The office buzzed with the usual Monday morning chaos—phones ringing, keyboards clicking, hushed conversations in glass-walled cubicles—but Bella felt an unusual tension coil around her chest. She had expected mornings like this before, early coffee runs, nervous attempts to appear competent, but today was different. Today, Damien Blackwood had decided to make their relationship public.
She had only half-heartedly prepared herself for it. Her heels clicked sharply against the polished marble floor as she followed Damien through the grand hallways of CrossCorp, the security staff parting instinctively for him. His hand brushed hers casually, possessive and deliberate, a silent reminder of the claim he had whispered about last night.
“Bella,” Damien murmured, his lips close to her ear, “to
