Chapter 3 : scorned ex

The next morning.

Alex woke up slowly. It took a moment for him to realize he was awake.

He lay still under the gray blankets of his bed. He stared up at the ceiling.

Fragments of memory floated through his thoughts. They were like scattered pieces of a dream.

The night before felt unreal.

It felt too intense.

It felt too unlikely.

His brain tried to make sense of the memories.

But every time it reached the impossible conclusion it rejected it again.

Jamie Reed had kissed and fucked him.

Not once.

Twice.

Alex groaned quietly. He rolled onto his side.

He dragged a pillow over his face.

“No" he muttered into the fabric.

“Absolutely not.”

It had to be a dream.

A stress-induced hallucination.

It was brought on by humiliation and heartbreak.

He had stayed late at the office.

That explanation made sense.

The CEO of the company did not randomly kiss one of his employees.

Especially not Jamie Reed.

Jamie was known for his discipline and control. He was known for his distance from the rest of the company.

People feared him in meetings.

Executives rehearsed presentations for days before speaking in front of him.

The idea that this same man had leaned across Alex’s desk and kissed him seemed laughable.

It seemed that way in daylight.

Alex sighed.

He forced himself to sit up.

“Dream.” he repeated firmly. “Yes. Definitely a dream.”

Feeling slightly calmer, Alex swung his legs over the side of the bed.

He reached for his phone on the nightstand.

Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains.

It filled the room with pale gold light.

Everything felt normal again.

It felt predictable and safe.

He checked the time.

He realized he had overslept slightly.

Great.

Now he would have to rush to get ready for work.

Alex ran a hand through his hair.

Then headed toward the bathroom.

By the time he finished showering and dressing his mind had mostly settled.

The strange dream had already begun fading into the background.

It was like most dreams did.

Except…

Something about it still felt vivid.

Too vivid.

The warmth of Jamie’s hand on his waist.

The steady intensity in his voice.

The quiet confession: I’ve wanted to do that for months.

Alex shook his head sharply.

“Stop thinking about it.”

He grabbed his bag, slipped on his shoes, and headed out the door.

By the time he reached the office building the city was fully awake.

Cars crowded the streets.

People hurried along sidewalks with coffee cups in hand.

The lobby of Light City Corporate Tower buzzed with the morning energy.

Alex swiped his employee badge at the entrance gate.

He stepped into the elevator.

“Today” he murmured to himself.

Just Work, Spreadsheets, Meetings and Emails.

Nothing unusual.

The elevator doors opened onto the twenty-second floor.

Alex stepped out.

He began walking toward his office.

As he passed the first group of desks something strange happened.

Two coworkers standing near the printer suddenly stopped talking.

Not gradually.

Instantly.

Their conversation cut off mid-sentence.

It cut off the moment Alex came into view.

They both glanced at him.

Then they quickly looked away.

Alex slowed slightly.

That was… odd.

He continued walking.

A few desks down the row another pair of employees were speaking quietly.

One of them leaned closer to the other.

He whispered something.

Both of them glanced toward Alex.

His stomach tightened.

Okay.

Now that was definitely strange.

Alex tried to ignore the feeling.

It was creeping up his spine.

He reached his office and set his bag down.

He pushed open the glass door to his office.

There and then, he froze in shock.

There draped neatly across the back of his office chair was a charcoal suit jacket.

Alex stared at it.

For a moment he couldn’t move.

The fabric was unmistakable.

It was quality.

It was perfectly tailored and shone in luxury.

It was definitely not his.

His heart began beating

Slowly and cautiously, he stepped closer.

His fingers brushed the sleeve.

The material felt expensive.

The faint scent of cologne still lingered in the fabric.

Alex closed his eyes briefly.

So it hadn’t been a dream.

Jamie Reed had actually been here.

He had actually kissed and made love to the ceo.

He must have forgotten his jacket

Alex grabbed the back of his chair and sat down heavily.

“Oh no.” If anyone saw this jacket…

If anyone recognized it…

The rumors would explode through the company in minutes.

Jamie Reed’s presence alone could shut down departments.

If people discovered he had spent time alone in Alex’s office at night—

Alex pressed his hands against his face.

“Why is my life suddenly a disaster?”

He quickly folded the jacket.

He placed it carefully inside the drawer of his desk hopefully keeping it hidden and safe.

Alex took a breath and opened his laptop.

He forced himself to focus on the work waiting for him.

Emails filled his screen.

Reports needed review.

Meetings were scheduled.

Everything looked completely ordinary.

Yet his thoughts kept drifting to the previous night.

Jamie’s voice.

Jamie’s hands.

The intensity in his eyes.

Alex groaned quietly.

He leaned back in his chair.

“This is ridiculous.”

He needed to concentrate.

Unfortunately concentrating became impossible ten minutes later.

The atmosphere on the office floor suddenly changed.

The quiet hum of conversations lowered noticeably.

Chairs shifted.

Someone muttered something near the hallway.

Alex glanced up.

The elevator doors opened.

Jamie Reed stepped out.

The effect was immediate.

Employees straightened in their seats.

Some pretended to work

Others tried not to stare obviously.

Jamie rarely visited this floor.

When he did, people noticed.

Alex felt his heart begin pounding.

Please don’t come over here.

Jamie began walking across the office.

He was walking directly toward Alex’s desk.

Alex’s stomach dropped.

Each step felt painfully slow.

Employees along the path watched the CEO pass.

They watched with attention.

A few curious glances shifted toward Alex.

This cannot be happening.

Jamie stopped beside Alex’s desk.

Close he looked exactly as he had the night before—

Perfectly composed.

Perfectly confident.

Entirely impossible to read.

“Morning.” Jamie said calmly.

Alex swallowed.

“Morning, sir.”

Jamie placed a document folder on the desk. “I need these numbers reviewed before the board meeting.”

Alex nodded quickly. “Of course.”

Jamie leaned slightly closer.

He seemed to be pointing out something on the page.

Instead of speaking about the document his voice dropped to a quiet whisper that only Alex could hear. “Dinner tonight.”

Alex nearly choked.

His lungs seemed to forget how breathing worked.

Jamie straightened immediately.

To everyone the interaction looked completely professional. “Send me the report by four " Jamie added aloud. Then he walked away like nothing happened.

Just like that.

The elevator doors closed behind him a moments later.

The entire office erupted into whispers.

Alex could feel dozens of glances drifting toward him.

Someone near the copier murmured something.

Another employee leaned toward their neighbor.

They were clearly discussing what they had just witnessed.

Alex stared at the document folder on his desk.

He stared as if it might explode.

Dinner.

With the CEO.

Tonight.

“This is an idea " he muttered under his breath.

The rest of the workday passed in a blur.

By the time evening finally arrived Alex felt exhausted.

He was pretending nothing unusual was happening.

He packed his bag quickly.

He left the office before anyone could start another conversation.

The air outside the building was cool and fresh.

Streetlights had already begun glowing against the fading sky.

Alex stepped onto the sidewalk.

He felt relieved to escape the watchful eyes of his coworkers.

Then he noticed the car.

A sleek black luxury vehicle waited at the curb.

The tinted window rolled down slightly.

Jamie sat inside.

Alex hesitated for a second.

Then he opened the door and slid into the passenger seat.

“Evening!” Jamie said.

Alex gave a laugh. “You’re picking me up now?”

Jamie’s lips curved faintly. “I said dinner.”

Across the street another man stood partially hidden in the shadows.

He was near a café.

Victor Hale watched the scene carefully.

His expression darkened as Alex entered the car.

Victor was well known in the city’s circles.

He was wealthy and charismatic.

Until recently—

Victor’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“So this is the one." he murmured quietly.

The car door closed.

Jamie spoke briefly to the driver. Then the vehicle pulled smoothly into traffic.

Victor continued watching.

He watched until it disappeared down the street.

His jaw tightened.

“So this is the one he replaced me with.”

The words dripped with fury.

Victor slipped his phone from his pocket.

“I suppose that means you need to disappear.”

Inside the car Alex had no idea any of this was happening. He sat beside Jamie feeling a bit nervous as the city lights flashed outside the windows.

Jamie frowned and suddenly reached over and took his hand.

This simple gesture felt calm and natural.

It made Alex feel warm inside.

Jamie spoke softly. “You should be more careful henceforth. I think you may be in trouble.”

Alex frowned a little.

“What do you mean by that?”

Jamie then gave a dark smile as the car kept moving through the streets of Light City.