🤍 Jessica's POV 🤍
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ChHoBeFBx
As the page finishes loading, my gaze snags on the photograph beneath it, and everything else fades into static.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8MKDlCgqM
My breath hitches.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoZBpi4iRv
"Holy Jezebel," I whisper.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjH0vEYbhxG
Roman Valentus.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDte6F0Pjx
The man staring back at me isn't just handsome. He is dangerous.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNb4ecxrRI
The kind of handsome that doesn't just turn heads—it stops time. He looks like a Greek god sculpted by someone with a vendetta against mortal men.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYU7gcPaYh
His jet-black hair is thick and slightly tousled, framing his face in a way that makes him look so powerful and untamed.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0yyfy9Ft3R
That's bad.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhveun99ijs
His eyes are like midnight—so dark, yet sexy and alluring.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpxgLfDVjB
Oh God, this is bad bad.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcSC99zz5w
Thick, arched brows sit majestically on top, and his jawline is so sharp and defined it could literally cut glass.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJenIROgurV
He looks like a man who never begs or wavers. He only takes.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV38Wi6Pppd
And I'm staring. Like an idiot.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWRi5tlr0p
I feel something tingle between my thighs and mentally curse myself for being so affected by this man, who looks like a potential Casanova. Cause look at him!
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijSk5pUK0U
Footsteps coming down snap me out of my trance. Rachel walks into the bakery, tying her hair into a messy bun as she heads straight for the fridge.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcTn2NJtd9
"Please tell me there's still some..."
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SPFszGmfa
She stops mid-sentence. I feel, more than see, her head snap toward me, and I don't even have to look to know her eyes have landed on the laptop screen.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVomZLqC6t7
"Whoa..."
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7g7Rq4gfZ
I stiffen as she comes closer and leans over my shoulder.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsBMu8tBRl
"Who is this fine-ass hercules?"
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqHkegRGsG
Oh, boy.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugUNqyO6J6
"No one." I immediately move to close the tab, but Rachel is quicker.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRPikJlQoa
She snatches my hand from the mouse. "Not so fast, bitch. I need to see this"
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0wmlKhYd0
I roll my eyes.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwNKIMpNed
She lets out a sound that's somewhere between a gasp and a whimper.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUi5dJKL9F
"Roman Valentus. Oh my God. He's such a sexy creature! Bet he's really big down—"
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7Cwc9yQ89
I grit my teeth. "Aht aht. Enough, you horny-ass woman."
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJA6uL1V9x
"Are you sure he's human?" She licks her lips, eyes still glued to the screen. "Look at that face. That jaw. Those eyes! He looks like—like a vampire king who lures women into his castle just to ruin them"
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zKr65BSxT
"Yep." I agree, honestly, before I can stop myself.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKDm7kjo6i
"Right?!"
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjodukKunX
I fix myself, leaning back in my chair casually. "No. You're being dramatic."
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLcTcRfZa4
Rachel tears her gaze from the screen and gapes at me like I've personally offended her.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMdeHIRINA
"Dramatic? Jessica, do you need to see an optician? The man could eat me for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I wouldn't be satisfied."
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNhXHq4Eyr
Oh God. I can't with this girl.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1cIWgyNFO
I force a shrug. "Eh. He's okay. Just not my cup of tea. You've been reading too many romance novels."
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzugJnDpg5J
She fake-gasps, clutching her chest like I've just insulted her entire bloodline.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiQCubeSZl
"You're lying. Take that back!"
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorTtxM34on
I grab my drink, avoiding her gaze. "I'm serious. He's fine, sure. But he just has that... broody, cold CEO look. Nothing special."
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolkL1KrkaY
"Nothing special? That's it. You're definitely lying."
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyjngFSa8j
Yes, I am. But who's gonna check me?
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3oZiIBQL5
I shrug in an *I-don't-care* manner, as if my heart hadn't just done a triple axel over a single photograph.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lKLN0dsoO
As she keeps gushing—something about how he probably 'ruins lives for fun'—I find my eyes drifting back to the screen, to those piercing midnight eyes that make my legs weak.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhh7B8muoRX
God. Those big, strong, veiny hands.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOlxc7Qg8T
Maybe she's right. Maybe Roman Valentus is ruinously, unfairly beautiful.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWy6CFolS5S
The kind that should come with a fucking warning label.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFf958uSgs
But there's no way in hell I'm going to admit it. Or show it.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2QNV1NBUD
Rachel yanks open the fridge, her head disappearing inside.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWGpuRMfnq
"What brought you there, anyway?" she asks, rummaging through the fridge.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpromYOg1WV
"They have a job opening for marketers," I reply, skidding right back to the job listing page before those eyes arrest me again.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMnxPKOSMs
Rachel emerges with a bottle of iced lemonade, her lips curling into a mischievous smirk.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8cAUqdjxA
"So you get to work for Mr. Please fuck-my-ass, you lucky gal"
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLnvsbh6n3
I shoot her a look. "Language, sissy! And no. I haven't even applied yet."
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1q0ZHqfAS
She arches a perfectly sculpted brow, her expression dripping with disbelief.
"Um... And why the hell not?"
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXejXLfQ2W
I lean back in my chair, letting out a long sigh.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkm4tarDVRc
"Because it's Valentus Technologies, Rachel. They're a global empire. My chances of getting hired are somewhere between 'snowball in hell' and 'winning the lottery.'"
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTPDb2bhTm
"What's with all this pessimistic talk? How do you know you won't get in if you don't even try?"
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpGy7QkTGY
I chuckle, raising my hands in mock surrender. "Alright, fine. I'll apply. Happy?"
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTeA83EFwC
That seems to satisfy her. Her grin widens, and she leans down to press a quick kiss to my cheek.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIkt1RYsrr
"Ecstatic!"
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQM3zgKnwY
With that, she saunters back upstairs, her messy bun loosening.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoYXXn2EQg
Yeah. Not applying.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEu3Cvy34FG
I sigh, close my laptop, and stretch my arms above my head. Just as I reach for my phone, the soft chime of the doorbell rings, pulling me back into work mode.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyO0758xoe7
Instinctively, I straighten my apron, plaster on my best customer-service smile, and turn to greet the new customer.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dm7xhTDjR
The man who walks in looks to be in his early thirties, short, and dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans. He has a phone pressed to his ear, speaking rapidly in Bulgarian.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKm2gnTtT3
My smile widens instinctively.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuakYVG5mo7
A fellow Bulgarian? That's rare around here.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4kxkSRd1S
Is this pride I feel in my chest?
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOKFydw19K
But then I catch the words spilling out of his mouth. And my smile wavers.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4o8uG5GF0
"Te toku-shto se nanesokha, a tya izglezhda kato edin ot onezi mrŭsni bogatashi. Mislya, che moga da vzema dopŭlnitelni $5000 ot neya za prozortsite. Mislish li, che shte go kupi?"
They just moved in, and she looks like one of those filthy rich ones. I think I can get an extra $5000 from her for the windows. Think she'll buy it?
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWHcljrZ9O
My stomach twists.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlY2qabAyrK
Five thousand dollars?!
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dUnCYZZLt
This man is sick. A full-blown con artist!
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1S9LYAr3b2
That's more than some people make in a month. And he's scheming to squeeze it out of someone just because they look 'filthy rich.'
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24YYNCDevd
The hell is wrong with people these days?
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQv9Nq9k6cR
He lets out a low laugh, wrapping up his call with a casual, "Chao, choveche." Bye, man.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQGUehm3KJ
'Chao, choveche' my ass, you bloody swindler.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJxBv9gZ7g
I exhale slowly, forcing my smile back on as he approaches the counter, pretending I haven't heard a wink of him plotting daylight robbery.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZuMdfZCVk
"Hi. What can I get you?" I ask, my voice sweet as maple syrup.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18c4ittHL6
I fix his order, hand it over, and watch as he leaves, my eyes tracking his every move through the window.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVzNYgr0Zz
He crosses the street and enters one of the residential houses—the one that's been empty for months.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuayiDQrqh6
Seconds later, a moving truck rumbles past, pulling away from the curb.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpY35BaNC0
Someone just moved in.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWyX99MWyQ
I'm guessing they're the unlucky ones about to get swindled by this scumbag.
150Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcILC0YZ1tk
Looks like I've got new neighbors to say hello to.
ns18.191.167.79da2
