( Steven's POV ) 55 vouchers . I was not prepared . I mean - I knew she was getting a day off . I assumed she'd do something basic like sleep , doom - scroll TikTok , maybe overwater one of the succulents I let die two months ago . I did not expect her to walk back into my penthouse looking like that . Like that . She entered like a damn storm in stilettos and designer shine . Hair bouncing like a shampoo commercial in 4K . Skin ? Glowing . Like she drank moonlight and confidence for lunch . Her walk ? Illegal . Her hips ? Weaponized . Her lips ? I'm not even going there because I'm still recovering . I looked up from my bowl of grapes and for a full two seconds , I couldn't breathe . No joke . I stared at her like she was a mirage that said , " You will never be safe again , Steven McLeon . " And me ? I wanted to grab her waist , pin her against the door , and say every damn thing I've been trying not to say since she moved in with her sass , her waffles , and her towel crimes . But of course- That would mean admitting I was feeling things . Dangerous things . Thoughts like : " She belongs here ." " She'd look good in giant T - shirt ... again ." " I want to touch her hair . With both hands . For no reason . " So what did I do ? I reached for another damn grape . Deadpan . Like it was just a casual Sunday and not the day a literal goddess descended from a Dior cloud into my living room . " You changed your shampoo ? " 11:28 Thu , Sep 18 Chapter 13 ... I said it like it was nothing . Inside ? Internal screaming . She gave me a look that could melt diamonds . I deserved it . I was being strategic . : ) ) 71 E 55 vouchers If I said too much , she'd win . She'd sass me into emotional vulnerability . She'd get smug , then flirty , then maybe one day stop looking at me like I was just a job . So yeah , I played dumb . I played cold . Meanwhile , my brain was malfunctioning because she looked like she'd just stepped off the cover of Rich Girl Monthly and into my damn soul . Even when she ranted about " clean " and " mops " and how I was " immune to beauty " ( ??? ) , I just smirked and said something stupid like : " Better than looking dusty ." But the truth ? She looked like my last prayer wrapped in luxury and lipstick . She was still her - still Madison . Still mouthy , stubborn , bossy . But sharper . Glossier . More ... dangerous . And I liked it . Too much . Then she leaned close . Whispered something smug . Walked off like a dream in motion . And for a moment , I sat there , hand frozen over a grape , just thinking : " I am so screwed . " Because this isn't a game anymore . Not for me . And if she ever finds out ? God help me . Because I might just let her win . I stared at the hallway long after she disappeared into her room , the scent of her designer perfume still lingering in the air like some expensive curse . Why did she have to smell like money and temptation ? Why did she have to walk like that ? Like she owned the floor . Like she'd upgraded my penthouse just by breathing in it . 11:28 Thu , Sep 18 Chapter 13 : I reached for another grape . Missed . 71 55 vouchers Because my brain was somewhere else . Somewhere between her hips , that glossy blowout , and the curve of her waist when she leaned in earlier . Jesus . Focus . But I couldn't . Because that wasn't just Madison being cute . That wasn't sass . That was power . That was the kind of glow - up that made you rethink your entire life plan . That made you wonder if she'd look that good wearing nothing but one of your button - downs , sipping coffee and smirking like she knows you're wrecked . And the worst part ? She does know . She sees it . She feels it . She walked away victorious , probably grinning into her stupid rich - girl pillow while I sat here , sweating over waffles and womanly wiles like a teenage boy . I stood up from the couch - tried to shake it off . Rolled into the kitchen . Thought maybe I'd make coffee or hide in the fridge . Instead , I glanced at the counter where she'd left her purse . Dior . Obviously . And next to it ? A pink sticky note she must've scribbled when I wasn't looking . " Don't miss me too much . Try not to drool over my afterglow -M " What the actual hell . This woman was terrorizing me with post - spa sticky notes . I should've been mad . Instead ? I laughed . Low and involuntarily . And maybe a little too fondly , Cod , she was driving me insane . And the worst part ? I didn't want her to stop . I wanted more sass . More notes . More of her weird , chaotic energy filling every corner of my penthouse . Hell - my life had been too quiet before she barged in with her five thrift - store shirts and one gallon of attitude . Now ? Now I was waking up before 10 a.m. 11:28 Thu , Sep 18 Chapter 13 Drinking real coffee . Doing actual PT . Smiling . Laughing . 71 55 vouchers And yes , maybe daydreaming about what she'd look like wrapped in my sheets , yelling at me for hiding the remote again . I rolled back toward the hallway , slowed down outside her room . I should say something . Anything . I should knock . Ask if she wants dinner . Ask if she wants a truce . But all I did was stand there . Listening . Then ? I turned around . Because this wasn't the moment . Not yet . But soon ? Yeah . She'd know . That Steven McLeon , emotionally constipated , ex - racer , PT nightmare- Was falling for his mouthy little goddess in Dior . AD