🤍 Jessica's POV 🤍
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujvCD4nvgH
As the page finishes loading, my gaze snags on the photograph beneath it, and everything else fades into static.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzQCaWbFYa
My breath hitches.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05eJrHjSy0
"Holy Jezebel," I whisper.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9ven6UvPb
Roman Valentus.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXSpzuIBX4
The man staring back at me isn't just handsome. He is dangerous.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZOZFZSWl5
The kind of handsome that doesn't just turn heads—it stops time. He looks like a Greek god sculpted by someone with a vendetta against mortal men.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwoNavNDNt
His jet-black hair is thick and slightly tousled, framing his face in a way that makes him look so powerful and untamed.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLSzdseSs6
That's bad.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgg8KRKUVr5
His eyes are like midnight—so dark, yet sexy and alluring.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIgK852ReA
Oh God, this is bad bad.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZutTuRrJEy
Thick, arched brows sit majestically on top, and his jawline is so sharp and defined it could literally cut glass.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocQlD5gIxz
He looks like a man who never begs or wavers. He only takes.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPnA3GzxTd
And I'm staring. Like an idiot.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoEg153rRw
I feel something tingle between my thighs and mentally curse myself for being so affected by this man, who looks like a potential Casanova. Cause look at him!
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMN2rYkmGzP
Footsteps coming down snap me out of my trance. Rachel walks into the bakery, tying her hair into a messy bun as she heads straight for the fridge.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQaeRz3nZ8d
"Please tell me there's still some..."
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRAYmdRIXj
She stops mid-sentence. I feel, more than see, her head snap toward me, and I don't even have to look to know her eyes have landed on the laptop screen.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK26stC1Rny
"Whoa..."
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8S2S8IBaDD
I stiffen as she comes closer and leans over my shoulder.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeaX9AilqUX
"Who is this fine-ass hercules?"
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wTDCsYBPK
Oh, boy.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhQBorUboF
"No one." I immediately move to close the tab, but Rachel is quicker.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdUl9FJhl7
She snatches my hand from the mouse. "Not so fast, bitch. I need to see this"
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRg3oplEAiq
I roll my eyes.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijoVz1i1Qc
She lets out a sound that's somewhere between a gasp and a whimper.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPf4TWZRyaO
"Roman Valentus. Oh my God. He's such a sexy creature! Bet he's really big down—"
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9k5Y11ARM1
I grit my teeth. "Aht aht. Enough, you horny-ass woman."
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BcWGUVTMo
"Are you sure he's human?" She licks her lips, eyes still glued to the screen. "Look at that face. That jaw. Those eyes! He looks like—like a vampire king who lures women into his castle just to ruin them"
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5toRddpvD
"Yep." I agree, honestly, before I can stop myself.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUp5YL0SmCG
"Right?!"
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7wtPN0Mz7
I fix myself, leaning back in my chair casually. "No. You're being dramatic."
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwBGlneF7Z
Rachel tears her gaze from the screen and gapes at me like I've personally offended her.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWZNXxSA0i
"Dramatic? Jessica, do you need to see an optician? The man could eat me for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I wouldn't be satisfied."
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNZfTiDtCx
Oh God. I can't with this girl.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisrfp1V2dO
I force a shrug. "Eh. He's okay. Just not my cup of tea. You've been reading too many romance novels."
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTQ1tOtKOs
She fake-gasps, clutching her chest like I've just insulted her entire bloodline.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTiyFo4U5iS
"You're lying. Take that back!"
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDTM0hpUPL
I grab my drink, avoiding her gaze. "I'm serious. He's fine, sure. But he just has that... broody, cold CEO look. Nothing special."
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBkib20LC2
"Nothing special? That's it. You're definitely lying."
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1z1jbDf0fG
Yes, I am. But who's gonna check me?
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9xhlJUIhM
I shrug in an *I-don't-care* manner, as if my heart hadn't just done a triple axel over a single photograph.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnSvFzixCI
As she keeps gushing—something about how he probably 'ruins lives for fun'—I find my eyes drifting back to the screen, to those piercing midnight eyes that make my legs weak.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzu5slkf7sO
God. Those big, strong, veiny hands.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ3oEOv7KGl
Maybe she's right. Maybe Roman Valentus is ruinously, unfairly beautiful.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2fIC90yy1
The kind that should come with a fucking warning label.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbJrw95fTq
But there's no way in hell I'm going to admit it. Or show it.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QSwGzaQII
Rachel yanks open the fridge, her head disappearing inside.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25te6qsqsY
"What brought you there, anyway?" she asks, rummaging through the fridge.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUb3f6rVpUq
"They have a job opening for marketers," I reply, skidding right back to the job listing page before those eyes arrest me again.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfLOunGim8
Rachel emerges with a bottle of iced lemonade, her lips curling into a mischievous smirk.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLLljEDU8u
"So you get to work for Mr. Please fuck-my-ass, you lucky gal"
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2qWMDGXUYD
I shoot her a look. "Language, sissy! And no. I haven't even applied yet."
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fETAiEfBe
She arches a perfectly sculpted brow, her expression dripping with disbelief.
"Um... And why the hell not?"
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOYSMXrTtN
I lean back in my chair, letting out a long sigh.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYV30fnhVa
"Because it's Valentus Technologies, Rachel. They're a global empire. My chances of getting hired are somewhere between 'snowball in hell' and 'winning the lottery.'"
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPIXgoROHZ
"What's with all this pessimistic talk? How do you know you won't get in if you don't even try?"
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaAhy9HvnkA
I chuckle, raising my hands in mock surrender. "Alright, fine. I'll apply. Happy?"
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJyPjolvE0
That seems to satisfy her. Her grin widens, and she leans down to press a quick kiss to my cheek.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2yopqnwbH7
"Ecstatic!"
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rvo16dc3f
With that, she saunters back upstairs, her messy bun loosening.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexLxTzaaDt
Yeah. Not applying.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkmc9S4gC5
I sigh, close my laptop, and stretch my arms above my head. Just as I reach for my phone, the soft chime of the doorbell rings, pulling me back into work mode.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEzbaULK79
Instinctively, I straighten my apron, plaster on my best customer-service smile, and turn to greet the new customer.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEufErroUQ
The man who walks in looks to be in his early thirties, short, and dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans. He has a phone pressed to his ear, speaking rapidly in Bulgarian.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpiPnkk8p1
My smile widens instinctively.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdd1iPAHTHu
A fellow Bulgarian? That's rare around here.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4uzIgVVnQ
Is this pride I feel in my chest?
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkuX8u4PGk
But then I catch the words spilling out of his mouth. And my smile wavers.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJaaIbMC2x
"Te toku-shto se nanesokha, a tya izglezhda kato edin ot onezi mrŭsni bogatashi. Mislya, che moga da vzema dopŭlnitelni $5000 ot neya za prozortsite. Mislish li, che shte go kupi?"
They just moved in, and she looks like one of those filthy rich ones. I think I can get an extra $5000 from her for the windows. Think she'll buy it?
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWDWz3Uj0Z
My stomach twists.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpF5YTzbZB1
Five thousand dollars?!
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCR0zqPGlJ
This man is sick. A full-blown con artist!
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEP4r4k1JQ
That's more than some people make in a month. And he's scheming to squeeze it out of someone just because they look 'filthy rich.'
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLaFWO6WtZ
The hell is wrong with people these days?
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIn9TagMXZ
He lets out a low laugh, wrapping up his call with a casual, "Chao, choveche." Bye, man.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UEHChqhwI
'Chao, choveche' my ass, you bloody swindler.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8lH8BKyna
I exhale slowly, forcing my smile back on as he approaches the counter, pretending I haven't heard a wink of him plotting daylight robbery.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlK2NMeJYQ
"Hi. What can I get you?" I ask, my voice sweet as maple syrup.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9vHFkTvenf
I fix his order, hand it over, and watch as he leaves, my eyes tracking his every move through the window.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2A3gHfd2t
He crosses the street and enters one of the residential houses—the one that's been empty for months.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckBlCO47sB
Seconds later, a moving truck rumbles past, pulling away from the curb.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiStBuQddAf
Someone just moved in.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdzVQcClEk
I'm guessing they're the unlucky ones about to get swindled by this scumbag.
129Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfr3MuLrmQF
Looks like I've got new neighbors to say hello to.
ns18.116.74.246da2
