CHAPTER 161. Dates, Sweat, and...Growing that small branch was easy from the moment it carried the name Nexa Sport Representation. Soon, the offices began to fill up, athletes started coming in, and they began securing contracts with the country’s top advertising agencies. Andrea managed the overall organization, while Zack focused on training the team of sports agents. He would pick up Adriana every morning to take her to daycare, and every night, he had to muster an enormous amount of willpower to pull himself away from Andrea’s lips and return to his mother’s house. “Have you heard anything from Loan?” she asked him worriedly almost a week after their return from Paris. “Just what we already knew: he didn’t find Danna in her city and kept searching. The girl’s mother practically sicced the dogs on him, but he’s not giving up,” Zack murmured. “I hope he finds her soon,” Andrea said, feeling sad and worried for him. Zack saw her sigh. They were going through tough times, but h

CHAPTER 162. … Disappointments“I’ll call Milo to bring Adriana back,” he murmured, pressing close to Andrea at the front door, and she shivered from his warmth. He sent the message, then leaned in to kiss her with that undying need. “God, one of these days I’m going to spontaneously combust at your front door!” he sighed, finally pressing her against the wood and lifting her skirt to caress the skin of her thighs. A second later, he received a reply, but this time it wasn’t from Milo. “Oh oh!” Zack said, showing her the message from Luana. “*These aren’t hours to put a baby on the road! Irresponsible! We’re all asleep! So don’t even knock, because we won’t open the door!*” Andrea almost choked with laughter because the poor guy had been locked out, and she opened the door to her house. “I have a couch you can sleep on,” she offered, and he bit his lip before nodding. They entered, and she pointed to the bedroom. “I’ll get some blankets for you,” she said, but as soon as she

CHAPTER 163. As I Was Saying…Just five minutes—only five minutes—after Zack left that building, Andrea felt a rage she hadn't experienced in a long time. Especially because when she looked at her watch, she realized Zack had been disappearing from the company around that time for the past few days. She hadn’t paid much attention before since he was never one to sit behind a desk—he was always on the move. But seeing this now, it all started to make sense.She didn’t even go to the office. Instead, she turned around and went home to try and calm down. When Zack arrived that afternoon with Adriana, she didn’t greet him with a kiss.“What were you doing with Giselle today in a downtown building?” she asked, straight to the point, and Zack’s eyes widened.He knew she wasn’t one to beat around the bush, but he immediately denied it.“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Andrea,” he said, looking her straight in the eyes, and she clenched her fists.“I saw you, Zack! I saw you today!

CHAPTER 164. Ready to come back“Mrs. Brand, from what I can see, you might need as much therapy as your husband,” the doctor stated. “How about you stay and finish the session?”Andrea swallowed, but the doctor seemed so respectable that she didn’t dare contradict her.“Well… sure, I can stay.”“Perfect, but please leave the weapon at the door,” the doctor said, pointing at the umbrella, and Andrea dropped it immediately.“Yes, of course… Sorry about that. I’ll stay then.”She hung the umbrella and her coat on the rack, then sat next to Zack, who had already sat up to make space for her.Andrea glanced at him from the corner of her eye, and he just took her hand, kissed the back of it, and then placed it on his forehead before bursting into laughter.What was supposed to be an individual session turned into a couples therapy session, at least for that day. As Andrea listened to Zack talk, she couldn’t help but feel her heart fill with calm, knowing that he was finally letting go of a

CHAPTER 165. Hold on tightZack closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he felt Andrea’s fingers tracing each of the tattoos on his back, and every hair on his body stood on end when those fingers were replaced by her mouth. “You don’t want me to go to work today, do you?” he murmured, turning around to trap her in his arms. He lifted her onto the kitchen counter and slid between her legs in a possessive gesture. “Well, your boss is skipping office hours today and giving you the day off to do whatever you want,” Andrea said against his mouth. “In that case, I think there’s something very special I want to do with my boss,” he smiled.Having an "exciting" breakfast was just the first part of that day. Later, Zack asked her to put on warm clothes, and after dropping off the baby with her grandparents, who were spoiling her way too much, he took Andrea to one of his favorite places in the city. “Don’t look down, don’t look down!” Andrea murmured as they rode up in the cable car, c

CHAPTER 166. An Official BlessingThe flirting lasted beyond the decision and everything that followed. The truth was, whatever they did, it didn’t matter as long as they were together. In the end, Zack postponed his return to competition indefinitely and preferred to turn Adriana into the next world champion. Andrea nearly fainted with love at the sight of those tiny skis, and she was sure that as soon as the baby took her first step, she would immediately send her down the mountain.Life was good, life was beautiful, and for several months, they finally found the rhythm they needed. The dates turned into a relationship, and living together made them a stronger couple until one day, Zack’s shout pulled Andrea out of bed. “Cupcakeeeee! Hurryyyyyy! Hurry or you’ll miss it!” Andrea practically flew down the banister, freshly awake with her hair tousled, and when she reached the bottom, Zack was teary-eyed as he watched Adriana balancing on her tiny feet without holding onto anything.

CHAPTER 167. the other optionHe had to come up with something impressive, something beautiful, because his father was right—this would be his last marriage proposal, and it had to be perfect.So Zack rented the same cabin where they had stayed over Christmas, the place where they had spent some wonderful days together. He made all the necessary arrangements to set the perfect scene, knowing Andrea would love the memories they had there, especially the relaxed and romantic atmosphere.Once everything was ready, he left Adriana with her grandparents and stopped by a florist. His anticipation and nervousness were mixed with excitement as he wrote a note for Andrea. There was something incredibly sexy about inviting her out of town, and sending the invitation with a dozen red roses made it even better.He was so anxious that he almost followed the delivery guy to the house, but instead, he held firm and went to the office to tie up loose ends, ensuring neither of them would have to retur

CHAPTER 168. Not TogetherAnxious didn’t even begin to describe how she felt. She was about to give up and head back to the city to find him when she finally saw the lights of his truck parking nearby and Zack walking through the door, his hair disheveled from running his hands through it and an obviously disturbed expression on his face.“Zack! Babe, what happened?” Andrea asked, frightened, running to hug him.He held her tighter than ever and then took a deep breath before looking into her eyes.“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I don’t have good news,” he murmured.“Why? What are you talking about?” she asked.Zack looked around, and a frustrated growl escaped from his chest.“Tonight, I planned to ask you to be my wife,” he said with a sigh.Andrea was stunned, not knowing what to say. Zack smiled sadly, approached her, and kissed her cheek.“But I can’t do that anymore, Andrea. I can’t marry you.”She felt her legs go weak and had to lean against a nearby piece of furniture to keep from c

CHAPTER 169. How could this happen?!“I don't know anything! I swear, I don't know anything!” At that hour, Dr. Flynn was desperately sipping tea, shaking her head under Andrea's intense gaze. “I don't even do that! I don't record sessions with my patients because... well, some of them are important, you know, public figures. So I just got used to taking notes instead.”Andrea frowned. Zack had a copy of the recordings that Giselle had sent him, so it wasn’t a lie that they’d been recorded. “Has anyone else had access to your office since you started seeing Zack?” she asked. Dr. Flynn immediately shook her head. “No, no one new.” She tilted her head in doubt. “Well, except for the cleaning crew, but they come every week to clean. I don’t know them personally; they’re contracted by the building, and I never really paid attention to them until now.”Andrea stood up slowly and began pacing the room, mumbling unintelligibly. Dr. Flynn watched her closely; the worry on her face was a

CHAPTER 170. Ready for the show?Andrea sighed and shook her head. “Not for now. Giselle is meddling in our lives, threatening our family in a way we have to stop,” she explained. “That’s the priority, keeping us safe before thinking about anything else.” Chiara frowned, irritated. “I’m really sorry, Andrea. Giselle isn’t the only one responsible for all this; in the end, it was Noémi and I who brought her to this country, and we shouldn’t have.” She sighed. “But I’m not going to let her manipulate your lives like this, so if you’ll let me, I’m here to help.” Andrea smiled slightly and stepped aside to let her in. “Coffee?” After that, the conversation was brief, and the decisions were final. “Just so you know, I’m doing this for you and only for you,” Chiara murmured, pulling out a card. “Because this is a major surrender of my pride.” She sighed and dialed the number, and as soon as she heard that voice, she had to sit down. “Jhon? It’s Chiara... Yes, I know I said I wouldn