All Chapters of The CEO Billionaire Collection: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The digital murmur of the conference call bled through my laptop speakers, a chorus of skepticism that had become all too familiar. The board of my empire—a collection of sharp minds—were, at that moment, sharp thorns in my side. They questioned the wisdom behind the acquisition of Mayer Financial, their voices a static buzz of contention in my otherwise pristine morning.The sun had barely peeked over the horizon, a lazy onlooker to the discord unfolding in my study. This room, with its sleek lines and dark woods, felt more alive than ever, charged with the invisible energy of high-stakes decisions and colder-than-cold calculations.I leaned back in my chair, fingers steepled, the leather creaking softly under my weight. "Listen," I began, my tone a blend of iron and velvet, "expansion isn't just about solidifying our current hold. It’s about branching out, and diversifying. Mayer Financial is our gateway into new markets, new opportunities."The board members,

The next day, I was deep in the financial statements when I caught the click of heels in the hallway. Without glancing up, I knew it was Ellie; her stride was as confident as the numbers before me.Before she could breeze past my door, I called out. "Ellie, in my office. Now."She paused, her resolve wavering at the edge of defiance, before turning to meet my gaze with an air of composed professionalism. My approach was direct, no time for beating around the bush."I need your analysis on the Henderson merger proposal," I stated, sliding a thick dossier across my desk towards her. "I want your insights and recommendations on it by the end of the day." The words were a clear challenge, a test of her mettle and expertise.Her eyebrow arched upward, a silent herald of her surprise—or was it defiance? "By the end of the day? That's a tight deadline," she retorted, but her voice betrayed no weakness."Tight but necessary," I returned evenly, my eyes nev

I trudged to the bathroom, determined to drown out the thoughts of balance sheets and board meetings with something far more soothing. A grin on my face, I went for another of my go-to methods for total relaxation – a bath. I flicked on the faucet, letting the tub fill with steamy water while I hunted down candles from the back of my closet. One by one, I placed them around the edge of the bath, the flickering flames casting dancing shadows against the tiles.Striking a match, I lit the last candle and turned off the harsh overhead lights. The room instantly transformed into a sanctuary. A few drops of lavender oil into the water and the air was heavy with its calming scent. It was like prepping for a ritual, a sacred unwinding of the day's tight knots.I slipped out of my clothes, the cool air making me shiver with anticipation. Then, with a practiced grace, I sank into the water, letting out a sigh as the heat enveloped me, seeping into my muscles, and urging

I was sitting across from Mom and Dad in the glass-walled conference room, the morning light casting a professional glow on what felt like an interrogation room. "He's got his head on straight," Mom said, her fingers drumming a staccato on the table, her lawyer's mind always dissecting angles. "Alex is smart, and capable."Dad, the eternal skeptic with furrowed brows, leaned back in his chair, his fingers tented in contemplation. "Too capable," he mused, the lines deepening around his eyes. "I get the sense he sees us as another rung on his ladder. Just a means for expansion."There it was—the crux of the matter laid out on the mahogany table between us. I should have been weighing in, offering insights from my own interactions with Alex. Instead, I found myself caught in a cyclone of inappropriate thoughts. Memories of my dreams about him, his intense gaze that always seemed to see through me, the subtle scent of his cologne that lingered long after he'd left the room

Dragging myself out of the office felt like peeling away the layers of a day that clung too tight. The mention of Preston Caldwell had set my thoughts spinning like a top, and they wove a disorienting tapestry against the backdrop of my already tumultuous day.I shook my head as I entered the sterile calm of the doctor’s office, a welcome break from the buzzing chaos of Mayer Financials. The receptionist, a woman with a perpetually painted-on smile, greeted me by name. "Good afternoon, Ellie. Dr. Pearson will see you shortly."I nodded my thanks, finding a seat in the corner. The magazines on the table beside me offered a distraction, but I brushed them aside. Instead, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to expel the image of Preston’s piercing gaze from my mind.Alex's explanation about Preston's potential play for the company had been all business, but it had dredged up a cocktail of high school memories, the kind that left a bitter aftertaste. I could