All Chapters of The CEO'S secretary : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

It’s strange, when the things you think will empower you ruin you instead. I had convinced myself that sending that email telling HR I would consider the transfer to London would make me feel like I had control again. I could feel better knowing I wasn’t just letting someone else choose my fate.But instead, it felt like I was already walking away from something I didn’t want to lose. Not because I didn’t have a choice, but Because i wasn’t sure if I was strong enough to walk towards something new. Not yet, not with all the mess happening around me.The email was sent to the HR. It was official, at least in my mind. I had made the move and taken control of what felt like a runaway train.But I didn’t feel better.…I didn’t see Elias all morning. Not that I wanted to. He probably locked himself inside his office, pretending the world was still just numbers that he could play with;Manageable and controllable. Everything he could control.It wasn’t until lunch that I felt a gentle br

CHLOE'S POV Saturday mornings used to mean sleeping in and drinking coffee, waking up slowly to a world I was constantly trying to outrun.But ever since I started at Rourke Enterprise, Saturdays had become a recovery day from emotional breakdowns from a week spent surviving men who didn’t say what they wanted, and feelings I hadn’t named yet.This one was different.I still felt the tension under my skin, but it didn’t own me today. Maybe because I’d finally made a choice and stuck with it. Maybe because I have finally stopped waiting for Elias to come find me. Or maybe because for once, the air outside the office didn’t feel like guilt.Whatever it was I didn't care anymore, I got dressed without checking my phone for any messages from him.I threw on a light sweater, tied my hair into a low bun, and left my apartment with no destination in mind but to find the version of myself I had started to miss....The farmers market was already open by the time I got there. Crowds moving be

ELIAS’ POVThe trouble with change is that it doesn’t come with a guidebook. No step-by-step. No checklist.You just wake up one morning and realize you can’t keep living like nothing matters when it actually does.I sat at my desk long after the building emptied out. My reflection in the glass looked tired, older. Or maybe just finally honest.In all my years of being controlling and with no emotions, I had never for once considered how it might feel to lose something I didn’t know how to name until it was gone.I hadn’t lost Chloe. Not yet.But she wasn’t mine either.And that truth was beginning to undo me....I started small.On Wednesday, I emailed her not from my executive account, not through a calendar invite. Just a direct message.Subject: About Friday’s Review PresentationChloe, I would like to sit in on your portion of the pitch review. Let me know what time works for you. I trust your direction with the client angle.—E.R.No micromanaging. No edits. Just acknowledgment

CHLOE'S POV I froze, thumb hovering just above the green button, heartbeat thudding in my ears like it didn’t know whether to race or stop altogether. My first instinct was to ignore it. Let it go to voicemail, like I had every right to.But I didn’t."Hello?" My voice came out low and even, even though my stomach was doing somersaults.There was a pause, then his voice quiet and fixed. “Chloe.”Just my name. Nothing else. No explanation. No apology.I shifted the phone to my other ear. “Yes?”Another pause. I could practically hear him thinking. Elias never called without a purpose. In fact, he hardly ever called at all. Everything was usually sent through emails, meetings, post-its he would leave on my desk.“I got your final calendar update,” he said finally. “The meetings with overseas clients you rescheduled the Zurich call to next Tuesday.” ohh wow so that's why he called. He should have just sent a mail. “Yes,” I said. “You asked me to push it. I handled the others too. Ever

CHLOE' POV The message burned into my mind as I looked at the screen.“You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”I re-read it three times, trying to make sense of it. My chest tightened. Was it a threat? A warning? A prank?“Everything okay?” Gavin asked beside me as the elevator doors closed.I locked my screen quickly. “Yeah. Just… spam.”He turned his head, studying me for a moment. “You sure?”I nodded, even though I wasn’t.We stepped out into the lobby and walked toward the exit. Sunlight poured through the tall windows, too bright. Outside, the city was filled with its usual rhythms (horns, voices, footsteps)but my head was filled up with questions. Why did the message come now? And why from that number?Could it have been Elias?No. He had no reason to send something like that anonymously. If he had something to say, he would’ve said it to my face or at least in a stern, emotionless tone. Wouldn’t he?I barely registered the walk to the cafe Gavin suggested. He did most of the