All Chapters of Ruin Me Mr CEO: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

RIELLE’S POVThe office felt too quiet today. Too organized. Too… empty.Maybe because I’d been spending the last few days trying to convince myself I was fine.That this distance between me and Zayden was healthy — necessary.Professional, I called it.But professionalism didn’t make my chest tighten every time he passed by my desk without looking at me.Didn’t make my fingers tremble whenever I heard his voice in the hallway.I’d spent nights reminding myself that it wasn’t love — that it was just some twisted, dangerous pull that needed to die.And maybe, just maybe, I was finally starting to believe that.Until I heard his voice.“Rielle?”The pen in my hand froze midair.That voice — smooth, arrogant, unforgettable.I turned slowly, and there he was — Dante — leaning against the doorway of the marketing wing like he owned the place, that same lazy smile curving his lips.For a heartbeat, I forgot how to breathe.Then anger caught up.“Dante,” I said, forcing calm into my voice. “

Zayden’s POVZayden’s POVShe insisted I take her to Noir.Of all places.The damn club where I first saw her — drunk, wild, and untouchably beautiful.The same place I’d promised myself I’d never go back to, because the moment I laid eyes on her there, everything had started to fall apart.She said it like a challenge.“Drive me to Noir,”like she wanted to prove she could still make me follow her anywhere.And I did.Because no matter how much I try to stay away, when it comes to Rielle… I always do.The silence during the drive was suffocating.Every breath she took was a reminder that I’d lost control somewhere along the way.She stared out the window the whole time, her reflection ghosting against the glass, her jaw tight — like she was holding herself together just to keep from breaking in front of me.I knew something was wrong.She didn’t come here for fun. Not with eyes like that — red around the edges, glassy from something heavier than exhaustion.When we arrived, she got o

Rielle’s POVThe first thing I felt when I opened my eyes was pain.A sharp, pulsing ache behind my temples — the kind that reminded me exactly how much I’d drunk last night and how many mistakes I’d made while doing it.The sunlight filtering through my curtains was too bright.I groaned and pulled the sheets over my head, but it didn’t block out the memories that came flooding back like a cruel, unstoppable tide.The bar.The man who wouldn’t take no for an answer.Zayden’s voice — low, furious.The way he’d hit him. The way I’d screamed at him.And then… the car. His hands. His mouth.The heat of it. The desperation.And then him — pulling away, whispering that we couldn’t do this, that it was wrong.The rejection stung all over again, burning through the haze of whiskey.I squeezed my eyes shut.What the hell had I been thinking? Throwing myself at him like that, drunk and hurt and desperate for something I couldn’t even name.He must think I’m pathetic.A bitter laugh escaped my

RielleRain whispered against the window of Elsie’s apartment, a steady, nervous sound that matched the pounding in my chest.The mug of untouched coffee on the table had gone cold.“I’m going to do it,” I said finally, staring at the cup as if it could give me courage.My voice came out small but certain.Eslie blinked at me. “Do what exactly?”When I didn’t answer, she sat forward, suspicion flashing in her eyes. “Rie—don’t tell me you’re still talking to that psycho ex.”I nodded once, guilt burning in my chest. “He won’t stop, Els. He keeps calling, sending messages. He says if I don’t get that file for him, he’ll destroy everything.”Her brows knitted together. “Everything? What do you mean?”“He has… something,” I said quietly, my throat tightening. “A video. Pictures. Emails—something he can twist. And now he’s threatening to go after Zayden’s company too. He said he could leak data that would make investors pull out overnight.”Eslie shot up from her chair, her voice sharp. “T

When the button came undone, he slid the rain-damp fabric off my shoulder, his eyes never leaving mine. His hand paused for a breath, and then, last with a slowness that made my skin tremble, his thumb traced the curve of my collarbone before drifting lower to brush the bare skin above the lace of my bra.It was a claiming touch — raw, aching, impossible to name in the middle of everything that had just happened.“Tell me,” he demanded, his breath warm against my ear, his hand still resting on my skin. “Do you think Dante’s threats would scare me away?” His voice was rough, threaded with that dangerous possessiveness that always made my insides coil.I gasped; the air left my lungs. His words confirmed the thing I’d been dreading — he didn’t just suspect I was here for the file. He knew why.“I was scared you’d look at me differently if he—” I started, and the words died in my mouth.His fingers tightened and moved lower, the tenderness of the motion cutting through the betrayal betwe