The Sweetest Temptation
Chapter 285: Break in

Chapter 285: Break in

Stella walked into her bathroom, staring hard at her solemn reflection. She’d spent several minutes in tears as she pondered the possibilities that laid ahead regarding her relationship with Matteo.

Either option was not going to give her a good ending, the odds were well against her and there was nothing she could do about it except choose the less devastating one—to be labelled a fraud before him.

Her now bloodshot eyes was the evidence of her last rites of what had now become an almost blossoming bond between them. She did not know a heartbreak could hurt this bad, and now, she had a deep sated respect for the ones that managed to get back on their feet and move on.

A fresh bout of tears trickled down her cheeks, against her will. She righted the neck part of her black turtleneck top, making sure to conceal the fairness of her neck, in order to avoid being spotted in the dark. And then, she adjusted the black scarf around her face.

Staring at her reflection once again, she looked very much the part—a burglar, a thief, she wasn’t sure which one it was, and she did not care to know.

All she knew was she now hated her very existence, and the fact that there was still some flicker of hope that something would change along the way, was the only reason why she had not just ended her life.

I’m sorry, Matteo. I love you so much, but I can’t bear it. I have to do this.

Having finalized her thought, she wiped the last streak of tears that had formed on her cheeks. Snatching her phone and doublechecking the sounds, she made sure that everything had been placed on silent.

Her plan was simple, she would make her way back to Quinn company, entry would be seamless—hopefully. She would tell the security personnel on duty, that she was Matteo’s personal secretary, and show her card if necessary. And then she would tell him her reason for being at the office, which is to get some document information for some tasks that the boss required by tomorrow, making it pretty urgent.

Once she’d gained access, she would go through his records and make the transfer to her account and be on her way.

Simple as it seemed, she could not shake the eerie feeling of an unwanted obstacle ruining her plan. With a determined sigh, she reaffirmed herself. There was no backing out of the mission, no matter what. The consequence was far too great to ponder.

With that, she cracked open the door to her apartment building and poked her head into the dark, narrowing her eyes to adjust to the dark street.

The night was sure suited for the task. With everywhere dark, and her only source of light being one working streetlight, and another, flickering a few distances away, it added to the eerie feelings of anxiety that threatened to make her back out.

She slipped out the door, taking care to observe her surroundings one last time, before launching stealthily down the stairs.

Here goes nothing.

Stella’s steps echoed through the dimly lit alley that stretched ahead, a shadowed corridor leading to the distant highway.

As she passed beneath the only working streetlight, an icy breath of wind grazed her exposed neck, a shiver coursing through her despite the layers of black clothing that enshrouded her. An eerie sense of awareness prickled her skin, akin to stumbling upon a coiled serpent at eye level.

Time seemed to pause, chaining her feet to the pavement against her will. Her pulse quickened, a dance of terror and the primal urge to flee sending tremors deep into her bones.

A stifled chattering of teeth reverberated within her tightly clenched mouth, a futile attempt to drown out the heightened state of her senses. Then, cutting through the chilling silence, a car door creaked open followed by a muffled slam, and hurried footfalls closed in on her.

An expletive-laden thought reverberated through her mind like an alarm bell ringing incessantly. Panic gripped her, a wild stallion running rampant within her veins.

The world seemed to contract, her body at odds with itself, trapped between fight and flight. In the depths of her being, a desperate plea resonated like a mantra.

Shit! Shit!! Shit!!! Shit!!!! Shit!!!!!

Summoning every ounce of her will, Stella willed herself to take slow, deliberate breaths, quelling the tremors that threatened to overthrow her resolve. With painstaking determination, she focused her thoughts on the simple act of moving her index finger. The sensation, a flicker of control, spread like wildfire through her paralyzed limbs.

And then, like a gunshot in the night, she broke free. Muscles strained, heart pounding like a war drum, she surged forward. The alleyway blurred into a streak of shadows as she hurtled through the darkness.

*****

Gaining access to the office proved a more formidable challenge than Stella had foreseen. The security guard’s suspicious gaze had followed her every step, questioning her motives. Persuading them that her errand was discreet, born out of a desire to spare her boss any undue inconvenience, had been an uphill battle. After weaving a tale of minor forgetfulness and the fear of tarnishing her professional reputation, she managed to slip through their scrutiny.

Now inside the building, a new obstacle loomed—the security cameras. Each step felt like a chess move, carefully calculated to avoid detection. The elevator doors closed, cocooning her in a reflective silence. As the lift ascended, her thoughts raced.

Her mind was a whirlwind of calculations and conclusions. If Matteo was indeed monitoring the security footage, he would have intercepted her by now, preventing her from approaching his office. Yet, nearly a quarter-hour had passed since she embarked on this covert mission, and there was no sign of his intervention.

She pondered his potential absence, remembering the fatigue etched on his features when he had visited her desk earlier. A faint smile curved her lips at the memory of his endearing gestures. The sweetness of his actions had been like a reassuring embrace, a testament to his genuine affection.

Despite the tension of her current situation, a sense of warmth enveloped her. As much as she liked the idea of labelling their relationship with a term, ’dating’, Stella was content with the uncharted territory they navigated.

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