All Chapters of Ruin Me Mr CEO: Chapter 31 - Chapter 37

The air between Zayden and me had subtly shifted after that late night at the office. We hadn't talked much, but he was noticeably less controlling and stiff. He was currently consumed with preparations for a major business trip, a two-week venture that was a massive deal for the company."So, are you going with him?" my best friend, Elsie, asked, her voice bright with suggestion. "I mean, more private time together, more sex... more...""Elsieeee! Do you think of anything else?" I laughed, a genuine, if slightly strained, sound.She giggled. "Well, you are his PA, Rielle. He'll definitely need you there, whether it's for work or with his cock," she added, her tone utterly casual.That last sentence landed like a punch. I felt a weird chill, the image of being his mere toy, a convenient release whenever he was "horny," snapping into focus. He had made his intentions clear before, but the last time, in his office, he hadn't looked at me as just a sex partner. There was something more,

“I saw Lucas leave.”It was Linda.“Did my father send you here too?” I asked, already frustrated with the parade of morning visitors.She gave a soft laugh, stepping closer. “You know he wouldn’t dare. I’m on your side.”Her hand landed on my shoulder, light but deliberate, and that familiar smirk curved her lips — the one that always carried more meaning than her words.I managed a small smile, the tension in my chest easing just a little. For all her sharp edges and games, Linda had always been the one person who seemed to understand me — and, for now, the only one I could trust to stay by me no matter what.Linda’s perfume lingered in the air — soft, expensive, the kind that made it hard to tell where memory ended and presence began.“You look tired,” she said, studying me with that too-perceptive gaze. “You’ve been working nonstop again, haven’t you?”I exhaled, rubbing the back of my neck. “There’s a lot going on. The trip, the board, my father’s sudden interest in my life—take

RielleZayden’s phone buzzed on the desk, the sound cutting through the silence.I glanced toward it, still trying to steady my breathing. The morning light was spilling through the blinds, soft and golden — it should’ve felt peaceful, but something about the look on his face wasn’t.He reached for the phone, thumb swiping across the screen. His expression shifted almost instantly — calm, unreadable, like a mask sliding back into place.I sat up, the fabric of my blouse brushing against my skin. “Who’s that?” I asked quietly.He didn’t answer right away. Then he turned the screen slightly, as if debating whether to show me.A message glowed across it:Linda: I’ll be there in ten minutes. Pack up before I come. Our flight leaves in an hour.My chest tightened. “You’re leaving somewhere?”Zayden looked at me — eyes steady, voice controlled. “It’s work. I should’ve told you earlier.”“Work?” I repeated, my voice sharper than I intended. “No appointment of yours passed across my nose. I’m

Rielle…I told myself I wasn’t going to cry — that I was stronger than this — but the truth was, I felt hollow. The kind of hollow that ached in places you didn’t know existed until they hurt.The smell of his cologne still lingered in the air, faint but impossible to ignore. It was ridiculous how a scent could undo me like this.I walked back to his desk and sat in his chair, tracing my fingers along the edge where his hand always rested. It was still warm.That stupid warmth made my chest tighten all over again.I should’ve been angry.Angry that he didn’t tell me about the trip.Angry that he still let Linda hang off him like she belonged there.But instead, all I could feel was fear — fear that he was pulling away.He’d said it was personal, but personal meant private, and private meant not me.I leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling, whispering,“Why does it hurt so much when I’m not even supposed to matter?”My phone buzzed on the table beside me.For a second, my h