로그인“Relax. It was meaningless. It didn’t mean a thing.” Three years. That’s how long Lena Carter loved Evan Brooks—three years of loyalty, late nights, and believing she was building a future with him. Until she finds him in a hotel suite bathroom, hands braced against marble, whispering excuses while her cousin—and closest friend—fixes her lipstick in the mirror. All this happens during Lena’s promotion celebration. Lena should be home, crying into cheap wine and shattered dreams. Instead, she’s stranded on a quiet Los Angeles street at midnight, phone dead, heels in hand, with a group of drunk men circling closer than comfort allows. Then a black luxury sedan pulls up. The man who steps out wears a tailored suit, calm eyes, and an authority that makes the street go silent. Mason Hart. Billionaire. Tech CEO. And—unknown to him—the elusive owner of the company where Lena works as an executive assistant two floors below the C-suite. He offers her a ride. She hesitates. She takes it. That single decision rewrites her life. Mason doesn’t mix business with emotions. He doesn’t date employees. And he definitely doesn’t rescue strangers with haunted eyes. But Lena’s quiet strength, the way she refuses pity, the way pain sharpens her instead of breaking her—it gets under his skin. Lena just wants to forget the man who betrayed her. Mason offers distraction. Protection. Desire without promises. But Evan refuses to let go, spreading lies and suddenly desperate to “fix things.” Her cousin is determined to destroy what little Lena has left. And the closer Lena grows to the powerful CEO who signs her company’s paychecks, the more dangerous her heart becomes. Because falling for a billionaire who doesn’t believe in love might hurt worse than betrayal.
더 보기The office felt heavier than usual.Lena’s hands hovered over her keyboard, unsure if she could focus. “I don’t want any more messages from that unknown number,” she whispered to herself, almost afraid the walls might listen.Mason’s voice cut through the space between their desks. “I heard what happened.”She looked up, startled. “You… you know?”“I know enough,” he said, leaning against the doorframe. His tone was calm, but every word carried weight.“I don’t need you to get involved,” Lena said, trying to mask the relief that fluttered in her chest.He smiled slightly. “That’s not your choice.”Her eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”“I’m your CEO,” he said simply. “And you’re under my protection. Officially.”The words made her chest tighten, and a strange warmth spread through her.“You don’t understand…” she began.“Try me,” he interrupted gently.She hesitated, swallowing hard. “It’s… it’s Evan. He’s been spreading rumors. HR… they called me in this morning.”Mason’s jaw tightened subt
The phone was still warm in her hand.“I don’t want any more messages from that unknown number,” Lena said under her breath.Mason looked up immediately. “What did you say?”She locked the screen too quickly. “Nothing.”His eyes narrowed slightly. “That didn’t sound like nothing.”“It’s just…” She exhaled slowly. “Spam.”“Show me.”“No.”The refusal came out sharper than she intended.Silence stretched between them.Mason leaned back in his chair, studying her. “You’re hiding something.”“I’m protecting myself.”“From me?”The question caught her off guard.“No.”“Then from what?”She didn’t answer.Because she didn’t know how to explain a message that knew what she had just dreamed.Her fingers tightened around the phone.“Lena,” he said more quietly this time.She shook her head. “Please don’t push.”He held her gaze for a moment longer.Then he nodded once.“Fine.”But the tension didn’t leave the room.It shifted.Settled somewhere deeper.---Morning came with noise.Phones ringi
The hallway lights were still red.“Did you hear that?” Lena whispered.Mason didn’t answer immediately. His eyes stayed fixed on the stairwell door at the far end of the corridor, his body angled slightly in front of hers like an instinct he hadn’t bothered hiding.“Yes,” he said quietly.The echo of the footsteps still lingered in the silence, bouncing faintly through the empty floor. Lena’s fingers curled against the fabric of his sleeve before she even realized she had reached for him.“Maybe it’s just security,” she murmured.“Maybe,” he replied.But he didn’t move.Neither did she.The closeness between them from a moment ago hadn’t faded. If anything, the tension had grown heavier in the quiet, wrapping around them like the dim red light itself.“You’re still shaking,” Mason said.“I’m not.”“You are.”She exhaled slowly and forced her hands to relax. “Adrenaline.”“That’s not all.”His voice dropped slightly on the last words.Her heartbeat stumbled.The stairwell door remaine
The door clicked open down the hallway.“Did you hear that?” Lena whispered.“Yes.”Mason’s hand tightened around hers without thinking. The red emergency lights cast long shadows across the glass walls, turning the office into something unfamiliar.Another sound followed. Slow. Measured.Footsteps.Lena’s pulse jumped into her throat. “You said the building was empty.”“It was.”The footsteps echoed again, closer this time, rubber soles against polished tile.Mason released her hand only long enough to reach for his phone. No signal.Of course.“Stay behind me,” he said quietly.“I’m not hiding,” she replied, though her voice shook slightly.He glanced at her. Even now, stubborn.“This isn’t about pride.”“I know.”The footsteps stopped.Silence expanded, thick and suffocating.Mason moved toward the door of his office, every step deliberate. Lena followed despite his earlier instruction, her fingers brushing the back of his shirt like she needed proof he was still there.The hallway
Her phone wouldn’t stop vibrating.“Lena,” Evan’s voice came through the speaker, almost amused, almost calm. “Before you panic.”Her breath was already unsteady.“What did you do?” she demanded.“Nothing illegal,” he replied smoothly.Her banking app refreshed again.The numbers didn’t.“My saving
Evan stood in her doorway.“You forgot your jacket,” he said lightly.Lena didn’t move.The hallway light framed him in soft yellow, almost harmless.“I didn’t leave a jacket,” she replied.He lifted the leather coat slightly.“The one you used to keep at my place.”Her chest tightened.“That was m
The hallway went quiet.“Don’t open it,” Lena whispered.Mason’s hand stayed on the lock.“I’m not,” he said.They both listened.No footsteps.No voices.Just the low hum of the building’s ventilation system.“It could be a neighbor,” she offered.“It could,” he replied.He didn’t move away from t
The door was cold under her palm.“Lena.”Mason’s voice in her ear wasn’t loud, but it held something sharp.She didn’t turn the handle.“I’m still here,” she said quietly.Outside, Evan shifted his weight, watching through the glass.“Are you going back to him?” Mason asked.The question wasn’t je






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