LOGIN~~ Hazel's POV ~~On Sunday morning, I walked into the mansion and immediately felt the weight of every memory this place held.Lucia appeared in the hallway before I could even take a full breath."Miss Hazel!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up with genuine joy. "Oh my god, look at you! I heard the news. I heard you're now a very powerful person. The CEO of a global company! I'm so proud of you, Miss Hazel. I always knew you were special. I always knew you were meant for something great."I couldn't help but smile at her warmth."Thank you, Lucia," I said, pulling her into a quick hug. "It's so good to see you. How have you been? How is everything here?""Everything is good," she said, though I noticed something flicker across her face. "We've missed you. I've missed you.""I've missed you too," I said, and I meant it.We talked for a few more minutes –just catching up, her telling me about the household, me deflecting questions about why I was here packing my things. She didn't as
~~ Melissa's POV ~~I couldn't stop smiling as we walked out of the E&H offices.She had actually met with us. After everything — after the restaurant opening, after the reveal, after we had tried to approach her so many times, Hazel had actually sat down in a conference room with us and listened to our proposal."I can't believe that actually worked," Damon said as we walked toward the car. "I actually thought she was going to throw us out.""She almost did," I said, laughing. "Did you see her face when she asked about our revenue decline? I thought she was going to end the meeting right then.""But she didn't," Damon said, opening the car door for me. "She's actually considering it. She's actually going to invest in us.""How stupid can she be?" I said, getting into the back seat. "She's the CEO of a global company and she's going to invest fifty million euros into a company that's clearly failing."Damon slid in beside me and closed the door. The driver started the car and pulled o
I walked into the conference room with Lisa beside me, carrying the E&H Investments folder.Damon, Melissa, and three other board members of the Moretti Group were already seated at the table. When they saw me, their faces lit up with hope.They thought they had a chance."Miss Saint Claire," Damon said, standing up to greet me. "Thank you so much for meeting with us. This means everything to our family."I smiled politely and shook his hand, careful to keep my expression neutral. "Of course," I said. "I'm always interested in hearing about potential opportunities."I sat down at the head of the table, and Lisa positioned herself to my right with the folder."Before we begin," I said, "I want to make clear that E&H Investments is very selective about who we partner with. We have standards, and we don't compromise on those standards.""Of course," Melissa said quickly. "We completely understand. And we think once you hear what we have to offer, you'll see that the Moretti Group meets e
~~ Hazel's POV ~~I stared at the spreadsheet on my screen without really seeing it.It had been three weeks since Kai had told me to leave his penthouse, three weeks since he had said we were done. Three weeks of calling, texting, trying to reach him, and getting nothing but silence in return.So I had finally accepted it.He didn't want to talk to me anymore. He didn't want to see me. He had moved on, or he was still so angry that he couldn't bear to be in the same room as me. Either way, the message was clear.I needed to move on too.I couldn't spend the rest of my life waiting for him to forgive me. I couldn't spend the rest of my life hoping that he would change his mind. I had a company to run. I had a life to build. And Kai Lucian Valentino was not going to be part of it.The thought made my chest ache, but I pushed past it.There was a knock on my office door."Come in," I said.Lisa, my assistant, stepped inside with a tablet in her hand."Miss Saint Claire," she said. "I ha
~~ Reed's POV ~~Three weeks.It had been three weeks since Kai had walked away from Hazel at the restaurant, and in those three weeks, he had become insufferable.I watched him from across the desk in his office as I updated him on the day's business–Club operations were running smoothly, debt collections were on schedule. The Valentino Syndicate's investments were performing well.But Kai wasn't listening.He was staring out the window, his expression distant, his mind clearly somewhere else. "Boss," I said, trying to get his attention. "The numbers in the warehouse district are up by fifteen percent."He didn't respond."Kai," I said more firmly.He turned to face me, and I could see the exhaustion in his eyes. He hadn't been sleeping."Has Hazel called?" he asked abruptly.I set down my papers."No," I murmured. "Not recently.""How recently?" he pressed."I think… since five days ago," I said. "She hasn't called or texted since last week."I watched his jaw clench, he looked comp
~~ Hazel's POV ~~One week later, I was sitting at my desk reviewing financial reports when there was a knock on my office door."Come in," I called out.My grandmother walked in, and the moment I saw her, I smiled. It was genuine. With her, it always was."Hi, Grandma," I said, standing up to hug her. "I didn't know you were coming by.""I wanted to see you," she said, hugging me back. "And I wanted to talk to you about something I heard."We sat down in the comfortable seating area of my office, away from my desk."I heard that you're considering investing with the Moretti Group," she said, watching my face carefully. "Is that true?"I nodded slowly."They approached me with a proposal," I said. "An apartment development project.""And?" she asked."And I told them I would consider it," My grandmother studied me for a long moment. "You’re not actually planning to make those people managing partners, are you?" she asked.I looked at her and smiled."No," I said. "I’m not.""Tell me,
I blinked. The restaurant came back into focus-the soft clinking of glasses, the low murmur of voices, the faint smell of wine and roasted garlic hanging in the air. The table between us felt suddenly too small, too fragile to hold everything that was happening. Damon’s hand was still on my arm. H
My hands still sting from the slap but l didn’t regret it. “Are you insane? What is wrong with you.”His hands came to grip my arms tightly again. I was trying to pull away but his grip was firm and he was smiling at me with that cruel smile. Then instead of getting angry, he laughed, a low, dark
~~Hazel’s POV~~I walked into the restaurant at exactly 4:25 PM. The place smelled faintly of garlic and roasted tomatoes, the kind of scent that clung to the air and made the space feel heavier than it was. The low hum of conversations filled the room, glasses clinking, forks scraping against plate
~~Hazel's POV~~I woke up slowly, my body heavy and my mind still foggy, like I was swimming up from somewhere very deep. The first thing I noticed was the softness of the bed I laid in, I looked around and I noticed I was in my room.I couldn’t remember much of what happened last night or how l go







