Chapter 139 I've lost
June
I exhale deeply, shifting uncomfortably in the chair. My palms are damp, knees brushing together under the desk as if I could hide the tremor in them.
Natalya rises from her seat, her heels clicking lightly against the marble floor. She walks toward me—graceful, elegant, terrifying—and places her manicured hands on my shoulders.
"I get it," she says softly. "Hermes is handsome. He’s kind. But he’s also a playboy—a full-time one."
Her tone is almost pitying, like she’s consoling a foolish little girl.
My throat tightens. I swallow hard, unsure what to say, unsure what to believe.
Hermes had changed. I’d seen it—felt it. The way he looked at me, the way he said things he didn’t mean to say. The man I saw these past weeks wasn’t a playboy. But maybe I’m just another fool on a list of women who thought the same.
Natalya sighs, staring at her nails as she sits on the edge of her desk, legs crossed. "There are so many places I bet he’s taken you that I already know," she continues, voice smooth, deliberate. "Because it’s a pattern. He does it to every girl he wants to fuck."
Her words stab deep, cold and clean.
Then she leans closer, lowering her voice to a whisper that feels like venom. "Do you know he’s never told a girl he loves them?"
A smirk curls on her lips as if she’s enjoying this.
But my heart… my heart stupidly sparks with hope.
Because he did. Hermes told me he loved me. He took long, he hesitated, but he said it. And I believed him. God, I still do.
"Look, June." Natalya lifts her gaze, her expression suddenly softening again. She reaches out, her fingers tilting my chin up. "I like you, which is why I’m not angry that you’re in love with my husband."
My jaw tightens before I can stop it. The word slips out before I even think.
"Fiancé," I mutter.
Her hand freezes. The air in the room stills.
"What did you say?" Natalya asks, her smile strained—thin and trembling at the edges.
I can hear my pulse in my ears. I should apologize, stay quiet, play the harmless intern she expects me to be. But my mouth, my stupid defiant mouth, moves again before I can stop it.
"Mr. Grande is not yet your husband," I say quietly, my voice trembling but steady enough to be heard. "And he told me he loves me—and I trust him."
My fingers twist tight into the fabric of my skirt. I can feel the pulse in my wrist, the warmth of my skin turning cold.
Natalya just… stares.
Her perfectly shaped brows lift, her mouth parting slightly, like I’d just spoken a language she’d never heard before. I brace myself—half expecting a slap, a scream, something.
But instead, the air breaks with laughter.
Not the kind that comes from amusement. This one’s sharp, manic, echoing around the office like it doesn’t belong to a human being.
My head snaps toward her. Natalya is laughing—actually laughing—clutching her stomach, her expression twisted with disbelief.
My lips tremble. I can feel my confidence shriveling under the sound.
"He told you he loves you?" she asks between laughter, like the words themselves are a punchline.
I bite the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste blood. I don’t want to respond. I don’t want to give her more to laugh at.
I start to rise, desperate to escape this room, but her hand shoots out—pinning me back to the chair. Her laughter dies instantly.
When I look up, her face has changed. The warmth is gone. What’s left is pure, simmering anger.
"If he loves you that much," Natalya says, voice low and trembling with fury, "then why the fuck is he getting married to me?"
Her head tilts to the side, eyes narrowing, as if she’s genuinely curious about the answer.
But I have none.
My throat locks. My lips part, but nothing comes out.
Because she’s right.
Why is he getting married to her?
I never asked. Never demanded an explanation. I just… trusted him. Believed every soft word, every promise that came out of his mouth.
I drop my gaze to my lap. The tears sting at the corner of my eyes.
What a fool I am.
Natalya’s smile softens into something pitiful as she reaches out and cups my face. "Honey," she says gently, "you’re still a child trapped in our complex world. A world you don’t belong to."
Her touch feels like poison dressed in silk.
"Hermes might not love me," she continues, "but he’s getting married to me for the rest of his life because I have something to offer him. You, on the other hand…" Her eyes drop down, scanning me from head to toe, "you have nothing to offer."
The words pierce straight through me. I try to hold the tears in, try to keep my chin high, but my throat burns. She’s right, isn’t she? I have nothing.
I’m just an intern. A girl with no power. No legacy. Nothing that ties Hermes to me except my foolish heart.
Maybe it was always like this. Maybe Hermes and Natalya were promised to each other, bound by family and business and things bigger than love. Things I’ll never understand.
Natalya turns away, walking back to her chair with effortless grace. "This company," she says as she sits down, crossing her legs, "you might not know this, but it’s on the verge of slipping out of the Grandes’ hands."
She picks up her tablet, her tone sharpening. "And I—an almost-Grande—am trying to save it." Her gaze lifts to me again, cold, assessing. "June, you’re just a fling Hermes is using to pass time. I’m sorry, but that’s the truth."
The words ring in my head like a slap I didn’t see coming.
Just a fling.
Just something temporary.
I can’t breathe.
My chest tightens, and before I know it, I’m already on my feet. "I... I... need to le–ave," I stammer, my voice breaking between sobs.
Natalya hums as if nothing happened, picking up her tablet again. "Well," she says lightly, "you have thirty minutes before we check out the gala venue. Your position as my secretary still stands, though—if that gives you any comfort."
I turn away before she can see the tears falling. Because right now, nothing gives me comfort. Not even Hermes’s words.
Not anymore.
As I step out of Natalya’s office, the world feels smaller—colder. My legs move on their own, but my chest feels heavy, like someone’s pressing a hand over my heart.
Then I see Hermes striding down the hallway toward me, his expression unreadable, his steps purposeful. The moment our eyes meet, everything in me tightens. We stop inches apart, breathing the same air, yet it feels like miles of silence separate us.
My throat burns. I can still hear Natalya’s voice echoing in my head, her words slicing through everything I believed in.
I sniff hard, anger and heartbreak mixing like poison in my veins. That’s it. I give up. I can’t do this anymore.
He notices my tear-stained face immediately—his lips tremble, his eyes searching mine as he takes a small step forward. "What did Natalya do to you?" he demands, voice low, tense. His hand lifts as if to touch me, but I step back instinctively, creating a wide, intentional gap between us.
"Mr. Grande," I say quietly, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.
I see the confusion flash across his face, then anger—pure, protective anger–I guess, as he turns sharply, about to barge into Natalya’s office.
Before he can, I move fast, blocking his way. "Miss Voss is not in her office, Mr. Grande," I lie quickly, my voice barely steady.
I can feel eyes on us—employees passing by, pretending not to notice but seeing everything. If he goes in there, if anyone catches this—whatever this is—it’ll destroy me.
He looks at me, confusion shifting to something deeper. "June—"
"It’s Miss Alexander," I cut in, forcing the words past the lump in my throat. My voice sounds strange, formal, like it doesn’t even belong to me.
I bite my lip hard, fighting the tears that won’t stop threatening to fall. "I want to quit, Mr. Grande."
His eyes widen. Shock flickers in them, then pain. For a moment, I almost see the man who kissed me, the man who said he loved me. But it’s gone too fast, because I don't know if this man truly loves me.
I drop my gaze, whispering to myself, "I’ve lost."
The air around me feels colder, thinner—like I’m drowning in a frozen river, reaching for someone who’s no longer there.
And Hermes... he just stands there, silent, watching me fall apart piece by piece.
Hi readers! Author here. I'm really sorry for the one-chapter daily update. I'm still recuperating.
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