All Chapters of wounded Heart : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

My heels clicked against the polished floor of Morgan and Associates, each step echoing my racing heartbeat. Three months of job hunting had turned me into a master of fake confidence—back straight, chin up, dreams crumbling. I clutched my portfolio so tight my knuckles turned white, fighting the urge to run back to my car and cry. “Please wait here with the other applicants,” the receptionist gestured to a row of chairs where four candidates sat, all wearing the same mask of desperation I’d perfected. I smoothed my pencil skirt for the hundredth time and took a seat, studying my competition through sideways glances. Most looked fresh out of college like me, with wardrobes that screamed I maxed out my credit card for this suit. All except for one guy in a charcoal gray suit who walked in and, to everyone’s surprise, took a seat among us and lounged in his chair like he owned the place. He pulled out his phone and started scrolling, just like the rest of us. He caught my eye and smil

The office was eerily quiet as I organized the last batch of files on my desk. Everyone else had left hours ago, leaving just me and Mr. Rodriguez-Alex-on the entire floor. My hands trembled slightly as I gathered the quarterly reports he’d asked me to review. Even the cleaning staff had finished their rounds, leaving behind the faint scent of lemon polish that did nothing to calm my nerves.The wall clock read 9:45 PM. Through the glass walls of his office, I could see him focused on his laptop screen, his jaw tense in concentration. The warm glow of his desk lamp cast shadows that accentuated his sharp features. I caught myself staring at the way his sleeve was rolled up to his elbow, revealing tanned forearms as he typed.“Sonia?” His voice carried through the intercom. “Could you bring those reports in now?”I took a deep breath, smoothing down my pencil skirt. “Coming, Mr. Alex Rodriguez.”The moment I stepped into his office, the air felt different—charged somehow. He looked up,

I stand before the mirror in my small bathroom, trying to steady my trembling hands. Last night’s almost-kiss with Alex in his office keeps replaying in my mind. The way he leaned in, the scent of his cologne making my head spin, the way I wanted to…No. I can’t.Mom’s sobbing filters through the thin walls of our apartment, and suddenly, I’m a scared little girl again. My heart races as I hear Dad’s heavy footsteps. The floor creaks under his weight, and I know what’s coming. He must have come home late. Again.“Where were you all night?” Mom’s voice cracks with desperation. “Do you even care about this family anymore?”I turn the faucet on full blast, hoping to drown out the argument, but it doesn’t work.“I was working! Someone has to pay the bills in this house!” Dad’s booming response sends a chill down my spine.“You’re lying!” Mom’s shriek makes me flinch. “I saw you with her outside that restaurant!”A door slams, followed by the sound of glass shattering. I jump, my stomach c

The gun pressed against my temple was cold, but James Rodriguez’s laugh was colder. I forced myself to stay still, even as my heart threatened to burst from my chest. Through my swollen eye—courtesy of trying to escape earlier—I could see Alex standing in the warehouse doorway, his face a mask of carefully controlled rage. I met Alex’s eyes, seeing the pain there. “He’s been working with DuPont for years,” I said, my voice hoarse. “Sabotaging deals, leaking information. The Singapore merger, the Tokyo expansion—it was all James.” “And dear old Dad never suspected a thing,” James spat. “Too busy grooming his perfect son to notice the other one making his own arrangements. Did you know, Sonia, that Marcel DuPont offered me everything Alex had and more?” “You’re working with a snake,” Alex took a step forward, stopping when James pressed the gun harder against my head. “DuPont will betray you the moment he has control of our company.” James laughed again, the sound echoing off the

I couldn’t sleep. The moonlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Alex’s penthouse cast long shadows across the pristine hardwood floors. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw James’s face, heard the cold click of his gun. My mother’s funeral was tomorrow, and here I was, alive because of the man sleeping in the room next door. The same man I’d been fighting my attraction to for quite some time. I padded barefoot to the kitchen, my borrowed silk pajamas whispering against my skin. A glass of water. That’s all I needed. Maybe it would wash away the bitter taste of grief and fear that coated my tongue. My fingers traced the marble countertop, remembering how just hours ago, Alex had insisted on making me dinner here, trying to coax me to eat something after everything that had happened. The kitchen light flicked on. I jumped, my heart leaping into my throat. “Sonia?” Alex’s voice was rough with sleep. He stood in the doorway wearing just pajama bottoms, his dark hair to