Compared to the others, this one had been smooth from the start.The moment Alex reached out, she agreed to jump on the record. No hesitation. No drawn-out negotiations. Her team worked efficiently, and with Anna handling the details, everything moved without friction.Barbie Sandra brought a different energy to the song. Something softer, more emotional, but still controlled. Her voice layered perfectly over the production, adding depth that the track needed.It balanced the intensity of the other songs.A moment to breathe.Finally, his attention landed on the last track.“Diamond.”This one had taken the most thought.For a long time, Alex wasn’t sure who belonged on it. The song had a certain weight, a presence that demanded the right voice. The wrong feature would ruin it completely.Then Anna stepped in.She had walked into his studio one afternoon, calm as ever, and asked him to send her the record. No explanation.Three days later, she came back. And everything changed.Draco

Alex didn’t think it through. If he had, he probably would have stopped himself. But in that moment, with her right there looking at him, all composed thoughts slipped away.He leaned in.Anna’s eyes widened slightly. Her hand came up instinctively, pressing lightly against his chest.“Alex—”But she didn’t push him away.Not fully.There was hesitation in her, a brief resistance, like she was weighing something. Then her grip loosened.And she didn’t move back.That was all it took.Their lips met.At first, it was uncertain. Careful. Testing.Then it deepened.Time seemed to stretch as the kiss lingered, neither of them pulling away. Alex’s hand moved from where it rested at her side, sliding slowly along her waist. His fingers pressed slightly, drawing her closer, closing whatever little space remained between them.Anna’s fingers tightened around his shirt, her earlier resistance fading, her body no longer leaning away.The kiss grew heavier.Warmer.Alex’s hand didn’t stop.It sh

Anna couldn’t get a wink of sleep that night. The scene from earlier kept replaying in her mind.Did he really like her? For all she knew, it could just be infatuation. Anyone would assume that, given her feelings for him, she would accept his advance.But Anna didn’t see it that way. She would rather keep her feelings buried forever than risk him realizing that what he felt for her was only infatuation and walking away. She wasn’t young enough for that kind of drama. Besides, she had already accepted dying single. It was her fate, and she embraced it.The next evening, after collecting the necessary documents from the court, she went to his house with Alex’s private lawyer.The house help, Lulu, opened the door and let them in. After greeting Alex, Anna handed him the contract she had prepared.Alex flipped through it, nodding. “Great. This is solid. The upfront alone can change her life before the movie is even produced. And the backend deal too. Let’s call her.”“Lulu!”“Yes, Mr. A

Anna felt it, the weight behind his words, the sincerity woven into them. Guilt crept in despite herself.The truth was, she wasn’t rejecting him because she didn’t feel anything.She was rejecting him because she did.But she wasn’t looking for something uncertain. She wanted something that would last, something that could lead somewhere real. And to her, Alex was still too young for that.She exhaled quietly. “Then tell me this… what made you walk away from Amber and Mara so easily?”Alex didn’t hesitate.“They’re not ready to build a family.”That answer alone made her look up.“I’m an orphan, Anna.” His voice dropped, raw this time. “I want to marry early. Latest, twenty. I want a family. Something real. Something that’s mine.” His jaw tightened. “I’ve never had that. Not once.”Silence stretched between them.Anna’s eyes sharpened slightly. “So that’s it? You want me because I fit that? Someone to settle down with quickly?”“What?” Alex frowned. “No.”He stepped forward, firm.“I

Alex smiled faintly. There was no real reason behind it. He hadn’t told anyone simply because he had been tired, and by the time he got back, it was already late, so he went straight to bed.“It’s alright. I was just tired yesterday, and it was already late, so I didn’t bother anyone,” he said calmly.Anna looked at him, her expression firm.“That’s not the point. If something like that happens again, you call. No matter what.”She didn’t stop there.“And I told you to stop going out alone. Why do you think we got two cars and hired four securities? You’re not supposed to move like that anymore,” she said, her tone sharpening slightly. “We’ll add two more cars. From now on, you’ll always have escorts behind you.”Alex remained silent. Her tone alone made it clear there would be no argument. He knew that once she spoke like this, there was no room for compromise.A few minutes later, the conversation shifted to other things, though the earlier tension still lingered faintly in the air.