Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 31 - Chapitre 40

ALVINA The new week didn’t feel new at all, it felt different. Like the air itself knew something was about to change.I stood outside my office for a moment, my hand resting on the door handle, staring at the nameplate fixed neatly beside it.Mrs. Alvina Kale — Manager.I had seen this room before. Alex had shown it to me during my training days, and walked me around it casually. But standing here now, knowing it was mine, made my palms sweat.Alex stood beside me, holding a tablet close to his chest.“You’re quiet,” he said gently.“I’m trying not to panic,” I replied.He smiled, that calm, reassuring smile he always wore. “That means you’re taking this seriously. That’s good.”I let out a slow breath and opened the door.The office smelled faintly of rose and something I couldn't quite explain. Sunlight streamed in through the wide glass windows, falling across the desk. I walked in slowly, ran my fingers over the smooth surface of the desk, then over the chair behind it.This was

ALVINA No way!I wasn't dreaming when he said that, was I? He didn't actually mean that, did he?I looked at him. Really looked at him to be sure it wasn't my mind playing games on me. But the hell, Ethan was standing right before me, having that smirk on his face like he knew what he did. He knew what he had stirred with that simple act of his.I hated myself for letting my heart flinch at the slightest touch of his body against mine. Heaven help me, I can't even count the number of crazy scenarios that popped into my mind in just a split second. God knows I would have yielded for that kiss if his phone hadn't rang. I didn't realize how fast my heart was beating until now, like I had just escaped a terrifying marathon chase. Ethan, on the other hand, didn't even look bothered in the slightest way. In fact, he seemed to have enjoyed every bit of what just happened."How about we shift the rules aside and consider... just us?” The words kept echoing in my head over and over again, I

ALVINA It had been three weeks since that dinner—the one Ethan insisted I join him for, the one that had left my heart spinning even after I told myself to stay grounded. I had returned home that night with a mixture of disbelief and a silent kind of hope. Part of me wanted to believe it meant something real, that maybe, for once, he wasn’t just playing with me. But a part of me knew better. Ethan Kale was a man who didn’t play by ordinary rules, especially when it came to feelings.The morning sun filtered into my office as I adjusted the papers on my desk. Alex had already left for the day, reminding me to review the weekly reports and draft a plan for the next board meeting. My mind, however, refused to settle on numbers and charts. Instead, it replayed that dinner over and over, and I literally have no idea why it had to be that dinner night, and not the night when my eyes opened to the realisation that Vivian had a place in his heart.I didn't know why my mind concluded this wa

ALVINA Ethan finally showed up minutes past eleven. I heard a few staff greeting him, that was how I got to know.My instinct told me any moment from now, he was going to call me. Not the couple kind of call, but that which calls for questioning; especially since Vivian was his person.I was going through emails when Alex knocked, his head poking into my office like he was afraid I’d snap at him.“Mrs. Kale,” he said carefully. “The boss wants to see you.”I didn’t look up right away, I already knew why.“Let me guess,” I said calmly. “Vivian?”Alex shrugged, like he didn't want the answer coming out directly from his mouth. I shut my laptop, stood up, and walked past him without another word.Alex opened the door after a knock, letting me enter. Once upon a time, this room used to make my heart race. Now, it only makes me tired.Ethan stood by his desk with both arms crossed. He didn’t ask me to sit.“Why did you humiliate Vivian?” he asked bluntly.I raised an eyebrow. “So she ran

ETHANThe office felt like a tomb. A loud, disorganized, suffocating tomb.I sat behind my mahogany desk, staring at a stack of folders that seemed to have tripled in height since I went to grab a coffee. For five years, this room had been my sanctuary. It was the place where I was in total control, where every decimal point was in its place and every schedule was followed to the second.Now, it was a disaster zone."Ethan? Sorry, Mr. Kale," Alex said, poking his head through the door. He looked like he hadn't slept in forty-eight hours. "The investors from the Singapore merger are on line two. They’re asking why the updated projections weren't sent over this morning."I rubbed my temples, feeling a vein throb in my forehead. "I told you to handle that, Alex.""I tried," Alex stammered, stepping further into the room. "But the password for the encrypted server was changed last month. I asked IT, and they said the recovery key was sent to... well, Mrs. Kale's old work email."I froze.