Their kiss deepened, hungry and reckless, as if years of restraint had suddenly cracked open. Sally pressed herself against him, desperate for the heat, the attention, the validation Ethan had denied her. Daniel's arms circled her waist, strong and unyielding, as though he had been waiting for this very moment.
Every step took them deeper into forbidden territory.
Daniel guided her toward the bedroom, his lips never leaving hers. The world outside — Ethan, ColeTech, the activist tearing into Sally's empire — all of it faded into irrelevance. The only thing that mattered was the way she trembled in his hands, the way her breath caught when his mouth trailed down her neck.
"Daniel…" she whispered, half in plea, half in warning.
"I know," he murmured against her skin. "But I can't stop."
And neither could she.
Her fingers clawed at his shirt, tugging it free, her need rising faster than her reason. Every inch of her body screamed for release — release from the humiliation of Ethan's coldness, from the fear of losing her place, from the loneliness of being unseen. Daniel wasn't Ethan, but maybe that was exactly what she wanted.
By the time they collapsed onto the bed, the city lights spilling through the blinds, their affair was no longer something that could be dismissed as a slip of passion. It was deliberate. Dangerous.
The night became a blur of heat and sighs, of whispered names and desperate touches. Sally gave herself to Daniel fully, as though punishing Ethan by proxy. And Daniel took her with a fervor that betrayed how long he had secretly desired what was never his.
When the storm finally passed, Sally lay tangled in silk sheets, her chest heaving. Daniel was propped against the headboard, shirtless, his gaze fixed on her like a man torn between triumph and guilt.
For a long moment, neither spoke. The only sound was the faint hum of the city, ever alive beyond the window.
Finally, Sally broke the silence.
"He doesn't want me anymore." Her voice cracked. She turned her face away, hiding the tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "I screamed, I begged, I *needed* him to fight for me. And he didn't. He just sat there."
Daniel's jaw tightened. He reached over, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Then he's a fool."
Her laugh was bitter. "You don't get it. Ethan isn't just some boyfriend I can walk away from. He's… he's Ethan Cole. The man every woman in Manhattan wants. The man who can make or break careers with a single decision."
"And what does that make you?" Daniel asked, his tone sharp.
Her eyes flashed to his, startled.
"You're more than his accessory, Sally. You've built an empire of your own. Silky Hairs and Cosmetics isn't Ethan's achievement—it's yours. You don't need him to validate that."
She stared at him, searching his face. "Then why do I feel like I'm losing everything without him?"
Daniel leaned closer, his voice low, intimate. "Because you've convinced yourself that your power is tied to his. But trust me, Sally—you're stronger than him in ways he doesn't even understand. And if he can't see that…" His thumb brushed her lower lip. "…then maybe you're meant to be with someone who does."
The air between them thickened again, though the urgency of before had dulled into something more dangerous: attachment.
Sally swallowed hard, her mind spinning. Daniel was Ethan's closest friend, his confidant, the one man she should have never crossed that line with. And yet, as she looked into his eyes, she felt something Ethan hadn't given her in months—certainty.
"You'll help me?" she asked softly. "With the influencer? With all of it?"
Daniel didn't hesitate. "Yes."
"Even if it means going against him?"
His jaw flexed, but he didn't look away. "For you? Always."
The promise hung in the air, heavier than any kiss, heavier than the sheets tangled around them. It wasn't just lust anymore. It was an alliance, forged in betrayal.
Sally rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heartbeat. For the first time in weeks, she felt wanted. But deep down, a voice whispered that this wasn't love. This was war.
And she had just found her most dangerous weapon.
---
The room was still heavy with the scent of sweat and silk when Sally stirred against Daniel's chest. Her fingers traced idle patterns across his skin, her nails grazing lightly, her mind already calculating her next move.
Daniel, for his part, had his arm draped loosely around her, but his expression was far from relaxed. His eyes were on the ceiling, jaw clenched, as though the weight of what had just happened pressed down harder than the body beside him.
"You're quiet," Sally murmured, tilting her face to look at him.
Daniel gave a humorless laugh. "I just slept with my best friend's girlfriend. Not exactly something you can brush off, Sal."
She pushed herself up on one elbow, her hair falling in loose waves around her face. "Girlfriend?" Don't flatter Ethan. You and I both know I'm barely that anymore. He's distant, cold… half the time I don't even know if he remembers I exist. If he really cared, he wouldn't leave me starving for affection."
Daniel turned his head, his eyes catching hers. "Doesn't make what we did right."
Sally's lips curved into a sly smile. "Right and wrong are luxuries for people who don't have empires at stake. You heard me at his office today—I'm under attack, Daniel. That influencer girl, Martha? She's ruining everything I've built. And Ethan? He's too distracted to even notice."
Daniel frowned. "Maybe he's got more on his mind than you realize."
"Oh, please," she snapped, bitterness dripping from her voice. "You saw him. He sat there like a ghost. For all I know, he's already moved on. But you…" She slid her hand over his chest, her voice softening into a purr. "…you actually listen. You care. That's more than I can say for him."
Daniel's resolve wavered, and Sally saw it. She pressed the advantage.
"I need you, Daniel. Not just like this—" her hand traveled lower, suggestive, "—but truly. I need someone I can rely on. Someone who won't let me drown while vultures tear apart my brand."
He caught her wrist gently, halting her movement. His voice was low, conflicted. "And you want me to… what? Go after her? Handle Martha for you?"
Her gaze hardened. "Yes. She's not just some loudmouth with a camera—she's dangerous. She's making people question me, question Silky Hair extensions. If she isn't stopped, I could lose everything."
Daniel sat up, pulling away slightly, running a hand through his hair. "Do you even hear yourself? You're asking me to go after a woman for a social media video. What if she's not lying, Sal? What if she really is exposing shady practices?"
Sally's eyes flashed. "Whose side are you on, Daniel? Mine, or some girl you don't even know?"
The room went silent. Daniel's breathing grew heavier, conflict tearing at him from both directions. He wanted to protect Ethan's world, but he also couldn't deny the pull Sally had on him—the warmth of her skin, the fire in her words, the way she made him feel like a man instead of just Ethan's shadow.
Finally, he exhaled. "If I help you… it stays between us. Ethan can't know."
Sally's smile was victorious, though she masked it with a sigh of relief. She leaned in, kissing him softly, almost tenderly this time. "Of course. Our secret."
As she pulled back, her eyes gleamed with something darker. A plan was already forming in her mind. Ethan might have been her ticket to power once, but Daniel… Daniel could be her weapon.
She rested her head against his shoulder, feigning vulnerability. "Promise me, Daniel. Promise you'll protect me."
He hesitated, then whispered, "I promise."
But deep down, he wondered: protect her from Martha… or from herself?
The question lingered, unspoken, as the city pulsed outside the window, bright and merciless.
And somewhere across New York, Ethan sat in his office at ColeTech, completely unaware that his closest friend and his
girlfriend had just redrawn the lines of loyalty in ways that would shake everything to its core.