جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 40

(SOPHIE’s POV)When the agency told me our team would finally meet the Crawford brothers in person, I almost called in sick.Not because of them —but because of me.What if I stutter?What if I look stupid?What if they glance at me and immediately know the truth?That I am a woman who was left.A woman who endured the heartbreak of seeing her husband become her mother’s.A woman with a heart stitched together with shaky hands.But I didn’t call in sick.I dressed carefully — neutral tones, nothing flashy — and whispered to my reflection:“You belong here.”I didn’t believe it.Not yet.But I said it anyway.Meeting 1 — Adrian CrawfordThe eldest brotherHe arrived first.No entourage.No loud arrival.Just a silent entry into the conference room with a sleek silver watch and calm eyes.He didn’t dominate the space — he stabilized it.When I introduced myself, he didn’t shake my hand like a formality.He shook it like acknowledgment.“Your breakdown of the demographics was exception

Adrian — The AnalystSophie didn’t notice that I watched her long before she ever approached me.Not inappropriately — but observationally.I notice people.Patterns.Microexpressions.Stress signatures.She walked into the conference room with the posture of someone trying to disappear without being invisible. Shoulders slightly tucked, hands composed but tense, eyes that carried too many unspoken memories.I read work.I read data.But I also read people.When I shook her hand, I felt the faint tremor of uncertainty — not weakness — uncertainty. Those two are not the same.She didn’t know it, but I already admired her.Her reports — her analysis of demographic behavioral shifts — were not just precise. They were empathetic. She saw people without judgment. She read markets the way I read faces.I could work with a hundred professionals.But someone with insight?That’s rare.When she left the room, the air felt… quieter. Like she had brought something with her and taken it away.Luc

( Sophie’s pov)Sleep didn’t come easily that night.I lay awake long after midnight, staring at the ceiling, listening to the hum of the refrigerator and the occasional car passing on the street outside. My mind replayed the day — Adrian’s steady gaze, Lucian’s electric challenge, Cassian’s disarming warmth.It would be so much simpler if they were just handsome.Just wealthy.Just powerful.But they weren’t.They were shaping the way I saw myself.That was the frightening part.The next morning, I arrived at the office determined to be normal.Professional.Neutral.Invisible.That lasted approximately three minutes.Because in the hallway leading to the analytics department, I heard voices.Male voices.Three of them.My heart did a strange flip.They were talking.About me.I stopped just before the corner — not intentionally eavesdropping — but accidentally overhearing.Lucian’s voice first:“She’s got something. “Don’t pretend you don’t feel it too.”Cassian chuckled softly:“Fe

Sophie’s PovThe gala started as it always did — with glittering lights, murmurs of investors, the soft clinking of wine glasses, and a subtle undercurrent of power in the air.I stepped into the ballroom, holding my clutch like it was a shield. The dress I wore was understated — soft lavender, modest neckline, delicate fabric that moved with me. Neutral enough not to draw attention, yet feminine enough that I didn’t disappear entirely.I tried to focus on the present. The bright chandeliers. The polished floors. The people — all of them walking, talking, smiling, pretending the weight of ambition wasn’t crushing them from the inside.But then a familiar scent — wood, spice, sunlight — and I froze.Cassian.He had arrived early. I could see him talking to a group of executives, relaxed, charming, completely at ease. And then, like some invisible tether pulling me forward, he noticed me.His eyes softened immediately. Not a flirtation. Not an assessment. Just… recognition.I felt my ch

Sophie’s povThe morning arrived with its usual hum of city life, but today the streets felt heavier, denser somehow, as though even the air carried anticipation. Horns honked in the distance, boots clattered against wet sidewalks, and the scent of baked bread from a corner café mingled with exhaust and rain-slicked asphalt. Each element of the city seemed magnified, as though it had been waiting for me to notice it.I slipped into the office, coat wrapped tightly around me, and tried to exhale the tension lodged in my chest. The metal door closed behind me with a subtle click, isolating me from the constant buzz outside. My hands trembled occasionally, and I wasn’t sure if it was fatigue, lingering pain, or the magnetic pull of those three men who had inserted themselves so irrevocably into my life. The weight of their attention, each so different and insistent, was tangible.Cassian was the first to greet me, his usual calm, gentle presence radiating quiet reassurance. That smile —