Stepping into his office, Carlos felt the weight of the morning bearing down on him. His shirt clung to his back, still damp with sweat from the mad dash he'd made to the office. He could feel his pulse in his throat, the remnants of adrenaline still coursing through his veins. His breathing was heavy, but what greeted him inside made his chest tighten even further.Alisha and Tommy stood by his desk, their faces tight with impatience. Alisha’s arms were crossed, her eyes boring into him, while Tommy leaned casually against the desk, but his relaxed posture didn’t fool Carlos. His gaze was sharp, waiting.Carlos felt the walls closing in. The air in the office suddenly felt stifling, suffocating. He swallowed hard, forcing a weak smile as he tried to ease the tension.“Morning,” he said awkwardly, running a hand through his damp hair. "What brings you two in here so early?"He knew exactly why they were here. He could see it in their faces, feel it in the way the atmosphere bristled wi

'A FEW HOURS LATER'Carlos's eyes snapped to the door as a sudden knock broke the calm of his office. The day was winding down, and he was just about to finish up. Seated at his desk, the stack of paperwork in front of him had started to blur, but now, his focus sharpened. The knock wasn’t just unexpected; it carried a weight that cut through his end of day exhaustion. When he looked up, there was Toby, standing at the entrance with a lopsided grin, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.Without waiting for an invitation, Toby sauntered in, closing the door behind him with a soft thud. His movements were fluid, casual, like a man with nowhere to be, and yet, there was an urgency to his presence. He approached Carlos's desk, hopped up onto it with a light tap of his shoes against the wood, and folded his arms, eyeing Carlos as if he knew something Carlos didn’t."I heard about what happened this morning," Toby said, his tone carrying much concern. "Alisha?— and Tommy from HR, huh? This guys

As Carlos walked across the dimly lit parking lot toward the restaurant, he could feel his pulse quicken with each step. He had come this far, no backing down now. The faint scent of Abby’s perfume drifted into his memory, the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed, and how her touch always had a way of grounding him, no matter how chaotic things got.Carlos stopped just before the entrance, pausing for a moment to collect himself. This is it, Carlos. You’re here. There’s no turning back now. He adjusted his shirt again, rubbing his palms together as he psyched himself up. His mind drifted back to all the little moments that had led him here— the first time they met, their long late night talks, the way she made him feel like the best version of himself. He couldn’t afford to let the fear or doubts win tonight.He looked down at the small velvet box tucked in his jacket pocket. His fingers brushed against it, and a wave of nervous energy surged through him. “It’s just a question,” he m

As Carlos drove down the dark road, his mind couldn’t shake the nagging feeling from earlier. Something was off. His grip tightened around the steering wheel, and he kept glancing in the rearview mirror as if he was expecting someone to be following him. But the road behind him was empty, and the night around him was still.He sighed, trying to relax. Maybe it was just the high from the proposal that was still messing with his head. Tonight had been perfect. He and Abby were officially engaged, something he had been dreaming of for a long time. But with her father in the mix... well, Senator Harvey was known to play dirty. Still, Abby had assured him that she could handle her father, and he trusted her. Right?Just as Carlos began to ease his foot off the gas, the roar of an engine came out of nowhere, slicing through the stillness of the night. His heart skipped a beat as a pair of bright headlights appeared in his rearview mirror, closing in fast. His stomach clenched. The lights we

The tension in the office had grown palpable since the fight between Carlos and Cedric. The aftermath left the law firm buzzing with rumors, hushed whispers filling every corner as people speculated about the outcome. And as expected, the HR department was pulled into the fray.Carlos, still recovering from his injuries, was unable to attend the judgment meeting. The firm’s partners, Alisha and Derek, along with Tommy, Lilly and a few others from HR, gathered to determine what action should be taken against Cedric. It was clear that something had to be done, but the outcome would surprise many.-------------------------The HR meeting had begun, but the tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Alisha sat at the head of the table, her back straight and her expression cold as ice. She glanced around the conference room, noting the familiar faces of Tommy from HR and Derek, her fellow senior partner, who sat across from her with a hardened expression. Alisha had already