e Herr

ut. The punishment wasn't physical, not in the way I remembered from that one time, but it was brutal nonetheless. He stripped me of every remaining professional tie, every last shred of my

y," he stated, his eyes devoid of emotion. "You will stay

ing the air from my lungs. I stood there, silent, numb, watching him dismantle my

meetings, stayed by my side, feeding me soup, wiping my brow. He' d held my hand, murmuring reassurances, his touch gentle, his eye

ulative intern. And I was just an inconv

he floor rushed up to meet me. I felt a faint, fleeting sense of Axel' s hurried foo

was kneeling beside me, a glass of water in his hand. His

sked, his voice softer than it h

my body aching. "I'm fine," I mumbled,

e. She's young. This business is cutthroat. I need to protect her." His apology felt hollow, a formality,

barely a whisper. "What abou

ouise. You always have been. You can handle it." He st

ugh escaping me. "For lying? For framing me? For wearin

e. She's learning. There's no need to be vindictive." He

isoning her! And you believed her! You destroyed my career based on

ling instantly. "You're being irrational. This is precisely w

ir, damning and final. My anger,

ing. "Get out of my sight, Axel

ehind him. The silence was deafening, suffocating. I wrapped my arms around myself, the

resolve settled deep within me. I would not cry f

his eyes scanning me with a strange, unreadable expression. He' d offer a half-hearted, "Are you doing better, Elouise?" But before I co

easily manipulated, so blind in his need to control and protect. But the p

hter. Then, hushed whispers. Then, unmistakable sounds. Sounds of intimacy. So

wasn't just a project. It wasn't just an intern.

t just broken my heart; he had obliterated it. There was nothing left but dust. And in that dus