"It was a game of deceit, where she was relentlessly devoured by the darkness lurking within"
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Aira Roy, a dreamer who envisioned her love story painted with simplicity, embarks on a journey to Italy enticed as an opportunit...
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Ivan's POV~
Control. That’s what I value the most. Control over my business, my reputation, my people, including Aira.
She stands before me, poised as always, reading from her notes with that composed, no-nonsense tone.
“Sir, you are letting me accompany you, na?”
Her voice is careful, polite, too polite. I glance up from my laptop, expecting her usual composed expression, but instead, she’s looking at me with wide eyes, lips slightly pursed. A damn puppy face.
I blink once. Then again. Is she serious?
I shut my laptop with a sharp click and lean back in my chair, arms folding across my chest.
I let out a dry chuckle. Me? The sheer audacity is almost entertaining. Almost.
I arch a brow. “Haven't you already decided that?”
She tilts her head slightly, maintaining that ridiculous expression. “I just thought I should ask properly.”
I tap my fingers against the desk, studying her. “And if I said no?”
She straightens, her professional mask snapping back into place. “Then I’ll respect your decision.”
Liar. Aira doesn’t simply accept things, she finds a way. If I denied her now, she’d either convince someone else to push me into it or show up at the event with some excuse that would make it impossible for me to send her away.
I shake my head, exhaling sharply. “Fine. You can come.”
“Thank you sir!”
Good. I push back my chair and stand, grabbing my suit jacket from the back of my chair and walk away. The meeting is over, and I have more important things to do than entertain Aira’s unnecessary antics.
But as I turn back to the desk to grab my phone, I freeze.
She’s still standing there, but the Aira in front of me now isn’t the same one. No, this one, this childish, unguarded version of her, is stomping her feet lightly against the carpet, her fists clenched at her sides.
Like a damn kid who just won their favorite candy.
I blink. What the hell?
Clearing my throat sharply, I let my presence be known. “Next time, keep your victory celebrations out of my sight”
Aira’s head snaps up so fast, I almost think she gave herself whiplash. The moment our eyes meet, her entire body goes stiff.
“I—uh—nothing.” She blurts out, straightening her top as if that will erase what I just saw.
