Semua Bab Gilded Hearts: Bab 81 - Bab 90

Sophia POVSaturday morning...The sound of my phone ringing pulled me away from the novel resting in my lap.I glanced at the screen.Andrea A smile immediately spread across my face.I answered the call."Andrea," I said."Sophia!" Andrea exclaimed excitedly."I've been trying to surprise you for three days," Andrea said dramatically.I laughed."That's usually how surprises work," I replied."Good," Andrea said proudly."Then don't ask questions.""Why?" I asked."Because I'm already in London," Andrea revealed.My eyes widened."You what?" I asked in disbelief."I'm outside your building," Andrea replied casually."What?" I nearly shouted.I hurried toward the window.Standing beside a bright yellow taxi...Wearing an oversized beige coat...Oversized sunglasses despite London's cloudy weather...And waving both arms dramatically in the air...Was Andrea."Oh my God," I whispered.Andrea laughed loudly through the phone."I knew that would be your reaction," Andrea said."I'm com

Sophia POVThe soft, rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor slowly pulled me back to consciousness,.Everything felt...Heavy.My eyelids fluttered open,.Bright white lights blurred above me before gradually coming into focus,.A hospital ceiling.I frowned."What... happened?" I whispered weakly."Sophia!" Edward said immediately as he stood from the chair beside my bed.Relief washed over his face,."Oh-, thank God you're awake-," Edward said, letting out a long breath,.I slowly turned my head,.Andrea was standing near the window,.The moment she noticed my eyes open-, she hurried toward me,."You scared us to death-," Andrea said as she reached for my hand,. "I've never seen an old man drive that fast in my life,."Edward shot her an unimpressed look,."This isn't the time for jokes-," Edward said,.Andrea gave him an apologetic smile,."I'm trying to stop myself from crying," Andrea admitted quietly.I looked between them in confusion."My head hurts," I murmured."It will," Edw

Damien POVThe envelope had been sitting in the centre of my desk for almost twenty minutes,.Plain.White.Ordinary.It shouldn't have been capable of provoking any emotion,.Yet somehow...It was the only thing I had looked at since my assistant had quietly placed it there.The divorce papers.I leaned back in my chair and stared at it,.Outside my office window-, Manhattan moved exactly as it always had,.Traffic.People.Deadlines.Meetings.The city never stopped.Neither had I.For nearly a month, I'd buried myself inside Hayes Global.If I wasn't in the boardroom...I was reviewing acquisitions.If I wasn't reviewing acquisitions...I was meeting investors.If I wasn't meeting investors...I was flying somewhere else.Every hour of every day had been accounted for.Because the one thing I refused to account for...Was why going home had become the worst part of my day.I reached for the envelope.My fingers tightened around the edge,.Several documents slid onto the polished ma

Damien POVFour and a half months later,.People measured success in numbers.Revenue.Profits.Stock prices.Market share.If that was the standard...Then I was the most successful man in the room.Hayes Global had never been stronger.The European expansion had exceeded every projection the board had presented at the beginning of the year.Our London headquarters had become one of the company's fastest-growing regional offices-, outperforming forecasts quarter after quarter,.Every monthly report carried the same conclusion.Growth.Expansion.Record profits.The board couldn't stop congratulating me.Business magazines called me the architect of Hayes Global's next era.Investors praised my vision.Analysts described my leadership as aggressive but brilliant.Everywhere I went...People shook my hand.Smiled.Congratulated me.They saw a man standing at the top of the world,.None of them ever wondered what happened after the cameras stopped flashing,....The board meeting had ju

Sophia POVBy ten o'clock that morning...Hayes Global's London headquarters was already alive with movement.Employees hurried through the hallways carrying portfolios-, tablets and fabric samples while assistants moved between meeting rooms preparing presentations and checking schedules,.The entire executive floor buzzed with quiet conversations in English, Italian and French,.Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows,. London shimmered beneath a pale autumn sun,.The Thames reflected ribbons of silver while boats lazily drifted across the river,.I stood inside my office-, reading through the final presentation one last time before closing my tablet,.Today's meeting wasn't an ordinary one,.After nearly eight months of planning,...Hayes Global's European Division was officially partnering with Romano Group to launch our first sustainable luxury fashion line targeted toward Gen Z consumers across Europe.Months of market research. Supplier negotiations. Consumer behaviour studies. Su