All Chapters of Gilded Hearts: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Sophia POVI hardly got any sleep Each time I shut my eyes, I was drawn back by a memory of the elevator. That moment.His face inches from mine.It came to my mind, and my heart was still racing, as my body hadn’t yet acknowledged that the moment was over.What struck me more than the proximity was the manner in which he withdrew as the elevator doors opened, as though he had come in contact with something hot and was running back.No words.No lingering look.No acknowledgement at all.Just… gone. Almost too fast to be real.Although I didn't feel any embarrassment, I wasn't in that type of zone that made me want to shrink or wish to vanish.It was the uncertainty. The weight of not knowing what it meant. How could I be in the same room as him when that incident memory was lingering at back of my mind somewhere. But I didn’t have the luxury of overthinking. I never did.I wasn’t here for crushes, or mixed signals, or elevator moments that shouldn’t have happened. I was here beca

Sophia POVAs I put my bag on the desk, emails started appearing: updates about clients, the company mail, and a new schedule of a project that had been altered during the night.I did not attempt to speak to Damien after the last conference hall, where we had a conversation.In order to be accepted in this place, I have to keep out of trouble.And I can't let Damien's comment affect my performance. I took a cup of warm coffee and began to plan my activities for the day.One spreadsheet, then another. A call at ten.A presentation draft by lunch.I moved through each item with the same steady focus that kept me afloat since the day I started here.Maybe it was a survival instinct.Maybe it was the weight of my family depending on me.Either way, working hard felt like breathing.I didn’t even notice Edward Hayes standing near the glass corridor until his reflection appeared on my screen.He wasn’t speaking, wasn’t calling for anyone, he was simply watching. “Good morning, Mr Hayes.”

Sophia POVI soon completed my work in the office and returned home to prepare to attend the party.By the time evening arrived, my room looked like a battlefield of rejected clothes.I didn’t have anything fancy, nothing that screamed “high-level business party,” nothing designer or shimmering or elegant the way other women at Hayes Global effortlessly dressed. Just… my wardrobe.Simple. Clean. Affordable.This is going to be my first official party with so many influential people. I need to dress appropriately to make myself look betterWell, I need to figure something out quickly, I finally settled on the one outfit I knew looked decent on me, a fitted black dress with modest sleeves and a knee-length hem. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was polished. Respectable. Professional.I quickly tied my hair in a low bun, left a few soft strands by my face, and put on a little eyeliner.Just enough not to look exhausted. Just enough to catch my eyes, look more lively.But my real focus wasn

Sophia POVThe ride to Hayes Global felt longer than it ever had, even though I barely remembered how I reached here.My eyes were burning from crying through the night. Nick was still at the hospital waiting for mom to get conscious while I was here in the office, walking through Edward Hayes cabinI could feel my palms getting sweaty and cold, and my heart was hammering against my ribs loudlyAll the way coming here, I kept wondering—What condition could a man like Edward Hayes possibly place on me?He could ask for anything.Business favors.Long-term loyalty to the company.Signing a contract that would bind me to Hayes Global in some way.But the truth sat heavily in my chest the whole ride here:I have nothing to give him. Nothing a man of his power would need.Still, I needed the money.Mom needed the money.And I would do anything for her.I reached the familiar glass door.His name was etched in bold silver letters, Edward Hayes, and suddenly I felt very small.I lifted my

Sophia POVTwo days the hours blended together. I sat in hospital corridors., with the sweet smell of medicine, and heard the beep of machines, that monitored the weak heart of my mother. I could hardly sleep. My brother barely talked. It was all as though by a thin thread. Today morning, when I had at last bent my head back, in the uncomfortable hospital chair and closed my eyes, I heard footsteps. They were stable, quiet, and too refined to be in such a place,. I opened my eyes and froze.Edward Hayes.He stood at the end in the corridor with two of his own staff like he carried the whole empire behind him.. His eyes became soft when he saw me.“Sophia,” he greeted in that warm, composed voice of his,. “May I see your mother?” I nodded blankly and led him inside.My mother lay half dozing, her white face so thin and wan against the white pillow, the oxygen mask fogging gently with the effort of each frail breath.Edward walked partway down the aisle. He stood for a moment by