Seraphina’s POV
Winning does not feel the way people think it does
There is no music
No dramatic applause
No slow motion relief
There is only breath returning to your lungs after being held too long
When Alessio texted me we won I was sitting in the kitchen pretending to read an article I had already memorized
My hands were steady but my mind had been racing for hours
The vote could have gone either way
The board was divided
The pressure was relentless
I knew he would fight
I did not know if the company would choose courage over comfort
When my phone lit up I did not open the message immediately
I stared at his name
Alessio
For weeks that name had been dragged across headlines like something scandalous
Now it felt like something sacred
We won
Two words
Simple
Controlle
