happy one year to contract & goodbye !! (read if you care even a bit <3)
april 19th of last year was my first ever post on this account, where i shared the first three chapters of my contract au. i never expected it to reach the people it did, or to shape this account the way it has. that story didn’t just start a series, it gave me a place where i felt safe to express. so happy anniversary to my oldest children, aurora and chris !!
now, after a long while, i’ve decided that i won’t be continuing on this account, and i’ll likely be stepping away for good. my deactivation status is unsure, but you can expect it. this space has given me so much over the past year, but it just doesn't mean what it used to for me.
i love writing, i love stories, and i loved creating for the triplets. but i don’t see myself keeping up with them anymore, and the motivation just isn’t there like it used to be. i’ve been part of this fandom since 2022, when they hit 100k. i lowkey forgot about them for two years and i found my way back again in 2024 during their 7 million celebration. i’ll always be proud of them, but i think i’ve outgrown being a viewer. i'll love them from afar, though.
a lot of the stories i wrote, were angsty. which was very intentional. they came from places in me that didn’t really have anywhere else to go with. writing became the only way i knew how to let them exist without falling apart. celeste, daphne, and bunny in particular, are all directly inspired by versions of myself i didn’t know how to protect back then or have buried. so, i hope that answers why i loved writing more sadder narratives.
thank you to every single person who supported me and showed love to my work. one of the things i’ve heard the most is that my writing gave people comfort, and showed them a kind of love and standard that feels hard to find. that means more to me than i can ever explain. i hope you all find that same standard in your own lives, whether it be in love, in how you’re treated, and in the way you choose to exist in this world. were all human which means we all need love. we deserve it.
and to this beautiful space we built together, thank you. i mean it when i say i recognize ALL of your usernames, your profile pictures, the ones who always liked my stuff. its crazy that some of you looked forward to me posting, and were excited to snuggle up and read the next probably insane chapter ahahah. you made this feel like more than just a blog. you all took care of me with your comments and opinions that make me laugh so now i want you guys take care of yourselves for me.
Jenn heard the crack in her own voice immediately. Her legs suddenly felt unsteady beneath her, her chest tightening so hard it almost hurt to breathe.
Just an hour ago, she had walked into her parents’ penthouse practically glowing. Ready to show her father the finalized proposition she and Chris had worked through all afternoon before heading to her date afterward.
Now she just felt blindsided.
“You told me I was going to handle the deal,” she said carefully, trying to keep her composure together even as her voice trembled slightly. “You gave me a week to work on it. You can’t just pull me off at the last minute after making me believe this was finally my opportunity.”
“Darling,” Richard said calmly, “I was trying to make things easier on you. I know how much you already have on your plate.”
“That’s not the point.” Her voice rose slightly now despite herself. “Do you not like the acquisition proposal?”
“That’s not what this is.”
“Then what is it?”
“You did excellent work,” he admitted honestly. “Far better than I expected.”
That should’ve made her feel good. Instead, the backhanded nature of it only made her stomach twist harder.
“But this acquisition is larger than we initially anticipated. There have been additional concerns involving Armand Beaumont’s side of the company,” Richard explained. “Things that make this negotiation more delicate than expected.”
“I can handle delicate negotiations.”
“You haven’t done one at this scale before, darling.”
Her eyes burned immediately. “I can do it,” she said again, quieter this time. “If you just let me.” She felt like a child begging her parents for a toy.
“Jenn,” Kitty spoke gently now, stepping closer toward her daughter. “Your father’s only trying to protect you from unnecessary pressure.”
Protect you. Fuck that. “I don’t need protecting,” Jenn muttered.
Kitty gave her a sympathetic look. “Sweetheart…”
“I’ve worked for years for opportunities like this.” Jenn looked back at her father again. “You said if I proved myself, you’d finally let me move beyond marketing and smaller projects.”
“You are moving up,” Richard reassured calmly. “This simply isn’t the right acquisition to start with.” Richard rubbed a hand across his jaw before saying carefully, “I’m assigning it to someone with more experience closing international deals.”
Jenn swallowed hard. “Who?”
“One of the senior partners.”
He didn’t elaborate further, and Jenn didn’t ask. She immediately pictured one of the older executives who constantly underestimated her anyway.
“Father, please.” Jenn tried one more time anyway, voice cracking despite every effort to hold herself together. “I know I can do this.”
Richard’s face softened again, but he still shook his head. “My decision’s already been made, sweetheart.”
Ignoring them, she grabbed her trench coat and slipped it on quickly before either of them could stop her.
“Darling, don’t leave upset,” Kitty said gently again.
But she couldn’t stand there another second listening to him speak to her while still taking the one thing she’d worked herself sick over.
Humiliation.
The humiliation of letting herself believe this time would be different. That maybe this time her father had finally trusted her enough. The second the doors closed behind her, her breathing started shaking. By the time she slid into the backseat of a cab outside the building, the first tear finally fell.
The cab driver didn’t question the state she was in. He just adjusted the mirror once and asked gently, “Where to, miss?”
Before she could think herself out of it, an address slipped from her lips automatically as she quickly texted her date that she suddenly couldn’t make it. Because, as humiliating as tonight felt, there was only one person she could think of who would actually understand why this hurt so badly.
When the cab finally pulled up, she’d managed to stop crying at least. She looked up at the massive luxury tower in front of her. Of course, he lived somewhere intimidating enough to look like its own country.
The doorman greeted her politely enough at first. “Good evening, miss.”
“Hi,” Jenn answered softly. “I’m here to see, uh, Christopher Sturniolo. I think he owns the building, actually.” She knows he does.
The man’s expression shifted professionally immediately. “Mr. Sturniolo?” She nodded once before he continued. “Do you have an appointment?”
Jenn blinked slightly. “No, I just…”
The doorman gave her an apologetic look while already reaching toward the desk tablet. “I’m sorry, miss, but visitors need prior approval.”
Jenn swallowed the embarrassment rising in her throat.
“Oh.”
The man checked the system briefly anyway before pausing. “…Mr. Sturniolo doesn’t currently have any female visitors listed for access approval.”
Jenn suddenly felt incredibly stupid standing there. She barely even knew what she’d expected coming here in the first place. She nodded quickly before stepping back. “Right. Sorry, it’s okay. Thank you anyway.”
Jenn turned slightly, already preparing to leave before she made herself look even more pathetic—
A cold, familiar voice cut through the lobby behind her.
“Do we have a problem here?”
The cold but familiar voice cut through the lobby behind her, making her freeze. The doorman straightened immediately. “Mr. Sturniolo, welcome.”
Chris stood near the lobby entrance dressed down in a black hoodie and matching sweatpants, his dark hair still slightly damp like he’d just showered. A duffel bag hung loosely from one shoulder, and despite how casual he looked, he still somehow carried that same intimidating presence that made entire rooms shift when he walked into them.
Beside him stood another man, Jenn recognized immediately as his brother, Nick, who looked between the two of them with obvious curiosity. However, Chris barely acknowledged anyone else in the lobby. His eyes were locked entirely on her.
The doorman cleared his throat awkwardly. “Mr. Sturniolo, this young lady said she was here to see you, but I didn’t see any woman on the approved visitor list—”
“Her name is there,” Chris interrupted flatly. The sharpness of his tone made the poor man stop talking immediately. “Check again.”
Jenn blinked in confusion. Why would her name be on Chris’s approved visitor list? She’d never been here before in her life.
The doorman was visibly flustered now as he scrolled, and then his expression shifted. “Oh—” He looked up immediately. “My apologies, sir.” His eyes moved back toward Jenn carefully. “Are you Miss Jenevieve Sienee?”
Jenn nodded awkwardly. “Uh… yes.”
Chris was already walking toward them before the sentence fully left her mouth. He didn’t say anything about the situation and stopped beside her briefly before reaching toward the private elevator panel nearby. A soft beep sounded as he pressed his fingerprint against the scanner. The elevator doors immediately slid open.
“Go upstairs,” he said quietly, glancing at her. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
Jenn hesitated slightly, still trying to process everything.
Something about the calm certainty in his voice made her listen without argument, so she stepped into the elevator and let the doors close, sealing her into silence as it began its smooth ascent toward the top floor.
Her heartbeat felt uneven the entire ride up.
By the time the doors finally opened, Jenn found herself staring into what looked more like a private lounge than an elevator landing. There was only one set of double doors ahead, which she assumed led into the actual penthouse itself, but suddenly the idea of opening them herself felt strangely invasive.
So instead, she just stood there awkwardly clutching the sleeve of her trench coat while trying to calm the lingering tightness in her chest.
Three minutes later, the elevator behind her opened again. Chris stepped out first, and only then did she realize she’d been standing this entire time like an idiot waiting for permission to move.
His eyes landed on her immediately, and this time, up close, he fully took in her face. “…Have you been crying?” he asked quietly.
Jenn answered too fast. “No.”
Chris stared at her for a second longer, clearly not believing that whatsoever. But thankfully, he didn’t push it immediately, and instead, his gaze sharpened slightly. Without another word, he moved past her and unlocked the large double doors ahead.
“Come inside,” he said gently.
The penthouse was stunning.
Chris locked the door behind them before turning back toward her again.
And now that they were alone, the concern he’d been holding back downstairs was far more obvious on his face.
“I’m assuming you're here because you know…” For a brief second, he almost looked… tense. Like he was bracing himself for something. Jenn frowned faintly at that. Why did he suddenly look nervous?
Her head tilted in confusion. “Know what?”
His eyebrows jiggled up, and he brushed them off. “I… never mind. Why are you here?”
And then his gaze dropped.
To the fitted little dress beneath her trench coat, the heels, and the makeup she’d clearly spent time doing.
“Wait.” The tension in his face sharpened into something colder. “Were you on your date?” He ignored her startled expression, already stepping closer. “Did something happen? Jenn, I told you can’t trust these people.”
“No—”
“Did he touch you?”
Jenn stared at him in confusion. “Chris—”
“Did the asshole say something to you?” His voice had gotten noticeably harder now. “Because if some guy made you cry, I swear to fucking—”
“No one made me cry,” Jenn interrupted quickly. “It wasn’t my date. I… I didn’t end up going to it.”
That made him pause slightly. Jenn exhaled tiredly, suddenly regretting coming here even more because now he looked two seconds away from hunting down a random man she barely even liked.
Chris’s jaw flexed again as he looked her over carefully one more time, almost checking for something physically wrong with her.
“What happened then?” he asked, quieter now, though the protectiveness in his tone still lingered heavily in his voice. “You came all the way here crying, Bella. Talk to me.”
Jenn looked down at the floor for a second before finally forcing the words out. “My father pulled me off the deal. He gave it to someone else.”
Jenn slowly looked back up at him, expecting something, anything. His jaw had tightened so hard as something behind them had completely locked up. But no visible emotion.
“Chris?” Her heart dropped slowly, realizing he didn’t show much reaction. A small, embarrassed laugh left her weakly as she stepped back slightly. “Wow.” Chris blinked, snapping back toward her. Jenn immediately shook her head. “Sorry. Forget it.”
“Bella—”
“I shouldn’t have come here.” Her voice cracked slightly despite how hard she tried to steady it. “You probably think I’m being dramatic. I just—you were the only person who knew about the deal and I—”
She cut herself off, mortified now that she’d shown up emotional and crying over work drama of all things. “This was stupid,” she muttered under her breath before turning toward the door. “I’m sorry for bothering you.”
“Jenn.”
She ignored him and moved fast, reaching for the handle, only for Chris to move faster.
Way faster than she expected.
One second, she was reaching for the door, and the next, his hand pressed firmly against it above her shoulder, stopping it from opening completely as he stepped into her space. Chris gently backed her against the door without hurting her, his other hand landing beside her waist to steady her before she could pull away.
“Bella,” Chris softened slightly at the sight of her glossy eyes again. “Look at me.”
She hated how easily her eyes lifted back to his. Up close, she saw little scars and a faint bruise that definitely wasn’t there in the morning on his face.
“You should’ve gotten that deal, and I’m sorry he made you feel like you weren’t capable enough for it...” Chris slowly lowered the hand that had been braced near her face, “…I’m sorry for not reacting right away.” His jaw tightened slightly. “I just didn’t know what to say.”
Everything from today suddenly felt unbearably heavy all over again.
She really, really did not want to cry again.
“I know it probably sounds stupid,” she said quietly after a second, forcing out a weak laugh that held no humor at all. “It’s just a deal.”
Chris immediately frowned. “Bella—”
“But it’s not really about the deal.” Her voice wavered slightly now. “It’s just…”
Her heels suddenly started throbbing painfully beneath her feet, the exhaustion from the day finally crashing into her all at once. Everything hurt.
“Hey,” Chris noticed the slight wobble in her posture immediately. “Sit down for me.”
But Jenn shook her head quickly. “No, I’m okay—” Lie “—It’s embarrassing,” she admitted weakly. “I’m twenty-six years old, crying over wanting my dad to think I’m good enough.” Her voice crumbled completely halfway through it. “Maybe…maybe I should just stay in marketing…”
And before she could stop herself, a sob escaped her chest. Jenn immediately covered her mouth as she hated herself for it, her shoulders shaking as another one followed right after.
Chris reacted instantly.
“Hey, hey—” Chris reacted instantly, catching her before she could fully fold into herself, one arm wrapping firmly around her waist while the other pulled her against his chest.
Soft, painful sobs pressed into his hoodie while she gripped the front of it tightly; she couldn’t hold herself upright anymore. All she could hear was those soft little shushes.
“Bella…” he murmured, pulling her closer instinctively. One hand slid gently into her hair while the other stayed firm against her back. “It’s okay.”
Maybe it would be eventually. But the deal had just been the final thing pushing against cracks that had already been there for years.
She knew she had everything people dreamed of. Money that erased problems before they even fully formed, Parents that loved her in their own complicated way, and every tangible thing you could dream of.
So why did she still feel so empty half the time in her heart, but constantly active in her head?
Sometimes she’d reorganize entire drawers at three in the morning because if things weren’t symmetrical enough, her brain refused to calm down. Or sometimes she scrubbed her hands raw because certain textures or dirt made panic crawl beneath her skin so intensely she couldn’t breathe right until it was gone.
And no one really knew.
So she was acting like the spoiled, pretty daughter everyone expected her to be.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Her body was so weak that's why crying on the man she barely tolerated's chest felt like the best option at the moment. There was nowhere else she’d be. “I wish…” She didn’t know what she wished.
“There’s nothing wrong with you, Bella Rosa.”
Jenn barely even registered Chris guiding her deeper into the place. Before she realized it, Chris was carefully easing her down onto the massive cream-colored sofa in the living room. Jenn sank into the cushions. Chris slid her trench coat from her shoulders as she watched him fold it carefully instead of tossing it somewhere.
“You okay?” His voice was so soft she almost forgot he was the same guy that causes a part of her stress.
She nodded automatically, though they both knew that wasn’t true. But Chris didn’t call her out on it this time; instead, he adjusted one of the throw pillows behind her lower back slightly, disappearing down the hallway without another word.
A minute later, Chris returned holding a glass of water.
“Drink,” he said gently, handing it to her.
Jenn took it carefully with slightly trembling fingers, whispering, “Thank you.”
Chris nodded once before crouching down in front of her again. At first, she thought he was grabbing something from the coffee table. Until his hands moved toward her ankles. She stayed quiet, letting him unfasten the delicate straps around one ankle.
His touch was warm. Really warm.
Something about the sight of him kneeling in front of her like this felt strangely intimate. Too intimate. For a brief second, his hands lingered against her calves as his eyes lifted slowly to hers.
A strange flutter settled low in Jenn’s stomach when Chris cleared his throat and finally pulled away from her legs. He stood back up before sitting beside her on the couch instead, close enough that the sleeve of his hoodie brushed against her bare shoulder now and then when either of them moved.
Jenn suddenly became very aware that she was still wearing that tiny dress. Maybe this outfit was not exactly appropriate for emotionally spiraling in a man’s penthouse.
Her gaze lifted back to the faint bruise along his cheekbone. “…What happened to your face? Those weren’t there in the morning.”
Chris looked momentarily confused before realization crossed his features. “Nick.”
“Nick did this?”
Chris hummed lazily.
Her eyes widened immediately. “Did you guys fight? Is that why you were with him downstairs earlier?” she continued quickly. “He doesn’t exactly seem like the violent type, and he’s literally your brother—”
“No,” A quiet laugh escaped him for the first time tonight. “We weren’t fighting. Well, not exactly.”
“Then why does your face look like someone punched you?”
Chris leaned back slightly against the couch, a faint smirk finally appearing. “Because someone did. I join Nick for boxing here and there when I get time.”
The words caught her completely off guard. “Boxing?”
Chris nodded casually like he hadn’t just unlocked an entirely different version of himself she’d never imagined before.
“You’re joking. You voluntarily let people punch you for what? stress relief?”
Chris smirked slightly wider now. “Pretty much.”
She couldn’t deny the fact that she found that extremely attractive.
“Well,” Jenn said lightly, finally leaning back against the couch cushions a little easier now. “I guess that explains your crooked nose.”
“Ah,” Chris looked personally offended for half a second before a grin spread across his face. “There she is.”
Jenn tried to fight the smile threatening at her lips and failed slightly anyway.
“You’re not the worst company,” she admitted quietly.
And that statement alone felt strange coming from her.
Because for years she’d either hated Christopher Sturniolo or tolerated him in small doses.
She has always felt second to Chris and believed he was the reason she wasn't making progress. However, she is now realizing that it isn't him holding her back; it is her choice to stay in a job she hates and her father, who is so blinded by his love for her that he underestimates her potential.
“Can you admit that you just complimented me?” Chris said slowly, still watching her with that faint smirk, “I almost can’t believe my ears.”
Jenn rolled her eyes lightly. “Maybe.”
“Wow, mark the calendar.”
A quiet laugh escaped her before she could stop it.
“Why’d you come to me tonight, huh?”
His stare made her feel a bit cornered. She could either lie or tell the truth. But she didn’t want to lie to him after how honest he'd been with her recently.
“I just…” she swallowed lightly. “You already knew about me having the deal, so… you were the first person I thought of.”
“Yeah?”
His voice made her stomach flutter nervously.
“Don’t make it a big deal, Chris.”
His eyes slowly moved over her face before drifting lower for a brief second, before manspreading lazily as he leaned back slightly against the couch, eyes still fixed on her.
“Do you always dress like this on dates?” he asked casually.
“I mean, yeah? People usually try to make good impressions, plus, it's just a dress.”
“A very small dress.”
Jenn rolled her eyes, though the faint smile lingering on her lips gave her away anyway. “Women are allowed to wear what they want, Christopher. We’re not living in the eighteen hundreds.”
Chris huffed out a quiet laugh through his nose. “Didn’t say you weren’t allowed.” His eyes dragged over her briefly again before returning to her face. “Wear what you want, what's it to me?”
Jenn shook her head, trying not to smile harder at that. She looked down at the glass in her hands quietly before speaking again.
“He really upset me today.”
That slight shift in him whenever the conversation drifted back toward anything involving the deal or her father. “I know. And for what it’s worth, I think he’s wrong.”
A sudden idea popped into her head. “Can I ask you something?” she said quietly.
Chris nodded once. “What?”
She hesitated for a second before finally asking, “Can you convince him?” Chris went still, eerily still. “Please,” Jenn looked at him hopefully now, moving a little closer without realizing it. “He listens to you.”
“I don’t know, Bella,” he said carefully. “You know how your father is. He loves you, but he’s stubborn.”
Jenn let out a humorless little laugh. “Yeah, and you know who he loves more than me? You.”
Chris immediately looked back at her. “That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is.” Her voice sharpened slightly now, emotion creeping back in. “My father practically worships you. Every conversation somehow circles back to how great you are.”
“Jenn, he still loves you,” he corrected quietly.
“But he trusts you,” Jenn shot back instantly. “There’s a difference.”
The sentence hit harder than she realized. She’s never let her insecurely so vividly so in front of him.
“He looks at you like you’re the son he actually wanted in business,” she admitted quietly. “And I’ll never measure up to that, which is fine… but at least you can help me, even if we haven’t exactly seen eye to eye all the time.”
“You have no idea how wrong you are.”
“Please?” Jenn sighed softly at that, rubbing tiredly at her face before looking back at him again. “Just… talk to him.”
Chris stayed silent for a second, studying her carefully.
Then, instead of answering directly, he asked something else entirely. “Why do you even want to work there so badly?”
Jenn frowned slightly. “What?”
“At your father’s company.” He leaned back slightly, eyes still fixed on her. “Why are you fighting this hard for it?”
Jenn opened her mouth automatically to answer—then stopped, because she honestly didn’t know anymore. “Do you want the honest answer?” she asked quietly.
Chris nodded once.
“I fucking hate corporate.”
Chris’s brows lifted slightly.
“No matter what side of it I’m on,” she continued tiredly. “I hate it. Marketing, acquisitions, meetings, I hate all of it.” That clearly wasn’t the answer he expected.
“Then why are you working for your father?” he asked carefully.
Jenn leaned back into the couch cushions with a sigh. “Just because I don’t like my job doesn’t mean I’m not good at it.” And that part was true. “My dad’s hinted at me working for him since I was little. It was always just… assumed.”
Chris frowned faintly. “I doubt he’d stop you if you said you wanted to leave.”
“You’re not wrong.” Jenn looked down at her hands. “But if I left now, everyone would take me even less seriously than they already do.” Her voice sharpened slightly with frustration near the end. “They already think I’m some spoiled rich girl playing businesswoman because daddy gave her a title.”
“Bella, that's not true—”
“I know I’m capable,” she interrupted quietly. “I know I could do more if people would just stop deciding things for me first.”
Jenn realized how vulnerable her state looked at that moment.
“You know what the worst part is?” Jenn gave another weak laugh. “I don’t even know what I’d rather be doing. I even feel ungrateful saying that. People would kill for my life.” Her voice trembled slightly now. “And I’m sitting here complaining because I don’t like my six-figure job and my luxury apartment and—” she stopped her thoughts.
Jenn looked down quickly, trying to compose herself again.
“It’s stupid,” she murmured. “ I’ve just been so tired all the time and anxious, and I can never shut my brain off and—” Before she could stop herself, tears started spilling down her cheeks again.
“No, no—hey.” Chris reacted instantly. One of his large hands came up to cup the side of her head gently before he carefully guided her toward him. His other arm wrapped securely around her shoulders, holding her against him firmly but gently, as if he was afraid she’d break apart completely if he loosened his grip. “It’s okay, Bella, it’s okay.”
Jenn buried her face deeper into his hoodie, her shoulders shaking while she tried to catch her breath. One of his hands stayed cradling the back of her head while the other rubbed slowly up and down her back.
“You’re okay,” he whispered again. “I’ve got you.”
Something about hearing that completely shattered the last bit of composure she had left.
Chris wasn’t telling her she was dramatic or making her feel stupid for crying.
“You work yourself too hard,” he murmured against the top of her head. “And you carry everything by yourself until you explode. " Your worth isn’t tied to one deal or your father’s approval, do you hear me?”
Jenn nodded weakly against his chest even though part of her still didn’t fully believe it.
Chris lowered his head slightly closer to hers. “You are smart enough.” His voice softened even more. “And anyone who makes you feel otherwise is fucking blind.”
Chris just kept holding her through it all, whispering soft reassurances into her hair while his hand slowly stroked through it.
Jenn remained curled against his chest as her breathing gradually returned to normal. Chris's hand never stopped moving; even after she finished crying, his fingers continued to glide gently through her hair, as if he instinctively knew she still needed comfort. Jenn's cheek rested comfortably against his chest while she stared blearily at the skyline lights.
She could hear his heartbeat beneath her ear.
Her body slowly started sinking further into him without even realizing it.
“Tired, Bella?” She heard him murmur from above. Jenn made the smallest sound of agreement against his chest.
He adjusted slightly so she was more comfortably tucked against him, one arm securely around her waist now while the other continued tracing lazy strokes along her back.
The last thing she slightly registered was Chris lowering his head slightly toward hers again.
“You don’t have to hold yourself together all the time around me, beautiful.”
ceyana’s note: i watched off campus, it was so good! i love you, mwah <3
Jenn heard the crack in her own voice immediately. Her legs suddenly felt unsteady beneath her, her chest tightening so hard it almost hurt to breathe.
Just an hour ago, she had walked into her parents’ penthouse practically glowing. Ready to show her father the finalized proposition she and Chris had worked through all afternoon before heading to her date afterward.
Now she just felt blindsided.
“You told me I was going to handle the deal,” she said carefully, trying to keep her composure together even as her voice trembled slightly. “You gave me a week to work on it. You can’t just pull me off at the last minute after making me believe this was finally my opportunity.”
“Darling,” Richard said calmly, “I was trying to make things easier on you. I know how much you already have on your plate.”
“That’s not the point.” Her voice rose slightly now despite herself. “Do you not like the acquisition proposal?”
“That’s not what this is.”
“Then what is it?”
“You did excellent work,” he admitted honestly. “Far better than I expected.”
That should’ve made her feel good. Instead, the backhanded nature of it only made her stomach twist harder.
“But this acquisition is larger than we initially anticipated. There have been additional concerns involving Armand Beaumont’s side of the company,” Richard explained. “Things that make this negotiation more delicate than expected.”
“I can handle delicate negotiations.”
“You haven’t done one at this scale before, darling.”
Her eyes burned immediately. “I can do it,” she said again, quieter this time. “If you just let me.” She felt like a child begging her parents for a toy.
“Jenn,” Kitty spoke gently now, stepping closer toward her daughter. “Your father’s only trying to protect you from unnecessary pressure.”
Protect you. Fuck that. “I don’t need protecting,” Jenn muttered.
Kitty gave her a sympathetic look. “Sweetheart…”
“I’ve worked for years for opportunities like this.” Jenn looked back at her father again. “You said if I proved myself, you’d finally let me move beyond marketing and smaller projects.”
“You are moving up,” Richard reassured calmly. “This simply isn’t the right acquisition to start with.” Richard rubbed a hand across his jaw before saying carefully, “I’m assigning it to someone with more experience closing international deals.”
Jenn swallowed hard. “Who?”
“One of the senior partners.”
He didn’t elaborate further, and Jenn didn’t ask. She immediately pictured one of the older executives who constantly underestimated her anyway.
“Father, please.” Jenn tried one more time anyway, voice cracking despite every effort to hold herself together. “I know I can do this.”
Richard’s face softened again, but he still shook his head. “My decision’s already been made, sweetheart.”
Ignoring them, she grabbed her trench coat and slipped it on quickly before either of them could stop her.
“Darling, don’t leave upset,” Kitty said gently again.
But she couldn’t stand there another second listening to him speak to her while still taking the one thing she’d worked herself sick over.
Humiliation.
The humiliation of letting herself believe this time would be different. That maybe this time her father had finally trusted her enough. The second the doors closed behind her, her breathing started shaking. By the time she slid into the backseat of a cab outside the building, the first tear finally fell.
The cab driver didn’t question the state she was in. He just adjusted the mirror once and asked gently, “Where to, miss?”
Before she could think herself out of it, an address slipped from her lips automatically as she quickly texted her date that she suddenly couldn’t make it. Because, as humiliating as tonight felt, there was only one person she could think of who would actually understand why this hurt so badly.
When the cab finally pulled up, she’d managed to stop crying at least. She looked up at the massive luxury tower in front of her. Of course, he lived somewhere intimidating enough to look like its own country.
The doorman greeted her politely enough at first. “Good evening, miss.”
“Hi,” Jenn answered softly. “I’m here to see, uh, Christopher Sturniolo. I think he owns the building, actually.” She knows he does.
The man’s expression shifted professionally immediately. “Mr. Sturniolo?” She nodded once before he continued. “Do you have an appointment?”
Jenn blinked slightly. “No, I just…”
The doorman gave her an apologetic look while already reaching toward the desk tablet. “I’m sorry, miss, but visitors need prior approval.”
Jenn swallowed the embarrassment rising in her throat.
“Oh.”
The man checked the system briefly anyway before pausing. “…Mr. Sturniolo doesn’t currently have any female visitors listed for access approval.”
Jenn suddenly felt incredibly stupid standing there. She barely even knew what she’d expected coming here in the first place. She nodded quickly before stepping back. “Right. Sorry, it’s okay. Thank you anyway.”
Jenn turned slightly, already preparing to leave before she made herself look even more pathetic—
A cold, familiar voice cut through the lobby behind her.
“Do we have a problem here?”
The cold but familiar voice cut through the lobby behind her, making her freeze. The doorman straightened immediately. “Mr. Sturniolo, welcome.”
Chris stood near the lobby entrance dressed down in a black hoodie and matching sweatpants, his dark hair still slightly damp like he’d just showered. A duffel bag hung loosely from one shoulder, and despite how casual he looked, he still somehow carried that same intimidating presence that made entire rooms shift when he walked into them.
Beside him stood another man, Jenn recognized immediately as his brother, Nick, who looked between the two of them with obvious curiosity. However, Chris barely acknowledged anyone else in the lobby. His eyes were locked entirely on her.
The doorman cleared his throat awkwardly. “Mr. Sturniolo, this young lady said she was here to see you, but I didn’t see any woman on the approved visitor list—”
“Her name is there,” Chris interrupted flatly. The sharpness of his tone made the poor man stop talking immediately. “Check again.”
Jenn blinked in confusion. Why would her name be on Chris’s approved visitor list? She’d never been here before in her life.
The doorman was visibly flustered now as he scrolled, and then his expression shifted. “Oh—” He looked up immediately. “My apologies, sir.” His eyes moved back toward Jenn carefully. “Are you Miss Jenevieve Sienee?”
Jenn nodded awkwardly. “Uh… yes.”
Chris was already walking toward them before the sentence fully left her mouth. He didn’t say anything about the situation and stopped beside her briefly before reaching toward the private elevator panel nearby. A soft beep sounded as he pressed his fingerprint against the scanner. The elevator doors immediately slid open.
“Go upstairs,” he said quietly, glancing at her. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
Jenn hesitated slightly, still trying to process everything.
Something about the calm certainty in his voice made her listen without argument, so she stepped into the elevator and let the doors close, sealing her into silence as it began its smooth ascent toward the top floor.
Her heartbeat felt uneven the entire ride up.
By the time the doors finally opened, Jenn found herself staring into what looked more like a private lounge than an elevator landing. There was only one set of double doors ahead, which she assumed led into the actual penthouse itself, but suddenly the idea of opening them herself felt strangely invasive.
So instead, she just stood there awkwardly clutching the sleeve of her trench coat while trying to calm the lingering tightness in her chest.
Three minutes later, the elevator behind her opened again. Chris stepped out first, and only then did she realize she’d been standing this entire time like an idiot waiting for permission to move.
His eyes landed on her immediately, and this time, up close, he fully took in her face. “…Have you been crying?” he asked quietly.
Jenn answered too fast. “No.”
Chris stared at her for a second longer, clearly not believing that whatsoever. But thankfully, he didn’t push it immediately, and instead, his gaze sharpened slightly. Without another word, he moved past her and unlocked the large double doors ahead.
“Come inside,” he said gently.
The penthouse was stunning.
Chris locked the door behind them before turning back toward her again.
And now that they were alone, the concern he’d been holding back downstairs was far more obvious on his face.
“I’m assuming you're here because you know…” For a brief second, he almost looked… tense. Like he was bracing himself for something. Jenn frowned faintly at that. Why did he suddenly look nervous?
Her head tilted in confusion. “Know what?”
His eyebrows jiggled up, and he brushed them off. “I… never mind. Why are you here?”
And then his gaze dropped.
To the fitted little dress beneath her trench coat, the heels, and the makeup she’d clearly spent time doing.
“Wait.” The tension in his face sharpened into something colder. “Were you on your date?” He ignored her startled expression, already stepping closer. “Did something happen? Jenn, I told you can’t trust these people.”
“No—”
“Did he touch you?”
Jenn stared at him in confusion. “Chris—”
“Did the asshole say something to you?” His voice had gotten noticeably harder now. “Because if some guy made you cry, I swear to fucking—”
“No one made me cry,” Jenn interrupted quickly. “It wasn’t my date. I… I didn’t end up going to it.”
That made him pause slightly. Jenn exhaled tiredly, suddenly regretting coming here even more because now he looked two seconds away from hunting down a random man she barely even liked.
Chris’s jaw flexed again as he looked her over carefully one more time, almost checking for something physically wrong with her.
“What happened then?” he asked, quieter now, though the protectiveness in his tone still lingered heavily in his voice. “You came all the way here crying, Bella. Talk to me.”
Jenn looked down at the floor for a second before finally forcing the words out. “My father pulled me off the deal. He gave it to someone else.”
Jenn slowly looked back up at him, expecting something, anything. His jaw had tightened so hard as something behind them had completely locked up. But no visible emotion.
“Chris?” Her heart dropped slowly, realizing he didn’t show much reaction. A small, embarrassed laugh left her weakly as she stepped back slightly. “Wow.” Chris blinked, snapping back toward her. Jenn immediately shook her head. “Sorry. Forget it.”
“Bella—”
“I shouldn’t have come here.” Her voice cracked slightly despite how hard she tried to steady it. “You probably think I’m being dramatic. I just—you were the only person who knew about the deal and I—”
She cut herself off, mortified now that she’d shown up emotional and crying over work drama of all things. “This was stupid,” she muttered under her breath before turning toward the door. “I’m sorry for bothering you.”
“Jenn.”
She ignored him and moved fast, reaching for the handle, only for Chris to move faster.
Way faster than she expected.
One second, she was reaching for the door, and the next, his hand pressed firmly against it above her shoulder, stopping it from opening completely as he stepped into her space. Chris gently backed her against the door without hurting her, his other hand landing beside her waist to steady her before she could pull away.
“Bella,” Chris softened slightly at the sight of her glossy eyes again. “Look at me.”
She hated how easily her eyes lifted back to his. Up close, she saw little scars and a faint bruise that definitely wasn’t there in the morning on his face.
“You should’ve gotten that deal, and I’m sorry he made you feel like you weren’t capable enough for it...” Chris slowly lowered the hand that had been braced near her face, “…I’m sorry for not reacting right away.” His jaw tightened slightly. “I just didn’t know what to say.”
Everything from today suddenly felt unbearably heavy all over again.
She really, really did not want to cry again.
“I know it probably sounds stupid,” she said quietly after a second, forcing out a weak laugh that held no humor at all. “It’s just a deal.”
Chris immediately frowned. “Bella—”
“But it’s not really about the deal.” Her voice wavered slightly now. “It’s just…”
Her heels suddenly started throbbing painfully beneath her feet, the exhaustion from the day finally crashing into her all at once. Everything hurt.
“Hey,” Chris noticed the slight wobble in her posture immediately. “Sit down for me.”
But Jenn shook her head quickly. “No, I’m okay—” Lie “—It’s embarrassing,” she admitted weakly. “I’m twenty-six years old, crying over wanting my dad to think I’m good enough.” Her voice crumbled completely halfway through it. “Maybe…maybe I should just stay in marketing…”
And before she could stop herself, a sob escaped her chest. Jenn immediately covered her mouth as she hated herself for it, her shoulders shaking as another one followed right after.
Chris reacted instantly.
“Hey, hey—” Chris reacted instantly, catching her before she could fully fold into herself, one arm wrapping firmly around her waist while the other pulled her against his chest.
Soft, painful sobs pressed into his hoodie while she gripped the front of it tightly; she couldn’t hold herself upright anymore. All she could hear was those soft little shushes.
“Bella…” he murmured, pulling her closer instinctively. One hand slid gently into her hair while the other stayed firm against her back. “It’s okay.”
Maybe it would be eventually. But the deal had just been the final thing pushing against cracks that had already been there for years.
She knew she had everything people dreamed of. Money that erased problems before they even fully formed, Parents that loved her in their own complicated way, and every tangible thing you could dream of.
So why did she still feel so empty half the time in her heart, but constantly active in her head?
Sometimes she’d reorganize entire drawers at three in the morning because if things weren’t symmetrical enough, her brain refused to calm down. Or sometimes she scrubbed her hands raw because certain textures or dirt made panic crawl beneath her skin so intensely she couldn’t breathe right until it was gone.
And no one really knew.
So she was acting like the spoiled, pretty daughter everyone expected her to be.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Her body was so weak that's why crying on the man she barely tolerated's chest felt like the best option at the moment. There was nowhere else she’d be. “I wish…” She didn’t know what she wished.
“There’s nothing wrong with you, Bella Rosa.”
Jenn barely even registered Chris guiding her deeper into the place. Before she realized it, Chris was carefully easing her down onto the massive cream-colored sofa in the living room. Jenn sank into the cushions. Chris slid her trench coat from her shoulders as she watched him fold it carefully instead of tossing it somewhere.
“You okay?” His voice was so soft she almost forgot he was the same guy that causes a part of her stress.
She nodded automatically, though they both knew that wasn’t true. But Chris didn’t call her out on it this time; instead, he adjusted one of the throw pillows behind her lower back slightly, disappearing down the hallway without another word.
A minute later, Chris returned holding a glass of water.
“Drink,” he said gently, handing it to her.
Jenn took it carefully with slightly trembling fingers, whispering, “Thank you.”
Chris nodded once before crouching down in front of her again. At first, she thought he was grabbing something from the coffee table. Until his hands moved toward her ankles. She stayed quiet, letting him unfasten the delicate straps around one ankle.
His touch was warm. Really warm.
Something about the sight of him kneeling in front of her like this felt strangely intimate. Too intimate. For a brief second, his hands lingered against her calves as his eyes lifted slowly to hers.
A strange flutter settled low in Jenn’s stomach when Chris cleared his throat and finally pulled away from her legs. He stood back up before sitting beside her on the couch instead, close enough that the sleeve of his hoodie brushed against her bare shoulder now and then when either of them moved.
Jenn suddenly became very aware that she was still wearing that tiny dress. Maybe this outfit was not exactly appropriate for emotionally spiraling in a man’s penthouse.
Her gaze lifted back to the faint bruise along his cheekbone. “…What happened to your face? Those weren’t there in the morning.”
Chris looked momentarily confused before realization crossed his features. “Nick.”
“Nick did this?”
Chris hummed lazily.
Her eyes widened immediately. “Did you guys fight? Is that why you were with him downstairs earlier?” she continued quickly. “He doesn’t exactly seem like the violent type, and he’s literally your brother—”
“No,” A quiet laugh escaped him for the first time tonight. “We weren’t fighting. Well, not exactly.”
“Then why does your face look like someone punched you?”
Chris leaned back slightly against the couch, a faint smirk finally appearing. “Because someone did. I join Nick for boxing here and there when I get time.”
The words caught her completely off guard. “Boxing?”
Chris nodded casually like he hadn’t just unlocked an entirely different version of himself she’d never imagined before.
“You’re joking. You voluntarily let people punch you for what? stress relief?”
Chris smirked slightly wider now. “Pretty much.”
She couldn’t deny the fact that she found that extremely attractive.
“Well,” Jenn said lightly, finally leaning back against the couch cushions a little easier now. “I guess that explains your crooked nose.”
“Ah,” Chris looked personally offended for half a second before a grin spread across his face. “There she is.”
Jenn tried to fight the smile threatening at her lips and failed slightly anyway.
“You’re not the worst company,” she admitted quietly.
And that statement alone felt strange coming from her.
Because for years she’d either hated Christopher Sturniolo or tolerated him in small doses.
She has always felt second to Chris and believed he was the reason she wasn't making progress. However, she is now realizing that it isn't him holding her back; it is her choice to stay in a job she hates and her father, who is so blinded by his love for her that he underestimates her potential.
“Can you admit that you just complimented me?” Chris said slowly, still watching her with that faint smirk, “I almost can’t believe my ears.”
Jenn rolled her eyes lightly. “Maybe.”
“Wow, mark the calendar.”
A quiet laugh escaped her before she could stop it.
“Why’d you come to me tonight, huh?”
His stare made her feel a bit cornered. She could either lie or tell the truth. But she didn’t want to lie to him after how honest he'd been with her recently.
“I just…” she swallowed lightly. “You already knew about me having the deal, so… you were the first person I thought of.”
“Yeah?”
His voice made her stomach flutter nervously.
“Don’t make it a big deal, Chris.”
His eyes slowly moved over her face before drifting lower for a brief second, before manspreading lazily as he leaned back slightly against the couch, eyes still fixed on her.
“Do you always dress like this on dates?” he asked casually.
“I mean, yeah? People usually try to make good impressions, plus, it's just a dress.”
“A very small dress.”
Jenn rolled her eyes, though the faint smile lingering on her lips gave her away anyway. “Women are allowed to wear what they want, Christopher. We’re not living in the eighteen hundreds.”
Chris huffed out a quiet laugh through his nose. “Didn’t say you weren’t allowed.” His eyes dragged over her briefly again before returning to her face. “Wear what you want, what's it to me?”
Jenn shook her head, trying not to smile harder at that. She looked down at the glass in her hands quietly before speaking again.
“He really upset me today.”
That slight shift in him whenever the conversation drifted back toward anything involving the deal or her father. “I know. And for what it’s worth, I think he’s wrong.”
A sudden idea popped into her head. “Can I ask you something?” she said quietly.
Chris nodded once. “What?”
She hesitated for a second before finally asking, “Can you convince him?” Chris went still, eerily still. “Please,” Jenn looked at him hopefully now, moving a little closer without realizing it. “He listens to you.”
“I don’t know, Bella,” he said carefully. “You know how your father is. He loves you, but he’s stubborn.”
Jenn let out a humorless little laugh. “Yeah, and you know who he loves more than me? You.”
Chris immediately looked back at her. “That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is.” Her voice sharpened slightly now, emotion creeping back in. “My father practically worships you. Every conversation somehow circles back to how great you are.”
“Jenn, he still loves you,” he corrected quietly.
“But he trusts you,” Jenn shot back instantly. “There’s a difference.”
The sentence hit harder than she realized. She’s never let her insecurely so vividly so in front of him.
“He looks at you like you’re the son he actually wanted in business,” she admitted quietly. “And I’ll never measure up to that, which is fine… but at least you can help me, even if we haven’t exactly seen eye to eye all the time.”
“You have no idea how wrong you are.”
“Please?” Jenn sighed softly at that, rubbing tiredly at her face before looking back at him again. “Just… talk to him.”
Chris stayed silent for a second, studying her carefully.
Then, instead of answering directly, he asked something else entirely. “Why do you even want to work there so badly?”
Jenn frowned slightly. “What?”
“At your father’s company.” He leaned back slightly, eyes still fixed on her. “Why are you fighting this hard for it?”
Jenn opened her mouth automatically to answer—then stopped, because she honestly didn’t know anymore. “Do you want the honest answer?” she asked quietly.
Chris nodded once.
“I fucking hate corporate.”
Chris’s brows lifted slightly.
“No matter what side of it I’m on,” she continued tiredly. “I hate it. Marketing, acquisitions, meetings, I hate all of it.” That clearly wasn’t the answer he expected.
“Then why are you working for your father?” he asked carefully.
Jenn leaned back into the couch cushions with a sigh. “Just because I don’t like my job doesn’t mean I’m not good at it.” And that part was true. “My dad’s hinted at me working for him since I was little. It was always just… assumed.”
Chris frowned faintly. “I doubt he’d stop you if you said you wanted to leave.”
“You’re not wrong.” Jenn looked down at her hands. “But if I left now, everyone would take me even less seriously than they already do.” Her voice sharpened slightly with frustration near the end. “They already think I’m some spoiled rich girl playing businesswoman because daddy gave her a title.”
“Bella, that's not true—”
“I know I’m capable,” she interrupted quietly. “I know I could do more if people would just stop deciding things for me first.”
Jenn realized how vulnerable her state looked at that moment.
“You know what the worst part is?” Jenn gave another weak laugh. “I don’t even know what I’d rather be doing. I even feel ungrateful saying that. People would kill for my life.” Her voice trembled slightly now. “And I’m sitting here complaining because I don’t like my six-figure job and my luxury apartment and—” she stopped her thoughts.
Jenn looked down quickly, trying to compose herself again.
“It’s stupid,” she murmured. “ I’ve just been so tired all the time and anxious, and I can never shut my brain off and—” Before she could stop herself, tears started spilling down her cheeks again.
“No, no—hey.” Chris reacted instantly. One of his large hands came up to cup the side of her head gently before he carefully guided her toward him. His other arm wrapped securely around her shoulders, holding her against him firmly but gently, as if he was afraid she’d break apart completely if he loosened his grip. “It’s okay, Bella, it’s okay.”
Jenn buried her face deeper into his hoodie, her shoulders shaking while she tried to catch her breath. One of his hands stayed cradling the back of her head while the other rubbed slowly up and down her back.
“You’re okay,” he whispered again. “I’ve got you.”
Something about hearing that completely shattered the last bit of composure she had left.
Chris wasn’t telling her she was dramatic or making her feel stupid for crying.
“You work yourself too hard,” he murmured against the top of her head. “And you carry everything by yourself until you explode. " Your worth isn’t tied to one deal or your father’s approval, do you hear me?”
Jenn nodded weakly against his chest even though part of her still didn’t fully believe it.
Chris lowered his head slightly closer to hers. “You are smart enough.” His voice softened even more. “And anyone who makes you feel otherwise is fucking blind.”
Chris just kept holding her through it all, whispering soft reassurances into her hair while his hand slowly stroked through it.
Jenn remained curled against his chest as her breathing gradually returned to normal. Chris's hand never stopped moving; even after she finished crying, his fingers continued to glide gently through her hair, as if he instinctively knew she still needed comfort. Jenn's cheek rested comfortably against his chest while she stared blearily at the skyline lights.
She could hear his heartbeat beneath her ear.
Her body slowly started sinking further into him without even realizing it.
“Tired, Bella?” She heard him murmur from above. Jenn made the smallest sound of agreement against his chest.
He adjusted slightly so she was more comfortably tucked against him, one arm securely around her waist now while the other continued tracing lazy strokes along her back.
The last thing she slightly registered was Chris lowering his head slightly toward hers again.
“You don’t have to hold yourself together all the time around me, beautiful.”
ceyana’s note: i watched off campus, it was so good! i love you, mwah <3
Jenn heard the crack in her own voice immediately. Her legs suddenly felt unsteady beneath her, her chest tightening so hard it almost hurt to breathe.
Just an hour ago, she had walked into her parents’ penthouse practically glowing. Ready to show her father the finalized proposition she and Chris had worked through all afternoon before heading to her date afterward.
Now she just felt blindsided.
“You told me I was going to handle the deal,” she said carefully, trying to keep her composure together even as her voice trembled slightly. “You gave me a week to work on it. You can’t just pull me off at the last minute after making me believe this was finally my opportunity.”
“Darling,” Richard said calmly, “I was trying to make things easier on you. I know how much you already have on your plate.”
“That’s not the point.” Her voice rose slightly now despite herself. “Do you not like the acquisition proposal?”
“That’s not what this is.”
“Then what is it?”
“You did excellent work,” he admitted honestly. “Far better than I expected.”
That should’ve made her feel good. Instead, the backhanded nature of it only made her stomach twist harder.
“But this acquisition is larger than we initially anticipated. There have been additional concerns involving Armand Beaumont’s side of the company,” Richard explained. “Things that make this negotiation more delicate than expected.”
“I can handle delicate negotiations.”
“You haven’t done one at this scale before, darling.”
Her eyes burned immediately. “I can do it,” she said again, quieter this time. “If you just let me.” She felt like a child begging her parents for a toy.
“Jenn,” Kitty spoke gently now, stepping closer toward her daughter. “Your father’s only trying to protect you from unnecessary pressure.”
Protect you. Fuck that. “I don’t need protecting,” Jenn muttered.
Kitty gave her a sympathetic look. “Sweetheart…”
“I’ve worked for years for opportunities like this.” Jenn looked back at her father again. “You said if I proved myself, you’d finally let me move beyond marketing and smaller projects.”
“You are moving up,” Richard reassured calmly. “This simply isn’t the right acquisition to start with.” Richard rubbed a hand across his jaw before saying carefully, “I’m assigning it to someone with more experience closing international deals.”
Jenn swallowed hard. “Who?”
“One of the senior partners.”
He didn’t elaborate further, and Jenn didn’t ask. She immediately pictured one of the older executives who constantly underestimated her anyway.
“Father, please.” Jenn tried one more time anyway, voice cracking despite every effort to hold herself together. “I know I can do this.”
Richard’s face softened again, but he still shook his head. “My decision’s already been made, sweetheart.”
Ignoring them, she grabbed her trench coat and slipped it on quickly before either of them could stop her.
“Darling, don’t leave upset,” Kitty said gently again.
But she couldn’t stand there another second listening to him speak to her while still taking the one thing she’d worked herself sick over.
Humiliation.
The humiliation of letting herself believe this time would be different. That maybe this time her father had finally trusted her enough. The second the doors closed behind her, her breathing started shaking. By the time she slid into the backseat of a cab outside the building, the first tear finally fell.
The cab driver didn’t question the state she was in. He just adjusted the mirror once and asked gently, “Where to, miss?”
Before she could think herself out of it, an address slipped from her lips automatically as she quickly texted her date that she suddenly couldn’t make it. Because, as humiliating as tonight felt, there was only one person she could think of who would actually understand why this hurt so badly.
When the cab finally pulled up, she’d managed to stop crying at least. She looked up at the massive luxury tower in front of her. Of course, he lived somewhere intimidating enough to look like its own country.
The doorman greeted her politely enough at first. “Good evening, miss.”
“Hi,” Jenn answered softly. “I’m here to see, uh, Christopher Sturniolo. I think he owns the building, actually.” She knows he does.
The man’s expression shifted professionally immediately. “Mr. Sturniolo?” She nodded once before he continued. “Do you have an appointment?”
Jenn blinked slightly. “No, I just…”
The doorman gave her an apologetic look while already reaching toward the desk tablet. “I’m sorry, miss, but visitors need prior approval.”
Jenn swallowed the embarrassment rising in her throat.
“Oh.”
The man checked the system briefly anyway before pausing. “…Mr. Sturniolo doesn’t currently have any female visitors listed for access approval.”
Jenn suddenly felt incredibly stupid standing there. She barely even knew what she’d expected coming here in the first place. She nodded quickly before stepping back. “Right. Sorry, it’s okay. Thank you anyway.”
Jenn turned slightly, already preparing to leave before she made herself look even more pathetic—
A cold, familiar voice cut through the lobby behind her.
“Do we have a problem here?”
The cold but familiar voice cut through the lobby behind her, making her freeze. The doorman straightened immediately. “Mr. Sturniolo, welcome.”
Chris stood near the lobby entrance dressed down in a black hoodie and matching sweatpants, his dark hair still slightly damp like he’d just showered. A duffel bag hung loosely from one shoulder, and despite how casual he looked, he still somehow carried that same intimidating presence that made entire rooms shift when he walked into them.
Beside him stood another man, Jenn recognized immediately as his brother, Nick, who looked between the two of them with obvious curiosity. However, Chris barely acknowledged anyone else in the lobby. His eyes were locked entirely on her.
The doorman cleared his throat awkwardly. “Mr. Sturniolo, this young lady said she was here to see you, but I didn’t see any woman on the approved visitor list—”
“Her name is there,” Chris interrupted flatly. The sharpness of his tone made the poor man stop talking immediately. “Check again.”
Jenn blinked in confusion. Why would her name be on Chris’s approved visitor list? She’d never been here before in her life.
The doorman was visibly flustered now as he scrolled, and then his expression shifted. “Oh—” He looked up immediately. “My apologies, sir.” His eyes moved back toward Jenn carefully. “Are you Miss Jenevieve Sienee?”
Jenn nodded awkwardly. “Uh… yes.”
Chris was already walking toward them before the sentence fully left her mouth. He didn’t say anything about the situation and stopped beside her briefly before reaching toward the private elevator panel nearby. A soft beep sounded as he pressed his fingerprint against the scanner. The elevator doors immediately slid open.
“Go upstairs,” he said quietly, glancing at her. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
Jenn hesitated slightly, still trying to process everything.
Something about the calm certainty in his voice made her listen without argument, so she stepped into the elevator and let the doors close, sealing her into silence as it began its smooth ascent toward the top floor.
Her heartbeat felt uneven the entire ride up.
By the time the doors finally opened, Jenn found herself staring into what looked more like a private lounge than an elevator landing. There was only one set of double doors ahead, which she assumed led into the actual penthouse itself, but suddenly the idea of opening them herself felt strangely invasive.
So instead, she just stood there awkwardly clutching the sleeve of her trench coat while trying to calm the lingering tightness in her chest.
Three minutes later, the elevator behind her opened again. Chris stepped out first, and only then did she realize she’d been standing this entire time like an idiot waiting for permission to move.
His eyes landed on her immediately, and this time, up close, he fully took in her face. “…Have you been crying?” he asked quietly.
Jenn answered too fast. “No.”
Chris stared at her for a second longer, clearly not believing that whatsoever. But thankfully, he didn’t push it immediately, and instead, his gaze sharpened slightly. Without another word, he moved past her and unlocked the large double doors ahead.
“Come inside,” he said gently.
The penthouse was stunning.
Chris locked the door behind them before turning back toward her again.
And now that they were alone, the concern he’d been holding back downstairs was far more obvious on his face.
“I’m assuming you're here because you know…” For a brief second, he almost looked… tense. Like he was bracing himself for something. Jenn frowned faintly at that. Why did he suddenly look nervous?
Her head tilted in confusion. “Know what?”
His eyebrows jiggled up, and he brushed them off. “I… never mind. Why are you here?”
And then his gaze dropped.
To the fitted little dress beneath her trench coat, the heels, and the makeup she’d clearly spent time doing.
“Wait.” The tension in his face sharpened into something colder. “Were you on your date?” He ignored her startled expression, already stepping closer. “Did something happen? Jenn, I told you can’t trust these people.”
“No—”
“Did he touch you?”
Jenn stared at him in confusion. “Chris—”
“Did the asshole say something to you?” His voice had gotten noticeably harder now. “Because if some guy made you cry, I swear to fucking—”
“No one made me cry,” Jenn interrupted quickly. “It wasn’t my date. I… I didn’t end up going to it.”
That made him pause slightly. Jenn exhaled tiredly, suddenly regretting coming here even more because now he looked two seconds away from hunting down a random man she barely even liked.
Chris’s jaw flexed again as he looked her over carefully one more time, almost checking for something physically wrong with her.
“What happened then?” he asked, quieter now, though the protectiveness in his tone still lingered heavily in his voice. “You came all the way here crying, Bella. Talk to me.”
Jenn looked down at the floor for a second before finally forcing the words out. “My father pulled me off the deal. He gave it to someone else.”
Jenn slowly looked back up at him, expecting something, anything. His jaw had tightened so hard as something behind them had completely locked up. But no visible emotion.
“Chris?” Her heart dropped slowly, realizing he didn’t show much reaction. A small, embarrassed laugh left her weakly as she stepped back slightly. “Wow.” Chris blinked, snapping back toward her. Jenn immediately shook her head. “Sorry. Forget it.”
“Bella—”
“I shouldn’t have come here.” Her voice cracked slightly despite how hard she tried to steady it. “You probably think I’m being dramatic. I just—you were the only person who knew about the deal and I—”
She cut herself off, mortified now that she’d shown up emotional and crying over work drama of all things. “This was stupid,” she muttered under her breath before turning toward the door. “I’m sorry for bothering you.”
“Jenn.”
She ignored him and moved fast, reaching for the handle, only for Chris to move faster.
Way faster than she expected.
One second, she was reaching for the door, and the next, his hand pressed firmly against it above her shoulder, stopping it from opening completely as he stepped into her space. Chris gently backed her against the door without hurting her, his other hand landing beside her waist to steady her before she could pull away.
“Bella,” Chris softened slightly at the sight of her glossy eyes again. “Look at me.”
She hated how easily her eyes lifted back to his. Up close, she saw little scars and a faint bruise that definitely wasn’t there in the morning on his face.
“You should’ve gotten that deal, and I’m sorry he made you feel like you weren’t capable enough for it...” Chris slowly lowered the hand that had been braced near her face, “…I’m sorry for not reacting right away.” His jaw tightened slightly. “I just didn’t know what to say.”
Everything from today suddenly felt unbearably heavy all over again.
She really, really did not want to cry again.
“I know it probably sounds stupid,” she said quietly after a second, forcing out a weak laugh that held no humor at all. “It’s just a deal.”
Chris immediately frowned. “Bella—”
“But it’s not really about the deal.” Her voice wavered slightly now. “It’s just…”
Her heels suddenly started throbbing painfully beneath her feet, the exhaustion from the day finally crashing into her all at once. Everything hurt.
“Hey,” Chris noticed the slight wobble in her posture immediately. “Sit down for me.”
But Jenn shook her head quickly. “No, I’m okay—” Lie “—It’s embarrassing,” she admitted weakly. “I’m twenty-six years old, crying over wanting my dad to think I’m good enough.” Her voice crumbled completely halfway through it. “Maybe…maybe I should just stay in marketing…”
And before she could stop herself, a sob escaped her chest. Jenn immediately covered her mouth as she hated herself for it, her shoulders shaking as another one followed right after.
Chris reacted instantly.
“Hey, hey—” Chris reacted instantly, catching her before she could fully fold into herself, one arm wrapping firmly around her waist while the other pulled her against his chest.
Soft, painful sobs pressed into his hoodie while she gripped the front of it tightly; she couldn’t hold herself upright anymore. All she could hear was those soft little shushes.
“Bella…” he murmured, pulling her closer instinctively. One hand slid gently into her hair while the other stayed firm against her back. “It’s okay.”
Maybe it would be eventually. But the deal had just been the final thing pushing against cracks that had already been there for years.
She knew she had everything people dreamed of. Money that erased problems before they even fully formed, Parents that loved her in their own complicated way, and every tangible thing you could dream of.
So why did she still feel so empty half the time in her heart, but constantly active in her head?
Sometimes she’d reorganize entire drawers at three in the morning because if things weren’t symmetrical enough, her brain refused to calm down. Or sometimes she scrubbed her hands raw because certain textures or dirt made panic crawl beneath her skin so intensely she couldn’t breathe right until it was gone.
And no one really knew.
So she was acting like the spoiled, pretty daughter everyone expected her to be.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Her body was so weak that's why crying on the man she barely tolerated's chest felt like the best option at the moment. There was nowhere else she’d be. “I wish…” She didn’t know what she wished.
“There’s nothing wrong with you, Bella Rosa.”
Jenn barely even registered Chris guiding her deeper into the place. Before she realized it, Chris was carefully easing her down onto the massive cream-colored sofa in the living room. Jenn sank into the cushions. Chris slid her trench coat from her shoulders as she watched him fold it carefully instead of tossing it somewhere.
“You okay?” His voice was so soft she almost forgot he was the same guy that causes a part of her stress.
She nodded automatically, though they both knew that wasn’t true. But Chris didn’t call her out on it this time; instead, he adjusted one of the throw pillows behind her lower back slightly, disappearing down the hallway without another word.
A minute later, Chris returned holding a glass of water.
“Drink,” he said gently, handing it to her.
Jenn took it carefully with slightly trembling fingers, whispering, “Thank you.”
Chris nodded once before crouching down in front of her again. At first, she thought he was grabbing something from the coffee table. Until his hands moved toward her ankles. She stayed quiet, letting him unfasten the delicate straps around one ankle.
His touch was warm. Really warm.
Something about the sight of him kneeling in front of her like this felt strangely intimate. Too intimate. For a brief second, his hands lingered against her calves as his eyes lifted slowly to hers.
A strange flutter settled low in Jenn’s stomach when Chris cleared his throat and finally pulled away from her legs. He stood back up before sitting beside her on the couch instead, close enough that the sleeve of his hoodie brushed against her bare shoulder now and then when either of them moved.
Jenn suddenly became very aware that she was still wearing that tiny dress. Maybe this outfit was not exactly appropriate for emotionally spiraling in a man’s penthouse.
Her gaze lifted back to the faint bruise along his cheekbone. “…What happened to your face? Those weren’t there in the morning.”
Chris looked momentarily confused before realization crossed his features. “Nick.”
“Nick did this?”
Chris hummed lazily.
Her eyes widened immediately. “Did you guys fight? Is that why you were with him downstairs earlier?” she continued quickly. “He doesn’t exactly seem like the violent type, and he’s literally your brother—”
“No,” A quiet laugh escaped him for the first time tonight. “We weren’t fighting. Well, not exactly.”
“Then why does your face look like someone punched you?”
Chris leaned back slightly against the couch, a faint smirk finally appearing. “Because someone did. I join Nick for boxing here and there when I get time.”
The words caught her completely off guard. “Boxing?”
Chris nodded casually like he hadn’t just unlocked an entirely different version of himself she’d never imagined before.
“You’re joking. You voluntarily let people punch you for what? stress relief?”
Chris smirked slightly wider now. “Pretty much.”
She couldn’t deny the fact that she found that extremely attractive.
“Well,” Jenn said lightly, finally leaning back against the couch cushions a little easier now. “I guess that explains your crooked nose.”
“Ah,” Chris looked personally offended for half a second before a grin spread across his face. “There she is.”
Jenn tried to fight the smile threatening at her lips and failed slightly anyway.
“You’re not the worst company,” she admitted quietly.
And that statement alone felt strange coming from her.
Because for years she’d either hated Christopher Sturniolo or tolerated him in small doses.
She has always felt second to Chris and believed he was the reason she wasn't making progress. However, she is now realizing that it isn't him holding her back; it is her choice to stay in a job she hates and her father, who is so blinded by his love for her that he underestimates her potential.
“Can you admit that you just complimented me?” Chris said slowly, still watching her with that faint smirk, “I almost can’t believe my ears.”
Jenn rolled her eyes lightly. “Maybe.”
“Wow, mark the calendar.”
A quiet laugh escaped her before she could stop it.
“Why’d you come to me tonight, huh?”
His stare made her feel a bit cornered. She could either lie or tell the truth. But she didn’t want to lie to him after how honest he'd been with her recently.
“I just…” she swallowed lightly. “You already knew about me having the deal, so… you were the first person I thought of.”
“Yeah?”
His voice made her stomach flutter nervously.
“Don’t make it a big deal, Chris.”
His eyes slowly moved over her face before drifting lower for a brief second, before manspreading lazily as he leaned back slightly against the couch, eyes still fixed on her.
“Do you always dress like this on dates?” he asked casually.
“I mean, yeah? People usually try to make good impressions, plus, it's just a dress.”
“A very small dress.”
Jenn rolled her eyes, though the faint smile lingering on her lips gave her away anyway. “Women are allowed to wear what they want, Christopher. We’re not living in the eighteen hundreds.”
Chris huffed out a quiet laugh through his nose. “Didn’t say you weren’t allowed.” His eyes dragged over her briefly again before returning to her face. “Wear what you want, what's it to me?”
Jenn shook her head, trying not to smile harder at that. She looked down at the glass in her hands quietly before speaking again.
“He really upset me today.”
That slight shift in him whenever the conversation drifted back toward anything involving the deal or her father. “I know. And for what it’s worth, I think he’s wrong.”
A sudden idea popped into her head. “Can I ask you something?” she said quietly.
Chris nodded once. “What?”
She hesitated for a second before finally asking, “Can you convince him?” Chris went still, eerily still. “Please,” Jenn looked at him hopefully now, moving a little closer without realizing it. “He listens to you.”
“I don’t know, Bella,” he said carefully. “You know how your father is. He loves you, but he’s stubborn.”
Jenn let out a humorless little laugh. “Yeah, and you know who he loves more than me? You.”
Chris immediately looked back at her. “That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is.” Her voice sharpened slightly now, emotion creeping back in. “My father practically worships you. Every conversation somehow circles back to how great you are.”
“Jenn, he still loves you,” he corrected quietly.
“But he trusts you,” Jenn shot back instantly. “There’s a difference.”
The sentence hit harder than she realized. She’s never let her insecurely so vividly so in front of him.
“He looks at you like you’re the son he actually wanted in business,” she admitted quietly. “And I’ll never measure up to that, which is fine… but at least you can help me, even if we haven’t exactly seen eye to eye all the time.”
“You have no idea how wrong you are.”
“Please?” Jenn sighed softly at that, rubbing tiredly at her face before looking back at him again. “Just… talk to him.”
Chris stayed silent for a second, studying her carefully.
Then, instead of answering directly, he asked something else entirely. “Why do you even want to work there so badly?”
Jenn frowned slightly. “What?”
“At your father’s company.” He leaned back slightly, eyes still fixed on her. “Why are you fighting this hard for it?”
Jenn opened her mouth automatically to answer—then stopped, because she honestly didn’t know anymore. “Do you want the honest answer?” she asked quietly.
Chris nodded once.
“I fucking hate corporate.”
Chris’s brows lifted slightly.
“No matter what side of it I’m on,” she continued tiredly. “I hate it. Marketing, acquisitions, meetings, I hate all of it.” That clearly wasn’t the answer he expected.
“Then why are you working for your father?” he asked carefully.
Jenn leaned back into the couch cushions with a sigh. “Just because I don’t like my job doesn’t mean I’m not good at it.” And that part was true. “My dad’s hinted at me working for him since I was little. It was always just… assumed.”
Chris frowned faintly. “I doubt he’d stop you if you said you wanted to leave.”
“You’re not wrong.” Jenn looked down at her hands. “But if I left now, everyone would take me even less seriously than they already do.” Her voice sharpened slightly with frustration near the end. “They already think I’m some spoiled rich girl playing businesswoman because daddy gave her a title.”
“Bella, that's not true—”
“I know I’m capable,” she interrupted quietly. “I know I could do more if people would just stop deciding things for me first.”
Jenn realized how vulnerable her state looked at that moment.
“You know what the worst part is?” Jenn gave another weak laugh. “I don’t even know what I’d rather be doing. I even feel ungrateful saying that. People would kill for my life.” Her voice trembled slightly now. “And I’m sitting here complaining because I don’t like my six-figure job and my luxury apartment and—” she stopped her thoughts.
Jenn looked down quickly, trying to compose herself again.
“It’s stupid,” she murmured. “ I’ve just been so tired all the time and anxious, and I can never shut my brain off and—” Before she could stop herself, tears started spilling down her cheeks again.
“No, no—hey.” Chris reacted instantly. One of his large hands came up to cup the side of her head gently before he carefully guided her toward him. His other arm wrapped securely around her shoulders, holding her against him firmly but gently, as if he was afraid she’d break apart completely if he loosened his grip. “It’s okay, Bella, it’s okay.”
Jenn buried her face deeper into his hoodie, her shoulders shaking while she tried to catch her breath. One of his hands stayed cradling the back of her head while the other rubbed slowly up and down her back.
“You’re okay,” he whispered again. “I’ve got you.”
Something about hearing that completely shattered the last bit of composure she had left.
Chris wasn’t telling her she was dramatic or making her feel stupid for crying.
“You work yourself too hard,” he murmured against the top of her head. “And you carry everything by yourself until you explode. " Your worth isn’t tied to one deal or your father’s approval, do you hear me?”
Jenn nodded weakly against his chest even though part of her still didn’t fully believe it.
Chris lowered his head slightly closer to hers. “You are smart enough.” His voice softened even more. “And anyone who makes you feel otherwise is fucking blind.”
Chris just kept holding her through it all, whispering soft reassurances into her hair while his hand slowly stroked through it.
Jenn remained curled against his chest as her breathing gradually returned to normal. Chris's hand never stopped moving; even after she finished crying, his fingers continued to glide gently through her hair, as if he instinctively knew she still needed comfort. Jenn's cheek rested comfortably against his chest while she stared blearily at the skyline lights.
She could hear his heartbeat beneath her ear.
Her body slowly started sinking further into him without even realizing it.
“Tired, Bella?” She heard him murmur from above. Jenn made the smallest sound of agreement against his chest.
He adjusted slightly so she was more comfortably tucked against him, one arm securely around her waist now while the other continued tracing lazy strokes along her back.
The last thing she slightly registered was Chris lowering his head slightly toward hers again.
“You don’t have to hold yourself together all the time around me, beautiful.”
ceyana’s note: i watched off campus, it was so good! i love you, mwah <3
⤷ masterlist ⟶ previous scene
⤷ cw . . . slight mentions of sexual indication, jealousy, slight tension, and two idiots that are still in denial . . .
꒰ comment on this post to join series taglist ꒱
The lunch hour was usually the busiest part of Chris’s day. Most afternoons, he was either trapped in meetings with investors or locked away in his office with spreadsheets and contracts spread across his desk.
But on the rare occasions he managed to escape the chaos for an actual break, he’d come here. Partially because the coffee was decent.
Mostly because there was always the possibility he’d run into a certain woman who practically kept this café in business with her obsession over their cinnamon lattes. The place was crowded as usual and Chris scanned the room almost automatically.
Nothing.
His jaw shifted slightly in disappointment as he stepped toward the line.
Guess she wasn’t here today.
But just as he was about to pull out his phone while waiting to order, something familiar caught the corner of his eye.
Shiny hair, skin that looked way too soft not to touch, and glossy red lips.
There she was.
Tucked away in the far corner of the café, as if she were trying to disappear into her work. She was dressed in her usual office attire again, and nothing like the woman from the gala two weeks ago.
Ever since that night, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her in that dress. That deep maroon fabric against her skin had nearly ruined him. She’d looked unreal standing under those ballroom lights, like something too beautiful to touch directly.
Dancing with her had been actual torture. Every time she looked up at him with those huge eyes, every time her body shifted closer during the slow songs, he’d had to physically restrain himself from pulling her tighter against him. From dragging her somewhere private and finally finding out if she’d melt beneath him the way he imagined she would.
If she’d still look at him with that stubborn attitude after he kissed the breath out of her—
“Sir?”
Chris blinked hard, dragged violently out of his thoughts. The barista was staring at him expectantly. Right. He ordered a black coffee, completely forgetting the lunch he originally planned on ordering.
His attention drifted back toward Jenn almost instantly.
She still hadn’t noticed him.
Which told him immediately that something was wrong.
Her knee bounced aggressively beneath the table, way too aggressively. Her untouched latte sat beside her, while papers were scattered everywhere around her in uneven piles. Chris could tell she looked distressed. Spiraling stressed.
He knew that look.
Without even thinking about it, Chris glanced toward the pastry display near the register. “Add a cinnamon bun too,” he said suddenly. A few minutes later, he made his way across the café toward her corner.
Still no reaction or awareness that he was even there. Jenn muttered something under her breath before aggressively deleting an entire paragraph again.
“You’re glaring at that laptop like it personally offended you, Bella.”
Jenn’s head snapped up so fast it almost concerned him. Genuine panic flashed across her face before she quickly smoothed herself back into composure.
“What are you doing here, Chris?” she asked, trying for annoyance, though her voice still sounded tighter than usual. Chris pulled the chair across from her out calmly before sitting down, as he belonged there.
“Getting coffee.”
Jenn frowned immediately. “I can see that, but…” Her eyes flicked toward the seat he’d just taken. “Why are you sitting?”
He looked almost amused by the question. “Didn’t realize I needed permission.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly at that, though he caught the way her knee somehow started bouncing faster beneath the table. Chris slid the small pastry bag toward her, and his movement finally distracted her from the laptop.
The second she saw the cinnamon bun inside, something in her face softened automatically. She genuinely looked like she might smile. Then, almost immediately, she seemed to remember herself and straightened again.
“This is for…?” she asked slowly.
“You.”
“I know,” Jenn blinked once. “But why?”
Chris leaned back slightly in his chair, watching her carefully now. “Because,” he said simply, nodding toward the untouched latte beside her, “that coffee’s lid hasn’t even been open, and you look like you haven’t eaten since this morning.”
“I’ve eaten…” Jenn rolled her eyes, but there wasn’t much energy behind it this time. He knew she hadn’t. “I’m working.”
She was still bouncing her knee aggressively beneath the table. “What’s this for?” Chris nodded at her laptop. “What are you working on?”
Jenn hesitated for a second too long.
“My father’s closing a major acquisition deal,” she admitted quietly, finally leaning back in her chair like the weight of the past few hours was starting to catch up to her. “He told me if I finished the proposition myself, I’d get to lead the close.”
Chris studied her for a moment before nodding toward the laptop. “Can I see?”
Jenn hesitated briefly before finally turning the screen toward him.
Sienee & Armand International Contract Proposal
Chris’s brows lifted immediately, visible shock all over his face.
“Bella,” he said slowly, eyes scanning the page again. “This isn’t just a regular close.”
“No kidding.”
He leaned forward slightly, reading through more of the details while Jenn watched him nervously from across the table.
The Armand Group was one of the largest luxury development corporations in Europe—French-owned, old-money, and extremely selective about partnerships. They rarely collaborated with international companies.
Landing this acquisition would completely change Sienee Holdings internationally, and the percentage shares tied to whoever secured the final agreement were insane.
“Jenn, this deal is worth hundreds of millions.”
“I know.” She rubbed at her temple again. “Armand owns luxury residential properties all across France, Monaco, and parts of Italy, too. My father wants Sienee Holdings involved in the expansion before another American firm gets to them first.”
Chris listened carefully as she continued.
“If the acquisition goes through, both companies profit massively. Shared ownership, international expansion, development rights…” She exhaled slowly. “Whoever closes the deal gets a percentage of the shares and long-term benefits written into the contract.”
Now he understood why she looked ready to crawl out of her own skin. Successfully closing this deal will change her role in the company for the better.
“He said if I handle this well, he’ll finally start involving me in the bigger acquisitions,” Jenn said quietly, her eyes still fixed on the screen. “Like, actually involving me. Not just keeping me trapped on the marketing side of the company.”
Chris nodded slowly, watching her more than the laptop now. Jenn immediately slipped back into work mode after that, fingers moving rapidly across the keyboard again.
But Chris still noticed when she absentmindedly reached for the cinnamon bun and took a small bite. A ridiculous amount of satisfaction settled in his chest over something that simple.
At least she was eating now.
Then his eyes dropped to her hands.
Jenn was biting at one of her nails distractedly now, her brows pulled tightly together while she stared at a line on the screen like it personally offended her.
That caught his attention immediately because her nails were usually done perfectly with acrylics, today they were plain.
“Don’t do that.”
Jenn blinked before realizing he meant her nails. Before she could react, Chris reached across the table and gently pulled her hand away from her mouth.
“I just… I have to get this done,” she muttered defensively, pulling her hand back toward herself. “Because every time I look at this thing, I find another issue, and then I fix the issue, but then fixing it creates another issue, and now I hate the entire proposition because what if the structure sounds too aggressive? Or not aggressive enough? And if Armand thinks we’re underprepared, then my father’s going to pull me from the close, and if he pulls me—”
“Rosa.”
She kept going.
“And I know logically it’s probably fine, but what if it’s not actually fine and I just can’t tell anymore because I’ve been staring at this for—”
“Jenn.”
Her words cut off abruptly when Chris reached forward again, this time placing a steady hand lightly against her bouncing knee beneath the table. “Breathe.”
Jenn stared at him before rubbing at her forehead. “I just really need this to go well.”
Chris’s expression softened slightly at the genuine exhaustion in her voice. He glanced back toward the presentation before looking at her again.
“Do you want help?”
“What?”
“With the proposition. I can go over it,” he said, shrugging faintly like reviewing a multi-million dollar acquisition during his lunch break was a completely normal thing to offer. “You’re too in your head right now to look at it objectively.”
“Why?” Jenn stared at him immediately, suspicion written all over her face. “I’m pretty sure you’d enjoy watching me completely embarrass myself.”
That one landed harder than she realized.
Because the idea of Jenn thinking that genuinely made him feel sick. He spent most of his time wanting to challenge her, rile her up, and get reactions out of her. But seeing her defeated? Crying? Actually doubting herself like this?
Absolutely fucking not.
Still, he covered it quickly behind his usual dry amusement.
“Trust me,” he drawled, reaching for her laptop despite the immediate glare she sent him, “if I wanted to watch someone embarrass themselves, I’d just watch Matt trying to flirt at networking events.”
“Chris—” Jenn immediately tried pulling the laptop back toward herself, ignoring his jab at his brother. “I don’t need help.”
Chris ignored her entirely and smoothly turned the laptop more toward himself anyway while she huffed in annoyance across from him.
“You’re so controlling,” she muttered under her breath. “I hate you.”
“Mhm.”
Chris glanced briefly at the expensive watch around his wrist before suppressing a sigh.
Forty minutes left before he had to head back.
Enough time. Barely.
He loosened the cuffs of his dress shirt slightly before focusing properly on the screen now, his posture immediately shifting into work mode.
It was subtle, but Christopher Sturniolo approached business the same way he approached everything else in life—with precision.
His eyes scanned through the projections quickly, catching every detail with speed. Meanwhile, Jenn anxiously picked at her fingers again while trying not to look as nervous as she suddenly felt.
Chris hummed softly after another minute.
“This section’s too wordy.” Jenn frowned immediately as he pointed toward the paragraph. “Armand doesn’t care about pretty wording; they care about leverage and security.”
Jenn leaned closer despite herself while he continued reading. Chris continued talking about what part of the slides should come first and what her main focuses should be before saying, “The proposition itself is strong, Bella.”
“You really think so?”
Chris looked up from the screen then, expression calm and certain in a way that always made people believe him. “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.”
“Okay…” she murmured before pulling the laptop back toward herself. Something in her face softened slightly.
For the next half hour, the two of them worked through the proposition together. Somewhere along the way, Chris moved from sitting across from her to beside her instead. Jenn surprisingly stopped fighting him on every correction, too. Mostly. Despite the bickering, they worked well together. Annoyingly well.
By the time she reached the final slide, she actually looked confident again. Chris realized then that he liked seeing her like this far more than he liked getting reactions out of her. Beautiful.
“There,” Jenn finally sighed after typing the last correction. She leaned back in her chair and stared at the finished presentation for a second before letting out a small breath of relief. “Done.”
Chris glanced over the finalized proposal one last time before nodding approvingly. “Looks good, Bella.”
Jenn smiled then.
An actual smile.
His chest tightened strangely while he watched her begin gathering her papers together.
“You know,” she said while sliding her laptop into her bag, “I genuinely thought today was going to end with me throwing this computer into traffic.”
Chris huffed out a quiet laugh. “Still plenty of daylight left for that.”
Jenn rolled her eyes, but she was smiling again. “I’ll show my dad the final version tonight when I go to my parents’ place. Hopefully, he likes it.”
He will, Chris thought immediately.
He could sit here all afternoon just watching her exist and probably still want more time. Jenn stood first, slipping her work purse over her shoulder before finally looking down at him. “Thank you.”
The sincerity in her voice caught him slightly off guard.
Chris stood a second later. “Don’t sound so shocked that I’m useful.”
“You’re useful occasionally.”
“Careful. That almost sounded nice.”
Jenn scoffed softly before the two of them started toward the café exit together. Chris adjusted the sleeves of his dress shirt slightly while Jenn stepped beside him. “So where are you going now?” he asked casually.
“Home for now,” she answered. “I’m done for the day.” She exhaled softly like she still couldn’t believe it herself. “I’ll probably walk home to get some steps in.”
Chris nodded once as he’d already planned the same thing. “I’ll walk with you.”
Jenn looked at him suspiciously. “You’re voluntarily walking around New York during business hours? Are you not extremely busy on Tuesdays?”
Chris smirked faintly. “I was about to go for a walk anyway, not too busy today.”
Complete lie.
And while Jenn adjusted her bag and started down the sidewalk beside him, Chris casually pulled his phone from his pocket behind her line of sight and texted his assistant. Cancel the rest of my meetings this afternoon. Reschedule everything. His assistant responded almost immediately.
“You seem to be in unusually high spirits,” Chris said, sliding the phone away without missing a step beside her. Spending the rest of the afternoon with Jenn sounded significantly better than anything else on his schedule.
Normally, by now Jenn would’ve shoved him away, insulted him at least twice, or demanded he return to whatever overpriced office he crawled out of.
“I mean… yeah. I feel a little stress-free for once,” Chris listened quietly while they crossed the street together. “It’s been eating at me all week,” she admitted after a moment. “If my father finds someone better suited for the deal, he won’t hesitate to replace me.”
Chris’s jaw tightened slightly at that, unfortunately… she wasn’t wrong.
Richard Sienee loved his daughter. Chris knew that. But when it came to business, Richard trusted proven results more than emotion. And for years, Jenn had been underestimated in rooms she deserved to dominate.
Chris glanced down at her. “He’d be an idiot to pull you from this proposition.” Jenn gave him a skeptical look. “I mean it, Bella.” His voice softened slightly. “You’re a smart woman.”
The compliment came so naturally out of him that it almost surprised even himself. Chris could’ve sworn he saw the faintest flush spread across her cheeks before she hid it.
Cute.
His attention shifted toward a nearby street cart up ahead, steam curling into the air while people crowded around it during lunch hour. Chris nodded toward it casually. “You hungry?”
Jenn followed his gaze before immediately looking uncertain. “From a street cart?”
Chris raised a brow. “Yes. That’s generally how street carts work.”
“I’ve never actually had food from one.”
“Bella,” That made him stop walking for half a second, “you’ve lived in New York your entire life, and you’ve never had street food?”
“We have chefs.”
Chris let out a short laugh under his breath before gently catching her wrist and steering her toward the cart despite the immediate protest she sent him.
“Well, today’s your lucky day.”
“Chris—”
“Adnan,” Chris greeted casually once they reached the front. “Two hot dogs. Everything on them.” The older vendor immediately grinned in recognition. Chris always picked up food from this particular cart on cheat days.
“Chris…” Jenn stood beside him, looking deeply unsure while watching Adnan prepare the order at lightning speed. “If we wanted hot dogs, we literally could’ve had one of the chefs make them.”
Be so fucking for real.
“And that,” Chris turned to look at her fully then, completely unimpressed. “is exactly the problem. Hot dogs aren’t supposed to be luxury experiences.”
She looked horrified. “That sounds incredibly unsanitary.”
Chris laughed quietly at the genuine concern in her voice. “You are such a spoiled princess.”
Jenn gasped dramatically. “I am not spoiled.”
“Bella, you just suggested hiring a private chef to make a hot dog.”
“Because they’d make it properly.”
Chris took the foil tray from Adnan before handing one of the hot dogs toward her. “This is proper.”
Jenn eyed it cautiously, like it might attack her.
Chris watched her with open amusement now, suddenly realizing he’d pay an embarrassing amount of money to witness Jenn Sienee experience completely normal things for the first time.
He ended up walking her another few minutes toward a small park tucked between the crowded streets and towering buildings nearby.
Chris sat down first on one of the benches near the pathway, watching with amusement as Jenn paused before sitting. Of course, the first thing she did was dust the bench off carefully with her hand.
Chris took a massive bite out of his food without hesitation. Was it Unhealthy? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Every fucking time.
Meanwhile, Jenn was still inspecting hers like a scientist studying an unknown species.
“Just eat it, Bella.”
Jenn glanced at him, sniffed the hot dog first, making Chris chuckle softly Chris laugh, and finally took a small bite. Chris immediately looked over. “Well?”
Jenn chewed slowly, keeping her face suspiciously blank. “It’s alright.”
Chris stared at her for exactly two seconds before scoffing. If her face usually displayed no emotion after realizing that she was proven wrong, he just had to get it out of her.
“You mean you liked it?” Chris said. Jenn rolled her eyes dramatically before taking another bite anyway. Chris grinned victoriously beside her. “Ah, there it is.”
“It’s not that good.”
“You just took a bigger bite.”
Jenn turned toward him with an offended look, though he could see the amusement slipping through now. “Why are you monitoring my eating habits like a psychopath?”
“Because watching you experience normal people's food is entertaining.”
“I’ve had normal food before.” She looked away, staring ahead now. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“No, Bella. You’ve had five-star chef interpretations of normal food.”
Jenn tried not to smile again and failed slightly.
God, he loved getting those little reactions out of her. Jenn opened her mouth to say something else when Chris suddenly reached toward her. Her words stopped immediately.
His thumb brushed softly against the corner of her nose. Chris looked down briefly at the small streak of sauce he’d wiped away before, without really thinking about it, dragging his gaze back up to hers while slowly licking it off his thumb.
The movement was lazy, casual, almost, but the eye contact absolutely wasn’t. Pink spread slowly across her face while her eyes widened just slightly, like she genuinely hadn’t expected that from him.
Chris noticed every second of it.
And fuck.
The sight nearly killed him.
But beneath the cocky amusement, his chest was pounding harder than it should’ve been, because for the first time… Jenn actually looked flustered by him. He was too damn smug about it.
Just as they finished eating, Jenn’s phone lit up in her lap. Chris barely glanced at it at first, but the second Jenn answered the call, something about her expression changed immediately.
“Hey…” Her voice came out lighter now, almost warm. Chris’s attention shifted toward her without meaning to. “Yes, it’s still working hours,” she laughed quietly. “I’m heading home soon.” A pause. “No, I am.” Another pause.
Chris felt something unpleasant settle in his chest immediately.
“I’m looking forward to it too,” she admitted softly. Another pause before she laughed again, this time quieter. “Yes, I love sushi.” Chris stared ahead at the park, irritation slowly crawling under his skin for reasons he absolutely did not want to unpack. “Alright,” Jenn said sweetly. “Bye.”
She ended the call a second later and looked ahead again, the faintest blush still lingering on her cheeks.
Chris didn’t wait.
“Who was that?”
Jenn looked toward him cautiously almost immediately, like she already knew where this was going. “You’re not going to lecture me again, are you?”
Chris frowned faintly. “Lecture you?”
Jenn hesitated for a second before answering. “I have another date tonight, after I talk with my father.”
And just like that, every bit of warmth sitting in Chris’s chest from the past hour disappeared.
Apparently, the universe enjoyed mocking him. One second, she’d been sitting beside him, smiling softly while eating street food for the first time and letting him calm her down in a café like they were something dangerously close to normal.
Next, she was blushing over another man on the phone. He had absolutely no right to feel possessive right now. She wasn’t his. Yet, jealousy flooded through him anyway. Now all he could think about was another man sitting across from her tonight instead of him.
“You know,” He fixed his expression quickly after that, forcing the irritation out of his face before she noticed too much. “You never actually told me why you’re suddenly so eager to find a boyfriend.”
Jenn looked over at him immediately. “A girl can’t date around?”
“You can,” Chris replied easily. Even though every part of him wished she wouldn’t. “I’m just saying… You never used to be like this.”
“Like what?”
“Going on dates constantly,” His eyes flicked toward her. “I always figured you were more of a relationship person,” He watched Jenn frown, before adding, “It just started all of a sudden.”
She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Maybe I’m trying something new.” She sighed, playing with her necklace. “And, plus, a girl's got needs.”
His head turned toward her so fast it almost looked violent. Almost immediately, unwanted images slammed into his mind before he could stop them.
Another man touching her. Fucking her. Hands on her waist. Her underneath someone else—
Chris’s jaw clenched hard.
Jenn’s eyes widened slightly, like she’d realized how that sounded. “No—wait—I didn’t mean sex specifically—” His shoulders loosened the slightest bit. “Although,” she added defensively, “I could if I wanted to.”
Chris looked away immediately before his expression betrayed him.
Because absolutely not.
His mind already hated the idea enough as it was.
“But that’s not what I meant,” Jenn continued quickly. “I just mean I’m tired of being single. I feel like everyone around me is either getting married or in relationships. Meanwhile, I spend ninety percent of my life working.”
Chris looked at her carefully then. Underneath the sarcasm and teasing, she actually sounded a little lonely. “You don’t need to get a boyfriend just because society expects you to,” he said gruffly. Hoping you steer her away from the notion.
Jenn smiled faintly. “You’re right.” Chris relaxed slightly. “Which is why I’ve been dating to find someone worth my time.” There went his peace again.
“Bella…” Chris exhaled quietly through his nose before rubbing a hand across his jaw. “You need to be careful. Men like that act sweet at first. Then they switch up later.”
Jenn stared at him for a second before narrowing her eyes slightly. “Is that why you decided to act like an ass the moment I met you?”
That pulled a reluctant smile from him instantly.
Touché.
“Someone had to keep your spoiled ass humble, Bella,” Chris said dryly as they continued walking down the sidewalk together. “Never take people’s actions at face value.”
The late afternoon breeze moved slightly through her hair. She was the most beautiful thing he's seen, even with all the flowers and beauty around them. If he could look at one thing for the rest of his life, it would be her.
Chris looked away, “I just figured honesty was better from the start.”
Lie. Chris hadn’t been honest about the fact that he’d wanted her for years. Wanted her in ways that crossed far past harmless teasing and banter. In ways that were nowhere near appropriate to say out loud.
Jenn frowned immediately beside him. “I’m not spoiled.”
Chris actually laughed at that. “Bella.”
“I’m serious.”
Chris looked down at her with open amusement. “Alright, pampered princess.”
“You called a hot dog unsanitary.” Chris shook his head, still smiling slightly, but something in Jenn’s expression shifted. “Nothing screams rich like that, Rosa.”
The teasing looked like it started getting under her skin faster than he realized.
“You know what?” she muttered, suddenly speeding up her pace down the sidewalk. “I was just starting to think you were an actual human being today, so thank you for reminding me you’re a dick.”
Chris blinked once before immediately catching up beside her with ease, thanks to his longer stride. “Oh come on, Bella.”
“No, seriously,” Jenn continued, now visibly annoyed. “You act like because I grew up with money, I somehow don’t understand real life.”
“I never said that.”
“You imply it constantly.”
Chris sighed quietly. “Jenn—”
“No, because every time I do something, you immediately act like I’m incapable of functioning because I didn’t grow up struggling.”
“That’s not what I’m saying.”
“Then what are you saying?” Jenn stopped walking abruptly, then, turning toward him fully. “Because honestly, Chris, sometimes it feels like you enjoy making me feel stupid.”
That wiped the amusement off his face instantly. Fuck, there he was, unintentionally hurting her. Again. “I’ve never thought you were stupid.”
A moment passed.
“I just…” She sighed, before she immediately looked irritated at herself for reacting. “You always make comments about me being spoiled or sheltered, like it’s a flaw.”
“Bella…” Chris’s expression softened a fraction then. “I don’t think you’re flawed. I think you grew up differently than I did. That’s all…” She still looked unconvinced.“...And for the record, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being taken care of.”
“You call me a pampered princess in every other conversation.”
“Yeah,” Chris admitted easily. “To tease you...” Jenn was still glaring like she was unimpressed, so after a small pause, Chris added more quietly, “...But if you genuinely don’t like it, I’ll stop.”
If it genuinely irked her, he won’t continue.
Jenn looked away first instead of answering, and the two of them fell into a quieter silence after that. Not awkward exactly. Just… not as light as before.
It took another fifteen minutes before Jenn’s luxury apartment building finally came into view. She stopped near the entrance and adjusted her bag on her shoulder before sighing softly.
“Bye.”
Chris smiled at her automatically, though it didn’t fully reach his eyes this time. “Stay safe, Bella.”
Only once she disappeared, he turned around and flagged down a cab. Might as well go back to work now that he’d cleared his entire afternoon for her. The thought almost made him laugh at himself.
By the time Chris made it back to his office building, he was back in the private elevator leading toward his office floor within minutes
His phone buzzed the second he walked into his office suite.
Chris loosened his tie slightly while glancing down at the screen at a missed call notification.
Richard Sienee.
From an hour ago.
The irony almost irritated him. While Richard had been calling, Chris had been sitting in a park feeding his daughter hot dogs and trying not to lose his mind every time she smiled at him.
“Christopher,” Richard answered on the first ring. “Busy day?”
Chris leaned back against his desk, one hand slipping into his pocket. “Something like that. I apologize, got caught up handling a few things.”
Your daughter, specifically.
“No issue at all,” Richard replied. “Though I did want to discuss something with you.”
Chris hummed once in acknowledgment.
“I know you already play a major role within the company,” Richard continued, “but I’d like you to personally oversee and close a deal for me.”
Chris suppressed the urge to sigh.
His schedule was already packed for the month.
Between COS Security’s expansion projects, international contracts, investor meetings, and internal restructuring, he barely had time to sleep lately.
“I’m not sure I can commit to another acquisition right now,” Chris admitted honestly. “This month’s already overloaded.”
“I know,” Richard said calmly. “But trust me when I say this is not one you’ll want to miss.”
Chris’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He pushed himself upright from the desk. “I’m listening.”
There was a brief pause on the other line before Richard answered.
“I want you to close the Armand Group deal.”
Chris went completely still.
The Armand deal. The exact deal Jenn had spent the entire afternoon panicking over. The same deal Richard had apparently promised her.
Chris’s jaw tightened immediately. She’d looked so relieved after finishing the proposition, and now Richard was asking him to take over.
A strange feeling twisted in his chest instantly.
“Sir,” Chris said carefully after a moment, “I was under the impression Jeneveive was leading the acquisition proposal.”
“I saw my daughter's email,” Richard sighed quietly on the other end. “She drafted it beautifully.”
Drafted.
Not closed.
Chris already hated where this conversation was heading.
This afternoon alone had shown him how desperately Jenn wanted this opportunity and how badly she needed her father to finally see her as capable enough. She’d spent the entire week stressing herself sick over that proposition just for the chance to prove herself.
“With all due respect, sir…” Chris exhaled slowly through his nose before speaking carefully. “I genuinely think Jenn should close it. I’m sure she did excellent work on the proposal, and honestly, my schedule’s overloaded right now.” That part at least wasn’t a lie. “I don’t know if taking over another international acquisition would be the best idea for me this month.”
Richard hummed quietly, unconvinced already.
“Christopher,” he said patiently, “you and I both know you’re one of the few people I trust to handle something at this level without issue.”
Chris rubbed a hand across his jaw. “Jeneieve is capable, too.”
“My daughter is intelligent,” Richard agreed immediately. “But intelligence alone doesn’t close deals like Armand.”
Chris’s jaw tightened.
Richard continued calmly, like he’d already thought this through a hundred times. “Armand is not a company we can afford to mishandle. This acquisition will affect shares internationally.” Chris stayed quiet. “She’s not ready for negotiations at that level yet,” Richard admitted. “Not alone.”
Something defensive rose in Chris immediately despite himself.
He thought she probably could do it.
Or at the very least deserved the chance to try.
Still, before he could argue again, Richard sighed softly into the phone. “I wouldn’t be asking if this weren’t important.” Richard rarely pulled that tone with him. “You know how much this company means to me, and frankly, Christopher, if this closes successfully, it affects both our futures. I need someone I know who can guarantee the outcome. Armand knows about your work. When I spoke with them, they were delighted to know you had a role in my company.”
Translation: they want you to do it.
Chris closed his eyes briefly.
If Richard were anyone else, they would have ended this debate the moment Chris refused the first time. Saying no to Richard had never come easily to him. The man had practically become family over the last decade. Richard had trusted him when almost nobody else had. Given him opportunities and backed his company early on.
Chris could already picture Jenn’s face when she found out.
The disappointment.
Maybe even betrayal.
Jenn had always cursed him for ruining her life, and he always laughed it off, but for the first time in a long time, he genuinely felt like the villain in her story.
“…Alright,” Chris said finally, the word feeling wrong the second it left his mouth. “Send me everything tonight, I’ll review it.”
ceyana’s note: i'm really excited about the next part. i love you, mwah <3
⤷ masterlist ⟶ previous scene
⤷ cw . . . slight mentions of sexual indication, jealousy, slight tension, and two idiots that are still in denial . . .
꒰ comment on this post to join series taglist ꒱
The lunch hour was usually the busiest part of Chris’s day. Most afternoons, he was either trapped in meetings with investors or locked away in his office with spreadsheets and contracts spread across his desk.
But on the rare occasions he managed to escape the chaos for an actual break, he’d come here. Partially because the coffee was decent.
Mostly because there was always the possibility he’d run into a certain woman who practically kept this café in business with her obsession over their cinnamon lattes. The place was crowded as usual and Chris scanned the room almost automatically.
Nothing.
His jaw shifted slightly in disappointment as he stepped toward the line.
Guess she wasn’t here today.
But just as he was about to pull out his phone while waiting to order, something familiar caught the corner of his eye.
Shiny hair, skin that looked way too soft not to touch, and glossy red lips.
There she was.
Tucked away in the far corner of the café, as if she were trying to disappear into her work. She was dressed in her usual office attire again, and nothing like the woman from the gala two weeks ago.
Ever since that night, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her in that dress. That deep maroon fabric against her skin had nearly ruined him. She’d looked unreal standing under those ballroom lights, like something too beautiful to touch directly.
Dancing with her had been actual torture. Every time she looked up at him with those huge eyes, every time her body shifted closer during the slow songs, he’d had to physically restrain himself from pulling her tighter against him. From dragging her somewhere private and finally finding out if she’d melt beneath him the way he imagined she would.
If she’d still look at him with that stubborn attitude after he kissed the breath out of her—
“Sir?”
Chris blinked hard, dragged violently out of his thoughts. The barista was staring at him expectantly. Right. He ordered a black coffee, completely forgetting the lunch he originally planned on ordering.
His attention drifted back toward Jenn almost instantly.
She still hadn’t noticed him.
Which told him immediately that something was wrong.
Her knee bounced aggressively beneath the table, way too aggressively. Her untouched latte sat beside her, while papers were scattered everywhere around her in uneven piles. Chris could tell she looked distressed. Spiraling stressed.
He knew that look.
Without even thinking about it, Chris glanced toward the pastry display near the register. “Add a cinnamon bun too,” he said suddenly. A few minutes later, he made his way across the café toward her corner.
Still no reaction or awareness that he was even there. Jenn muttered something under her breath before aggressively deleting an entire paragraph again.
“You’re glaring at that laptop like it personally offended you, Bella.”
Jenn’s head snapped up so fast it almost concerned him. Genuine panic flashed across her face before she quickly smoothed herself back into composure.
“What are you doing here, Chris?” she asked, trying for annoyance, though her voice still sounded tighter than usual. Chris pulled the chair across from her out calmly before sitting down, as he belonged there.
“Getting coffee.”
Jenn frowned immediately. “I can see that, but…” Her eyes flicked toward the seat he’d just taken. “Why are you sitting?”
He looked almost amused by the question. “Didn’t realize I needed permission.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly at that, though he caught the way her knee somehow started bouncing faster beneath the table. Chris slid the small pastry bag toward her, and his movement finally distracted her from the laptop.
The second she saw the cinnamon bun inside, something in her face softened automatically. She genuinely looked like she might smile. Then, almost immediately, she seemed to remember herself and straightened again.
“This is for…?” she asked slowly.
“You.”
“I know,” Jenn blinked once. “But why?”
Chris leaned back slightly in his chair, watching her carefully now. “Because,” he said simply, nodding toward the untouched latte beside her, “that coffee’s lid hasn’t even been open, and you look like you haven’t eaten since this morning.”
“I’ve eaten…” Jenn rolled her eyes, but there wasn’t much energy behind it this time. He knew she hadn’t. “I’m working.”
She was still bouncing her knee aggressively beneath the table. “What’s this for?” Chris nodded at her laptop. “What are you working on?”
Jenn hesitated for a second too long.
“My father’s closing a major acquisition deal,” she admitted quietly, finally leaning back in her chair like the weight of the past few hours was starting to catch up to her. “He told me if I finished the proposition myself, I’d get to lead the close.”
Chris studied her for a moment before nodding toward the laptop. “Can I see?”
Jenn hesitated briefly before finally turning the screen toward him.
Sienee & Armand International Contract Proposal
Chris’s brows lifted immediately, visible shock all over his face.
“Bella,” he said slowly, eyes scanning the page again. “This isn’t just a regular close.”
“No kidding.”
He leaned forward slightly, reading through more of the details while Jenn watched him nervously from across the table.
The Armand Group was one of the largest luxury development corporations in Europe—French-owned, old-money, and extremely selective about partnerships. They rarely collaborated with international companies.
Landing this acquisition would completely change Sienee Holdings internationally, and the percentage shares tied to whoever secured the final agreement were insane.
“Jenn, this deal is worth hundreds of millions.”
“I know.” She rubbed at her temple again. “Armand owns luxury residential properties all across France, Monaco, and parts of Italy, too. My father wants Sienee Holdings involved in the expansion before another American firm gets to them first.”
Chris listened carefully as she continued.
“If the acquisition goes through, both companies profit massively. Shared ownership, international expansion, development rights…” She exhaled slowly. “Whoever closes the deal gets a percentage of the shares and long-term benefits written into the contract.”
Now he understood why she looked ready to crawl out of her own skin. Successfully closing this deal will change her role in the company for the better.
“He said if I handle this well, he’ll finally start involving me in the bigger acquisitions,” Jenn said quietly, her eyes still fixed on the screen. “Like, actually involving me. Not just keeping me trapped on the marketing side of the company.”
Chris nodded slowly, watching her more than the laptop now. Jenn immediately slipped back into work mode after that, fingers moving rapidly across the keyboard again.
But Chris still noticed when she absentmindedly reached for the cinnamon bun and took a small bite. A ridiculous amount of satisfaction settled in his chest over something that simple.
At least she was eating now.
Then his eyes dropped to her hands.
Jenn was biting at one of her nails distractedly now, her brows pulled tightly together while she stared at a line on the screen like it personally offended her.
That caught his attention immediately because her nails were usually done perfectly with acrylics, today they were plain.
“Don’t do that.”
Jenn blinked before realizing he meant her nails. Before she could react, Chris reached across the table and gently pulled her hand away from her mouth.
“I just… I have to get this done,” she muttered defensively, pulling her hand back toward herself. “Because every time I look at this thing, I find another issue, and then I fix the issue, but then fixing it creates another issue, and now I hate the entire proposition because what if the structure sounds too aggressive? Or not aggressive enough? And if Armand thinks we’re underprepared, then my father’s going to pull me from the close, and if he pulls me—”
“Rosa.”
She kept going.
“And I know logically it’s probably fine, but what if it’s not actually fine and I just can’t tell anymore because I’ve been staring at this for—”
“Jenn.”
Her words cut off abruptly when Chris reached forward again, this time placing a steady hand lightly against her bouncing knee beneath the table. “Breathe.”
Jenn stared at him before rubbing at her forehead. “I just really need this to go well.”
Chris’s expression softened slightly at the genuine exhaustion in her voice. He glanced back toward the presentation before looking at her again.
“Do you want help?”
“What?”
“With the proposition. I can go over it,” he said, shrugging faintly like reviewing a multi-million dollar acquisition during his lunch break was a completely normal thing to offer. “You’re too in your head right now to look at it objectively.”
“Why?” Jenn stared at him immediately, suspicion written all over her face. “I’m pretty sure you’d enjoy watching me completely embarrass myself.”
That one landed harder than she realized.
Because the idea of Jenn thinking that genuinely made him feel sick. He spent most of his time wanting to challenge her, rile her up, and get reactions out of her. But seeing her defeated? Crying? Actually doubting herself like this?
Absolutely fucking not.
Still, he covered it quickly behind his usual dry amusement.
“Trust me,” he drawled, reaching for her laptop despite the immediate glare she sent him, “if I wanted to watch someone embarrass themselves, I’d just watch Matt trying to flirt at networking events.”
“Chris—” Jenn immediately tried pulling the laptop back toward herself, ignoring his jab at his brother. “I don’t need help.”
Chris ignored her entirely and smoothly turned the laptop more toward himself anyway while she huffed in annoyance across from him.
“You’re so controlling,” she muttered under her breath. “I hate you.”
“Mhm.”
Chris glanced briefly at the expensive watch around his wrist before suppressing a sigh.
Forty minutes left before he had to head back.
Enough time. Barely.
He loosened the cuffs of his dress shirt slightly before focusing properly on the screen now, his posture immediately shifting into work mode.
It was subtle, but Christopher Sturniolo approached business the same way he approached everything else in life—with precision.
His eyes scanned through the projections quickly, catching every detail with speed. Meanwhile, Jenn anxiously picked at her fingers again while trying not to look as nervous as she suddenly felt.
Chris hummed softly after another minute.
“This section’s too wordy.” Jenn frowned immediately as he pointed toward the paragraph. “Armand doesn’t care about pretty wording; they care about leverage and security.”
Jenn leaned closer despite herself while he continued reading. Chris continued talking about what part of the slides should come first and what her main focuses should be before saying, “The proposition itself is strong, Bella.”
“You really think so?”
Chris looked up from the screen then, expression calm and certain in a way that always made people believe him. “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.”
“Okay…” she murmured before pulling the laptop back toward herself. Something in her face softened slightly.
For the next half hour, the two of them worked through the proposition together. Somewhere along the way, Chris moved from sitting across from her to beside her instead. Jenn surprisingly stopped fighting him on every correction, too. Mostly. Despite the bickering, they worked well together. Annoyingly well.
By the time she reached the final slide, she actually looked confident again. Chris realized then that he liked seeing her like this far more than he liked getting reactions out of her. Beautiful.
“There,” Jenn finally sighed after typing the last correction. She leaned back in her chair and stared at the finished presentation for a second before letting out a small breath of relief. “Done.”
Chris glanced over the finalized proposal one last time before nodding approvingly. “Looks good, Bella.”
Jenn smiled then.
An actual smile.
His chest tightened strangely while he watched her begin gathering her papers together.
“You know,” she said while sliding her laptop into her bag, “I genuinely thought today was going to end with me throwing this computer into traffic.”
Chris huffed out a quiet laugh. “Still plenty of daylight left for that.”
Jenn rolled her eyes, but she was smiling again. “I’ll show my dad the final version tonight when I go to my parents’ place. Hopefully, he likes it.”
He will, Chris thought immediately.
He could sit here all afternoon just watching her exist and probably still want more time. Jenn stood first, slipping her work purse over her shoulder before finally looking down at him. “Thank you.”
The sincerity in her voice caught him slightly off guard.
Chris stood a second later. “Don’t sound so shocked that I’m useful.”
“You’re useful occasionally.”
“Careful. That almost sounded nice.”
Jenn scoffed softly before the two of them started toward the café exit together. Chris adjusted the sleeves of his dress shirt slightly while Jenn stepped beside him. “So where are you going now?” he asked casually.
“Home for now,” she answered. “I’m done for the day.” She exhaled softly like she still couldn’t believe it herself. “I’ll probably walk home to get some steps in.”
Chris nodded once as he’d already planned the same thing. “I’ll walk with you.”
Jenn looked at him suspiciously. “You’re voluntarily walking around New York during business hours? Are you not extremely busy on Tuesdays?”
Chris smirked faintly. “I was about to go for a walk anyway, not too busy today.”
Complete lie.
And while Jenn adjusted her bag and started down the sidewalk beside him, Chris casually pulled his phone from his pocket behind her line of sight and texted his assistant. Cancel the rest of my meetings this afternoon. Reschedule everything. His assistant responded almost immediately.
“You seem to be in unusually high spirits,” Chris said, sliding the phone away without missing a step beside her. Spending the rest of the afternoon with Jenn sounded significantly better than anything else on his schedule.
Normally, by now Jenn would’ve shoved him away, insulted him at least twice, or demanded he return to whatever overpriced office he crawled out of.
“I mean… yeah. I feel a little stress-free for once,” Chris listened quietly while they crossed the street together. “It’s been eating at me all week,” she admitted after a moment. “If my father finds someone better suited for the deal, he won’t hesitate to replace me.”
Chris’s jaw tightened slightly at that, unfortunately… she wasn’t wrong.
Richard Sienee loved his daughter. Chris knew that. But when it came to business, Richard trusted proven results more than emotion. And for years, Jenn had been underestimated in rooms she deserved to dominate.
Chris glanced down at her. “He’d be an idiot to pull you from this proposition.” Jenn gave him a skeptical look. “I mean it, Bella.” His voice softened slightly. “You’re a smart woman.”
The compliment came so naturally out of him that it almost surprised even himself. Chris could’ve sworn he saw the faintest flush spread across her cheeks before she hid it.
Cute.
His attention shifted toward a nearby street cart up ahead, steam curling into the air while people crowded around it during lunch hour. Chris nodded toward it casually. “You hungry?”
Jenn followed his gaze before immediately looking uncertain. “From a street cart?”
Chris raised a brow. “Yes. That’s generally how street carts work.”
“I’ve never actually had food from one.”
“Bella,” That made him stop walking for half a second, “you’ve lived in New York your entire life, and you’ve never had street food?”
“We have chefs.”
Chris let out a short laugh under his breath before gently catching her wrist and steering her toward the cart despite the immediate protest she sent him.
“Well, today’s your lucky day.”
“Chris—”
“Adnan,” Chris greeted casually once they reached the front. “Two hot dogs. Everything on them.” The older vendor immediately grinned in recognition. Chris always picked up food from this particular cart on cheat days.
“Chris…” Jenn stood beside him, looking deeply unsure while watching Adnan prepare the order at lightning speed. “If we wanted hot dogs, we literally could’ve had one of the chefs make them.”
Be so fucking for real.
“And that,” Chris turned to look at her fully then, completely unimpressed. “is exactly the problem. Hot dogs aren’t supposed to be luxury experiences.”
She looked horrified. “That sounds incredibly unsanitary.”
Chris laughed quietly at the genuine concern in her voice. “You are such a spoiled princess.”
Jenn gasped dramatically. “I am not spoiled.”
“Bella, you just suggested hiring a private chef to make a hot dog.”
“Because they’d make it properly.”
Chris took the foil tray from Adnan before handing one of the hot dogs toward her. “This is proper.”
Jenn eyed it cautiously, like it might attack her.
Chris watched her with open amusement now, suddenly realizing he’d pay an embarrassing amount of money to witness Jenn Sienee experience completely normal things for the first time.
He ended up walking her another few minutes toward a small park tucked between the crowded streets and towering buildings nearby.
Chris sat down first on one of the benches near the pathway, watching with amusement as Jenn paused before sitting. Of course, the first thing she did was dust the bench off carefully with her hand.
Chris took a massive bite out of his food without hesitation. Was it Unhealthy? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Every fucking time.
Meanwhile, Jenn was still inspecting hers like a scientist studying an unknown species.
“Just eat it, Bella.”
Jenn glanced at him, sniffed the hot dog first, making Chris chuckle softly Chris laugh, and finally took a small bite. Chris immediately looked over. “Well?”
Jenn chewed slowly, keeping her face suspiciously blank. “It’s alright.”
Chris stared at her for exactly two seconds before scoffing. If her face usually displayed no emotion after realizing that she was proven wrong, he just had to get it out of her.
“You mean you liked it?” Chris said. Jenn rolled her eyes dramatically before taking another bite anyway. Chris grinned victoriously beside her. “Ah, there it is.”
“It’s not that good.”
“You just took a bigger bite.”
Jenn turned toward him with an offended look, though he could see the amusement slipping through now. “Why are you monitoring my eating habits like a psychopath?”
“Because watching you experience normal people's food is entertaining.”
“I’ve had normal food before.” She looked away, staring ahead now. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“No, Bella. You’ve had five-star chef interpretations of normal food.”
Jenn tried not to smile again and failed slightly.
God, he loved getting those little reactions out of her. Jenn opened her mouth to say something else when Chris suddenly reached toward her. Her words stopped immediately.
His thumb brushed softly against the corner of her nose. Chris looked down briefly at the small streak of sauce he’d wiped away before, without really thinking about it, dragging his gaze back up to hers while slowly licking it off his thumb.
The movement was lazy, casual, almost, but the eye contact absolutely wasn’t. Pink spread slowly across her face while her eyes widened just slightly, like she genuinely hadn’t expected that from him.
Chris noticed every second of it.
And fuck.
The sight nearly killed him.
But beneath the cocky amusement, his chest was pounding harder than it should’ve been, because for the first time… Jenn actually looked flustered by him. He was too damn smug about it.
Just as they finished eating, Jenn’s phone lit up in her lap. Chris barely glanced at it at first, but the second Jenn answered the call, something about her expression changed immediately.
“Hey…” Her voice came out lighter now, almost warm. Chris’s attention shifted toward her without meaning to. “Yes, it’s still working hours,” she laughed quietly. “I’m heading home soon.” A pause. “No, I am.” Another pause.
Chris felt something unpleasant settle in his chest immediately.
“I’m looking forward to it too,” she admitted softly. Another pause before she laughed again, this time quieter. “Yes, I love sushi.” Chris stared ahead at the park, irritation slowly crawling under his skin for reasons he absolutely did not want to unpack. “Alright,” Jenn said sweetly. “Bye.”
She ended the call a second later and looked ahead again, the faintest blush still lingering on her cheeks.
Chris didn’t wait.
“Who was that?”
Jenn looked toward him cautiously almost immediately, like she already knew where this was going. “You’re not going to lecture me again, are you?”
Chris frowned faintly. “Lecture you?”
Jenn hesitated for a second before answering. “I have another date tonight, after I talk with my father.”
And just like that, every bit of warmth sitting in Chris’s chest from the past hour disappeared.
Apparently, the universe enjoyed mocking him. One second, she’d been sitting beside him, smiling softly while eating street food for the first time and letting him calm her down in a café like they were something dangerously close to normal.
Next, she was blushing over another man on the phone. He had absolutely no right to feel possessive right now. She wasn’t his. Yet, jealousy flooded through him anyway. Now all he could think about was another man sitting across from her tonight instead of him.
“You know,” He fixed his expression quickly after that, forcing the irritation out of his face before she noticed too much. “You never actually told me why you’re suddenly so eager to find a boyfriend.”
Jenn looked over at him immediately. “A girl can’t date around?”
“You can,” Chris replied easily. Even though every part of him wished she wouldn’t. “I’m just saying… You never used to be like this.”
“Like what?”
“Going on dates constantly,” His eyes flicked toward her. “I always figured you were more of a relationship person,” He watched Jenn frown, before adding, “It just started all of a sudden.”
She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Maybe I’m trying something new.” She sighed, playing with her necklace. “And, plus, a girl's got needs.”
His head turned toward her so fast it almost looked violent. Almost immediately, unwanted images slammed into his mind before he could stop them.
Another man touching her. Fucking her. Hands on her waist. Her underneath someone else—
Chris’s jaw clenched hard.
Jenn’s eyes widened slightly, like she’d realized how that sounded. “No—wait—I didn’t mean sex specifically—” His shoulders loosened the slightest bit. “Although,” she added defensively, “I could if I wanted to.”
Chris looked away immediately before his expression betrayed him.
Because absolutely not.
His mind already hated the idea enough as it was.
“But that’s not what I meant,” Jenn continued quickly. “I just mean I’m tired of being single. I feel like everyone around me is either getting married or in relationships. Meanwhile, I spend ninety percent of my life working.”
Chris looked at her carefully then. Underneath the sarcasm and teasing, she actually sounded a little lonely. “You don’t need to get a boyfriend just because society expects you to,” he said gruffly. Hoping you steer her away from the notion.
Jenn smiled faintly. “You’re right.” Chris relaxed slightly. “Which is why I’ve been dating to find someone worth my time.” There went his peace again.
“Bella…” Chris exhaled quietly through his nose before rubbing a hand across his jaw. “You need to be careful. Men like that act sweet at first. Then they switch up later.”
Jenn stared at him for a second before narrowing her eyes slightly. “Is that why you decided to act like an ass the moment I met you?”
That pulled a reluctant smile from him instantly.
Touché.
“Someone had to keep your spoiled ass humble, Bella,” Chris said dryly as they continued walking down the sidewalk together. “Never take people’s actions at face value.”
The late afternoon breeze moved slightly through her hair. She was the most beautiful thing he's seen, even with all the flowers and beauty around them. If he could look at one thing for the rest of his life, it would be her.
Chris looked away, “I just figured honesty was better from the start.”
Lie. Chris hadn’t been honest about the fact that he’d wanted her for years. Wanted her in ways that crossed far past harmless teasing and banter. In ways that were nowhere near appropriate to say out loud.
Jenn frowned immediately beside him. “I’m not spoiled.”
Chris actually laughed at that. “Bella.”
“I’m serious.”
Chris looked down at her with open amusement. “Alright, pampered princess.”
“You called a hot dog unsanitary.” Chris shook his head, still smiling slightly, but something in Jenn’s expression shifted. “Nothing screams rich like that, Rosa.”
The teasing looked like it started getting under her skin faster than he realized.
“You know what?” she muttered, suddenly speeding up her pace down the sidewalk. “I was just starting to think you were an actual human being today, so thank you for reminding me you’re a dick.”
Chris blinked once before immediately catching up beside her with ease, thanks to his longer stride. “Oh come on, Bella.”
“No, seriously,” Jenn continued, now visibly annoyed. “You act like because I grew up with money, I somehow don’t understand real life.”
“I never said that.”
“You imply it constantly.”
Chris sighed quietly. “Jenn—”
“No, because every time I do something, you immediately act like I’m incapable of functioning because I didn’t grow up struggling.”
“That’s not what I’m saying.”
“Then what are you saying?” Jenn stopped walking abruptly, then, turning toward him fully. “Because honestly, Chris, sometimes it feels like you enjoy making me feel stupid.”
That wiped the amusement off his face instantly. Fuck, there he was, unintentionally hurting her. Again. “I’ve never thought you were stupid.”
A moment passed.
“I just…” She sighed, before she immediately looked irritated at herself for reacting. “You always make comments about me being spoiled or sheltered, like it’s a flaw.”
“Bella…” Chris’s expression softened a fraction then. “I don’t think you’re flawed. I think you grew up differently than I did. That’s all…” She still looked unconvinced.“...And for the record, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being taken care of.”
“You call me a pampered princess in every other conversation.”
“Yeah,” Chris admitted easily. “To tease you...” Jenn was still glaring like she was unimpressed, so after a small pause, Chris added more quietly, “...But if you genuinely don’t like it, I’ll stop.”
If it genuinely irked her, he won’t continue.
Jenn looked away first instead of answering, and the two of them fell into a quieter silence after that. Not awkward exactly. Just… not as light as before.
It took another fifteen minutes before Jenn’s luxury apartment building finally came into view. She stopped near the entrance and adjusted her bag on her shoulder before sighing softly.
“Bye.”
Chris smiled at her automatically, though it didn’t fully reach his eyes this time. “Stay safe, Bella.”
Only once she disappeared, he turned around and flagged down a cab. Might as well go back to work now that he’d cleared his entire afternoon for her. The thought almost made him laugh at himself.
By the time Chris made it back to his office building, he was back in the private elevator leading toward his office floor within minutes
His phone buzzed the second he walked into his office suite.
Chris loosened his tie slightly while glancing down at the screen at a missed call notification.
Richard Sienee.
From an hour ago.
The irony almost irritated him. While Richard had been calling, Chris had been sitting in a park feeding his daughter hot dogs and trying not to lose his mind every time she smiled at him.
“Christopher,” Richard answered on the first ring. “Busy day?”
Chris leaned back against his desk, one hand slipping into his pocket. “Something like that. I apologize, got caught up handling a few things.”
Your daughter, specifically.
“No issue at all,” Richard replied. “Though I did want to discuss something with you.”
Chris hummed once in acknowledgment.
“I know you already play a major role within the company,” Richard continued, “but I’d like you to personally oversee and close a deal for me.”
Chris suppressed the urge to sigh.
His schedule was already packed for the month.
Between COS Security’s expansion projects, international contracts, investor meetings, and internal restructuring, he barely had time to sleep lately.
“I’m not sure I can commit to another acquisition right now,” Chris admitted honestly. “This month’s already overloaded.”
“I know,” Richard said calmly. “But trust me when I say this is not one you’ll want to miss.”
Chris’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He pushed himself upright from the desk. “I’m listening.”
There was a brief pause on the other line before Richard answered.
“I want you to close the Armand Group deal.”
Chris went completely still.
The Armand deal. The exact deal Jenn had spent the entire afternoon panicking over. The same deal Richard had apparently promised her.
Chris’s jaw tightened immediately. She’d looked so relieved after finishing the proposition, and now Richard was asking him to take over.
A strange feeling twisted in his chest instantly.
“Sir,” Chris said carefully after a moment, “I was under the impression Jeneveive was leading the acquisition proposal.”
“I saw my daughter's email,” Richard sighed quietly on the other end. “She drafted it beautifully.”
Drafted.
Not closed.
Chris already hated where this conversation was heading.
This afternoon alone had shown him how desperately Jenn wanted this opportunity and how badly she needed her father to finally see her as capable enough. She’d spent the entire week stressing herself sick over that proposition just for the chance to prove herself.
“With all due respect, sir…” Chris exhaled slowly through his nose before speaking carefully. “I genuinely think Jenn should close it. I’m sure she did excellent work on the proposal, and honestly, my schedule’s overloaded right now.” That part at least wasn’t a lie. “I don’t know if taking over another international acquisition would be the best idea for me this month.”
Richard hummed quietly, unconvinced already.
“Christopher,” he said patiently, “you and I both know you’re one of the few people I trust to handle something at this level without issue.”
Chris rubbed a hand across his jaw. “Jeneieve is capable, too.”
“My daughter is intelligent,” Richard agreed immediately. “But intelligence alone doesn’t close deals like Armand.”
Chris’s jaw tightened.
Richard continued calmly, like he’d already thought this through a hundred times. “Armand is not a company we can afford to mishandle. This acquisition will affect shares internationally.” Chris stayed quiet. “She’s not ready for negotiations at that level yet,” Richard admitted. “Not alone.”
Something defensive rose in Chris immediately despite himself.
He thought she probably could do it.
Or at the very least deserved the chance to try.
Still, before he could argue again, Richard sighed softly into the phone. “I wouldn’t be asking if this weren’t important.” Richard rarely pulled that tone with him. “You know how much this company means to me, and frankly, Christopher, if this closes successfully, it affects both our futures. I need someone I know who can guarantee the outcome. Armand knows about your work. When I spoke with them, they were delighted to know you had a role in my company.”
Translation: they want you to do it.
Chris closed his eyes briefly.
If Richard were anyone else, they would have ended this debate the moment Chris refused the first time. Saying no to Richard had never come easily to him. The man had practically become family over the last decade. Richard had trusted him when almost nobody else had. Given him opportunities and backed his company early on.
Chris could already picture Jenn’s face when she found out.
The disappointment.
Maybe even betrayal.
Jenn had always cursed him for ruining her life, and he always laughed it off, but for the first time in a long time, he genuinely felt like the villain in her story.
“…Alright,” Chris said finally, the word feeling wrong the second it left his mouth. “Send me everything tonight, I’ll review it.”
ceyana’s note: i'm really excited about the next part. i love you, mwah <3
⤷ masterlist ⟶ previous scene
⤷ cw . . . slight mentions of sexual indication, jealousy, slight tension, and two idiots that are still in denial . . .
꒰ comment on this post to join series taglist ꒱
The lunch hour was usually the busiest part of Chris’s day. Most afternoons, he was either trapped in meetings with investors or locked away in his office with spreadsheets and contracts spread across his desk.
But on the rare occasions he managed to escape the chaos for an actual break, he’d come here. Partially because the coffee was decent.
Mostly because there was always the possibility he’d run into a certain woman who practically kept this café in business with her obsession over their cinnamon lattes. The place was crowded as usual and Chris scanned the room almost automatically.
Nothing.
His jaw shifted slightly in disappointment as he stepped toward the line.
Guess she wasn’t here today.
But just as he was about to pull out his phone while waiting to order, something familiar caught the corner of his eye.
Shiny hair, skin that looked way too soft not to touch, and glossy red lips.
There she was.
Tucked away in the far corner of the café, as if she were trying to disappear into her work. She was dressed in her usual office attire again, and nothing like the woman from the gala two weeks ago.
Ever since that night, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her in that dress. That deep maroon fabric against her skin had nearly ruined him. She’d looked unreal standing under those ballroom lights, like something too beautiful to touch directly.
Dancing with her had been actual torture. Every time she looked up at him with those huge eyes, every time her body shifted closer during the slow songs, he’d had to physically restrain himself from pulling her tighter against him. From dragging her somewhere private and finally finding out if she’d melt beneath him the way he imagined she would.
If she’d still look at him with that stubborn attitude after he kissed the breath out of her—
“Sir?”
Chris blinked hard, dragged violently out of his thoughts. The barista was staring at him expectantly. Right. He ordered a black coffee, completely forgetting the lunch he originally planned on ordering.
His attention drifted back toward Jenn almost instantly.
She still hadn’t noticed him.
Which told him immediately that something was wrong.
Her knee bounced aggressively beneath the table, way too aggressively. Her untouched latte sat beside her, while papers were scattered everywhere around her in uneven piles. Chris could tell she looked distressed. Spiraling stressed.
He knew that look.
Without even thinking about it, Chris glanced toward the pastry display near the register. “Add a cinnamon bun too,” he said suddenly. A few minutes later, he made his way across the café toward her corner.
Still no reaction or awareness that he was even there. Jenn muttered something under her breath before aggressively deleting an entire paragraph again.
“You’re glaring at that laptop like it personally offended you, Bella.”
Jenn’s head snapped up so fast it almost concerned him. Genuine panic flashed across her face before she quickly smoothed herself back into composure.
“What are you doing here, Chris?” she asked, trying for annoyance, though her voice still sounded tighter than usual. Chris pulled the chair across from her out calmly before sitting down, as he belonged there.
“Getting coffee.”
Jenn frowned immediately. “I can see that, but…” Her eyes flicked toward the seat he’d just taken. “Why are you sitting?”
He looked almost amused by the question. “Didn’t realize I needed permission.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly at that, though he caught the way her knee somehow started bouncing faster beneath the table. Chris slid the small pastry bag toward her, and his movement finally distracted her from the laptop.
The second she saw the cinnamon bun inside, something in her face softened automatically. She genuinely looked like she might smile. Then, almost immediately, she seemed to remember herself and straightened again.
“This is for…?” she asked slowly.
“You.”
“I know,” Jenn blinked once. “But why?”
Chris leaned back slightly in his chair, watching her carefully now. “Because,” he said simply, nodding toward the untouched latte beside her, “that coffee’s lid hasn’t even been open, and you look like you haven’t eaten since this morning.”
“I’ve eaten…” Jenn rolled her eyes, but there wasn’t much energy behind it this time. He knew she hadn’t. “I’m working.”
She was still bouncing her knee aggressively beneath the table. “What’s this for?” Chris nodded at her laptop. “What are you working on?”
Jenn hesitated for a second too long.
“My father’s closing a major acquisition deal,” she admitted quietly, finally leaning back in her chair like the weight of the past few hours was starting to catch up to her. “He told me if I finished the proposition myself, I’d get to lead the close.”
Chris studied her for a moment before nodding toward the laptop. “Can I see?”
Jenn hesitated briefly before finally turning the screen toward him.
Sienee & Armand International Contract Proposal
Chris’s brows lifted immediately, visible shock all over his face.
“Bella,” he said slowly, eyes scanning the page again. “This isn’t just a regular close.”
“No kidding.”
He leaned forward slightly, reading through more of the details while Jenn watched him nervously from across the table.
The Armand Group was one of the largest luxury development corporations in Europe—French-owned, old-money, and extremely selective about partnerships. They rarely collaborated with international companies.
Landing this acquisition would completely change Sienee Holdings internationally, and the percentage shares tied to whoever secured the final agreement were insane.
“Jenn, this deal is worth hundreds of millions.”
“I know.” She rubbed at her temple again. “Armand owns luxury residential properties all across France, Monaco, and parts of Italy, too. My father wants Sienee Holdings involved in the expansion before another American firm gets to them first.”
Chris listened carefully as she continued.
“If the acquisition goes through, both companies profit massively. Shared ownership, international expansion, development rights…” She exhaled slowly. “Whoever closes the deal gets a percentage of the shares and long-term benefits written into the contract.”
Now he understood why she looked ready to crawl out of her own skin. Successfully closing this deal will change her role in the company for the better.
“He said if I handle this well, he’ll finally start involving me in the bigger acquisitions,” Jenn said quietly, her eyes still fixed on the screen. “Like, actually involving me. Not just keeping me trapped on the marketing side of the company.”
Chris nodded slowly, watching her more than the laptop now. Jenn immediately slipped back into work mode after that, fingers moving rapidly across the keyboard again.
But Chris still noticed when she absentmindedly reached for the cinnamon bun and took a small bite. A ridiculous amount of satisfaction settled in his chest over something that simple.
At least she was eating now.
Then his eyes dropped to her hands.
Jenn was biting at one of her nails distractedly now, her brows pulled tightly together while she stared at a line on the screen like it personally offended her.
That caught his attention immediately because her nails were usually done perfectly with acrylics, today they were plain.
“Don’t do that.”
Jenn blinked before realizing he meant her nails. Before she could react, Chris reached across the table and gently pulled her hand away from her mouth.
“I just… I have to get this done,” she muttered defensively, pulling her hand back toward herself. “Because every time I look at this thing, I find another issue, and then I fix the issue, but then fixing it creates another issue, and now I hate the entire proposition because what if the structure sounds too aggressive? Or not aggressive enough? And if Armand thinks we’re underprepared, then my father’s going to pull me from the close, and if he pulls me—”
“Rosa.”
She kept going.
“And I know logically it’s probably fine, but what if it’s not actually fine and I just can’t tell anymore because I’ve been staring at this for—”
“Jenn.”
Her words cut off abruptly when Chris reached forward again, this time placing a steady hand lightly against her bouncing knee beneath the table. “Breathe.”
Jenn stared at him before rubbing at her forehead. “I just really need this to go well.”
Chris’s expression softened slightly at the genuine exhaustion in her voice. He glanced back toward the presentation before looking at her again.
“Do you want help?”
“What?”
“With the proposition. I can go over it,” he said, shrugging faintly like reviewing a multi-million dollar acquisition during his lunch break was a completely normal thing to offer. “You’re too in your head right now to look at it objectively.”
“Why?” Jenn stared at him immediately, suspicion written all over her face. “I’m pretty sure you’d enjoy watching me completely embarrass myself.”
That one landed harder than she realized.
Because the idea of Jenn thinking that genuinely made him feel sick. He spent most of his time wanting to challenge her, rile her up, and get reactions out of her. But seeing her defeated? Crying? Actually doubting herself like this?
Absolutely fucking not.
Still, he covered it quickly behind his usual dry amusement.
“Trust me,” he drawled, reaching for her laptop despite the immediate glare she sent him, “if I wanted to watch someone embarrass themselves, I’d just watch Matt trying to flirt at networking events.”
“Chris—” Jenn immediately tried pulling the laptop back toward herself, ignoring his jab at his brother. “I don’t need help.”
Chris ignored her entirely and smoothly turned the laptop more toward himself anyway while she huffed in annoyance across from him.
“You’re so controlling,” she muttered under her breath. “I hate you.”
“Mhm.”
Chris glanced briefly at the expensive watch around his wrist before suppressing a sigh.
Forty minutes left before he had to head back.
Enough time. Barely.
He loosened the cuffs of his dress shirt slightly before focusing properly on the screen now, his posture immediately shifting into work mode.
It was subtle, but Christopher Sturniolo approached business the same way he approached everything else in life—with precision.
His eyes scanned through the projections quickly, catching every detail with speed. Meanwhile, Jenn anxiously picked at her fingers again while trying not to look as nervous as she suddenly felt.
Chris hummed softly after another minute.
“This section’s too wordy.” Jenn frowned immediately as he pointed toward the paragraph. “Armand doesn’t care about pretty wording; they care about leverage and security.”
Jenn leaned closer despite herself while he continued reading. Chris continued talking about what part of the slides should come first and what her main focuses should be before saying, “The proposition itself is strong, Bella.”
“You really think so?”
Chris looked up from the screen then, expression calm and certain in a way that always made people believe him. “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.”
“Okay…” she murmured before pulling the laptop back toward herself. Something in her face softened slightly.
For the next half hour, the two of them worked through the proposition together. Somewhere along the way, Chris moved from sitting across from her to beside her instead. Jenn surprisingly stopped fighting him on every correction, too. Mostly. Despite the bickering, they worked well together. Annoyingly well.
By the time she reached the final slide, she actually looked confident again. Chris realized then that he liked seeing her like this far more than he liked getting reactions out of her. Beautiful.
“There,” Jenn finally sighed after typing the last correction. She leaned back in her chair and stared at the finished presentation for a second before letting out a small breath of relief. “Done.”
Chris glanced over the finalized proposal one last time before nodding approvingly. “Looks good, Bella.”
Jenn smiled then.
An actual smile.
His chest tightened strangely while he watched her begin gathering her papers together.
“You know,” she said while sliding her laptop into her bag, “I genuinely thought today was going to end with me throwing this computer into traffic.”
Chris huffed out a quiet laugh. “Still plenty of daylight left for that.”
Jenn rolled her eyes, but she was smiling again. “I’ll show my dad the final version tonight when I go to my parents’ place. Hopefully, he likes it.”
He will, Chris thought immediately.
He could sit here all afternoon just watching her exist and probably still want more time. Jenn stood first, slipping her work purse over her shoulder before finally looking down at him. “Thank you.”
The sincerity in her voice caught him slightly off guard.
Chris stood a second later. “Don’t sound so shocked that I’m useful.”
“You’re useful occasionally.”
“Careful. That almost sounded nice.”
Jenn scoffed softly before the two of them started toward the café exit together. Chris adjusted the sleeves of his dress shirt slightly while Jenn stepped beside him. “So where are you going now?” he asked casually.
“Home for now,” she answered. “I’m done for the day.” She exhaled softly like she still couldn’t believe it herself. “I’ll probably walk home to get some steps in.”
Chris nodded once as he’d already planned the same thing. “I’ll walk with you.”
Jenn looked at him suspiciously. “You’re voluntarily walking around New York during business hours? Are you not extremely busy on Tuesdays?”
Chris smirked faintly. “I was about to go for a walk anyway, not too busy today.”
Complete lie.
And while Jenn adjusted her bag and started down the sidewalk beside him, Chris casually pulled his phone from his pocket behind her line of sight and texted his assistant. Cancel the rest of my meetings this afternoon. Reschedule everything. His assistant responded almost immediately.
“You seem to be in unusually high spirits,” Chris said, sliding the phone away without missing a step beside her. Spending the rest of the afternoon with Jenn sounded significantly better than anything else on his schedule.
Normally, by now Jenn would’ve shoved him away, insulted him at least twice, or demanded he return to whatever overpriced office he crawled out of.
“I mean… yeah. I feel a little stress-free for once,” Chris listened quietly while they crossed the street together. “It’s been eating at me all week,” she admitted after a moment. “If my father finds someone better suited for the deal, he won’t hesitate to replace me.”
Chris’s jaw tightened slightly at that, unfortunately… she wasn’t wrong.
Richard Sienee loved his daughter. Chris knew that. But when it came to business, Richard trusted proven results more than emotion. And for years, Jenn had been underestimated in rooms she deserved to dominate.
Chris glanced down at her. “He’d be an idiot to pull you from this proposition.” Jenn gave him a skeptical look. “I mean it, Bella.” His voice softened slightly. “You’re a smart woman.”
The compliment came so naturally out of him that it almost surprised even himself. Chris could’ve sworn he saw the faintest flush spread across her cheeks before she hid it.
Cute.
His attention shifted toward a nearby street cart up ahead, steam curling into the air while people crowded around it during lunch hour. Chris nodded toward it casually. “You hungry?”
Jenn followed his gaze before immediately looking uncertain. “From a street cart?”
Chris raised a brow. “Yes. That’s generally how street carts work.”
“I’ve never actually had food from one.”
“Bella,” That made him stop walking for half a second, “you’ve lived in New York your entire life, and you’ve never had street food?”
“We have chefs.”
Chris let out a short laugh under his breath before gently catching her wrist and steering her toward the cart despite the immediate protest she sent him.
“Well, today’s your lucky day.”
“Chris—”
“Adnan,” Chris greeted casually once they reached the front. “Two hot dogs. Everything on them.” The older vendor immediately grinned in recognition. Chris always picked up food from this particular cart on cheat days.
“Chris…” Jenn stood beside him, looking deeply unsure while watching Adnan prepare the order at lightning speed. “If we wanted hot dogs, we literally could’ve had one of the chefs make them.”
Be so fucking for real.
“And that,” Chris turned to look at her fully then, completely unimpressed. “is exactly the problem. Hot dogs aren’t supposed to be luxury experiences.”
She looked horrified. “That sounds incredibly unsanitary.”
Chris laughed quietly at the genuine concern in her voice. “You are such a spoiled princess.”
Jenn gasped dramatically. “I am not spoiled.”
“Bella, you just suggested hiring a private chef to make a hot dog.”
“Because they’d make it properly.”
Chris took the foil tray from Adnan before handing one of the hot dogs toward her. “This is proper.”
Jenn eyed it cautiously, like it might attack her.
Chris watched her with open amusement now, suddenly realizing he’d pay an embarrassing amount of money to witness Jenn Sienee experience completely normal things for the first time.
He ended up walking her another few minutes toward a small park tucked between the crowded streets and towering buildings nearby.
Chris sat down first on one of the benches near the pathway, watching with amusement as Jenn paused before sitting. Of course, the first thing she did was dust the bench off carefully with her hand.
Chris took a massive bite out of his food without hesitation. Was it Unhealthy? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Every fucking time.
Meanwhile, Jenn was still inspecting hers like a scientist studying an unknown species.
“Just eat it, Bella.”
Jenn glanced at him, sniffed the hot dog first, making Chris chuckle softly Chris laugh, and finally took a small bite. Chris immediately looked over. “Well?”
Jenn chewed slowly, keeping her face suspiciously blank. “It’s alright.”
Chris stared at her for exactly two seconds before scoffing. If her face usually displayed no emotion after realizing that she was proven wrong, he just had to get it out of her.
“You mean you liked it?” Chris said. Jenn rolled her eyes dramatically before taking another bite anyway. Chris grinned victoriously beside her. “Ah, there it is.”
“It’s not that good.”
“You just took a bigger bite.”
Jenn turned toward him with an offended look, though he could see the amusement slipping through now. “Why are you monitoring my eating habits like a psychopath?”
“Because watching you experience normal people's food is entertaining.”
“I’ve had normal food before.” She looked away, staring ahead now. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“No, Bella. You’ve had five-star chef interpretations of normal food.”
Jenn tried not to smile again and failed slightly.
God, he loved getting those little reactions out of her. Jenn opened her mouth to say something else when Chris suddenly reached toward her. Her words stopped immediately.
His thumb brushed softly against the corner of her nose. Chris looked down briefly at the small streak of sauce he’d wiped away before, without really thinking about it, dragging his gaze back up to hers while slowly licking it off his thumb.
The movement was lazy, casual, almost, but the eye contact absolutely wasn’t. Pink spread slowly across her face while her eyes widened just slightly, like she genuinely hadn’t expected that from him.
Chris noticed every second of it.
And fuck.
The sight nearly killed him.
But beneath the cocky amusement, his chest was pounding harder than it should’ve been, because for the first time… Jenn actually looked flustered by him. He was too damn smug about it.
Just as they finished eating, Jenn’s phone lit up in her lap. Chris barely glanced at it at first, but the second Jenn answered the call, something about her expression changed immediately.
“Hey…” Her voice came out lighter now, almost warm. Chris’s attention shifted toward her without meaning to. “Yes, it’s still working hours,” she laughed quietly. “I’m heading home soon.” A pause. “No, I am.” Another pause.
Chris felt something unpleasant settle in his chest immediately.
“I’m looking forward to it too,” she admitted softly. Another pause before she laughed again, this time quieter. “Yes, I love sushi.” Chris stared ahead at the park, irritation slowly crawling under his skin for reasons he absolutely did not want to unpack. “Alright,” Jenn said sweetly. “Bye.”
She ended the call a second later and looked ahead again, the faintest blush still lingering on her cheeks.
Chris didn’t wait.
“Who was that?”
Jenn looked toward him cautiously almost immediately, like she already knew where this was going. “You’re not going to lecture me again, are you?”
Chris frowned faintly. “Lecture you?”
Jenn hesitated for a second before answering. “I have another date tonight, after I talk with my father.”
And just like that, every bit of warmth sitting in Chris’s chest from the past hour disappeared.
Apparently, the universe enjoyed mocking him. One second, she’d been sitting beside him, smiling softly while eating street food for the first time and letting him calm her down in a café like they were something dangerously close to normal.
Next, she was blushing over another man on the phone. He had absolutely no right to feel possessive right now. She wasn’t his. Yet, jealousy flooded through him anyway. Now all he could think about was another man sitting across from her tonight instead of him.
“You know,” He fixed his expression quickly after that, forcing the irritation out of his face before she noticed too much. “You never actually told me why you’re suddenly so eager to find a boyfriend.”
Jenn looked over at him immediately. “A girl can’t date around?”
“You can,” Chris replied easily. Even though every part of him wished she wouldn’t. “I’m just saying… You never used to be like this.”
“Like what?”
“Going on dates constantly,” His eyes flicked toward her. “I always figured you were more of a relationship person,” He watched Jenn frown, before adding, “It just started all of a sudden.”
She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Maybe I’m trying something new.” She sighed, playing with her necklace. “And, plus, a girl's got needs.”
His head turned toward her so fast it almost looked violent. Almost immediately, unwanted images slammed into his mind before he could stop them.
Another man touching her. Fucking her. Hands on her waist. Her underneath someone else—
Chris’s jaw clenched hard.
Jenn’s eyes widened slightly, like she’d realized how that sounded. “No—wait—I didn’t mean sex specifically—” His shoulders loosened the slightest bit. “Although,” she added defensively, “I could if I wanted to.”
Chris looked away immediately before his expression betrayed him.
Because absolutely not.
His mind already hated the idea enough as it was.
“But that’s not what I meant,” Jenn continued quickly. “I just mean I’m tired of being single. I feel like everyone around me is either getting married or in relationships. Meanwhile, I spend ninety percent of my life working.”
Chris looked at her carefully then. Underneath the sarcasm and teasing, she actually sounded a little lonely. “You don’t need to get a boyfriend just because society expects you to,” he said gruffly. Hoping you steer her away from the notion.
Jenn smiled faintly. “You’re right.” Chris relaxed slightly. “Which is why I’ve been dating to find someone worth my time.” There went his peace again.
“Bella…” Chris exhaled quietly through his nose before rubbing a hand across his jaw. “You need to be careful. Men like that act sweet at first. Then they switch up later.”
Jenn stared at him for a second before narrowing her eyes slightly. “Is that why you decided to act like an ass the moment I met you?”
That pulled a reluctant smile from him instantly.
Touché.
“Someone had to keep your spoiled ass humble, Bella,” Chris said dryly as they continued walking down the sidewalk together. “Never take people’s actions at face value.”
The late afternoon breeze moved slightly through her hair. She was the most beautiful thing he's seen, even with all the flowers and beauty around them. If he could look at one thing for the rest of his life, it would be her.
Chris looked away, “I just figured honesty was better from the start.”
Lie. Chris hadn’t been honest about the fact that he’d wanted her for years. Wanted her in ways that crossed far past harmless teasing and banter. In ways that were nowhere near appropriate to say out loud.
Jenn frowned immediately beside him. “I’m not spoiled.”
Chris actually laughed at that. “Bella.”
“I’m serious.”
Chris looked down at her with open amusement. “Alright, pampered princess.”
“You called a hot dog unsanitary.” Chris shook his head, still smiling slightly, but something in Jenn’s expression shifted. “Nothing screams rich like that, Rosa.”
The teasing looked like it started getting under her skin faster than he realized.
“You know what?” she muttered, suddenly speeding up her pace down the sidewalk. “I was just starting to think you were an actual human being today, so thank you for reminding me you’re a dick.”
Chris blinked once before immediately catching up beside her with ease, thanks to his longer stride. “Oh come on, Bella.”
“No, seriously,” Jenn continued, now visibly annoyed. “You act like because I grew up with money, I somehow don’t understand real life.”
“I never said that.”
“You imply it constantly.”
Chris sighed quietly. “Jenn—”
“No, because every time I do something, you immediately act like I’m incapable of functioning because I didn’t grow up struggling.”
“That’s not what I’m saying.”
“Then what are you saying?” Jenn stopped walking abruptly, then, turning toward him fully. “Because honestly, Chris, sometimes it feels like you enjoy making me feel stupid.”
That wiped the amusement off his face instantly. Fuck, there he was, unintentionally hurting her. Again. “I’ve never thought you were stupid.”
A moment passed.
“I just…” She sighed, before she immediately looked irritated at herself for reacting. “You always make comments about me being spoiled or sheltered, like it’s a flaw.”
“Bella…” Chris’s expression softened a fraction then. “I don’t think you’re flawed. I think you grew up differently than I did. That’s all…” She still looked unconvinced.“...And for the record, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being taken care of.”
“You call me a pampered princess in every other conversation.”
“Yeah,” Chris admitted easily. “To tease you...” Jenn was still glaring like she was unimpressed, so after a small pause, Chris added more quietly, “...But if you genuinely don’t like it, I’ll stop.”
If it genuinely irked her, he won’t continue.
Jenn looked away first instead of answering, and the two of them fell into a quieter silence after that. Not awkward exactly. Just… not as light as before.
It took another fifteen minutes before Jenn’s luxury apartment building finally came into view. She stopped near the entrance and adjusted her bag on her shoulder before sighing softly.
“Bye.”
Chris smiled at her automatically, though it didn’t fully reach his eyes this time. “Stay safe, Bella.”
Only once she disappeared, he turned around and flagged down a cab. Might as well go back to work now that he’d cleared his entire afternoon for her. The thought almost made him laugh at himself.
By the time Chris made it back to his office building, he was back in the private elevator leading toward his office floor within minutes
His phone buzzed the second he walked into his office suite.
Chris loosened his tie slightly while glancing down at the screen at a missed call notification.
Richard Sienee.
From an hour ago.
The irony almost irritated him. While Richard had been calling, Chris had been sitting in a park feeding his daughter hot dogs and trying not to lose his mind every time she smiled at him.
“Christopher,” Richard answered on the first ring. “Busy day?”
Chris leaned back against his desk, one hand slipping into his pocket. “Something like that. I apologize, got caught up handling a few things.”
Your daughter, specifically.
“No issue at all,” Richard replied. “Though I did want to discuss something with you.”
Chris hummed once in acknowledgment.
“I know you already play a major role within the company,” Richard continued, “but I’d like you to personally oversee and close a deal for me.”
Chris suppressed the urge to sigh.
His schedule was already packed for the month.
Between COS Security’s expansion projects, international contracts, investor meetings, and internal restructuring, he barely had time to sleep lately.
“I’m not sure I can commit to another acquisition right now,” Chris admitted honestly. “This month’s already overloaded.”
“I know,” Richard said calmly. “But trust me when I say this is not one you’ll want to miss.”
Chris’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He pushed himself upright from the desk. “I’m listening.”
There was a brief pause on the other line before Richard answered.
“I want you to close the Armand Group deal.”
Chris went completely still.
The Armand deal. The exact deal Jenn had spent the entire afternoon panicking over. The same deal Richard had apparently promised her.
Chris’s jaw tightened immediately. She’d looked so relieved after finishing the proposition, and now Richard was asking him to take over.
A strange feeling twisted in his chest instantly.
“Sir,” Chris said carefully after a moment, “I was under the impression Jeneveive was leading the acquisition proposal.”
“I saw my daughter's email,” Richard sighed quietly on the other end. “She drafted it beautifully.”
Drafted.
Not closed.
Chris already hated where this conversation was heading.
This afternoon alone had shown him how desperately Jenn wanted this opportunity and how badly she needed her father to finally see her as capable enough. She’d spent the entire week stressing herself sick over that proposition just for the chance to prove herself.
“With all due respect, sir…” Chris exhaled slowly through his nose before speaking carefully. “I genuinely think Jenn should close it. I’m sure she did excellent work on the proposal, and honestly, my schedule’s overloaded right now.” That part at least wasn’t a lie. “I don’t know if taking over another international acquisition would be the best idea for me this month.”
Richard hummed quietly, unconvinced already.
“Christopher,” he said patiently, “you and I both know you’re one of the few people I trust to handle something at this level without issue.”
Chris rubbed a hand across his jaw. “Jeneieve is capable, too.”
“My daughter is intelligent,” Richard agreed immediately. “But intelligence alone doesn’t close deals like Armand.”
Chris’s jaw tightened.
Richard continued calmly, like he’d already thought this through a hundred times. “Armand is not a company we can afford to mishandle. This acquisition will affect shares internationally.” Chris stayed quiet. “She’s not ready for negotiations at that level yet,” Richard admitted. “Not alone.”
Something defensive rose in Chris immediately despite himself.
He thought she probably could do it.
Or at the very least deserved the chance to try.
Still, before he could argue again, Richard sighed softly into the phone. “I wouldn’t be asking if this weren’t important.” Richard rarely pulled that tone with him. “You know how much this company means to me, and frankly, Christopher, if this closes successfully, it affects both our futures. I need someone I know who can guarantee the outcome. Armand knows about your work. When I spoke with them, they were delighted to know you had a role in my company.”
Translation: they want you to do it.
Chris closed his eyes briefly.
If Richard were anyone else, they would have ended this debate the moment Chris refused the first time. Saying no to Richard had never come easily to him. The man had practically become family over the last decade. Richard had trusted him when almost nobody else had. Given him opportunities and backed his company early on.
Chris could already picture Jenn’s face when she found out.
The disappointment.
Maybe even betrayal.
Jenn had always cursed him for ruining her life, and he always laughed it off, but for the first time in a long time, he genuinely felt like the villain in her story.
“…Alright,” Chris said finally, the word feeling wrong the second it left his mouth. “Send me everything tonight, I’ll review it.”
ceyana’s note: i'm really excited about the next part. i love you, mwah <3
so does chris not date but he has a lot of hookups??
he does not do casual hook-ups anymore. what I meant was that he stopped having hookups because it didn't feel right after he realized he only wanted a certain woman. he's been lowkey celibate for a few years now, but definitely not inexperienced !! he's had a lot of fun in college and in his early to mid twenties !! <33
not a question, just wanted to give you your flowers. i’ve been a (mostly) silent admirer of you writing for about a year now (since contract) and just want to say, seeing your writing progress in real time has been so enjoyable and im glad you came back for another series. hope all is well, i’m excited to see what story you choose to tell us this time around <33
thank you so much luv :( your a real on for being here since contract (that ride was a whole year ago?!) i'm so happy you saw my writing improve, because i could see it too !! even if your a silent admirer in so glad my stuff can make your day a bit better <33 i hope you enjoy my new series, and i'm excited to have you all meet jenn and chris 💕 mwahh
i just got sent ittt !!! i’m like in such awe 😭 thank you so much you guys… i love celeste and matt so much. i feel like lust was my most successful fic and i can’t even believe how much love it’s gotten !! thank you to @/m6ttss on tiktok, this is beautiful mwah 🫶🏻
heyy girlll quick request but could you possibly add the number of words on your chapters again?? no problem if not!! xx
(also lmk if you still want that storytime about that one guy ill gladly spill it out for you 😋😋)
yesss i would still love the story 💓 i'll be what i can do for the word count, but honestly idk just because i don't want to change the layout again... sorry :( BUTT i will say all those scenes will be 2k-5k words at most <33
idk if your doing asks for jenn and chris but have either of them ever been in a relationship? i love this new serious, your absolutely cooking
ofc i'm doing asks for them !!! chris has been in 2 proper relationships before the age of 25, he's 30 now. he hasn't dated ever since he came to a certain realization hehe :) jenn has had 1 boyfriend before, when she was around 23, she's 26 now. she's been on dates, but none of them have lasted more than a month !! :>
