"Say something," he snaps, "or is that pretty little mouth of yours finally going to stay shut?" ✧ Four-point five hundred seventy-one billion years ago the galaxy formed. The planets were set into orbit and four-point five hundred forty-three billion years ago the earth was created. Human life as we know it was started. All of that expansion led Athena Grace to Ace Hawthorne. She had never met someone so malicious, someone willing to put himself above others in a switch. He had never met anyone so wholehearted, someone willing to give up their happiness for everybody else's. All it took was one simple tug of the door for her to fall into him, for her to see the boy with a demure smile that covered his cheeks like stardust. And just like that, the fate of the universes collided. ✧ "You waited for me?" I ask, a small smile playing on my lips as I tilt my head. "Didn't want to get up," he rests his elbows on the table and supports his face. I stare at him in awe, big black eyes with thick lashes that flutter against his honey skin. His lips are pink and they get pinker when he chews on them, and he has a tiny scar right beneath his jaw. He stirs. "Why are you staring at me?" "Is it too early in our friendship to call you pretty?" I murmur, not caring to stop my words as my eyes flicker to his. He opens his mouth to say something, then presses his lips together and stays silent, but his cheeks slightly turn pink which makes my heart thump out of my chest. "Oh my God, you're blushing." "What? No-" He takes his elbows off the table and wipes at his cheeks. "No, I'm just hot." "I called you pretty," I bite my lips. "And now you're blushing." "Be quiet, Athena. I'm not blushing. I don't blush." He drapes his arms across his chest. "Ace Hawthrone," I lean closer on the table. "I most definitely made you blush." ✧ DON'T POST THIS ANYWHERE! NO TRANSLATIONS IF YOU DO LEGAL ACTION WILL BE TAKEN Started: September 5, 2020. Completed: March 8, 202

India learned early how to survive by paying attention. Growing up in a small, rough city taught her when to speak, when to soften, and when to protect herself. She carries those instincts into corporate spaces that were never designed with her in mind. Alex has never needed to adapt. Power comes naturally to him. Raised in legacy and expectation, he leads with quiet authority, keeping his emotions tightly controlled and his personal life even more so. When their worlds collide, attraction becomes something neither can name without consequence. Identity, power, and unspoken desire blur the lines they've spent years maintaining.

noun: weakness. /ˈwēknəs/ -a person or thing that one is unable to resist or likes excessively.

❝ɪ'ʟʟ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ғᴀʟʟ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ.........❞ 𝐄𝐒𝐓. 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏

She's a wild, free spirit who sees the good in everyone, and he's the hardened, bad-tempered loner who wants nothing to do with her-yet no matter how hard he tries to push her away, she's the one temptation he can't escape. *** He's never met someone with such a bubbly personality. Not to mention the wildness and odd phrases she says every five minutes. He hates it. He hates how he can't stay away from it. He hates what she does to him; it's not like him to chase after some girl. She gets under his skin like no other. She's never met someone with such a bad attitude. He's ill-mannered and menacing. The glare never seems to leave his face. Considering it all, she can't help but feel the attraction toward him. Dangerous attraction toward a seemingly dangerous man. Maybe it's the tattoos on his arm that gets her attention. Or maybe it's because she can tell there's hope for good under his rough exterior. And she's about to find it, whether he likes it or not. It's no secret that the two of them are complete and total opposites. *** "You like being called Sugar, don't you?" I tease, placing my toothbrush back after finishing. He does the same and gives me a side-eyed scowl. He grips my chin harshly and kisses me. My body temperature raises a good ten degrees and my right leg goes all wiggly. He pulls away. "You like it when I kiss you, don't you?" He teases the same way I did to him and I'm left blubbering. "I think both of our questions are rhetorical," I lower my voice up at him. His lip curls up into a smirk. *** #1 in Young Adult #9 in Badboy #1 in Cold #3 in Goodgirl #1 in Sweetheart #14 in Love *** *Warning* This story contains mature themes (language, scenes)