Page 146 of Code of Heart

Three weeks of relentless planning and sleepless nights were finally about to pay off. Levi couldn’t stop smiling at his reflection as he ran a hand through his hair, making the final adjustments.

The past few weeks replayed like his favorite victory montage, each memory sweeter than the last.

The employee walkout was staged by Martin Strasburg and had been far bigger than anyone anticipated. What started as a symbolic protest turned into a full-scale exodus. Entire departments followed suit, crippling Neuronix from the inside out. But it was the IT department’s grand finale that stole the show. Martin’s call two weeks ago had been the highlight of Levi’s year.

“No one should ever experience this level of workplace chaos,” Martin had laughed, “but damn, was it satisfying. You should have seen Wilkerson’s face when we all quit at the same time. He looked ready to wet himself. My only regret is not sticking around long enough to watch him realize we’d disabled everything—internally and for every customer too.”

Levi couldn’t stop laughing when he told the story to his friends. When the news broke later that evening, they’d all gathered at Aurelia’s house for an impromptu watch party, celebrating with a mix of champagne and pure, unfiltered satisfaction.

The media called it “the most epic mass resignation in corporate history.”

And every time Levi thought about it, he smiled even wider.

After one last glance in the mirror, he left the bathroom, smoothing his sage green sweater over his dark jeans. Today was a big day, but he and Aurelia had agreed there was no need for suits or pretense. This wasn’t about impressing anyone. This was about reclaiming what was his.

She was already in the kitchen waiting for him.

A vision in a soft violet sweater dress and brown leggings, her freshly colored signature rainbow highlights catching the light like streaks of spun glass. Even with that walking boot on her injured foot, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on.

She didn’t need to dress up to take his breath away. She was his breath, the very air he needed to survive.

Levi crossed the room in three long strides, pulling her gently into his arms. He savored the warmth of her against him, the soft press of her body fitting perfectly into his own.

They had a meeting to attend—a showdown with Neuronix’s desperate Board. Charles had already gone ahead, posing as the lead representative for the mysterious “buyers” circling the company’s remains like vultures.

And what delicious remains they were.

Neuronix stock had fallen to a single digit, and the Board was scrambling, desperate to offload what was left before the entire ship sank. Tyler Faulkner, that arrogant bastard, had lost millions trying to secure control, only to watch it all burn to ash in his hands.

Greed. That’s what took the Board of Directors down in the end. Their own unchecked greed.

Aurelia gave him a soft, lingering kiss before stepping out of his embrace. Slinging her purse over her shoulder and slipping on her sunglasses, she turned to him with a brilliant smile.

“Are you ready, my fearless leader?” she teased.

Levi smirked, savoring the spark in her eyes. “With that sass, you’re going to steal the entire show today.”

She turned toward the door, glancing back with a mischievous grin. “Well then…what are we waiting for?”

Levi stood straighter, his chest tight with purpose.

“Let’s go get my company back.”

Aurelia

The towering skyscraper loomed before them, an endless expanse of glass and steel that seemed to scrape the clouds.

Aurelia had only been here once before, for a lunch she would never forget. She pressed her thighs together at the memory that surged unbidden through her mind.

Levi must have been reliving it, too. His sidelong glance, eyes dark and glazed with the same hunger she felt, confirmed it.

That day…seeing him in his element, commanding from behind his massive desk…

She hadn’t just surprised him with his favorite takeout. Behind that desk, she had dropped to her knees before him, her brand of dessert taking priority over the meal she brought. The way his head fell back, fists tangled in her hair, his barely restrained groans as she tasted him—

“You need to stop looking at me like that before we go in there,” Levi rasped, his voice thick with longing. “If this goes the way we hope, you’ll be able to show up forlunchwhenever you want.”

Heat crawled up her neck as she turned away, caught red-handed by his smoldering gaze.