Cole’s mouth parted slightly. Words failed him.

Elliana stepped closer, her voice rising with every word. “You’re knocked out, sleeping like a baby, and I’m wide awake, fighting the urge to pounce on you! What do you think happens if I lose control, huh? What if I mess up and ruin your precious boundaries?”

Cole stood frozen, completely thrown off by her outburst.

Neither of them realized the lounge door was wide open, and her words echoed loud and clear into the outer office.

In the outer office, the slightly open door gave Myles, Aron, and Hugh front-row seats to the drama.

Myles fiddled with his tie, clearly uncomfortable.

Aron looked like he might pass out from embarrassment, his face bright red.

Hugh rubbed his ears like he could wipe the words out of his memory. Then, he crouched down and whispered, “Oh man… I did not need to hear that.”

Back in the lounge, Elliana was still locked onto Cole, her hands on her hips, completely unaware of the audience.

Cole finally broke into laughter. His whole body shook with it. Then, still chuckling, he tossed aside the covers, walked over, and wrapped his arms gently around her. Pulling her close, he whispered in her ear, “Babe, you can do whatever you want with me. Anytime you want. No need to stress yourself out.”

Elliana let out a dramatic sigh and turned her face away, clearly not ready to let him off the hook.

Cole just smiled, moved to her other side, and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Okay, okay, my fault. Don’t be mad, alright?” But Elliana held on to her pout, arms still crossed.

Cole wasn’t giving up. He kept whispering sweet apologies, and when she least expected it, he popped a mango candy into her mouth. She tried to resist, but the taste got her. A small smile crept onto her lips.

Frst ?en n : gν?

Cole let out a long breath. Thank God. One emotional rant from Elliana, and he was toast. She could be warm and affectionate when she wanted—but when she got fired up, she was fire and fury. And strangely enough, he kind of loved that about her. Even after her rant, he felt amazing, like he was on cloud nine. Newlyweds, right? They fought like thunder and made up like sunshine. A few minutes later, they were back to snuggling, sharing quiet kisses and smiles.

By the time work hours rolled in, Cole settled at his computer, focused on emails and reports. Elliana lay sprawled on the sofa, casually scrolling through her phone. After a few minutes, she looked up and said, “I’m thinking of paying a little visit to the AI Research and Development Department.”

“What for?” Cole asked, glancing up from his screen.

Elliana didn’t skip a beat. “That jerk Lance keeps giving me the stink eye. I’m going to put him in his place.”

Cole chuckled. “Go get him, tiger.”

Grinning, Elliana bounced over, planted a quick kiss on his cheek, and chirped, “Catch ya later, Coley!”

Before he could respond, she was out the door. He sat there, frozen, the warmth from her kiss lingering on his cheek like a spark he didn’t want to lose. He stared at the now-empty couch, feeling an odd hollowness settle in his chest. They hadn’t even been married a full month, but somehow, she had become his gravity, pulling him in, steadying him, and changing everything. He hadn’t planned on falling for someone until she showed up—fierce, funny, impossible not to love. He was completely smitten.

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