CHAPTER THREE

I stepped out of Grayson Knight’s office, legs heavy, heart pounding. My brain wouldn’t stop racing.

“Leo?”

I looked up. Alex, his PA, was hovering near the reception desk, clipboard in hand.

“Everything okay?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

I forced a smile. “Yeah… just… overwhelmed, I guess.”

She tilted her head, giving me a small, amused smile. “First time seeing him?”

I nodded. “Something like that. He… he’s intense.”

Alex laughed softly. “Intense doesn’t even begin to cover it. Everyone reacts differently. Some break immediately. Some bend but keep their wits. And then… there’s the rare few who survive.” She gave me a pointed look. “Survive is good, by the way.”

I blinked at her, a little stunned. “Survive?”

“Yeah. Survive means you didn’t give him what he wanted. You stood your ground. You weren’t… toyed with.”

I swallowed. “So I did survive?”

“You did. That’s the important part.” She smiled and turned back to her work, clipboard in hand, but I caught her eyes lingering just a second longer.

I let out a shaky breath and leaned back against the wall. Survived. Somehow, that word made my chest feel lighter, but my head heavier at the same time.

The lobby felt unusually quiet, I needed air. I needed space.

Outside, the city smelled like wet concrete and exhaust, the rain earlier leaving everything slick. I shoved my hands in my pockets and started walking, long strides, trying to shake the lingering tension.

My phone buzzed. Max.

How’d it go? Don’t tell me you already agreed to his… weird conditions?

I bit my lip and typed back. “No. Nothing like that. I think he respects boundaries… or maybe he’s just curious. Either way… survived.”

Curious? Dangerous.

“Trust me. Way too dangerous,” I replied, and slipped my phone back into my pocket.

I kept walking, the rhythm of my steps helping a little, but not enough to stop thinking about him. About the way he’d stood there, calm, almost untouchable, like he could see everything I was trying to hide.

By the time I reached the corner café a few blocks away, my stomach had tied itself into knots again. I pushed through the door, the bell jingling above me, and ordered a coffee. Then I chose a seat by the window, fingers wrapped around the warm cup as if it could steady my nerves.

A man at the next table glanced at me and smiled. I gave a polite nod, but my attention was elsewhere. I couldn’t shake the memory of Grayson.

The way he had moved around his office, yet somehow made me feel like I mattered in it. The way he had looked at me not lecherously, not romantically but like I was a puzzle he was curious to solve.

Another buzz. Max again.

Thinking about him too much, I can tell.

I typed quickly, almost defensively: “Not too much. Just… he’s impossible.”

Impossible is his middle name. Trust me, Leo, you’re hooked now. Admit it.

I laughed, shaking my head. “Hooked isn’t the word.”

Sure it is. You survived his test and now you want… what exactly? His respect? His attention?

I frowned, staring at the raindrops sliding down the café window. “Maybe all of that… I don’t know. I just… I don’t want to feel like that again. Like I was that exposed and powerless.”

Exposed? You were exposed? Dude, he didn’t even touch you.

“I know. But it was more than that. It was he’s… calculating. Every move, every word. I felt like I was walking a tightrope the entire time. One wrong step and…”

And what?

I didn’t answer right away, instead watching a couple walk past outside. “And I don’t know if I would have been able to stop him. Not physically, maybe. But mentally… I survived. That’s what matters.”

Max sent a thumbs-up emoji. Mental survival is good. I approve.

I let out a small laugh, one that felt shaky even to me. “Thanks. Really needed that approval.”

The barista dropped off my coffee, and I took a sip, grateful for the warmth, the small normalcy. But as soon as I closed my eyes for a second, I saw him. Grayson. Calm, smirking just enough to make you question if he was mocking you or just… assessing you.

I shivered slightly and muttered, “He’s maddening.”

Max: Maddening? Dangerous? Both?

“Both. Definitely both.” I typed back, then leaned my head against the window, letting the noise of the city wash over me.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the way he had watched me. Not like a man sizing up a woman, not like a predator hunting prey but like he could see through every mask I wore. And the scariest part? I wanted him to see through me. Not in a sexual way… not yet. Just… like he cared about who I was under all of it.

Max: Careful, Leo. Billionaire, predator, suit. Out of your league, remember?

I laughed, a little bitterly. “Yeah. That’s exactly what he is.”

Then why are you still thinking about him?

I didn’t answer. How do you explain that it’s not him personally it’s the idea of surviving him? Of standing your ground and not breaking, and having him acknowledge it in the smallest way possible?

Another text popped up. Max: Promise me you’re not going to do anything stupid.

I typed quickly, “No promises. But surviving today… that counts for something. Right?”

Right.

The café had started to fill, people chatting, coffee machines hissing, but I could still feel the ghost of his presence behind me. I swirled my coffee, watching the liquid twist in the cup like a storm.

I whispered to myself, “This isn’t over, Grayson Knight. Not by a long shot.”

A few moments later, Alex’s words from the lobby echoed in my head: “Some break. Some bend. And some survive.” I smiled, a little wry, a little scared. I had survived. But the thought of facing him again… made my stomach tighten in a way I couldn’t quite explain.

I finished my coffee, paying the barista with a distracted hand, and stepped back onto the wet streets. Rain had stopped, but the world still smelled like storm and asphalt. I pulled my coat tighter and started walking again, longer strides this time, trying to keep my mind occupied.

But I knew, no matter how far I walked, no matter how much coffee I drank or how much I tried to pretend I wasn't okay.