Elena yawned as she stretched her arms, groaning as the morning sunlight hit her sleepy eyes.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes until they were fully open. They roamed around the room until they landed on Luca, who was still fast asleep.

She gasped in shock as she pulled the sheets closer to her body.

“Oh my God!” She mumbled as she covered her mouth in shock, remembering the events of last night– “Damn it, Elena!” She cursed quietly, hitting her head softly.

She gently got off the bed, grabbing her dress and underwear off the ground. She quietly wore them, so as not to wake up Luca and then snuck out of the penthouse.

She ordered a ride as her car was still parked at the bar, and she made a mental note to get a driver to bring it later to her.

On getting to her house, she plopped down on her bed, her face buried in her pillow as she groaned. She couldn’t believe she had sex with Luca, her worst rival!

She sat up on the bed, her legs folded and her hands in her hair.

“It had to be the alcohol.” She mumbled to herself, trying to convince herself but she was failing deeply.

She was conscious of everything, even when she pulled him closer to her. Flashbacks flooded her mind, and she shook her head to get rid of them, convincing herself that what happened was just a big mistake.

Then she proceeded to get ready for the office, her Dad had called her earlier that there was an important meeting.

———

Elena arrived at the company, hungover as hell. She wore sunglasses to cover her dark circles.

The urgent meeting her Dad insisted on having was with Auto Tech. She groaned because this meant she would have to see Luca.

She stepped out of the elevator and walked towards the boardroom, but stopped in her tracks when her eyes landed on Luca who was just a few feet away from her.

To her surprise, he didn’t say anything but just walked inside the boardroom instead, although he had a sort of pissed-off look on his face. Elena wondered why.

She sighed tiredly and dragged her feet into the room. The tables were occupied already, she sat opposite Luca.

Luca glared hard at Elena. He couldn’t believe she snuck out of the penthouse before he woke up. It confused him a lot. Was she regretting what happened between them?

He knew he shouldn’t be feeling this way, it was just a one-night stand. He tried convincing himself but it wasn’t working too well, especially after what he felt the previous night.

He hadn’t felt that kind of attraction to any woman before, but Elena managed to get under his skin and now he found it hard to get her out of his head.

The door at the far end of the room swung open, drawing everyone's attention.

Elena’s father walked in, alongside Luca’s father- Mr Moretti. Seeing them together that way was so strange.

They made their way to the table and sat at their reserved seats. The air was tensed and filled with curiosity. Elena wondered what the whole meeting was about.

She and Luca exchanged a glance before looking back at their fathers.

"Before we begin," Her father started, his voice calm and measured, "we wanted to address the elephant in the room, which is the alliance between our companies,”

Elena furrowed her brows in confusion, was he agreeing to Luca’s 70/30 terms?

He adjusted himself on the seat and continued,

“This is not just a business decision but a strategic move for both our futures. We believe that by combining our strengths equally, we can achieve unparalleled success."

“Equally?” Luca muttered confused.

Luca’s father nodded in agreement and stood up from his chair, walking towards his son, he placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Yes son, our initial 70/30 is off the table. We have a much better one where both companies benefit mutually.”

“And to solidify this alliance, we propose a union between our children. A marriage of convenience, if you will." He concluded.

Gasps and murmurs erupted through the room. Elena and Luca were now the center of attention as all eyes landed on them.

Elena felt her heart race, her mind scrambling to keep up with the unfolding situation. Opposite her, Luca remained stoic, his expression carefully controlled, even though the surprise brimmed in his eyes.

"Dad, a marriage?" Elena asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Is this truly necessary?"

He looked at her, a little pity in his eyes,

“I’m sorry Lena, but this is the only way dear.” He replied, his tone brooking no argument. He rubbed her hands comfortingly and with that, he got up from his seat, facing the rest of the board members.

“From this day, Auto Tech and Echo Tech are merged as one. The merger will be finalized on the wedding day, also with the new name that would be made known to the public, thank you for your understanding.” He addressed me and then walked out of the room.

The meeting was dismissed and soon all the members left, leaving just Elena and Luca.

“Well, that didn’t go as I expected,” Luca murmured, reclining in his chair.

Elena swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry. “They didn’t even leave any room

for us to decide.”

“They do have a point, this is better than the 70/30.” He shrugged.

Elena stood up, pacing around the room.

“But still, marriage?”

“I mean we barely know each other, not to talk of liking each other. This isn’t how marriage should be.” She grumbled.

“Why did you sneak out of the penthouse?” Luca asked, unable to keep his curiosity at bay any longer.

Elena's eyes went wide, “are you serious right now? This is what you are worried about?” She chided.

He stood up, walking closer to her,

“Yes, Elena. Tell me, I’m honestly so curious about why you ran away.” He said, staring intently at her.

She stepped back and looked away, avoiding his eyes.

“That night...it was a mistake.” She stuttered.

"Was it?" he challenged, his eyes narrowing. "Because I think you are lying to yourself, And maybe, just maybe, you are lying to me too."

Before she could respond, he closed the gap between them and took her hands in his,

“That night was perfect, you know this and I know this,” he continued.

Elena tried pulling away, but he held her tighter.

“We were drunk and we had sex in the heat of the moment.” She murmured, batting her eyelashes.

“It wasn’t for me, and I know for sure, you feel the same way.” He argued, resting his forehead against hers– "Tell me I’m wrong Elena," he whispered, his voice rough with barely restrained need.

The connection was too strong, Elena couldn’t deny it any longer. Even though he stood right in front of her, her body craved for him deeply, to feel his touch again.

Her heart raced at their closeness, yet she felt warmth in it. She leaned into his touch, her breath hitching as she felt his thumb brush her arm.

She finally raised her head so she could look at him for a while, then her eyes fluttered shut. “You are not wrong.” She muttered.

Luca’s grip tightened around her waist, pulling her much closer, "Then let’s stop pretending, Let’s see where this takes us."

Her eyes widened slightly, “This is marriage, we are talking about Luca, we can’t…”

He cut her off, placing his index finger on her lips. “What if we tried to make this work? Like, really work.”

“All we need is this connection between us.” He continued.

His hands caressed her cheeks, “I couldn’t stop thinking about you after last night and I tried to convince myself that it was just the sex, but it wasn’t. It’s you, Elena Russo.”

“I’m deeply attracted to the resilient strong-headed woman you are.”

“You keep me on my toes and I love that about you. I love everything about you. I think I have felt this way since I met you but I just tried so hard to deny it to myself, but I’m done doing that.” He confessed with genuine honesty.

Elena’s eyes watered as she heard his words. Her heart swelled with joy.

“Oh Luca,” she melted into his arms– “I realized my feelings for you after last night too. I tried to hide it because I felt you didn’t feel the same way.” She murmured, tears of joy filling her eyes.

He leaned in and captured her lips in a soft warm kiss that shared their passion and expressed their feelings even better.

His hands slid down her back, pressing her closer until there was no space left between them.

“You feel so good.” He murmured against her lips, his voice rough with desire.

Elena gasped, the butterflies increasing in her belly. She found herself getting wet down there again, “Luca..." she whispered.

His lips found the sensitive spot behind her ear, nibbling gently. "Shh, just let go," he whispered, his voice a seductive command.

She moaned softly, soothing under his touch. Every kiss, every caress turning her even more. She didn’t want him to stop.

Her hands moved to cup her face, forcing her to look at him. His eyes blazed with hunger, his voice thick with need.

“Tell me what you want," he demanded, his grip tightening slightly.

Her breath hitched, her body trembling with anticipation. "I...I want you,” she admitted, her voice breaking as a result of need.

He crashed his lips onto hers again. This time the kiss was more possessive.

Their bodies melded together as they explored each other hungrily.

Luca’s hands roamed over her curves, while she unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his toned abs.

After making sure the door was properly locked, he walked back to her, their eyes never leaving one another's. They undressed each other.

Elena pushed him onto the couch, located at the end of the boardroom.

She straddled him, then leaned in and kissed him deeply, her tongue dancing with his.

Her hands wandered down to his growing arousal. She stroked him through his pants and trousers.

Luca couldn’t take it anymore, the pleasure was building up too much.

He flipped her onto her back, “You're so beautiful," He murmured. "I want to taste every inch of you."

His mouth found her nipples, which were already hard. He sucked and tugged gently, teasing them until they got even harder.

Elena arched her back, her breath hitching as Luca’s tongue trailed down her stomach. He spread her legs, his breath hot against her most sensitive spot.

His tongue caressed her clit, making her gasp. Her hands gripped the sheets.

He teased her entrance, sliding a finger in and out, then two, before plunging his tongue deep inside her.

Elena cried out, her body trembling as he brought her to the brink of ecstasy.

"I need you inside me, Luca.” she pleaded, her voice husky with desire.

He didn’t need any further encouragement, he positioned his cock at her entrance. They locked eyes as he thrust into her, filling her.

She wrapped her legs around him, meeting his rhythm as they moved together, sweat glistening on their skin.

Elena's moans grew louder, urging him to go deeper. He grasped her hips, driving into her with long, deep strokes.

"Yes, Luca, just like that," Elena panted, her nails raking down his back.

"You feel so good, Lena. I'm so close." He grunted.

She tightened her hold around him, her orgasm rippling through her like a wave. He groaned, surrendering to his release as he emptied himself inside her.

Exhausted, they collapsed onto the couch, their hearts racing fast as they tried to catch their breath.

“I can’t believe we just had sex in the boardroom.” She chuckled as she rested on top of him, her head on his shoulders as they cuddled.

“Our fathers would freak out if they ever found, but heck we are getting married anyways.” He joked and they both laughed out loud.

Then she adjusted herself slowly, resting on her elbow so she could look at him,

“Promise me something." She muttered, her eyes filled with uncertainty.

"Anything Princess," he replied without hesitation.

"Promise me even when we fight, we will never leave each other. Promise me we won’t be that couple.” She urged, and he could see the fear in her eyes.

His gaze softened, a rare vulnerability flashing in his eyes. He raised her fingers to his lips and kissed them,

“I promise you, Elena. We would have the best marriage.”

“You are stuck with me for life bonehead.” He teased with a quirky smile.

She glared at him playfully and huffed.

He laughed and kissed her forehead.

“I love you, Elena.” He whispered.

“I love you too, Luca.” She replied with a warm smile.