Chapter 10 – Lines We Cross

Evelyn didn't speak to Alexander for three days.

She showed up, did her work, and stayed invisible which was a skill she had long perfected before she ever caught his attention. She no longer lingered near the executive floor. Her messages were brief, her tone neutral, and her focus absolute. If anyone noticed her withdrawal, they didn't mention it.

And Alexander?

He let her have the space.

But not without watching from a distance.

It was Thursday afternoon when the dam finally cracked.

She had just finished leading a successful campaign review when her phone buzzed.

Boardroom. Ten minutes. Close the door.

Her stomach tightened, pulse rising with every step down the hall. When she entered, the room was empty except for him.

The door clicked shut behind her.

"I didn't like how we left things," he said without preamble.

Evelyn stayed by the door. "Neither did I. But we can't pretend there aren't consequences."

"I'm not pretending."

He walked toward her, each step deliberate. "I've built walls my whole life, Evelyn. You're the first person who's ever made me want to take one down."

Her heart caught in her throat.

"I didn't plan for you. I didn't want this." His voice dropped. "But I want you."

Silence filled the room, thick with the weight of everything they weren't saying.

"You make it sound like wanting me is a problem," she whispered.

He stopped in front of her, inches away.

"It is," he said. "Because I don't know how to want you without risking everything. My control. My reputation. My company."

She looked up at him, eyes clear.

"Then don't risk it," she said. "End this."

His jaw clenched.

But he didn't move.

"I can't," he admitted.

And just like that, the thread between them snapped.

His hand was at her waist before she could think. Her fingers tangled in his shirt as his mouth met hers. They were hungry, furious, full of all the words they couldn't say. She kissed him like a secret she didn't want to keep. He kissed her like a man desperate to stop pretending.

They shouldn't have.

But they did.

On the polished table of the boardroom where million-dollar decisions were made, they crossed a line that couldn't be uncrossed.

Afterward, Evelyn sat on the edge of the table, blouse rumpled, lipstick faintly smudged. Alexander stood by the window, arms folded, his expression unreadable.

She stared down at her hands.

"This is going to ruin me," she said softly.

He turned to her, eyes sharp.

"No, it won't."

"You're protected. I'm not. One word from Linda, or worse, HR, and I'm the story of the assistant who slept her way up."

He crossed the room slowly, took her hand, and lifted it to his chest.

"Then marry me."

The words hit her like a jolt.

She blinked. "What?"

He was calm. Unshakable.

"Marry me. Quietly. No one has to know. Not yet."

She pulled her hand back. "Alexander…"

"You said this could ruin you," he said. "But what if it protects you instead?"

Her head was spinning.

"This isn't a solution. This is madness."

"It's strategic," he countered. "You want protection. I want you. Let's make it official."

She stared at him in disbelief.

"We've barely had time to be normal together. We don't even know what we are."

He stepped closer.

"I know what I am," he said. "Yours. And I'm done pretending I'm not."

That night, Evelyn lay awake in her apartment, the city lights painting fractured patterns across her ceiling. Her phone buzzed beside her.

A new message.

I wasn't joking. Think about it.

She stared at the screen, heart thundering.

Because the truth was she already had.