"You’re crossing a line"

CHAPTER 3

I didn’t sleep much that night.

Every time I closed my eyes, my brain replayed the same scene…

Mr Reign leaned back in his chair.

That unreadable look.

That calm, cool voice says, ‘There is no ‘us’.

God. Why did that bother me so much?

I barely knew the man.

I’d worked there one day.

One.

Still, something felt off in my chest. Tight. Annoying.

I tried ignoring it. That didn’t help.

By morning, I looked like I had fought a hurricane and lost.

The elevator doors opened to the top floor, and I stepped out. Coffee in hand. Heart weirdly jumpy.

He was already there.

Of course he was.

The man probably slept three hours total in his life and called that “rest”.

He didn’t look up when I entered.

Just said, “You’re five minutes early.”

“Thank you? ” I wasn’t sure if that was praise or a warning.

He scribbled something on a document. “Not praise. Observation.”

“Right.” I sat at my desk. “Well, I’ll try to be earlier next time.”

He paused his writing.

“Earlier? ” he repeated.

“Yeah. Like… before early.”

A quiet exhale came from him. The billionaire version of a laugh.

At least I hoped.

The day started slowly.

Emails. More emails. Some calls.

He didn’t talk much, which was fine. I had enough awkward inner thoughts for both of us.

Around noon, my tablet buzzed again.

Ivy Laurent – ‘We need to talk.’

I froze.

Not this again.

I slid a glance toward him. He was still reading something, jaw tight, shoulders tense.

He must’ve felt my stare because he said without looking up, “If that’s Ivy, delete it.”

I swallowed. “Are you sure? What if it’s important? ”

He finally looked at me. “If it’s from Ivy, it isn’t.”

“That sounds… complicated.”

“It is not complicated,” he said, too quickly. “It’s over. She refuses to accept that.”

I nodded slowly. “So she’s your ex? ”

He went still.

Very still.

“Maya,” he said, tone lower, “you’re crossing a line.”

Heat rushed to my face. “Sorry. please. I didn’t mean to pry. I’m just trying to understand the… email situation. Professionally.”

He watched me for a second longer than necessary.

Then said softly, “Yes. She’s an ex.”

“Oh.”

“And she wasn’t good for me.”

“Oh.”

I didn’t know what else to say.

The honesty in his voice surprised me.

He looked away first, tapping his pen against the desk. A quiet rhythm. Not the confident billionaire thing he normally did. This was different. More human.

The elevator suddenly dinged.

We both turned.

A woman stepped out.

Tall. Beautiful in that expensive, effortless way.

Hair glossy.

Dress designer.

Confidence dripping off her like perfume.

My stomach dropped.

You didn’t need a name tag to know who she was.

She walked straight toward his office door.

Didn’t even look at me. Just pushed inside like she owned the building.

Mr Reign stiffened. “Ivy.”

She flashed a smile. Dangerous. “Cole.”

Oh no.

They were one of those exes.

I pretended to be busy with my tablet, but I wasn’t.

I was listening.

Anyone would.

“What are you doing here? ” he asked, voice clipped.

“You didn’t answer my calls.”

“That usually means I don’t want to talk.”

“I guessed that,” she said lightly. “But I came anyway.”

He rubbed a hand over his temple. “Ivy, this isn’t a good time.”

She stepped closer to him. Too close.

I felt my stomach twist again. Why? I had no idea why I felt that way

Stupid feelings.

“I heard you hired someone,” Ivy said. “A woman.”

Her eyes slid toward me. Sharp. Cold.

“And I came to see her.”

My heart dropped to my toes.

She walked right up to my desk.

Slow.

Predatory.

“You must be Maya,” she said with a smile that wasn’t a smile.

“Hi,” I said, sounding like a scared mouse. “Nice to meet you.”

“Is it? ” She looked me up and down. “You don’t look like his type.”

I almost choked. “I’m not his–no–there’s no type–there’s no anything–”

She laughed. Quiet and cruel. “Relax. I’m not threatened.”

“You sound very threatened,” slipped out of my mouth before my brain could stop it.

Her smile vanished.

Oh no.

Bad.

Abort mission.

Cole stepped between us so fast it shocked me. “Ivy. Enough.”

She blinked. “She insulted me.”

“No,” he said calmly. “She told the truth.”

I froze.

She froze.

A long beat passed.

Then Ivy smoothed her hair and gave him a cold, sweet smile. “You’ve changed.”

“I hope so.”

“Good luck with your… assistant.”

She practically hissed the word.

Then she turned and walked out.

He didn’t stop her.

When the elevator doors closed behind her, he exhaled–a breath he’d probably been holding since she arrived.

I stayed quiet.

He ran a hand over his jaw. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”

“It’s fine,” I said. “I’ve had worse. I once got yelled at by a woman because her soy latte wasn’t ‘soy’ enough.”

A slow look of disbelief crossed his face. “That can’t be real.”

“It’s very real.”

His lips twitched. “You handled Ivy better than I expected.”

“I handled nothing. I panicked. My soul left my body for a moment.”

A short breath left him. Almost a laugh.

“You did fine,” he said.

I fiddled with the tablet, trying to calm my heartbeat. My hands were still shaking from the confrontation–or maybe from the way he looked at me now. Like he saw something new.

“Why is she so… intense? ” I asked carefully.

“She hates losing.”

“Losing what? ”

Another pause.

Another unreadable expression.

“Control.”

I nodded. “And she thinks she’s losing you.”

“She already lost me.”

The words were too heavy. Too honest. Too real.

He didn’t say things like that. Not to me. Not to anyone.

Maybe he realised it too, because he cleared his throat and said, “We have work to do.”

“Right. Yes. Work. Absolutely.”

But something had shifted in the room.

In him.

In me.

He was still my boss.

Still a billionaire.

Still cold and guarded.

But now… he wasn’t just unreadable.

He was a man trying very hard not to feel something.

And I wasn’t sure I could pretend I didn’t see it.