Directors and executives scrambled for the exit, their faces a mixture of relief and indignation. Ari, however, found herself suddenly fascinated by the water carafes. She moved with agonizing slowness, realigning the leather-bound notebooks by fractions of an inch and meticulously cap-ping the half-empty bottles. She waited for the last set of footsteps to fade, her heart hammering against her ribs. Finally, the heavy double doors clicked shut. The silence that followed was thick, charged with the lingering electricity of Xavier’s presence. Ari didn't waste another second. She abandoned the water glasses and practically ran toward the head of the table. "Xavier!" she chirped, a bright, playful smile breaking across her face. Before he could even stand, she leaned over and pressed a sweet, lingering peck to his cheek. Xavier’s stern expression didn't stand a chance,his features softened instantly as he reached out, his large hands finding her waist and effortlessly hoisting her ont

The drive resumed, but the air inside the car had shifted from icy to electric. Every time Xavier shifted gears, his knuckles grazed the edge of the center console, a silent reminder of the safety initiative now tucked safely away. As they neared the mountain pass, a large, brightly lit grocery store appeared on the horizon. Mark, whose stomach had been audible for the last twenty miles, perked up. "Sir, mind if we pull over?" Mark asked. "I should grab some water and snacks” “Do you want me to come along? I can help pick out some chips." "Don't worry about it, Ari!" Mark interrupted with his usual sunny disposition, already unbuckling as the car slowed. "You look tired. Stay here and enjoy the seat heaters. I'll be back in five minutes." The moment the store’s sliding doors swallowed Mark, the silence in the car shattered. Xavier let out a breath he seemed to have been holding since the highway. He scrubbed a hand over his face, his usual stoic mask crumbling. "I suddenly found

After a long terrifying day,Ari finally stumbled into her apartment. She didn't turn on the lights, letting the street lamps cast weak patterns on the floor. In the kitchen, she reached deep into the fridge for a cold can of hard cider, needing something stronger. Once she grabbed the drink,she returned to the living room and sank onto the floor, she opened the can, the hiss loud in the silence. As she took a burning gulp, the liquid settled her nausea but did nothing for the cold dread. Fueled by a need to understand the monster she'd fallen for, she opened her laptop and typed Xavier Stewart into the search bar. The results were a sterile monument to corporate success, with nothing about his second lifestyle. “He really did so well to erase the information about himself from the internet” she mumbled to herself as she stretched. Then she tried again, typing Alessia, his late wife. The search yielded hundreds of results and she was ready to check them all, but one profile ima

After a long terrifying day,Ari finally stumbled into her apartment. She didn't turn on the lights, letting the street lamps cast weak patterns on the floor. In the kitchen, she reached deep into the fridge for a cold can of hard cider, needing something stronger. Once she grabbed the drink,she returned to the living room and sank onto the floor, she opened the can, the hiss loud in the silence. As she took a burning gulp, the liquid settled her nausea but did nothing for the cold dread. Fueled by a need to understand the monster she'd fallen for, she opened her laptop and typed Xavier Stewart into the search bar. The results were a sterile monument to corporate success, with nothing about his second lifestyle. “He really did so well to erase the information about himself from the internet” she mumbled to herself as she stretched. Then she tried again, typing Alessia, his late wife. The search yielded hundreds of results and she was ready to check them all, but one profile ima

After a long terrifying day,Ari finally stumbled into her apartment. She didn't turn on the lights, letting the street lamps cast weak patterns on the floor. In the kitchen, she reached deep into the fridge for a cold can of hard cider, needing something stronger. Once she grabbed the drink,she returned to the living room and sank onto the floor, she opened the can, the hiss loud in the silence. As she took a burning gulp, the liquid settled her nausea but did nothing for the cold dread. Fueled by a need to understand the monster she'd fallen for, she opened her laptop and typed Xavier Stewart into the search bar. The results were a sterile monument to corporate success, with nothing about his second lifestyle. “He really did so well to erase the information about himself from the internet” she mumbled to herself as she stretched. Then she tried again, typing Alessia, his late wife. The search yielded hundreds of results and she was ready to check them all, but one profile ima