CHAPTER 24
967 Words
“I’m Coming Back…”
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Vennsea’s POV
Late Night — Paris Apartment
“I can’t wait to go back to Alex,” I said, tossing a silk dress onto the bed with a smug little smile playing on my lips. Every outfit was a weapon. Every shoe, a calculated choice. I was packing not for a trip—but for a comeback.
Claire, my younger sister, stood by the door with her arms crossed, brow raised. “You’re acting like he’s been counting the days since you left.”
I turned to her slowly, lips curling. “He has. He just doesn’t know it yet.”
She scoffed. “Seriously, Venn? You ghosted him for nearly a year. And not just ghosted—you left him during the worst time of his life. Don’t pretend like you didn’t break him.”
I waved her off as I folded a designer blazer. “Alex is not the type to stay broken. He’s steel under pressure. He needs someone who matches his ambition.”
Claire crossed the room and plopped down onto the bed. “You think you match him?”
“I’m the only one who ever did,” I said confidently. “That PA girl? Please. A phase. A distraction.”
Her lips parted. “You’ve been stalking him, haven’t you?”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t have to.
“Wow,” she muttered. “You’re delusional.”
“No, sweetheart.” I zipped the suitcase shut. “I’m strategic.”
She watched me quietly as I walked to the mirror and applied a fresh coat of lipstick—Alex’s favorite shade, the one I wore the night he first said I love you.
“You know what’s tragic?” Claire said softly. “You’re more obsessed with winning than you are with love.”
I paused. Just for a second.
Then I grabbed my passport. “Wake me by five. I’m not missing that flight.”
Seattle was waiting.
So was he.
And ready or not… Vennsea is coming back.
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Hazel’s POV
Evening — Downtown Seattle
“Where are we going?” I asked, breathless, struggling to keep up with Alexander’s long, confident strides. The city lights blurred around us as he pulled me along the cobblestone path.
“You’ll see,” he murmured with a secretive grin, holding my hand so tightly I could feel his heartbeat in my palm.
He wasn’t wearing one of his usual crisp suits tonight. Instead, he had on a simple black sweater and dark jeans, his hair a little tousled by the wind. Effortless. Real.
God, he was beautiful.
When we finally stopped, I realized we were standing outside a quiet little art gallery nestled between tall glass buildings. Inside, soft golden lights twinkled like stars, casting a glow across canvases that whispered stories in color.
“I thought you might like this,” he said.
Inside, we wandered slowly, stopping to admire paintings that made my heart ache and smile at sketches that reminded me of childhood dreams. But I barely saw the art.
All I saw… was him.
Every look. Every laugh. Every time his fingers brushed against mine.
We were already a painting of our own.
A quiet, unfinished masterpiece.
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Later — Back at the Penthouse
I kicked off my shoes by the door, sighing as I loosened my ponytail. My cheeks still ached from smiling.
I expected Alexander to head for his office.
But before I could take another step, arms wrapped around me from behind—strong and certain.
“Alex!” I gasped, half-laughing.
He rested his chin on my shoulder, his voice a low rumble against my skin. “I missed you.”
I turned in his arms, heart racing. “It’s only been twenty minutes.”
“Too long.”
The intensity in his eyes made me shiver.
I leaned into his chest and closed my eyes, breathing him in.
Who knew something as simple as being held could feel like home?
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That Night — Hazel’s Room
My laptop glowed on the desk, the screen filled with investor slides and graphs. I was trying to focus. Trying to be the perfect assistant.
But my heart was still tangled in the softness of tonight. His words. His touch. His smile.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Then a knock.
I looked up. Alexander stood at the door, arms crossed, leaning casually against the frame like something out of a dream.
“It’s late,” he said softly. “Come to bed.”
“I will,” I replied. “Just five more minutes.”
He didn’t move. Didn’t argue.
Instead, he walked across the room, calm and quiet.
Then, without warning—
He scooped me up in his arms.
“Alexander!” I squealed, laughing as I clutched his shirt. “Put me down!”
“Nope.” His voice was all mischief. “No presentation is worth losing sleep over.”
He carried me to the bed like I weighed nothing, placing me down as if I were fragile porcelain. Then he climbed in beside me, curling his arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him.
His breath brushed the nape of my neck.
“Stay,” he whispered into my hair.
My lips curved into a sleepy smile as I whispered back, “I’m not going anywhere.”
And I meant it.
In his arms, I found peace I hadn’t even known I was searching for.
In his arms… I found home.
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TO BE CONTINUED…
🔥 Vennsea is en route, ready to claim what she thinks is still hers...
❤️ Hazel and Alexander’s love is deepening with every breath.
💔 But the past always comes knocking—and this time, it wears red lipstick.
- Writer
