As we race away in the car, a storm of anger and fear swells inside me. How could she be so reckless? How could she risk everything like that?
When the empty road stretches before us, I slam on the brakes, my heart pounding in my chest. I throw the...
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It was Thursday, and I could barely contain my excitement. Gabriel was coming back today. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed him until this morning, when the thought of seeing him again stirred something deep within me. My heart had been racing all day, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t focus on anything else.
I sat at my desk, pretending to work on the latest expose I’d been assigned, but my mind was elsewhere. Every time I glanced at the clock, I felt a rush of anticipation. It was strange—before Gabriel, I had been so focused on my career, my goals, and the endless stream of articles that needed to be written. But now… now everything felt different. It wasn’t just the excitement of seeing him again—it was the realization that I was falling for him.
Falling for Gabriel.
I leaned back in my chair, staring blankly at the screen in front of me. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, my thoughts were consumed by the memories of our time together—his touch, his voice, the way he looked at me like I was the only person in the world. I tried to shake it off, to remind myself that this was dangerous territory. Gabriel wasn’t just any man; he was complicated, and there were too many things between us that remained unsaid.
But the more I tried to push the feelings away, the stronger they grew. I was falling, and I didn’t know how to stop it.
“Chiara.”
I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts as Amelia’s voice interrupted the quiet buzz of the office. She was standing by Sandra’s office door, looking irritated. “Sandra wants to see me,” she said, rolling her eyes before disappearing inside.
I watched her go, then turned back to my work, determined to focus. I had an expose to write about a high-profile figure who had been caught drug trafficking, and I needed to get it done by the end of the week. But as I typed, my mind wandered back to Gabriel, to the way he made me feel… and to the truth I hadn’t yet told him. The truth that Antonio had warned me about, more than once.
I was still trying to figure out how I would even begin to tell Gabriel when the door to Sandra’s office opened again. Amelia stormed out, looking furious. Her face was flushed, and she went straight to her desk, rummaging through her drawers with growing frustration. After a minute of searching, she slammed one of the drawers shut and whirled around to face me.
“Did you take it?” she demanded, her voice sharp with accusation.
I blinked, genuinely confused. “Take what?”
“My file! It’s missing!” Amelia yelled, her eyes blazing with anger. “You must have taken it!”
I fought to keep my expression neutral, though inside, I was smiling. I knew exactly what had happened. Antonio had done his job perfectly. He’d retrieved the evidence that Amelia had been gathering against Gabriel, and now she was scrambling, desperate to find something that no longer existed.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said innocently, shrugging my shoulders. “Why would I take anything from your desk?”
Amelia’s hands clenched into fists, and for a moment, I thought she might actually hit me. But before she could say anything else, Sandra emerged from her office.
“Amelia,” Sandra said sternly. “You’re fired.”
Amelia froze, her eyes wide with shock. “What? You can’t fire me!”
“I can, and I am,” Sandra replied, her voice cold and unforgiving. “You’ve lost crucial proof for the story you were working on, and we can’t afford that kind of mistake. Now, pack your things and leave.”
Amelia’s face twisted with rage. She turned to me, her eyes narrowing as if she wanted to burn a hole right through me. “You’ll regret this,” she hissed, her voice low and venomous.
I raised an eyebrow, keeping my composure. “I doubt it.”
With one final glare, Amelia grabbed her bag and stormed out of the office. As soon as she was gone, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. It was over. Amelia was out, and the threat she posed to Gabriel was gone—at least for now.
But even as I returned to my desk, a sense of unease settled over me. Her parting words echoed in my mind. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t truly over.
Later that evening, I decided to take a walk to clear my head. The fresh air helped me think, and I needed time to sort through my feelings for Gabriel. It was one thing to fall for him, but another entirely to figure out what that meant for us. Was I really ready to be involved with someone as dangerous and complicated as Gabriel? And what would happen if he found out the truth about me—about what I had been doing when we first met?
I was so lost in thought that I barely noticed the feeling of someone watching me. But after a few minutes, I became aware of the prickling sensation on the back of my neck. I turned around, glancing behind me, but the street was empty. Still, the feeling lingered.
Shrugging it off, I pulled out my phone and dialed Antonio’s number.
“Hey,” I said when he answered. “Thanks for today. I know you pulled some strings to take care of that.”
“No problem,” Antonio replied. “But remember what I said, Chiara. You need to tell Gabriel the truth. Sooner rather than later.”
I bit my lip, glancing around the empty street again. The feeling of being watched hadn’t gone away. “I will,” I promised. “Soon.”
“Make sure you do,” Antonio warned. “Before it’s too late.”
I hung up, sliding my phone back into my pocket. But the eerie feeling still lingered. I quickened my pace, hoping to shake it off, but it only intensified. I could feel someone’s presence behind me, their gaze burning into my back.
Suddenly, a man stepped out of the shadows, walking toward me. I froze, my heart racing, until I recognized him—it was one of Gabriel’s bodyguards.
“Ms. Moon,” he said, his voice calm and professional. “ Mr. Romano sent me. There’s a car waiting for you. He wants you to get in.”
I hesitated, glancing back down the street. The eerie sensation still hung in the air, but I couldn’t see anyone else. It was just me and the bodyguard.
“Alright,” I said after a moment, nodding. “Let’s go.”
As I turned to follow him to the car, I glanced back one last time, scanning the shadows for any sign of who—or what—had been watching me. But there was nothing. Just the darkened street, silent and empty.
I got into the car, my mind still racing with thoughts of Gabriel, of the truth I hadn’t yet told him, and of the lingering sense of danger that I couldn’t quite shake.
And as we drove away, I couldn’t help but wonder if everything was about to come crashing down around me.
