ISABELLA
I stepped out of the elevator on the executive floor of Voss International, my heart beating with a mix of nerves and determination. The cream blouse and black pencil skirt felt like armor today... professional, put-together, like I belonged here. I’d spent the morning trying to shake off the memory of everythingthat happeneda month ago. I have to pull myself together. This job was my way back. My way to prove I wasn’t just some fragile girl he needed to protect.
But the moment I approached the glass doors leading to Rafael’s office suite, a tall, sharply dressed woman with sleek blonde hair and a permanent resting-b***h-face stepped in front of me. Her nameplate read Elena De Carpo – Executive Assistant.
“Excuse me,” she said, voice dripping with disdain as she looked me up a
