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CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
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2024-10-29 19:42:56ZOEY
My fingers dug into the skin, the pain grounding me as my heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. Alexei's retreating figure, broad and sun-kissed, receded into the twilight, each step a hammer blow to my already bruised ego.
"Shakily" doesn't begin to describe the way my body betrayed me. My legs trembled, the ground beneath them suddenly unsteady. My breath, shallow and ragged, hitched in my throat like a sob I refused to let out.
The kiss, oh God, the kiss. It was a supernova, a collision of galaxies that left me breathless and dizzy in its wake.
No one, not the awkward boys in school or the drunken fools at parties, had ever kissed me like that. Alexei's lips, rough yet tender, had claimed mine with a possessive hunger that sent shivers down my spine. His hands, calloused yet somehow gentle, had cupped my face, tilting it up to meet the storm of his desire.
And
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ALEXEIRage pulsed through my veins, fueled by Zoey's infuriating accusations. I barged into my office, the door slamming against the wall. The room felt too small to contain the tempest of emotions swirling within me.Yaz, Viktor, and Ivan looked up from their seats, surprise and caution flickering in their eyes. They could sense the storm that accompanied me."What the hell happened?" Yaz asked, rising from his chair.I ignored him, my gaze fixated on the massive space of my estate. The buildings stood tall and unyielding, much like the chaos within me."Boss, are you okay?" Viktor ventured cautiously.I scoffed, the bitter taste of anger lingering on my tongue. "Okay? No, I'm not okay."Yaz exchanged a glance with the others, unsure of how to navigate the brewing storm."What did she say to rile you up like this?" Ivan asked, breaking the tense silence."She accused me of orchestrating the car bombing
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