Chapter 5

Crossing the Line

The office remained silent long after the phone call ended.

Cole stood motionless beside the glass window, his phone clenched tightly in his hand while the city lights stretched endlessly beneath him. Vivian’s words still echoed inside his head, sharp and exhausting.

You need to fix this before people start talking.

Lyla is still your wife.

Stop embarrassing this family.

Behind him, Helen quietly arranged the scattered files on his desk, pretending not to notice the tension surrounding him.

But she noticed everything.

The stiffness in his shoulders.

The way he loosened his tie with irritation.

The untouched coffee was growing cold beside him.

“You moved tomorrow’s meeting?” Cole asked finally without turning around.

Helen looked down at her tablet immediately. “Yes. The Henderson project meeting was shifted to eleven.”

“And the investors?”

“I rearranged them for three in the afternoon.”

Cole nodded faintly.

“I also informed the Managing Director,” she added carefully.

That made him glance toward her.

“The MD came?”

“He stopped by after the call asking for clarification about the revised proposal.”

Cole walked back toward the desk slowly. “And?”

“I handled it.”

Something about the calm confidence in her voice caught his attention.

Cole sat down heavily in his chair. “What exactly did you tell him?”

Helen opened one of the folders neatly. “That postponing the Henderson meeting gives you more time to review the financial projections. I also assured him the updated reports would be ready before noon.”

“And he accepted that?”

“He didn’t really argue.”

A faint trace of amusement crossed Cole’s expression for the first time since Vivian’s call.

“You’re becoming dangerous.”

Helen smiled slightly. “I learned from my boss.”

The atmosphere softened a little after that.

Not completely.

But enough.

Helen continued organizing paperwork while Cole reviewed contracts silently from across the desk. Rain had started falling outside, tapping steadily against the glass windows while employees gradually left the building floor by floor.

Soon, only the executive offices remained occupied.

A knock interrupted the silence.

The Managing Director entered carrying another report beneath his arm.

“Still here?” the older man asked with surprise.

“Helen reorganized tomorrow’s schedule,” Cole replied calmly.

The MD nodded approvingly before turning toward her. “Impressive work.”

“Thank you, sir.”

As they discussed investor details, Helen explained the new arrangements smoothly, answering every question before Cole even needed to speak.

At one point, the older man laughed lightly after Helen corrected one of his mistakes involving a contract deadline.

Cole’s eyes lifted immediately toward her.

The sound of her laughter unsettled him unexpectedly.

Not because she laughed.

But because another man caused it.

The realization irritated him instantly.

He signed the document harder than necessary.

The Managing Director noticed nothing.

Helen didn’t either.

But Cole felt the shift inside himself clearly.

Possessiveness.

And he hated it.

Once the older man finally left, silence settled across the office again.

This time heavier.

Helen returned to arranging the files carefully while Cole stared at the same page without reading a single word.

“You seem comfortable with him,” he said suddenly.

Helen looked up in confusion. “The MD?”

“You laughed.”

A small smile almost appeared on her face.

“Are you upset because I laughed?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But you sound irritated.”

Cole’s jaw tightened slightly.

“I just don’t like distractions during work.”

Helen studied him quietly for a moment before lowering her eyes again.

The excuse sounded weak even to him.

Before either could continue, his phone buzzed once more across the desk.

Vivian.

Cole declined the call immediately.

Helen noticed the frustration flash through his expression again.

“You should probably talk to her,” she said softly.

Cole leaned back heavily in his chair. “Talking to my mother usually creates more problems.”

The honesty surprised both of them.

Helen hesitated briefly before speaking again.

“You don’t always have to carry everything alone.”

Cole looked at her quietly for several seconds.

Something in his expression softened.

Dangerously.

“You always say things like that?” he asked quietly.

“Only when someone looks like they need to hear it.”

The tension between them shifted instantly.

More personal.

Less professional.

Cole broke eye contact first, standing from his chair before grabbing his coat.

“You should go home.”

“You’re still working.”

“I’ll survive.”

Helen ignored the statement completely and continued arranging documents.

Cole watched her silently from across the office.

“You never listen.”

“My mother says the same thing.”

The mention of Margaret softened her face slightly.

Cole noticed immediately.

“You’re close to her.”

“She’s all I have.”

The quiet response settled deeply inside him.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then suddenly Cole grabbed his keys from the desk.

“I have another client meeting.”

“At this hour?”

“It won’t take long.”

“You look exhausted.”

“I’ll survive,” he repeated again.

Helen frowned slightly but said nothing more.

Before leaving, Cole paused near the office entrance and looked back at her.

“Go home early tonight.”

The concern in his voice caught her off guard.

Then he walked away.

---

Nearly two hours later, Helen sat on her bed reviewing tomorrow’s notes when her phone rang unexpectedly.

Unknown number.

She frowned before answering.

“Hello?”

“Miss Helen?” a male voice shouted over loud music. “I think your boss is drunk.”

Helen sat upright immediately.

“What?”

“He’s at Blackwood Bar. Your number was listed under emergency contact.”

Shock crossed her face instantly.

“How bad is he?”

The bartender glanced toward Cole slumped against the counter beside several glasses.

“Bad enough.”

---

Twenty minutes later, Helen was already outside.

The call from the bar had ended abruptly, but it left her with no room to think twice. She grabbed her bag, told Margaret only that it was an urgent office matter, and stepped out before her mother could ask anything further.

The night air hit her immediately.

Cool.

Wet.

Restless.

She flagged down a passing cab almost instantly.

“Blackwood Bar,” she said quickly, sliding into the back seat before the driver could even fully acknowledge her.

The door shut, and the car pulled into motion.

At first, she thought the ride would calm her down.

It didn’t.

It made everything worse.

Helen leaned back against the seat, but her body refused to relax. The city lights streaked past the window in broken reflections, bouncing off wet roads and glass buildings. Every turn the cab made felt slower than it should have been, as though the city itself was deliberately dragging the moment out.

Her fingers stayed locked around her bag.

Too tight.

Too still.

Her mind kept returning to the same image she couldn’t yet confirm—Cole, in a bar, drunk enough that someone else had to call her.

That alone didn’t fit him.

Not the Cole she knew in the office.

Not the controlled, sharp, almost intimidating man who barely allowed mistakes in his world.

So what had happened between the conference room and now?

Her thoughts began to replay fragments of the day.

The tension earlier.

His sharp tone when he snapped at her.

The sudden silence afterward.

And then that call from Vivian.

Helen exhaled slowly, turning her face toward the window.

Rain was starting again, thin at first, then heavier as the cab moved deeper into the city. Drops streaked across the glass in uneven lines, distorting the outside world into blurred shapes of light and shadow.

She swallowed quietly.

What condition would she find him in?

Angry drunk?

Silent drunk?

Or worse—someone who wasn’t even aware of his surroundings anymore?

Her chest tightened slightly at the thought.

Because whatever version it was, she was the one walking into it.

The driver changed lanes sharply, and Helen’s body shifted with the movement. She steadied herself immediately, but her breathing had already quickened.

She tried to think logically.

Maybe he just needed help getting home.

Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it sounded.

Maybe—

But her mind refused to stay calm.

The image of Cole, alone in a bar, kept repeating.

It didn’t match the man who usually filled a room without trying.

Didn’t match the man who rarely let his guard down.

Didn’t match anything she understood about him.

And that uncertainty was what unsettled her most.

The cab turned onto a wider road, traffic slowing as they approached the downtown district. Neon signs began to appear through the rain-streaked window, reflecting in bright colors across the wet pavement.

Helen leaned forward slightly without realizing it.

Closer.

Almost there.

Her heart began to beat harder, not from distance anymore, but anticipation.

What would she say when she saw him?

Would he even recognize her properly?

Would he be embarrassed?

Or worse… distant?

Her fingers tightened again around her bag strap.

She exhaled slowly, forcing herself to stay steady.

Whatever condition he was in, she would handle it.

She had to.

The cab slowed near a busier junction, then continued forward into a street lined with bars and late-night restaurants. Music, laughter, and distant voices filtered even through the closed windows.

Helen sat up straighter.

The glow of signs reflected across her face now.

One street.

Then another.

And finally, she saw it.

Blackwood Bar.

Her stomach tightened immediately.

The cab slowed to a stop a short distance away, and Helen reached for the door handle.

For a brief second, she paused.

Not fear.

No hesitation.

Just awareness.

Whatever she was about to walk into…

it wasn’t going to stay simple.

Music vibrated loudly through the room while dim lights flashed across crowded tables.

Then she saw him.

Cole sat alone near the counter with his tie loosened and his jacket carelessly hanging over the chair beside him.

He looked completely out of place.

Powerful even while drunk.

“Helen?”

His expression shifted with genuine surprise the moment he saw her approaching.

“You’re drunk,” she said immediately.

Cole blinked slowly before nodding once. “Probably.”

Helen sighed deeply.

“What happened?”

Cole laughed bitterly under his breath before lifting his glass again. “Long day.”

The smell of alcohol surrounded him immediately.

Helen carefully took the glass from his hand before he could drink again.

“That’s enough.”

Cole stared at her quietly.

Then suddenly said, “You smiled at him.”

Helen frowned. “What?”

“The MD.”

Realization hit instantly.

Even now, that bothered him.

“You’re jealous?” she asked before thinking.

“Maybe.”

The honest answer stunned her briefly.

Cole pushed himself unsteadily from the chair.

“I’m taking you home,” Helen said firmly.

“That sounds backwards.”

“You can barely stand.”

He almost lost balance immediately proving her point.

Helen quickly grabbed his arm to steady him.

Unfortunately, Cole was much heavier than she expected.

“God,” she muttered under her breath while struggling to support him properly.

Cole looked down at her with amused eyes. “You’re tiny.”

“And you’re impossible.”

Despite the situation, he laughed softly.

The sound caught her completely off guard.

Outside, rain poured heavily across the parking lot as Helen carefully dragged him toward the car.

Cole remained half leaning against her shoulder while walking unsteadily beside her.

“You smell nice,” he murmured suddenly.

Helen nearly stumbled.

“You’re drunk.”

“I know.”

“You’re also talking too much.”

“You smiled at him.”

“Oh my God.”

Cole laughed again quietly.

By the time they reached the expensive black car parked near the entrance, Helen was completely exhausted.

She opened the passenger door carefully before helping him inside.

Cole immediately leaned back against the seat with his eyes half closed.

Helen shut the door before quickly searching through her phone.

Driver.

Security.

Assistant.

Anyone.

Her fingers moved faster across the contacts list.

Nothing.

Her breathing slowed slightly as realization settled in.

She didn’t have his driver’s number.

Or his security team.

Or even his home address.

Helen stared at the steering wheel through the rain-covered windshield.

Then slowly looked back toward the drunk CEO sitting helplessly inside the car.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she whispered softly.

Inside the vehicle, Cole opened one eye lazily.

“Helen?”

She looked toward him immediately.

“How exactly am I supposed to get you home?”