Paul set his keys on the counter, the faint click of metal echoing in the stillness of his penthouse. The Manila skyline glittered beyond the glass walls like a thousand unspoken invitations.
He turned to her, voice low and casual. “Coffee?”
Mariella blinked at him, half amused, half dazed. “Coffee?”
He gave a small, teasing shrug. “It’s freshly ground. Ethiopian. You’ll like it.”
She laughed softly, the sound breaking the silence between them. “Paul, I just ate enough steak and lobster to knock out a linebacker. If I drink coffee now, my stomach might sue me.”
He smirked, leaning back slightly against the marble counter. “Then what should we do instead?”
And just like that, the air changed.
The shift was instant, electric. The space between them pulsed with something thick and magn
