I groaned, my forehead pressing against my desk as I stared at the mountain of paperwork still left to do."Why is this happening to me?" I mumbled into the wooden surface. "Why am I suffering? What did I ever do to deserve this?"I peeked up at the pile, hoping it had magically shrunk while I was wallowing in self-pity.It had reduced—a lot, actually. I was almost halfway through. But was that supposed to be comforting? No. No, it was not. Because it was 5:58 PM, and I was still here.The office was getting quieter. People were packing up. Going home. Living their best lives. Meanwhile, I was stuck here, drowning in mind-numbing reports.I sighed and leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my hair.There was no way I could keep going.Lily always left by 3 PM, which meant I needed to get home to check on Grandpa and Suzu. I had responsibilities. A life. A three-legged puppy waiting for me.If I left now and came back really early tomorrow, Creed wouldn’t notice, right?I mean
Creed’s POVI leaned back in my chair, fingers pinching the bridge of my nose as I replayed the events of the day.That ridiculous outfit. That obnoxious energy. That mouth.She was a walking migraine wrapped in neon fabric, and no matter how hard I tried to ignore her, she had a way of forcing herself into my line of sight—into my thoughts.It pissed me off.I didn’t like being aware of people.I liked order. I liked predictability. I liked a well-oiled machine where everyone knew their place and did what they were supposed to do.And then she happened.Yuyu Roman wasn’t just a distraction—she was an eyesore, a glitch, a misplaced splash of color in a world that ran on monochrome efficiency.So, I did what any rational boss would do.I buried her in work.Ten months’ worth of files dumped onto her desk with a deadline that was impossible to meet.4 PM.That should’ve broken her.Or at least made her shut up for a few hours.Instead, she had the audacity to smile at me.Like I was som
(Yuki’s POV)Mornings sucked.Especially after the emotional wreckage that had been last night.But I wasn’t about to let that ruin my work ethic, so I dragged myself back to the office before sunrise.The only person around was Carl, the cleaner, mopping the lobby with his usual slow, methodical swipes.“Ah, look who’s here before the cock crows,” Carl mused, side-eyeing me as I strolled in. “What’s got you out of bed this early, Yuyu?”I gave him a dramatic sigh. “Oh, you know. Just my boss being the devil incarnate. He gave me ten months’ worth of files to finish in a single day.”Carl whistled. “Damn. That’s rough.”“You have no idea.”I leaned against the reception desk, waiting for the maintenance guy to finish up with the elevator. Carl continued mopping, occasionally glancing at me with amusement.“Not gonna lie, kid. You dress fancier than anyone I’ve seen at this place.”I grinned, doing a little spin to show off my outfit. “Flattery will get you everywhere, my dear Carl.”T
Creed’s POVI watched in growing horror as Yu-Yu slumped into the chair opposite me, burying her face in her hands, and let out a heartbreaking sob. My body tensed. What the hell was I supposed to do now?I wasn’t used to this. I had no problem dealing with a screaming client or firing an incompetent employee on the spot, but a crying woman? That was a whole different battlefield—one I had never won.I opened my mouth, then closed it. I rubbed my jaw, exhaled sharply, and finally pinched the bridge of my nose. Why did I say that?I hadn’t meant to be cruel. I was just… curious. I had a habit of speaking without a filter, especially when something intrigued me. And Yu-Yu Roman intrigued me in ways I didn’t want to admit.I was about to tell her to stop crying—that it wasn’t that serious—when I suddenly remembered Lucy.My sister, Lucy, had been the toughest girl I knew. Smart. Determined. The kind of person who would argue until her face turned blue just to prove a point. But then ther
Yuki's pov Eric leaned back against my bedroom door, arms crossed, that same cocky smirk plastered on his annoyingly perfect face. "I don't understand why you're so angry with me. You should be happy, rolling on the ground, barking like my little puppy, happy to see its owner."I rolled my eyes so hard I was surprised they didn’t fall out of my head. "Right, I should be really glad and happy to see my boyfriend—who went on a trip I couldn’t afford anyway, knowing how much I wanted to go there—and despite all of that, managed not to give me a single fucking phone call over the two weeks he was there. And when I finally called you, you were apparently busy. That’s really fucked up, Eric, even for you."Eric let out an exaggerated sigh, stepping forward, hands finding my shoulders. He started kneading the tension there, his touch irritatingly familiar. "Okay, baby, look, I’m sorry. Let Daddy make it up to you."I jerked away, swatting his hands off. "I don’t want you to touch me. Get of
Yuki's POVFriday arrived, and I was ecstatic.I strutted into the office with the confidence of a deity descending upon mere mortals. My bright yellow pantsuit shines like the sun itself, paired perfectly with my black turtleneck. My mother’s old bra—stuffed just enough to give the illusion of a feminine figure—rests snugly beneath my top. I had debated wearing it for a good twenty minutes this morning, staring at my reflection, wondering if it was too much. But the turtleneck made my chest look impossibly flat, and any woman, no matter how small, would at least have something.“I never thought you’d still be saving me in your sleep, Mama,” I whisper, adjusting the fit one last time before leaving. “But just so you know, you slay regardless.”Suzu barks, cocking his head at me in confusion.“Don’t worry, Suu-doll, it’s still your pops, Yuki. I just look a little more like a god than I usually do.”When I step into the office, heads turn. Compliments rain down on me from every angle li
Creed’s POVZara stormed into my office like a hurricane, her eyes red-rimmed, her mismatched buttons a clear sign of how hastily she had dressed. My entire body tensed. I had seen her like this before—too many times to count. And it never ended well.“You—You complete and utter bastard,” she spat, her voice thick with emotion, trembling with fury.I barely had a second to register her words before she was on me, shoving her hands against my chest, fists clenched like she was moments away from breaking apart. Her body shook as she hit me, over and over, with nothing more than weak, desperate strikes.“Why, Creed? Why don’t you love me?”“Zara—”“Why are you letting him do this to me?” she choked out, her voice cracking mid-sentence.My stomach twisted. I grabbed her wrists, gently, trying to still her trembling hands. “Zara, are you taking Molly again?”Her breath hitched, and for a split second, a flicker of guilt crossed her face before she masked it with anger. She yanked her arms
Yuki’s POVI practically drag my feet into Creed X Technologies, leaving behind a trail of pure misery.No one—literally no one—should be forced to come to work this early on a weekend. It’s inhumane.But, of course, here I am. The universe’s favorite punching bag.Maybe that’s why I didn’t even bother dressing up today—just a cropped hoodie, sweatpants, and my busted old Nikes. I looked like I had given up on life. And honestly? I had.When I push open the glass doors, the silence is deafening.The normally chaotic office is completely empty.Lucky bastards.I stomp straight to my desk and boot up my computer, forcing myself to focus. If I have to be here, I might as well crush my workload and get ahead.For the first two hours, I’m actually productive.And then—Boredom sets in.I slump back in my chair with a dramatic groan, glaring at my screen like it just personally betrayed me. My fingers ache from typing. My brain aches from thinking. I check my phone, praying hours have passe
Yuki's POVI did not know what to do with this. With him. With this. miserable life. Grandpa Roman was bleeding — his hand was slashed open, red spreading onto the floor and Lily's voice disintegrating in horror as she ran left and right. Everything appeared to be unfolding too fast and too slow all at once. The glass, the blood, Suzu's frantic barking, the aching in my chest. My head was an absolute, overwhelming void."Yuki! Grab the first aid kit, now!" Lily screamed.My legs barely worked. I was stuck there, agape, like my brain couldn't wrap around it. Like I couldn't wrap my head around how fast everything disintegrated. One second he was just standing there, screaming at my mother, the next glass was shrouding everything, blood on his wrist, and the fragile reality I was pretending to hold together had broken completely."Yuki!"I jumped and ran for the kit.Lily was pressing a towel over his palm, speaking reassuringly to him but he wouldn't stop struggling, calling out for la
Zara's POVI was furious. No — furious didn’t even begin to cover it. I was livid, seething, burning so hot I thought my skin might melt off my bones.After everything I did, after everything I exposed… Creed didn’t even react.I expected rage. I expected him to throw that lying, pathetic excuse of a human being out of the building. I expected him to grab me by the arm, pull me aside, demand to know how I found out, maybe even slap me, shake me, fire me, break something — anything.But nothing happened.He stood there, looking like a statue, his eyes void of any of the fire I’d always loved seeing in him. There was no anger, no betrayal, no disgust, not even pain. Just a flat, hollow emptiness.It made me sick.He should’ve done something.I stormed into my mother’s office, slamming the door so hard a frame rattled against the wall.“Mom,” I snapped, pacing the floor like a caged animal. “He didn’t even react.”My mother barely lifted her gaze from her tablet, calm as always. “What a
Yuki’s POVI felt heavy. So heavy.Like my whole chest had been filled with cement, and someone left me sinking at the bottom of some endless, dark ocean. I laid there, my back flat against my tiny mattress, staring up at the ceiling like it could explain why everything had gone so wrong. My mind was… nothing. A complete abyss. Blank.I couldn’t think.I couldn’t feel.I couldn’t even see properly — everything looked foggy, like my eyes had turned into glass.It felt like a dream.A dream I’d spent years carefully stacking, one fragile piece at a time, and today it just… cracked.Shattered.And in the fallout, I couldn’t even tell where my heart used to be.Why?Why did it have to go down like this?Why did I let it happen?I planned to run, to leave before anyone really got hurt.I never wanted to break anyone.Not him.But it hurt… it hurt so much because I saw it in his eyes — Creed, that mixture of confusion and betrayal and something way worse — like I wasn’t even human to him an
Creed’s POVHow could I be so goddamn stupid?The question kept looping in my head like a song you hate but can’t stop hearing. It was there in the way my stomach twisted, the tightness in my jaw, the way my fists clenched at my sides like I could punch the thought away.YuYu Roman.What a fucking joke.Except it wasn’t a joke. It was my life. My embarrassment. My shame.He wasn’t a she.Not even close.And the worst part wasn’t the lying — it was how it made me feel. How kissing him felt good. Too good.Soft lips, warm breath, the way my heart had stumbled in my chest like it didn’t know better. Like it wasn’t supposed to feel disgusted. And when his hand had brushed against my cheek — so light, so tender — something inside me had cracked open, a small flicker of warmth I didn’t think existed anymore.And now?Now it felt like filth under my skin.A goddamn stain.I could still feel it.Still taste it.I wanted to throw up.How could you be so blind? How could you be so easy? So… des
Lily's POVThe supermarket smelled of tomatoes, discount floor cleaner, and something sweet baking in the next aisle. I was supposed to be focusing — carrots, lettuce, and a little garlic for Grandpa Roman's soup — but my eyes kept drifting towards the ice cream aisle like a church sinner.I could almost feel the chill tub of chocolate fudge ripple in my hand. One. I could push it into the cart, under the pile of health food. No one would notice. No one had to know.But then my chest tightened.Grandpa.His face flashed before me — pale, confused, his eyes fogging over in those moments when he didn't even know my name. He was declining. The seven hours a day I could care for him between work, errands, and sleep were no longer enough. He needed constant care… and I was failing.I swallowed the guilt and picked up a bag of spinach when something sharp, something intimate hit my nose. A scent. New cologne, with something masculine and citrus notes. My airway stopped.It couldn't be.Not
Yuki's POVThe world shattered.Not figuratively. Not in some poetic, theoretical way. It shattered in hard, harsh, calculating pieces like a glass grenade primed to explode the moment I walked into that conference room.the screen kept flashing A video.My video.The one I made six years ago.Me.In a dirty little room, in front of a shattered mirror with my real voice.With my short hair.With my name.Yuki Roman.I felt my stomach cave in, my chest tightening like a vice. My heartbeat was loud — frantic, erratic, like it wanted to run out of my body without me.My secret — the one I’d carried like fine glass — was smashed wide open, spilled on the floor like blood.I couldn’t breathe.The silence in the room was a suffocating thing. Eyes. All of them. On me.Jacob’s grip on my elbow tightened. His glasses fogged up.Then a voice cut through.Creed.Cool. Commanding. Steady as steel.“Zara. You’ve done enough. Get out.”The whole room flinched.Even Zara stumbled, her confident mas
Creed's POVThe conference room gradually filled — a steady stream of confused, concerned, half-irked employees abandoning their workstations because of one woman's behavior. Zara's voice had echoed loudly through the intercom a few minutes prior, her voice crisp, authoritative, impossible to ignore:"Everyone, report to the conference room immediately. This concerns the integrity of the company and your future. Move."It was the kind of tone that would get your blood cold for a second — not because she was dominant, but because she sounded like she was going to burn the whole building down.I walked towards her, fighting through the growing crowd, my heart thudding against my flesh. Something made the air heavier, and tension wrapped around everyone's neck like a vine. And she was there — Zara, standing directly in front of the main presentation screen as if it belonged to her, her face pulled tight with that same self-satisfied smirk I remembered all too well."Zara," I stated my vo
Yuki’s POVYou know that feeling when the sun’s out, your playlist is hitting every single mood right, and your hair decides to cooperate like it’s on a paid commercial shoot?Yeah — that was me this morning.I slid into my emerald jumpsuit — one of those slinky, sparkly, hug-you-in-all-the-right-spaces kind of numbers. Gold sparkles winked across the fabric like miniature stars, catching light as I shifted. Damn, Yuyu, you're a work of art, I thought, making a goofy pose in front of the mirror.And the shoes. The gold heels. Four inches of pure, blinding hazard. I still thanked all stars and planets for Lily, who basically terrorized me through a bootcamp of Heels 101: How Not To Die While Serving Looks. For real, my ankles were on life support due to her.But being there — standing like a walking disco ball with cheekbones — something odd crossed my mind.What does a hot diva like me do with all these heels when this mirage is over?I didn’t linger on it. Not today.“Okay, sparklebu
Zara's POVRaw, unadulterated excitement coursed through my veins like lava as I tore through the city streets to Creed's house. Every red light, every bump in the road seemed to be personally sent to stop me, but nothing could quell the fire that burned inside. I was on pins and needles. I was alive.I could barely maintain my seat in the car.The night had finally arrived.I wanted to be the first to tell him.I wanted to be the first face he saw when the truth smacked him in the face of his stunning, clueless face.I wanted to be standing there, front row center, when his heart shattered and the tiny dream world he'd built around his precious Yuyu crashed down in front of his eyes.Ved moved out of the way — I made sure.I did it perfectly well. As usual.I got to Creed's house around five.A little too early, yeah — but I didn't mind. I wanted to wait.I wasn't waiting to mind, not for this one.The office let out at six. He'd've been home at six-thirty, seven latest. Eight at a s