Novels by Yetu Chantal

CHAPTER 21 The next morning, the office felt different.Not loud. Not chaotic. Not even tense in the usual way.It was… charged.Every glance felt sharper. Every movement seemed weighted with intention.I could feel it the moment I walked in.Reign was at his desk, standing over a report like it demanded his entire attention. But when our eyes met across the office, I saw it. That subtle softening, the way his posture shifted for just a fraction of a second. Just enough to make my stomach twist.I tried to focus on my own desk, but it was impossible. The memory of yesterday—the lounge, his words, the way he had looked at me—lingered in every corner of my mind.Even Evan seemed to notice. He passed by my desk, smirk barely suppressed.“Morning, trouble,” he said, leaning casually against my cubicle wall. “Or should I say… chaos magnet?”I groaned. “Evan.”He winked. “Relax. I’m just saying… The guy’s staring at you like he’s about to rewrite the rules of gravity.”I slammed my laptop

CHAPTER 20 The lounge was quiet.Almost too quiet.Every small noise—the hum of the fridge, the faint clatter of cups from the distant kitchen—felt amplified. My chest tightened. My heart raced.Every time I glanced at Reign, it was like the world shrank.He didn’t speak at first. Just leaned there, calm, composed, and impossibly intimidating. Even when he didn’t try, he commanded the room.“You need to know something,” he finally said.I blinked. “About… Ivy?”He shook his head slowly. “About today. About you. About… everything.”The word 'everything' hung in the air. Heavy. Dangerous.“I…” My voice faltered. “I don’t know what to say.”“You don’t need to say anything,” he replied. Stepping closer, but not too close. Not yet. “Just… listen.”And I did.“Today,” he started, voice low and deliberate, “I realised just how much they’ve underestimated you. Ivy, the board, even some colleagues—they see you as inexperienced. As someone who can be pushed around. But you… you’re different. S

CHAPTER 19The rest of the morning passed in a blur.I tried to focus. I really did.Emails. Reports. Presentations. Numbers were dancing across the screen like they wanted to mock me.But every time I typed a sentence, my mind wandered.Back to Ivy.Back to Reign.Back to that moment in the boardroom when he had chosen me.I shouldn’t feel the echo of it still thumping in my chest.I shouldn’t have noticed how the space between us seemed electric.I shouldn’t—A knock on the glass wall of my office snapped me out of my thoughts.“Maya, do you have a minute?”It was Evan.I gestured for him to come in.He closed the door behind him, leaning casually against the edge of my desk. His usual smirk was gone. Something more serious in his eyes.“Are you okay?” he asked.I hesitated. “I… I think so. It’s just…” I waved vaguely at the chaos of the morning, at the lingering tension in the office. “It’s a lot.”Evan nodded. “Yeah. Ivy doesn’t play fair. You already know that. And today? She wen

CHAPTER 18 Morning came too fast. Too bright. Too sharp. Too loud for the kind of sleep I barely had. My body woke up before my mind did. Before the fear. Before the nerves. Before the memory of Reign walking me out of the office like I was something fragile. Something worth shielding. It hit me all at once. His hand on my back. His voice—low, protective. His anger when he realised Ivy cornered me. And that quiet ride home where neither of us spoke, but somehow everything felt said. I shouldn’t remember it this clearly. I shouldn’t replay it like it meant more than it did. I definitely shouldn’t feel the warm flick in my stomach when I think of the way he glanced at me under the streetlights. But I do. And it scares me. And… maybe something else too. The office wasn’t quiet this morning. It was buzzing. Low whispers. Fast footsteps. People were moving like something was wrong but trying not to look like something was wrong. Never a good sign. The coffee machine hi

CHAPTER 17The office was too quiet the next morning.Not peaceful or quiet.Not calm.A different kind.The kind that presses on your ribs from the inside.The kind that makes you check over your shoulder even when you know no one’s there.Evan hadn’t shown up yet.Ivy definitely hadn’t.But Reign… Reign was already in his office, door closed, blinds half-drawn.Which meant something was brewing.Again.I placed my bag down. Tried to breathe. Tried to feel normal.Didn’t work.The first hour dragged in that soft, itchy silence. Emails, reports, schedules, calls—everything felt heavier than usual, like the walls were listening.Maybe they were.At 9:17, the office door finally opened.Reign stepped out.Not fast.Not dramatic.Just… quietly. Controlled. Like a storm deciding where to land.His eyes scanned the room once. Then locked on me.“Maya,” he said, voice low.My pulse jumped. “Yes, sir?”“Come with me. Just a moment.”Not a question. Not a suggestion.A controlled invitation.

CHAPTER 16The office smelt faintly of coffee and tension that morning.Not the usual kind of tension. The quiet, coiled kind. Sharp, watching, waiting.Ivy wasn’t here yet. But her presence lingered in my mind. That soft, dangerous influence. Always watching. Always calculating. Always testing.I tried to focus on my desk. On the emails. On the reports. On anything that didn’t involve Reign or Ivy.But the air felt thick. Heavy.And then, of course, everything started.“Morning, Maya,” Reign said quietly as he walked past my desk.I looked up. He was calm. Controlled. But there was something in his eyes. A subtle warning. Sharp. Dangerous. Protective.“Morning, sir,” I replied. My voice is too small. My stomach is tight.He didn’t linger. Just a nod. A glance that spoke volumes. A subtle anchor I couldn’t resist leaning into.The first call of the day was from a client. Minor, but urgent. Henderson had mismanaged something, and I had to fix it fast.Evan appeared at my side before I