Todos los capítulos de Byline of My Heart: Capítulo 21 - Capítulo 30

Singapore was efficient.Clean.Sharp.Everything moved with purpose, trains arriving on time, people walking like they had invisible schedules printed in their heads. It felt… controlled.Unlike him. Or maybe too much like him.Three weeks.Three weeks since I left.Three weeks of video calls that felt too short and too composed.Sebastian never looked tired on screen.Never distracted.Never weak.“Are you eating properly?” he would ask.“Yes.”“Sleeping?”“Trying.”“You look thinner.”“You’re imagining it.”He would stare at me for half a second longer than necessary. Like he was checking something deeper. Distance didn’t make him softer. It made him sharper. And somehow, that scared me more.The newsroom here was different. More structured. More global.I was assigned to assist in a cross-border investigation involving human trafficking routes disguised as “luxury hospitality businesses.”I didn’t like the phrase.Luxury.Hospitality.It sounded sanitized.My editor, Marcus, brief

She wasn’t there. I knew it the second I walked in. Velour Noir was alive like always, soft gold lighting, low jazz humming in the background, expensive laughter floating between tables.But she wasn’t near the corridor anymore.No thin bracelet. No guarded eyes scanning exits.I tried not to look obvious. I tried to act like I was just another observer, another quiet presence blending into velvet shadows.But my chest was tight. Too tight.I approached the bar casually.“The girl from last week,” I said lightly to one of the bartenders. “Slim, long dark hair. Quiet.”He didn’t hesitate.“We rotate staff, ma’am.”“I figured. But she was assigned to the back hallway.”His hands paused for half a second while polishing a glass. “Staff changes are internal matters.”Internal matters.Corporate language.Clean.Dismissive.Dangerous.I forced a small smile. “Of course.”But I already knew. She didn’t rotate. She was removed.I went to the restroom again, not because I needed to, but becau

Sebastian’s POVSingapore looked different at night.From the balcony of the hotel suite, the city glittered like something carefully designed, every light deliberate, every building placed with precision. It reminded me of a chessboard.Controlled. Strategic. Predictable.But Isla Carter was none of those things.And right now, she was the only thing on my mind.Inside the suite, she was sitting quietly on the couch, scrolling through something on her phone. Her brows were slightly furrowed, probably still thinking about Velour Noir.About what she saw.About what it meant.About me.I loosened the cuffs of my shirt and watched her for a moment longer before speaking.“Put the phone down.”She didn’t even look up. “Bossy.”“It’s a date. Not a board meeting.”That made her pause. Her eyes slowly lifted to meet mine.“A date?” she repeated.“Yes.”She crossed her arms slightly. “Sebastian Romano asking someone on a normal date? That’s new.”“I’m capable of normal things.”She raised a

The first call came at 5:12 in the morning.I woke before the second ring. Years of running an empire built on shadows had trained my instincts well, no one calls at dawn unless something is wrong.Very wrong.Isla stirred slightly beside me when I reached for the phone on the nightstand. The morning light barely touched the room, soft grey filtering through the curtains of the rest house.For a moment, I almost ignored the call.But the screen told me everything.Matteo.I answered immediately.“What happened?”No greeting. No small talk.On the other end, Matteo sounded tense. “Sir… you need to see the news.”My eyes narrowed. “What news?”A short pause.Then the words that made my chest tighten. “It’s Isla.”My gaze moved slowly toward the woman sleeping beside me. Her hair was slightly messy against the pillow, her breathing calm and steady.She had no idea the storm had already arrived.“What about her?” I asked quietly.“She published the article.”The words landed like a gunsh

I didn’t expect to see him again so soon. After the breakup, I tried to convince myself that it was the right decision. That choosing the story over Sebastian Romano was the only path I could take.But knowing something is right doesn’t make it hurt less.Three days had passed.Three very long days.The newsroom had been my refuge. Long hours, endless research, drowning myself in documents and financial records so I wouldn’t think about him.And for a while, it worked.Until that afternoon.I pushed open the glass door of a small café a few blocks from the newsroom. The smell of roasted coffee beans and warm pastries wrapped around me instantly.“Hi, ma’am,” the barista greeted.“Just an iced latte,” I said, forcing a small smile.It was supposed to be a quick break.Nothing more.I stepped further inside, already reaching for my wallet when something, no, someone caught my attention.My body froze.Sebastian.He was sitting at a corner table near the window. Of course he looked exact