chapter five: The shock

Andrew's POV

The hotel room was still dark when I pulled on my shirt.

For a moment, I stood there in the dim light filtering through the curtains, watching the shape of her tangled in the sheets. Lily Hart I had asked the receptionist to send me her name, perks of being a billionaire.

She had fallen asleep pressed against me, her breathing soft and steady, her hair spilling over the pillow in wild waves.

Beautiful. Too damn beautiful.

I caught myself staring and dragged my eyes away. This was exactly why I never lingered. The more time you gave a moment like this, the more dangerous it became.

On the nightstand, a folded piece of paper peeked out of the pocket of my jacket where she’d slipped it. Her number. Her delicate handwriting curving across the page.

For one irrational second, I thought about keeping it. About calling her. About seeing where this strange pull between us might lead.

Then I shoved the thought away.

No repeats. No entanglements. No mess.

That was the rule I lived by.

With practiced ease, I slipped her number out, crumpled it in my hand, and tossed it into the wastebasket. By the time she woke, I would be gone, and she’d never know how close I’d come to breaking my own rule.

I left quietly, the door clicking shut behind me.

****

The drive back to the city was smooth, the hum of the engine filling the silence as I settled into familiar order. The skyline loomed ahead, glass towers reflecting the first light of dawn.

Sterling Enterprises waited. My kingdom. My responsibility. The only thing I’d ever allowed myself to care about fully.

And yet… my mind refused to stay where it belonged.

Every mile I drove, I kept seeing flashes of her.

The way she’d blushed when the receptionist explained the room mix-up. The way her laugh had slipped out—unguarded, warm—as she lost another round of poker. The fire in her eyes when she stripped that last piece of clothing, daring me to look away.

And later, the way she’d come apart in my arms, so honest, so unrestrained.

I gripped the wheel tighter.

Damn it, Drew. Stop thinking about her.

One night. That’s all it was. That’s all it ever should be.

By the time I walked into Sterling Enterprises, I was the CEO again.

The morning board briefing started sharp at eight. I listened to quarterly reports, signed documents, fielded calls. My staff never noticed a thing. They didn’t see the ghost of a smile tugging at my mouth when my mind betrayed me with memories of Lily's flushed face, or the sharp pang of regret that I’d left her number behind.

Regret. That was new.

I’d had one-night stands before. Too many to count. They blurred together into nameless faces and forgettable nights. But her?

Her I remembered in detail. Every damn detail.

And it unsettled me more than I cared to admit.

By noon, I had pushed her to the back of my mind. Meetings. Deadlines. Strategy. The weight of a billion-dollar company was the perfect antidote to temptation.

Or so I thought.

The knock at my office door was brisk. My assistant poked her head in. “Sir, Mrs. Lawson asked me to deliver these reports for you to sign. She’s sending up a new hire with them.”

I nodded, already flipping open my laptop.

Mrs Lawnson liked to hire new people, I hate new people especially the ones who don't keep to the rules, my reputation called me the cold and detached handsome CEO and I loved it.

“Fine. Send them in.” I said

The door closed again.

I scrawled my signature on a budget proposal, glanced at the schedule on my tablet, and told myself I had forgotten her

I faces the window to admire the view before I had to sign more papers and have more meetings.

Then the door opened.

“Good morning sir, Miss lawnson asked me to bring this documents to you” the voice said

I turned to face the new hire

And I looked up.

My breath stopped.

Her.

Lily

The woman from that hotel bed, the one I’d left behind with her number crumpled in the trash.

She stood frozen in the doorway, clutching a folder like it was the only thing keeping her upright. Her eyes widened, shock rippling across her face, mirroring my own.

For the first time in years, I felt completely, utterly unprepared.

She looked different in the daylight, dressed in a fitted blouse and skirt, her hair brushed back into something more professional. But her eyes were the same. That stormy mix of fire and vulnerability that had burned into me the night before.

And here she was. In my office. At my company.

I leaned back in my chair, studying her, masking the turmoil beneath a practiced façade of calm.

Of course fate wouldn’t let it end at one night.

Of course she’d walk right back into my life when I’d convinced myself to shut the door.

I reached for the folder, deliberately brushing my fingers against hers. The jolt that passed between us was instantaneous. Real.

And as much as I wanted to deny it, I knew—

This wasn’t over.

Not by a long shot.

But I don’t do love

I only do flings

That was the best I could offer.

I looked at the files

“Please follow all the company rules and make sure to be punctual always, miss lawnson will fill you in” I said coldly

I saw her eyes blur with tears and stopped myself from going to her, her boyfriend cheated on her and I slept with her and dumped her

“You may leave” I said

She nodded and walked out

I walked out of my office and watched her, she got a desk opposite my office and she sat down.

I was being a creep but everything about her was fascinating

She spoke to another employee and I went back into my office

My phone blared up

I groaned

“Yes?” I asked

“Is that how you speak to me boy?” he asked

“What do you want?” I asked

“come to the house tomorrow “

“why?”

“some news came up about your mum”

My heart skipped a beat

‘i'll be there”

The old fucker laughed and I wanted to bash his face in

***