It was a sinner's suicide for anyone to work at Coopers Incorporation. It was no surprise that people aimed to stray far from the Devil known as Mr Elijah Cooper.
Cold, demanding, and rough, he ruled over everything with an iron grip and a calculati...
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Warning: mild sexual assault in this chapter
Nora's P.O.V
The scent was intoxicating-fresh, delicate, laced with something almost too sweet. Yet, no matter how beautiful the bouquet was, it couldn't mask the bitter taste in my mouth. I turned the flowers over in my hands, tracing the petals, trying to understand what they meant. Did they mean anything at all? Or was this just another careless gesture from a man who played with hearts like it was second nature?
I wanted to believe that this was special, that Elijah had given me something more than just flowers stolen from the very garden I was sitting in. But my mind refused to be swayed so easily. He told me to forget our kiss. He had made it clear that whatever flicker of emotion had passed between us was a mistake-one I wasn't meant to dwell on. And yet, Emma's name burned in my thoughts, her message flashing behind my eyes like a neon sign in the darkness. *Baby.* She had called him baby, as if she had a right to him, as if she was his.
I tightened my grip on the bouquet, feeling the delicate stems press against my palm. Maybe she was his girlfriend. Maybe that kiss had meant nothing to him. Maybe these flowers were just a way to pacify me, to make sure I didn't get too attached, to keep me at arm's length but still within reach.
A bitter smile tugged at my lips. How foolish of me.
I inhaled deeply, the fragrance swirling in my lungs, filling the hollow space in my chest where my heart had been only hours ago. It was frustrating how something so simple-so thoughtless, even-still managed to warm me, still made me want to hold on. My mind screamed at me to toss them aside, to let the wind carry them far away just like I should let go of him. But I couldn't.
Not yet.
The night air was turning cruel, each gust of wind nipping at my skin, making the goosebumps on my arms rise. My fingers were starting to lose their warmth, turning a dull shade of purple. He was right about one thing, I thought, rubbing my hands together for heat. It's too damn cold out here.
I pushed myself up from the bench, gripping the flowers loosely as I walked through the dimly lit garden. The trees swayed gently in the breeze, and the stars above seemed indifferent to the chaos brewing inside me. As I neared the entrance of the mansion, two security guards took notice of my presence and nodded before disappearing around the corner.
Stepping back into the warmth of the house felt like peeling away a layer of ice from my skin. The heat wrapped around me instantly, but it did little to thaw the storm raging within. The hallway was quieter than expected, but further inside, the grand hall was alive with noise-laughter, music, the clinking of glasses. Life was moving on without me, oblivious to the way my world had been tilted off its axis.
I caught my reflection in a nearby mirror and nearly flinched. God. My makeup was a mess, a reflection of the emotional wreckage inside me. Smudged mascara traced the faintest path of tears down my cheeks, my foundation was uneven, and my lips were slightly swollen-whether from the cold or something else, I wasn't sure. I needed to clean up.
