Say you’ll leave.

KAILEE

Ashton kept to his word. The next two days were nothing short of exhausting, with every design I submitted coming back with one criticism or the other.

By my fourth day, he’d changed the work arrangements, making sure I reported directly to him.

“The gold designs are manageable, but they could be better.”

I watched as he crossed out the bottom of my sketch. That was my fifth time I’d had to change it after his reviews.

“Do you have any specific ideas, Mr. Lancaster?”

He dropped the sketchbook onto the table and pushed it towards me. His eyes narrowed as he studied my face, his expression unreadable.

“You’re the designer, Ms. Donovan.”

“Yet you’ve had a problem with every single design.”

“I gave constructive criticism.”

I sighed tiredly, anger already rising in my chest.

“Fine.” I snatched the sketchbook and tightened my grip on it. “I’ll work on your constructive criticism for the sixth time.”

I mumbled to myself as I walked out of his office. Constructive criticism, my foot.

Ashton Lancaster wanted me to lose my sanity.

I returned to my desk, trying hard to remain composed. Delaney leaned closer and whispered.

“I don’t understand why he suddenly returned to the country. Or why he moved his office right across from ours. Everyone is walking on eggshells around him now.”

I raised my head to his office and saw him flipping through the files on his desk. My throat tightened. He appeared so calm that one would never believe he was actually cold and demanding.

Twenty-five minutes into working, Gianna, his secretary, approached me with loads of documents.

“Mr. Lancaster wants you to go through these files and submit them by tomorrow morning.”

I stared at the pile of papers, my jaw dropping slightly. It would take hours to get through them. Yet he wanted them cleared by tomorrow morning?

“Mr. Lancaster,” I called the moment I stormed into his office. “With all due respect, I think you’re taking this too far.”

He didn’t spare me a glance. He kept typing on his keyboard like I wasn’t standing in front of him.

“What do you want, Ms. Donovan?”

“I get it. You’re trying to punish me for whatever you think I did to you. But you’re becoming unfair.”

“Unfair?” He chuckled. “By making sure you did your job properly?”

I stepped forward. “Ashton.”

“It’s Mr. Lancaster to you,” he said sternly, then threw me a cold glance. “I won’t remind you again.”

This version of Ashton Lancaster was colder than the one I met six years ago for the first time.

“When did you become so… demanding? So cold and unreasonable?”

He stopped typing, but remained still. An unsettling feeling settled in my stomach as I slowly stepped back.

“If you want to punish me, then do it directly. Stop hiding behind paperwork and unsolicited advice.”

After saying everything that was on my mind, I returned to my workspace. Delaney wanted to know what was going on, but I didn’t have the strength to explain.

I pushed the designs aside and began working on the documents Gianna had brought.

By seven, everyone packed up to leave as usual, but I decided to work overnight.

“I’ll be home tomorrow morning,” I told Dexter over the phone. “Please, tell Miranda I’ll pick up Xander early.”

“Are you working overnight, Kay?”

“I’ve got these documents that need close attention. Don’t worry, I’m staying because I want to. He’s not forcing me.”

One hour later, Ashton walked into the office and found me working. I pretended not to notice him staring at me, until he dropped his briefcase, and spoke up.

“Go home, Ms. Donovan.”

I hadn’t even gotten to half of those documents yet. I ignored him and continued working.

He stepped closer, leaned forward, then grabbed the document I was holding.

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

My chest tightened as I glared at him.

“I don’t appreciate people intruding into my work.”

“The whole department is deserted. You should leave.”

“No.”

“Kailee.”

“It’s Ms. Donovan to you.”

He scoffed, threw down the document in his hand, and held my gaze as I stood up.

“I see. You’re trying to flip things over and make me the bad guy.”

“Do you really think I want to get even? I wouldn’t even be here if that was the case.”

He pushed the documents to one side of the table and placed both hands in front of him. His sleeves were rolled up, so I saw his muscles and the tattoo.

“You enjoy the attention I give you, don’t you, Ms. Donovan?”

I let out a chuckle. “Attention? The last thing I want is to be seen by someone with such questionable traits.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “You say that with so much venom.”

“I hate your attitude, Mr. Lancaster. It makes me sick.”

I hissed and tried to sit down, but Ashton moved quickly, catching me before I could. One hand settled around my waist while the other rested gently against my stomach.

“How’s your cramps? Are they gone?”

My breath hitched. If not for the table between us, he would have pulled me closer. And I wasn’t sure I would be able to pull away.

I didn’t want to believe that was care in his voice or concern in the way that he looked at me.

My mouth completely went dry, and my tongue was tied when I tried to reply.

“Your period ends tomorrow,” he murmured. “You should rest tonight.”

The audacity of him to remember that.

I’d told Ashton once that my period lasted for four days, and I didn’t think he’d still know that after five years.

I finally found my words after a whole minute of struggling to even think straight.

“Take your hands off me.”

“Say you’ll go home.”

“That’s none of your problem.”

He pulled his hands away, but our faces remained close, his lavender scent filling the air around me.

“You’re my employee, so automatically, you’re my problem.”

I turned my face away, feeling the heat that rushed through my cheeks.

I sensed another presence, followed by the familiar scent of cedarwood. Footsteps sounded behind me before a voice broke through the silence.

“Am I interrupting something?”

I froze before turning towards the door.

Dexter stood in the doorway, his eyes fixed on Ashton, whose face was barely an inch from mine.