Let's go

I turned around slowly and forgot how to breathe.

It was him.

The man from last night stood near the entrance of the lobby in a dark suit that probably cost more than three months of my salary. His dark eyes fixed on me like he recognized me too.

For one horrible second, I genuinely thought I might faint.

No. No way.

My stomach dropped so hard it hurt.

The bar. The hotel room. His hands on my waist. The white shirt I'd just worn out of his apartment less than an hour ago. And it was still on me.

And now he was standing here. At Voss & Greene. In front of everyone.

Christ, what the hell did you get yourself into last night??

The entire lobby shifted.

"Good morning, sir."

"Sir."

"Mr. Draven."

People straightened immediately around me. Receptionists, staff, even the security guards. Mr. Shawn moved first. "Welcome, sir."

Sir.

My fingers slowly loosened around the papers in my hand.

The new CEO.

Oh God. He was the new CEO.

He looked exactly the same as he had last night. Calm and controlled. But this version of him felt colder somehow. Harder. Like the man from the bar had only been a small piece of whatever this really was.

Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Even Sienna looked caught off guard for half a second.

His gaze moved over my face briefly and paused on the red mark forming on my cheek. Something dark flashed through his expression. But it was gone instantly.

Then he looked at Mr. Shawn.

"What is going on here?"

His voice was quiet. That somehow made it worse.

Mr. Shawn cleared his throat quickly. "It's just a personnel issue, sir. One of our junior strategists was caught leaking confidential project files to a competitor."

"I didn't do it!"

The words came out rough. His eyes shifted to me again, just for a second. Then back to Mr. Shawn.

"And the evidence?"

"We have transfer records linked directly to her login credentials," Mr. Shawn said quickly. "HR already reviewed everything this morning."

I bit back my tongue and decided to save words for later.

Sienna stepped in smoothly before I could speak again. "It's unfortunate, really." Her tone turned soft and professional so fast it made me sick. "Nora's been emotional since yesterday, but we have all the necessary documentation."

He looked at her. And it was not warm, nor was it polite. He just looked at her.

"I wasn't talking to you."

Silence.

Sienna froze. A few people nearby immediately looked away. I almost did too.

The lobby suddenly felt very small.

Sienna recovered quickly, forcing out a smile. "Of course. I just meant—"

"I heard what you meant."

His voice stayed even. That somehow felt more dangerous than shouting. Sienna stopped talking.

I stared at him in disbelief. Last night he had barely spoken ten words to me.

Now...every word out of his mouth sounded like a command.

He looked back at Mr. Shawn. "You said the files were transferred using her credentials?"

"Yes, sir."

"And you've confirmed the source personally?"

Mr. Shawn hesitated. "IT handled the review."

"So no."

Mr. Shawn swallowed. "No, sir."

His expression did not change.

I couldn't stop staring at him. This couldn't be real. I slept with the new CEO. The same CEO currently standing in the middle of the lobby defending me in front of the entire company.

Fuck!

My brain genuinely could not keep up.

He held out his hand. "The reports."

Mr. Shawn immediately gave him the papers. He looked through them quietly. One page. Then another. I watched his face carefully but got absolutely nothing from it. No reaction, no emotion, just focus.

Sienna crossed her arms. "It's all there. The timestamps, transfer logs, everything."

He kept reading, then finally looked up. "Where are the CCTV recordings?"

Nobody answered immediately. His eyes lifted slowly. "I asked a question."

Mr. Shawn cleared his throat again. "Security cameras don't cover the entire office floor, sir."

"But they cover the server rooms."

"...Yes."

"And the executive corridors."

"Yes."

He handed the papers back. "Good."

Sienna's smile faded a little. I noticed it immediately.

He looked toward the elevators. "We'll check the footage."

I blinked. Mr. Shawn blinked too. "Sir?"

"The CCTV footage." He looked back at him calmly. "Unless this company suddenly stopped using security cameras."

"No, sir, of course not, but IT already reviewed—"

"I said we'll check it ourselves."

The lobby went quiet again. I could practically feel Sienna thinking. Fast. Probably too fast.

Sienna stepped forward quickly. "I really don't think that's necessary."

His eyes moved to her again. For the first time since he walked in, something colder entered his expression.

"Why?"

The single word landed hard. Sienna laughed softly, too softly. "Because the evidence is already clear. HR concluded the investigation this morning and honestly dragging this out further will only create more disruption for the company."

I almost laughed at the audacity. This woman had slapped me five minutes ago. Now she was talking about professionalism.

He said nothing for a moment. Then he asked, "Your name?"

Sienna straightened slightly, a perfect smile on her lips. "Sienna Cole. Senior Project Manager."

"And you led this investigation?"

"Alongside HR, yes."

"I see."

His gaze stayed on her long enough to make the air uncomfortable. Then he looked at me. Directly.

"What is your name?"

My throat suddenly felt dry. Why was he suddenly asking?

"Nora." I paused. Then quietly, "Nora Vance."

Something flickered in his eyes at my last name. Tiny. Gone immediately. But I saw it. He knew that name. How?

Before I could think too hard about it, he looked back at Mr. Shawn. "Ms. Vance says she was framed."

Mr. Shawn sighed. "Sir, employees say a lot of things when they're caught—"

"Did you verify the claims before terminating her?"

Another pause. "No, sir."

"So she was removed based on a report and assumptions."

"The evidence was convincing."

"Convincing isn't the same thing as proven."

Sienna's jaw tightened. I saw it.

He turned fully toward the elevators. "Let's go."

Mr. Shawn hurried after him immediately. I stood frozen for half a second before realizing he meant now. Actually now. Not later. Not after another meeting. Now.

Sienna stepped in front of them suddenly. "Sir..."

He stopped.

"I really think this is unnecessary." Her voice stayed calm but there was tension underneath it now. "The board is waiting upstairs for your introduction meeting and this situation has already been handled internally."

He looked down at her hand where she had lightly touched his arm. Then back at her face. Slowly.

Sienna removed her hand immediately. I saw it happen. Saw the exact second she realized she had made a mistake.

His expression stayed unreadable. "If everything is exactly the way you claim it is," he said quietly, "then there should be nothing to worry about."

Sienna didn't answer.

For the first time since yesterday, I watched uncertainty appear in her eyes. 

He took one step closer. Not aggressive. It was worse.

"So move."

The word dropped into the lobby like a blade. Nobody moved. Nobody even breathed.

I stared at him. At the man I met in a bar. The man I woke up beside this morning. The man now standing between me and the destruction of my entire life.

And suddenly I realized something that made my stomach twist.

He hadn't looked surprised to see me. Not even once.