe I should call it a night.Before I could decide, a knock sounded at my door.I didn’t have to look up to know who it was.Still,