Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 191 - Chapitre 200

Emma opened her folder and started outlining the projects.For the next three hours, Lyra threw herself into work with the kind of focus that only came when you needed distraction desperately.There was a sustainable furniture line that was in the design phase, they were working with local craftspeople to create pieces that were both beautiful and ethically sourced. There was a redesign of a boutique hotel lobby that needed to happen within eight weeks. There was a consultation with a private collector who wanted a complete interior overhaul of his Rome apartment.The work was exactly the kind of work Lyra had been dreaming about.And it was impossible to fully enjoy it while her mind was spinning with questions about acquisitions and mysterious buyers and CEOs arriving this week.Emma walked her through the timelines, showed her the previous design sketches, introduced her to the team members she'd be working with most closely. Everyone was professional but subdued. There was an unde

The morning light filtering through Lyra's office window was the same soft gold it had been every morning for the past week.But everything else felt different.She'd been sitting at her desk for twenty minutes, staring at the design sketches for the sustainable furniture line without actually seeing them. Her coffee had gone cold beside her. Her mind was somewhere else entirely, somewhere between here and there, present but not quite anchored.There was a knock on her door."Come in," she called, grateful for the distraction.Emma entered with her usual energy, a folder of documents in her hands. She set them down on Lyra's desk with a soft pat."Morning signatures," Emma said with a smile. "Nothing urgent, just the standard approvals for the furniture project budget and the hotel redesign timeline adjustments."Lyra pulled the documents toward her and began reading through them. The past week had been a crash course in understanding Stella Design House's processes, approval chains,

He paused, letting that sink in."I will go through all of your recent work," he continued. "My assistant will get back to you if there is anything else I need from you."He stood up.The meeting was over.It had lasted maybe ten minutes.He moved toward the door with Marcus following behind him. The atmosphere in the room shifted immediately, the tension that had been pressing down on everyone seemed to lift slightly now that he was leaving.The door closed behind him.For exactly three seconds, nobody moved.Then, almost in unison, everyone released a deep breath. The kind of breath that suggested they'd all been holding tension in their bodies throughout the meeting, and now they could finally, finally release it.But Lyra didn't release her breath.She continued sitting there, frozen in place, staring at the chair that Damien had just left. The chair was still warm from his presence. The air still seemed to hold the weight of him.How was this possible?How was this real?Giuliana

The computer screen in front of Damien displayed multiple camera feeds from throughout Stella Design House.He sat in the comfortable chair that faced his desk, His eyes moved across the screens.On one of the feeds, he could see Lyra's office.She was sitting at her desk, completely motionless. Her eyes were unfocused, staring at nothing. Her hands were resting on the desk in front of her. She looked like someone whose mind had completely disconnected from her body.There was a look on Damien's face that was complicated to read. Satisfaction, yes. There was definitely satisfaction, the kind that came from executing a perfectly planned strategy and watching it unfold exactly as intended. But underneath that satisfaction was something else. Something more complex. Something that looked almost like concern, though he would never have admitted to feeling such a thing.He watched as she sat there, unmoving, for what looked like hours.Then later on, he saw Emma enter the office with docum

Lyra arrived at work at 8:47 AM.She walked through the office doors trying to look like someone who belonged here, someone who had slept well, someone whose world hadn't shifted completely on its axis the day before. She was wearing navy agai...professional, controlled, the armor she'd learned to put on.The receptionist greeted her warmly. The office was already buzzing with the normal energy of a Tuesday morning. People at their desks, coffee being made, conversations happening about projects and deadlines and the usual machinery of work moving forward.She made her way to her office and closed the door behind her.She set down her portfolio and took a moment to just breathe.The walk from the elevator had felt like walking on a tightrope. Every moment she was terrified she would see him. And every moment she was terrified she wouldn't.She made coffee using the small machine she kept in her office. The ritual helped. The familiar actions. The smell of the brewing coffee. She was g