𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒆'𝒔 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝑾𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝑰𝒔 𝑩𝒂𝒄𝒌!

m free-first from Domi

" she said quietly, but the weight b

ared at her, n

d and wal

clic

str

sides? A g

hy did it feel like coming home

he way he'd looked at her-not like a stranger. No. Not at all. Like a m

cursed under his b

just stood there, fist

nne C

posed to get t

ad. And s

he crowd, his phone vibra

are yo

dn't

hing a woman walk aw

hat clung to his

ention like it

looked like a secret she onc

urned, but her

inge

ike she had no re

actly what she w

all-like sh

sessive arm around her wais

nderstand t

gnawing pull, like something that

in his jacket pocket,

il

dered ig

red with z

" she gushed, tone syrupy. "Ar

the door Vivianne h

htened aroun

I'm at somewh

wait for

That N

ut the night hadn't

while Dominic sat in the b

ike they were mocking him

osened. The to

still too tight-w

ent of her perfume still cl

Timothy interrupted-whe

she feel

him like she knew

himself a drink. On

was quiet.

acket carelessly, and collapsed o

nne C

hell w

-

xt Mor

ed boardroom-clean-cut in a charcoal suit, fre

e shareholde

ig project.

eady to

ng two seats down. Calm. C

ltered for j

s briefly-cool

eakthrough in behavioral A.I. tracking, city infrastructure

she s

invited he

e front like it

ed his slide with a projec

Brutal.

ur project is ambitious. But with this budget? We'll be

m fell

bers, revised implementation, smarter timeline

ned to them all,

not introducing

Mrs. Chase. A shareholder in thi

widened eyes.

e burned into

-

Inside H

of his desk, legs cr

watching her like she was an

muttered, eyes dark. "What

ad, playful. "Coi

ve been in every room I enter. You have a boyfriend,

rous. "Seeing me everywhere

off her foot-then the other-her stocking

eath c

lling it gently, as she leaned in just en

he whi

says maybe you'

rab her-but his han

lting her head up to meet his ey

voice like velvet

charm, Mrs. Chas

use I don't know much abo

r go and walked toward the cabinet behind him.

She murmured, as Domi

t without

ll you're

of her glass. "And I can tell you'

chuckle. Dee

f his thumb and exhaled slow smoke

s. You'r

sy-hit someth

nne s

amiliar. Almost too familiar. Like an ec

She walked to him, took the glass f

back to him, her v

you, Dominic Wolfe

table edge, eyes on her l

t do you want

his gaze through her lashe

ed. "No.

a devilish grin. "

me, walking up until she

aid, voice dripping disdain. "I will

mouth. The tension betwee

?" he asked, leaning down un

y whiskey? Still

dn't f

d, raising her chin, "I don't

led, low

Then

ss back, draini

just gettin

y from the company. After everything, she couldn't

e noise of her manufacturing facility, machiner

drove home, Dominic's voice still

s sharp against cold stone, pulse quicken

e he

mo

he railing, a single red f

is voice was soft, hop

wer, fingers bru

without effort, but it

ose called. Said she wouldn't be home tonig

pped c

just u

d bitter, stale -

wing down a storm she w

said instead, voice

her arm, tentative, s

- a flicker of warmth - the

pered, the weight of

aving Timothy staring after her - confusion an