🤍 Jessica's POV 🤍
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMsd5x0FXx
As the page finishes loading, my gaze snags on the photograph beneath it, and everything else fades into static.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2DF3TovbI
My breath hitches.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMVapICLH2
"Holy Jezebel," I whisper.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHG3X8Toc0k
Roman Valentus.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiollo9QFdU
The man staring back at me isn't just handsome. He is dangerous.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8yQ1WoK4Ov
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.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0fv2Ytu4K
His jet-black hair is thick and slightly tousled, framing his face in a way that makes him look so powerful and untamed.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrIHjj4Zna
That's bad.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wuEQy1DL2
His eyes are like midnight—so dark, yet sexy and alluring.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeAi9Knmxd
Oh God, this is bad bad.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJZS4cVPo6
Thick, arched brows sit majestically on top, and his jawline is so sharp and defined it could literally cut glass.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP99NsypbCT
He looks like a man who never begs or wavers. He only takes.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9mlPAHYPA
And I'm staring. Like an idiot.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54lZd39Nn7
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!
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxxPe4z4xjK
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.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXggB62brzd
"Please tell me there's still some..."
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuve8Ezf0b5
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.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnKkHE0kJ4
"Whoa..."
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5KXMJsc50
I stiffen as she comes closer and leans over my shoulder.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbOuEvvJlm
"Who is this fine-ass hercules?"
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59LhPTm8Aw
Oh, boy.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFEoM551it
"No one." I immediately move to close the tab, but Rachel is quicker.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgvpG53Wpq
She snatches my hand from the mouse. "Not so fast, bitch. I need to see this"
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIo0i8y5HER
I roll my eyes.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9D3M0eHDk
She lets out a sound that's somewhere between a gasp and a whimper.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmWCh9Dwty
"Roman Valentus. Oh my God. He's such a sexy creature! Bet he's really big down—"
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdKqL2FDad
I grit my teeth. "Aht aht. Enough, you horny-ass woman."
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUwABNtl4iY
"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"
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZvgipsR17
"Yep." I agree, honestly, before I can stop myself.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrB1cNwEOIm
"Right?!"
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjFGoSy1Lp
I fix myself, leaning back in my chair casually. "No. You're being dramatic."
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecyPP7xWbO
Rachel tears her gaze from the screen and gapes at me like I've personally offended her.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPGe25KFAs
"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."
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SjdiY0VGc
Oh God. I can't with this girl.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPHJojQawU
I force a shrug. "Eh. He's okay. Just not my cup of tea. You've been reading too many romance novels."
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXQntKZQa5
She fake-gasps, clutching her chest like I've just insulted her entire bloodline.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLrpJl4YwZ
"You're lying. Take that back!"
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoIbiVMyyXL
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."
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8g1MbcUI3F
"Nothing special? That's it. You're definitely lying."
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eytk2EQfF
Yes, I am. But who's gonna check me?
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavyYGpteYv
I shrug in an *I-don't-care* manner, as if my heart hadn't just done a triple axel over a single photograph.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qCe8skH57
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.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJq4gPsCBV
God. Those big, strong, veiny hands.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccRvjGRxXY
Maybe she's right. Maybe Roman Valentus is ruinously, unfairly beautiful.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BH9k5JIX2
The kind that should come with a fucking warning label.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qPrrmOxHn
But there's no way in hell I'm going to admit it. Or show it.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7eNnCmZ7wL
Rachel yanks open the fridge, her head disappearing inside.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCAXjY7L4F
"What brought you there, anyway?" she asks, rummaging through the fridge.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1VDWqvACKl
"They have a job opening for marketers," I reply, skidding right back to the job listing page before those eyes arrest me again.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LMeVVurl1
Rachel emerges with a bottle of iced lemonade, her lips curling into a mischievous smirk.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKm2umNWABz
"So you get to work for Mr. Please fuck-my-ass, you lucky gal"
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYe2zjXcB08
I shoot her a look. "Language, sissy! And no. I haven't even applied yet."
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA701HW4MPq
She arches a perfectly sculpted brow, her expression dripping with disbelief.
"Um... And why the hell not?"
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOCg03Efpn
I lean back in my chair, letting out a long sigh.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIkd1h3doB
"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.'"
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3a8kV8De15
"What's with all this pessimistic talk? How do you know you won't get in if you don't even try?"
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFylNOMrlC
I chuckle, raising my hands in mock surrender. "Alright, fine. I'll apply. Happy?"
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGvwyW3UJl
That seems to satisfy her. Her grin widens, and she leans down to press a quick kiss to my cheek.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3UQ6v4kzN
"Ecstatic!"
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkR6l27IZ4
With that, she saunters back upstairs, her messy bun loosening.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVCcBGeRUo
Yeah. Not applying.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DyefcGBHq
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.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwu8ok6X1J
Instinctively, I straighten my apron, plaster on my best customer-service smile, and turn to greet the new customer.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6VfW8sHRlE
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.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJPeSG7mEa
My smile widens instinctively.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgiZyeJsUIj
A fellow Bulgarian? That's rare around here.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQt9lcb1WT
Is this pride I feel in my chest?
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhFRyvtGSt
But then I catch the words spilling out of his mouth. And my smile wavers.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNVMbRuxKa
"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?
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHghF3GsC2a
My stomach twists.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiRg5rhQiYU
Five thousand dollars?!
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4Mjk6rq7l
This man is sick. A full-blown con artist!
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbWIjCKwKz
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.'
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmF8KgnGUQz
The hell is wrong with people these days?
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6r2WTjVhiU
He lets out a low laugh, wrapping up his call with a casual, "Chao, choveche." Bye, man.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnBkDtRjku
'Chao, choveche' my ass, you bloody swindler.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUO3c0rWAbF
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.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVddNopWYeD
"Hi. What can I get you?" I ask, my voice sweet as maple syrup.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRfWuvdWoj
I fix his order, hand it over, and watch as he leaves, my eyes tracking his every move through the window.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMIiXpzhqi
He crosses the street and enters one of the residential houses—the one that's been empty for months.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡseb6nxy5jl
Seconds later, a moving truck rumbles past, pulling away from the curb.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwyPqnpoZqk
Someone just moved in.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBF6xLERV4
I'm guessing they're the unlucky ones about to get swindled by this scumbag.
181Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31guyD43Be
Looks like I've got new neighbors to say hello to.
ns216.73.216.204da2
