All Chapters of Don’t Beg for Love : Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

Annalise’s POVThe penthouse glowed gold.I knew it was a dream the way you know the sea is wet, without needing to be told. The floor-to-ceiling windows held the whole city, a spill of diamonds beneath a violet sky, and the air smelled of jasmine and warm candle wax. Somewhere a piano played something slow and unhurried, as if the night itself had all the time in the world.Andrew stood at the edge of the terrace with his sleeves rolled to his elbows, his tie long abandoned. When he turned and saw me, the look on his face made my knees forget their job.“You came,” he said, as though there had ever been a version of the world where I wouldn’t.“You left the door open.”“I always leave it open for you.” He crossed the distance in three unhurried steps and took my hand, then turned it over and pressed his lips to the inside of my wrist. My pulse leapt against his mouth. “Dance with me, Annalise.”“There’s no one here to see.”“That’s exactly why.”His arm slid around my waist, warm and

Andrew’s POV“The quarterly numbers came in worse than projected, sir.” Jonas stood across from my desk, tablet in hand, his voice carrying the particular strain of someone who’d rehearsed this delivery in the elevator on the way up and still hadn’t found a way to soften it. “Share price dropped another six percent this morning alone, which puts us down nearly twenty-two percent for the quarter overall. Three of our major logistics partners have pulled back on renewal talks, citing instability at the executive level, and I don’t think that’s a coincidence given the timing. The Pemberton Group formally withdrew their investment offer an hour ago, no explanation given beyond a two-line email from their general counsel. And legal just flagged that two board members have been quietly meeting with outside counsel over the past week, which usually means exactly what you think it means, sir.”I let the words settle over me without immediately reacting, my gaze fixed somewhere past his should

Annalise’s POVUnlike most afternoons, when I apparently transformed into some unholy combination of referee, judge, and overworked negotiator settling disputes over whose turn it was with the good crayons, this one unfolded in genuine peace. Quiet in a way I’d nearly forgotten my own apartment and boutique were capable of.I sat tucked into the corner of my studio, the small office behind the boutique that doubled as my actual creative space, sketchbook open across my lap, pencil moving in slow, deliberate strokes as I lost myself in a design that had been circling my head for weeks. Sunlight slanted gently through the window, catching the dust motes drifting above stacks of fabric swatches, and somewhere outside a bicycle bell chimed twice before fading down the street. For the upcoming showcase, I’d been craving exactly this, uninterrupted hours to actually pour myself into something, no small hands tugging at my sleeve, no sudden crises involving bullies or remote controls or ques

Andrew’s POV“This is an absolute catastrophe!” One of the older board members slammed his folder down against the conference table, the sound cracking through the room like a gunshot. “Three more partners have formally withdrawn since this morning alone. Do you understand what that represents in lost revenue?”“Our stock has shed nearly thirty percent of its value in under a week,” another added, voice shaking with barely restrained fury. “Thirty percent, gentlemen. I’ve watched this company survive recessions, lawsuits, even a hostile takeover attempt, and I have never seen the share price collapse this fast.”“The Qureshi Group pulled out of merger talks this morning,” someone else cut in. “After eighteen months of negotiations, gone, over a single leaked video. Do any of you grasp how humiliating that call was to receive?”“Our insurance underwriters are already asking questions about reputational risk clauses,” a woman near the end of the table added grimly. “If this isn’t handle

Annalise’s POV"How does this even happen?" Tania paced the length of the living room, arms wrapped tight around herself, voice climbing toward something close to hysteria. "Three little kids, just gone, vanished into thin air, like they never even existed? How is that possible in a city with this many cameras on every single corner? We're not talking about some backwater village with no infrastructure. This is supposed to be one of the safest cities on the entire continent."She spun to face the policeman directly, hands gesturing wildly. "And don't tell me again that these things take time. I've heard that line a dozen times since yesterday. Time is exactly what we don't have right now."The policeman seated across from us on the edge of our couch shifted uncomfortably, folder balanced on his knee. "Ma'am, I understand your frustration, truly I do. We've had six officers canvassing the area around the amusement park since yesterday evening, and we've expanded that search radius twic