Shadows of the Past

CHAPTER 14

The morning light barely touched my desk when I arrived.

Not that it mattered. Shadows clung to the office corners anyway. Some were natural. Some… not.

Ivy was already there. Not openly confrontational. No, she was subtle. Leaning casually against the hallway railing, phone in hand, smile faint but sharp. Watching. Waiting.

I stopped mid-step. Heart thudding. Fingers gripping my bag strap like it could hold me together.

“Good morning, Maya,” she said lightly. Smiled too easily. Too intentionally.

“Good morning,” I replied. My voice was firmer than I expected. Protective instincts kicked in before I even thought about it.

Her eyes lingered on me. Long. Measuring. Predatory.

“You’re getting bold,” she said softly. “Not many last this long.”

I swallowed. Bold? Or stupid? Hard to tell. Probably both.

Before I could respond, Reign appeared. Quiet. Dominant. Protective. Dangerous warmth radiating from him like a shield I couldn’t resist leaning into.

He didn’t speak immediately. Just stood behind me, one hand brushing the back of my chair, subtle but grounding.

“You’re early,” Ivy said, voice light, almost teasing.

“Focused,” Reign replied calmly. Edge in his tone. Warning.

Ivy tilted her head. “Of course. Focused. Always so admirable.”

I clenched my fists under the desk. Heart racing. Her words weren’t friendly. Not one bit.

Reign’s gaze flicked to mine. Encouraging. Protective. Dangerous. I nodded subtly.

The morning dragged.

Emails, reports, corrections. Henderson follow-ups. Minor crises. Office whispers. All of it amplified by Ivy’s presence.

She didn’t need to say much. Just a look. A tilt of her head. A smirk. Enough to make the tension climb.

I tried to focus. Tried to block it out. Tried to… breathe.

But shadows from yesterday’s revelations lingered. Reign’s past. His mistakes. His secrets. And now… Ivy’s encroachment. Personal. Professional. Emotional.

Around midday, Reign pulled me into his office. The door was closed this time. Personal space. Boundary lines blurred, heartlines stretched.

“Ivy’s here for a reason,” he said quietly, voice low and intimate. Dangerous. “She’s probing. Testing. Finding weaknesses.”

“Yes,” I whispered. “I noticed.”

He leaned back in his chair, gaze distant. Vulnerable, just slightly. “Some weaknesses… are inherited. Old. Shadows of the past. People carry them everywhere. And some… you can’t avoid.”

I shivered, unsure if it was the temperature or his words. Something in his tone made the air heavy. Personal. Raw.

“And that affects… me?” I asked softly.

“Everyone around me,” he admitted. “Eventually.”

The admission… small. But it hit harder than any storm Ivy could conjure.

Ivy didn’t wait long to escalate.

She cornered me in the conference room. Not aggressive. Not yet. Calculated. Casual. Innocuous. Dangerous.

“New here,” she said softly, voice honey over steel. “Clever. Determined. But cleverness isn’t enough. Not here.”

I swallowed, squaring my shoulders. “I’m learning. Quickly.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Good. You’ll need to. Because knowing isn’t the same as surviving. Not in this office. Not with him.”

I stiffened. With him? She meant Reign. Protective. Dangerous. Warm. My pulse spiked.

Before I could respond, Reign appeared in the doorway. Silent. Watching. Protective. Edge in his stance.

“You’ll excuse us,” he said, voice calm but lethal.

Ivy tilted her head. Smirked. “Of course. Enjoy the shadows.”

Her heels clicked away like warnings, echoing down the hallway.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur of tension.

Reign stayed close by. Observing. Correcting gently. Guiding subtly. Protective. Encouraging. Dangerous warmth lingering in his proximity.

I focused. Fixed errors. Corrected numbers. Responded to enquiries. Every movement precise. Controlled. My heartbeat frantic beneath it all.

And I realised… the office wasn’t just a place for work.

It was a battlefield.

Ivy was testing me. Reign was testing me. And I was testing myself.

Later, Reign asked me to stay after the board members left.

He leaned against his desk, eyes shadowed, calculating. “You noticed things today,” he said softly. “About her. About the way people behave. About… me.”

“Yes,” I admitted, voice low. “I noticed. Everything.”

“Good,” he said, leaning closer. “That awareness… that’s rare. Not everyone sees the patterns. Not everyone survives them. And not everyone… understands me.”

I swallowed hard. His words pressed against my chest. Dangerous. Thrilling. Personal.

“I… I want to understand,” I whispered.

He smiled faintly. Almost sad. Almost relieved. “And you will. But it takes time. And trust. Careful, tentative trust.”

By evening, Ivy had left again, but her shadow lingered.

I gathered my things slowly. Mind spinning. Chest tight. Pulse hammering.

Every glance. Every whisper. Every subtle word carried weight.

Reign approached me as I headed to the elevator.

“You did well today,” he said softly. “Better than well. You kept your composure under pressure. Even with… her shadows looming.”

I exhaled shakily. “Thank you… sir.”

He nodded. Close enough that I felt warmth brush my arm. Protective. Dangerous. Intimate.

“Rest tonight,” he added. “Tomorrow… expect more challenges. Shadows always return.”

The elevator doors closed. Silence enveloped me.

But the echo of Ivy’s presence, Reign’s words, and the shadows of his past pressed on my mind.

I leaned against the elevator wall. Heart racing. Thoughts spinning.

Ivy was more than a threat. Reign’s past was more than a burden.

And me… I was in the middle of it all.

I had to survive. I had to learn. I had to adapt.

But deep down… I knew.

It wasn’t just about surviving the office.

It was about navigating hearts. Secrets. Shadows. Desire.

And I was already dangerously involved.