LOGINThe silence Donna Amanda left behind in the CEO's office was suffocatingly thick and oppressive. Billy Harvey remained standing in the exact same spot, gripping the edge of his desk until his knuckles turned completely white. His head throbbed violently, as if thousands of needles were piercing the back of his skull all at once. The pounding in his temples intensified, made even worse by Donna's relentless pressure as she continued demanding a status he had never intended to give her from the very beginning."Status..." Billy muttered hoarsely with a cynical snort.He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to suppress the storm of emotions raging inside him. Before Donna had slammed the door earlier, he had already made it perfectly clear that he would never give her any status beyond that of a friend. Yet the woman simply refused to understand.Knock, knock.A gentle knock on the office door shattered the agonizing silence.Billy didn't answer. He merely let out a heavy sigh without changing
The tense atmosphere inside the CEO office of Harvey Group had not completely eased when the double doors were suddenly flung open with a violent shove.Bang!Donna Amanda strode in, breathing heavily. Her elegant appearance today could not conceal the anger blazing across her face. Her sharp eyes immediately locked onto Billy, who stood stiffly in the middle of the room, while Vivian had just finished straightening her maroon blazer beside the desk."Billy!" Donna cried, her voice ringing sharply through the silence.Vivian glanced at her briefly before calmly putting her sunglasses back on with a deliberately unhurried motion. "Since it seems your personal matter has arrived, Mr. Harvey, I think it would be best to postpone our project discussion," Vivian said coldly as she walked right past Donna without sparing her the slightest respectful glance.As soon as the door closed behind Vivian, leaving only the two of them in the office, Donna immediately rushed forward and slammed her
Vivian Wheeler's footsteps echoed rhythmically across the marble floor of Harvey Group's lobby. Dressed in a sharply tailored maroon pantsuit with a pair of black sunglasses resting on the bridge of her nose, she looked exactly as the world perceived her—an untouchable international designer.Beside her, Lily walked while clutching several revised documents for the Manhattan project. "Vivi, are you really okay? You look a little pale," Lily whispered, glancing at her worriedly from the corner of her eye."I'm fine, Lily. Focus on today's presentation," Vivian replied, her voice flat and composed, without the slightest ripple of emotion.She had practiced maintaining this expression in front of the mirror in her apartment for hours before dawn. The revolting incident in the car and at the old apartment the previous night had been locked tightly away in the deepest corner of her mind. Today, she was nothing more than a professional who had come here to work. Nothing else.The moment the
Vivian stared at the palm of her hand, which still felt warm from Billy's embrace. Inside the dim old apartment, the steady sound of his breathing contrasted sharply with the frantic pounding of her heart.Moving as slowly as possible, as though afraid of waking the monster sleeping beside her, Vivian carefully slid herself off the edge of the bed. She picked up her handbag and coat from the wooden chair with trembling hands. Her gaze lingered for a few seconds on Billy's face, which looked so vulnerable beneath the soft glow of the bedside lamp, before she finally turned away and walked out of Room 402.Click.The apartment door closed firmly. At the same time, Vivian leaned her back against the cold metal door in the silent hallway and let out a long breath that had been trapped in her throat."That's enough, Vivi. Don't look back again," Vivian whispered to herself, her voice hoarse.She hurried down the hallway, stepped into the freight elevator, and returned behind the wheel of h
The rumble of the black sedan's engine finally faded, leaving behind a suffocating silence inside the basement of an old apartment complex in a corner of the city. Vivian Wheeler sat behind the wheel, gripping it so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her breathing was still uneven, while the sour smell of alcohol mixed with vomit from the back seat continued to assault her senses.She glanced at the rearview mirror. Billy Harvey was still sprawled there, unconscious, his shirt disheveled and his breathing heavy."Why did I have to bring him here?" Vivian whispered to herself, her voice trembling as she struggled to contain the turmoil of emotions inside her.This place was neither a luxury hotel nor her new apartment in the heart of Manhattan. It was an old apartment complex located on the outskirts of a quieter district. A place that had silently witnessed her past. Apartment 402 upstairs was where Thabita Salton had once surrendered all her dignity, body, and soul to Billy Harv
The icy Manhattan night air pierced through their skin as Vivian managed to support Billy's unsteady body into the back seat of her sedan. Vivian's breathing was ragged, her chest rising and falling as she struggled with the man's weight."Ugh, what a hassle," Vivian muttered under her breath as she slammed the car door shut from the inside, locking the two of them in a cabin that suddenly felt cramped.Billy slumped in the corner of the leather seat, his head resting against the fogged-up window. The scent of whiskey mixed with his strong masculine fragrance wafted from his disheveled clothes, filling Vivian's chest with an inexplicable flutter.Vivian adjusted her blouse before pulling out her phone to call Lily."Lily, I'm in the car. I'm going to—"Grab!Before she could finish her sentence, a strong hand seized Vivian's wrist with a powerful jerk. Startled, Vivian dropped her phone onto the floor of the car as her body was pulled forward, colliding with Billy's warm chest."Mr. H
"Vivi, slow down!" Lily was half-running, chasing Vivian’s wide footsteps along the corridor toward the private elevator.Vivian paid no heed to her assistant's call. Her index finger pressed the elevator button repeatedly with impatience, her breath panting as if she had just escaped from a monste
Vivian tidied up her tablet with deliberately slowed movements, trying to hide the slight tremor at the tips of her fingers. Billy’s gaze, which locked onto her eyes, felt far too intimidating."Alright, I’m sorry I misunderstood you about that night," Billy said, his voice softening, losing most o
Billy stood in front of the small apartment door, his jaw clenched. He pressed the access card against the panel. The door opened.“Thabita,” he called as he stepped inside.However, there was no answer.He shut the door with a rough motion. The room felt silent, with no trace of Thabita’s presence
[I miss you. Come to the apartment now]Thabita’s phone had been vibrating for the past five minutes, but the message was still glowing on the screen.A simple sentence that always managed to make her come without much thought. Thabita let out a breath and looked at her own reflection in the mirror







