“Try again?”The cashier couldn’t help it. She let out a restrained laugh.“Do you think we’re that less busy here?” she asked, her brows knitting together as she leaned back in her chair, clearly unimpressed.A few people in the queue shifted, murmurs rippling through them. Some craned their necks to get a better look, while others simply shook their heads, already forming their own conclusions about the scene unfolding.Dante didn’t move.“I never said you were less busy,” he replied evenly. “Just try processing the withdrawal again. I strongly believe it’s a network issue.”The cashier let out a short scoff, the corners of her lips curling with disbelief.Without another word, she slid the card out from the machine and tossed it across the counter toward him. It skidded slightly before stopping just short of his hand.“Please take your card and go sort yourself out,” she said, waving him off as though he were nothing more than an inconvenience.For a split second, Dante stared at th

Giulia pushed the door to her office open with more force than necessary.She stepped in, her heels striking the floor in uneven sound. She dropped her handbag onto the desk.She exhaled sharply, reaching up to shrug off her blazer. The fabric clung stubbornly to her skin for a moment before she pulled it free and tossed it over the back of her chair.Heat radiated from her body. A thin sheen of sweat had formed along her forehead and the back of her neck, making her feel even more uncomfortable.The ride to work had been a nightmare.Her car had chosen the worst possible moment to betray her, just when she needed it most.After preparing for work and getting into the car to drive off, the engine refused to come to life. She tried everything possible, but it refused.She relaxed on her executive chair, letting her body relax for just a brief second.Not long enough; she remembered the work waiting for her was much, and this prompted her to get to work immediately.Giulia leaned forward

Giulia woke up with a heaviness she could neither explain nor shake off. It clung to her like a second skin, dulling her senses even before she fully opened her eyes.For a few seconds, she simply lay there, staring at the ceiling, as if hoping something within her would shift, but nothing came.With a quiet groan, she stretched her arms above her head, her muscles stiff from restless sleep. The bed felt colder than it should have, emptier than she cared to admit.Eventually, she forced herself upright, her feet touching the floor with reluctance. A deep sigh escaped her lips, one that seemed to carry frustration and exhaustion.Ever since she moved into this house, something inside her had been slowly crumbling.The silence here was different. It was thicker, almost suffocating. It wasn’t the peaceful kind of quiet; it was the kind that reminded her constantly that she was alone.Just a few weeks after her divorce from Dante, Mr. Santoro had served her with an eviction notice. The mem

“Are you really this bothered about why I came here?" Giulia questioned him, her voice edged with sharp disgust."You should be bothered that you’re back to living like this?”Her eyes swept over him again from head to toe, taking in every detail she hadn’t expected to see.How could he be so focused on questioning her presence? She had already told him why she came. That alone should have been enough. Yet here he was, trying to dig deeper.A flicker of disbelief crossed her face.It annoyed her deeply that he wasn’t even trying to understand what this visit could mean for him. If anything, he should have been grateful.This is an opportunity that could completely change his situation if only he chose to cooperate.But here Dante is letting pride and ego control him.Unbelievable.“Well,” Giulia exhaled, visibly restraining herself, “There’s no need to go back and forth with you here.”Her tone shifted to detached. The kind of tone she used when she had already decided someone wasn’t

Giulia parked her car just outside the company’s premises.For a moment, she remained seated, her hands still resting on the steering wheel. She exhaled slowly, her gaze fixed ahead, as if gathering.She had come to spend the rest of the day here with her workers, as her family had gotten more on her nerves.After the security guards had denied her entry into the compound, she thought her mother could save her from the shame, but she was belittled the more.When Giulia's mother had come to open the gate for her, she received a call directly from her father-in-law, Mr. Santoro. He warned her not to go against her orders regardless of who is concerned.Infuriated, Giulia ran inside her car and drove off. The excitement she had earlier totally vanished.Since she was so angered, she didn't want to go to her home either, as it would cause her depression, which would be worse than she was earlier, so she chose to come to her office, making it an emergency visit.Giulia's heels clicked stea