جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

“Are you sure you want the surgery tomorrow?”My attending physician placed the test results in front of me.“The cyst is in a manageable position, but you have a history of severe drug allergies. Adrian is returning to the hospital today. You could wait until he’s back.”I checked the scheduled time once more.“There’s no reason to postpone it. Keep the original appointment.”The doctor looked surprised.At St. Gabriel Medical Center, almost everyone knew I was Adrian DeLuca’s fiancée. In the past, I had sent him every test result and waited for him to review the treatment plan.Two weeks ago, he had told me that I needed to start making my own decisions.I was simply doing what he had asked.When I left the examination room, I saw Adrian at the end of the corridor.He had just returned from Geneva, and his suitcase was still beside him. Mia Caruso stood at his side, her white intern coat hidden beneath a black cashmere overcoat.I recognized it immediately.I had given it to Adrian o

I placed the last project file inside the suitcase without answering Adrian.He looked from my passport to the clothes missing from the closet.“You’re leaving on a business trip?”“Yes.”“When?”“The day after tomorrow.”“And you weren’t going to tell me?”“You said I didn’t need to report every decision to you.”Adrian was quiet for a moment. “I told you to trust your own judgment. I didn’t mean you had to shut me out completely.”His attention returned to the suitcase.“You’re planning to travel the day after surgery?”“Yes.”“Your blood pressure drops after anesthesia, and you react badly to pain medication. You may still be dizzy the next morning.”“Sofia will stay with me.”“That isn’t the point.”“Then what is?”“Dr. Lombardi isn’t available tomorrow. Move the surgery to the day after tomorrow. I’ll review the anesthesia plan and stay through recovery.”“I don’t need you to.”“You’re my fiancée, Elena. I’m not letting you go through surgery alone and board a plane before you’re

My first week in Boston did not go smoothly.My name was missing from the employee system on my first day. By the time the transfer was processed, I still had no building access or company email.Then Director Rinaldi assigned me a project that had been stalled for months and expected a restructuring plan within two weeks. The records were incomplete, the budget was frozen, and every department involved found a reason not to cooperate.It took me several days to understand why.Matteo Bellini had recently taken control of the group’s core operations and the family interests behind them. Several senior executives still answered to Rinaldi, who had spent years building influence inside the company. My project had been approved by Matteo himself, which meant every delayed approval was also a test of whether he would defend his appointment.When another request sat unanswered, I opened the conversation pinned at the top of my phone. I meant to complain to Sofia, but my fingers moved too qu

Early Saturday morning, I arrived at the hotel where Sofia was getting ready.She was half asleep while the makeup artist adjusted her veil, looking almost exactly as she had during early classes in school.I held a piece of candy to her lips.Without opening her eyes, she smiled. “I knew it was you.”When she turned toward me in her wedding dress, I suddenly realized how far we had come from being seventeen.Sofia took my hand.“Are you all right?”“At least I am today.”She did not press further. Instead, she pointed to the bouquet on the table.“I was going to throw that to you.”“Changed your mind?”“I’m afraid you’ll throw it back.”I laughed, and some of the heaviness inside me eased.Before the ceremony, I stepped onto the terrace for some air.“Elena.”Adrian stood near the stone columns, looking as though he had come straight from New York.“What are you doing here?”“You said Sofia asked you to bring a date. I cleared my schedule.”“We’re no longer together.”His jaw tightene

I spent several days recovering before I returned to the office.On my first morning back, there were no files waiting on my desk. Only a cup of tea and a note.The doctor cleared you to work. That does not mean you are allowed to stay late.Matteo had signed his name beneath it.I took a picture and sent it to him.Is this an order?A recommendation.It becomes an order if you ignore it.After that, our conversations slowly changed.At first, they were about work. He asked for project updates, and I sent documents that needed approval. Then unrelated things began appearing between reports and schedules.He sent me the evening sky outside his office, complained when a restaurant delivered the wrong dinner, and sent pictures of his black cat stretched across contracts or occupying his chair.I began sending things back: a coffee shop had misspelled my name, someone on the train was holding a dog in a sweater, a delayed approval had finally gone through.None of it mattered. Matteo answe