Nova's POVMy entire body stiffened in Levi’s hold, my heart beating so fast against my ribs that it felt like it was going to break free and run away. The tips of his fingers caressed my waist, It was a sinful touch that sent shivers down my spine, scattering my thoughts in every direction. His body was rocky against mine, emitting a warm heat that trickled through the thin fabric of my dress. My entire body betrayed me as I felt every single place where our bodies touched despite trying so hard not to show the effect he had on me."We can't do this in the office Levi." I shot a mean look at him. Doesn't he have cameras here? What if someone was watching us?"Where else then? This is for business purposes," he whispered, his voice low and full of understanding, as though he could sense the internal struggle seething within me. There was something about his eyes, those blue and piercing eyes that cut through my defences and captured mine, desire playing in their depths.I tried to
Nova's POV"...whatever it takes. I need to find out more about her. Investigate how she transformed so suddenly. How long has she known Levi?"I halted mid-stride, my body naturally flattening against the wall, out of view. My previous flustered condition disappeared, replaced by razor-sharp alertness.Again with this?I inched closer to the corner, just out of sight, straining to hear more. Who was he talking to? And why was he so obsessed with how I had 'changed'? What exactly was he looking for?A deeper voice responded through the phone's speaker, muffled but clear enough for me to recognize the tone. Austin, the wedding crasher.Jace's most loyal lapdog, always eager to do his dirty work."I'm working on it. But she's careful. The background checks only go so far. There's something off about the timeline, though. I'll keep digging."I tightened my fists, my brain working and calculating. Jace was searching for anything at all to hold against me. The realization should have frig
Levi's POVWhen Nova arrived home last night, I watched her zoned-out expression and her sagged shoulders as if she had the weight of the world resting on her shoulders. She was barely lifting her legs as she walked inside, her feet dragging on the floor. I wonder what got her this way?Was it the fact that today was her first conference room battle?Had she used all her energy on that Jace guy? Or was my tease so much that it left her mind racing all day? Or was it just something else, something I wouldn’t be able to guess because of the contract rule between us?I hated those rules. I hated how they hindered me from all the things I wanted to do with her, and to her if she allowed me. But those rules stand, and I have no choice but to abide, so I don’t lose all the way. It is better to have her by my side as a contracted wife than not having her at all.I must have looked crazy sometimes when I overreact, but if only she understood and could see deeper than the surface-level a
Levi's POVWhen I arrived at the conference room, Dominic, the evil serpent, played his role well. “This is serious, Levi. Grandfather will not overlook financial mismanagement.” His tone is light, as if he is amused and as if he is not the very cause of the disaster.I did not look at him because if I did, I would snap. My jaw tightened as I looked at the long mahogany table, polished so perfectly that I could see the reflection of my gripped fists.Every board member is here. My grandfather who is the head at the table, his cold eyes fixed on me. His silence is louder than the murmurs of the other men. He does not need to say much. His presence alone could destroy empires.“Twenty-seven billion dollars,” he finally says, with his voice heavy and intentional. “That is not a miscalculation. That is either theft or incompetence.’’ My fingers moved. “It is neither.”A few chuckles echo around the table, nervous and mocking. Dominic leans forward with his elbows resting on the table
Nova’s POVThe sun was already up by the time I woke up, stirring in my bed as if waking up was the most difficult thing ever. The rays of the were coming in through the curtains, and they created warmth on my face that subconsciously made me smile. I blinked a few times, slowly pushing myself up into a sitting position.The other side of the bed was empty. Of course, it was. Somehow, we ended up sleeping together last night. We didn’t even cuddle. It was more like my presence beside him soothed his soul.He had been gone for hours, I assumed. He hadn’t slept much last night. After receiving the news from his secretary, getting to work, and meeting such chaos with an ultimatum, he returned home with hunched shoulders, fingers laced tightly, and jaw clenched. I had never seen him look like that before, like the world he knew was collapsing inward, and he was the only one trying to hold it together.He told me he suspected Dominic. And he couldn’t be wrong because that’s the only per
Levi’s POVI hadn’t slept.Not properly, anyway. I laid in bed for hours, staring at the ceiling while numbers, account codes, transaction trails, and all the damned board members’ suspicious stares haunted my brain like a plague.At 4:17 AM, I gave up trying and got dressed.By 5:05 AM, I was already in my office, staring at five different screens and going through files that I wasn’t even sure would give me anything. But I had to try. If I could find a pattern, a single mistake in the sea of deception, I could pull the whole thing apart.But the deeper I dug, the more seamless it looked.Every transaction was layered with decoy routing. Memos fabricated. Timestamps forged. Signatures digitally altered with precision. Whoever did this had access. They knew our systems—knew how to mask their tracks and reroute funds through offshore accounts before circling them back in tiny untraceable bits.It was genius.But also evil.And only one person in this company had both the motivation
Levi's POVThe office grew quieter as the day stretched on. Most of the staff had filtered out hours ago, leaving just the hum of computers and the occasional ping of the elevator down the hall. I'd barely moved from my chair since dawn, surrounded by financial reports and transaction logs that were starting to blur together.I rubbed my eyes, feeling the strain of staring at screens for nearly twelve hours straight. My coffee had gone cold—the fourth cup I'd forgotten to drink while lost in the labyrinth of numbers."Marketing & Development Branch 7A," I muttered to myself, circling the designation again on my notepad.This phantom branch was the key. Someone had reactivated old credentials, using them as a digital tunnel to move funds without triggering the usual alerts. But who had access to those old system parameters? The list was short—department heads from that era, IT security leads, and...board members with historical access privileges.Like Dominic.I leaned back in my cha
Nova's POVThe morning sun reflected through the kitchen windows, golden and gentle, but there was a storm brewing inside me.The light cast long shadows across the polished countertops, much like the ones darkening my thoughts.Levi had not come to bed last night. And even though he had not said it aloud, I knew why.He was chasing something in the dark, answers, culprits and hope. The blue glow of his computer screen had been visible beneath his office door when I had finally given up waiting and gone to bed alone.I did not blame him. The weight on his shoulders was crushing. The accusations, the suspicions at work, the whispers behind his back, they were all taking their toll.And if I knew Levi at all, I knew he would carry every bit of it alone if he thought it meant protecting everyone else. But he was not alone anymore. Not while I was here.I quietly cleaned up the dishes from breakfast. I glanced once at the hallway to his office. He had not come out since I woke up. Not eve
Nova’s POVLevi became soft. The crackling tension and longing did not die down, but the way he handled me, making sure I was comfortable in his arms as he carried me up the stairs. It made me smile. I was so ready for this. Since that night we watched the movie and I misbehaved, we were so close that if only he had given in. But I agree with him. I agree with him that this is better, being fully conscious and knowing everything that is to happen.Feeling the pleasure with a conscious mind was just another level of this bond growing between us.I wonder where the maid was. And I have never gotten to ask if the doors were soundproof because I have no intention of being quiet today. Finally, we arrived at the bedroom, his gaze never leaving mine for a second, even as he pushed open the door and used his leg to kick it close.“You make me lose all my rational thoughts,” he said as he approached the bed, “You make me feel things that I never thought I would get to experience in my ent
Nova's POVIt was just our gazes at first. The elevator ride seemed to be so slow, prolonging this moment that should have ended already. I bit my lips, feeling my body heat up from the way he stared at me like I was some kind of rare five-course meal he doesn't get to have when he wants. The air between us crackled with electricity, making the small space feel even smaller, more intimate."Stop looking at me like you could eat me," I said to him, darting my gaze to the metallic elevator floor.And oooh, that was a fucking mistake. Because the next thing I saw was his black pair of Italian polished shoes right in front of me. The leather gleamed under the soft lighting of the elevator, immaculate and expensive, just like everything else about him.And like a slow-motion movement, my eyes traveled from those perfect feet up his dress pants and paused at his crotch. I wondered if he was feeling the heat there too, the same fire that was coursing through my veins. And my eyes continu
Nova's POVIt has not been that long since the conference room door was closed when it was suddenly pulled open by one of the secretaries. It was three of them who walked in, carrying two balanced bottles in an ice bucket and glass cups. They moved in swift manners like they have done this countless times.I blinked, momentarily caught off-guard by this unexpected intrusion into the aftermath of my professional coup. The board members paused their technical discussions, turning toward this new development with curious expressions that soon melted into knowing smiles."Mr Adams insisted," Gloria explained. Her eyes met mine with a warm smile that felt genuine rather than out of courtesy. "He said some victories demand proper recognition."Levi’s grandfather still sat in his chair, watching with a pleased expression, like a chess grandmaster who had anticipated this move long before the pieces were in position. There was something almost paternal in his gaze. The soft pop of the fir
The screen came to life, revealing the first slide of my presentation. "Project Phoenix: Full-System Rebuild & Future-Proof Architecture" in bold serif font. Clean. Minimalist. Confident. Just like I needed to be right now, despite the thundering pulse beneath my carefully pressed silk blouse.Twelve pairs of eyes watched me with expressions ranging from curiosity to skepticism. These weren't just board members—they were kingmakers in the industry, people whose decisions shaped fortunes and futures.Jace and Naomi were already seated. His fingers drummed an impatient rhythm while hers tapped on her tablet, a half-smile playing at her lips like she was privy to a joke no one else understood. I glanced at the board members, letting the silence linger just a breath longer before I began. "This," I said, gesturing to the screen with a deliberate calm that belied the acid churning in my stomach, "is what you were supposed to get the first time around. A true evolution. Not a facelift,
Nova's POVThe conference room felt colder than usual today, though maybe that was just my nerves. Or perhaps my intuition was trying to warn me what was coming. Levi sat beside me, in full business mode, though I could feel the subtle tension radiating from him. His fingers tapped once against the table—that tiny tell I'd come to recognize as restrained irritation. The expensive cologne he wore this morning had faded to just a hint, mixing with the scent of fresh coffee someone had brought in earlier.Across the room, Jace stood beside the presentation screen, his posture too rigid to be natural. Naomi hovered right next to him, both wearing identical expressions—strained confidence plastered over obvious anxiety. Their matching navy suits couldn't hide the fact that they were rattled. Last week's takedown hadn't just bruised their egos—it had set fire to their pride and left them scrambling to salvage their reputation.I leaned back into my chair, crossing my legs at the ankle, a
Nova's POVBy the time I pulled into the driveway, the ache in my chest had dulled, leaving behind a quiet sort of exhaustion that settled deep in my bones. My fingers were still tight around the steering wheel, reluctant to let go as if holding on might somehow keep the rest of my world from unravelling. The setting sun painted the sky in a very beautiful way.The porch light was on, making me admire the front steps that I had not really paid attention to. I still remember how Levi had come to save me from the swarm of reporters that bombarded my small apartment that day. That was a sign of an intentional man even though all of this started as business, and slowly transformed into something warm and intimate, something that I am slowly accepting.When I finally opened the car door, the scent of sautéed onions and something rich and buttery drifted into the night air. My stomach growled despite the knot of anxiety that had been my constant companion all drive down home. I hadn't ea
Nova's POV The evening breeze was chilly on my skin, an odd contrast to the heat of the office that still hummed with stress after the day's chaos. The parking lot was almost vacant now. I should've gone straight to my car. But I didn't. Maybe I needed a minute. Maybe I just needed to breathe. Or maybe some part of me knew this confrontation was inevitable—had been building since the moment Jace's eyes locked with mine across the conference room this morning, widening in that split-second before his professional mask slammed back into place.Ten hours of pretending we were strangers had left me hollow. Ten hours of watching him charm clients with that same smile that once promised me forever. Footsteps echoed across the pavement behind me—sharp, deliberate. I didn't have to turn to know who it was. His presence hit before his voice did. "Why the hell did you marry Levi? Did you even think about me? He's my boss for Christ's sake, how could you forget that?" He whispered harshl
Levi's POVShe has no idea how close I came to losing control.I leaned back against the bathroom counter, palms braced against the edge, eyes locked on my reflection in the mirror. My heart was still pounding, and it had nothing to do with the short walk from the bedroom to here. It was her. It was always her. Nova—with her storm-tossed hair and hungover pout, with the faint hickey I'd left behind like an idiot who couldn't keep his mouth to himself. She looked like trouble and temptation, and everything in me ached to surrender to it.The sound of the shower running filled the space, but my head was full of her. Her voice. Her laugh. The heat in her eyes when she thought I wasn't looking. The way she said: "Are you seriously just going to walk out after teasing me like that?" Like she had any idea how hard it was for me to walk away at all.I gripped the counter tighter, knuckles whitening. I hadn't slept a damn minute last night. Not because she'd been in my room, curled up
Nova's POVThe scent hit me before anything else. It was warm, buttery, and definitely delicious. The delicious aromas cut through the fog of my hangover effortlessly. My stomach growled in appreciation, a natural response that my brain was too jumbled to properly control. I was soo fucking hungry!I was too busy sorting through last night's blurred edges, trying to piece together exactly how embarrassing my behaviour had been.I winced as I flopped back onto the bed, the movement sending a dull throb through my temples. The champagne hangover was already taking root behind my eyes, making everything too bright and too loud even in the silence. Smooth, Nova. Real smooth.My inner voice was particularly sarcastic this morning. Flashes of memory surfaced like debris after a storm: laughing too loudly, dancing without music, singing off-key and so on.A soft knock on the door made me sit up again—slower this time—and try to pat down the mess of tangled hair on my head. Not like it he