All Chapters of Ruin Me Mr CEO: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

RIELLE’S POVThe car ride felt like a countdown to my own execution.Every second brought me closer to Dante…and closer to ruining Zayden.My fingers tightened around the file on my lap.The real file.The one Dante demanded.The one I shouldn’t be holding.The one Zayden handed me without hesitation, without asking questions, without raising his voice.His calm made everything worse.He didn’t say he trusted me.He didn’t say he was disappointed.He just… handed me the file.Of course, I knew Zayden was stupid to hand over something that would destroy him to Dante without an actual plan, but what if it was a test?Like he already knew I’d bring it to Dante…Like he expected it.Maybe he never trusted me.I blinked away the thought, but it stung too deeply to ignore.The car slowed. My heartbeat didn’t.Dante stood near his car, arms crossed, expression unreadable. He looked like he’d been waiting for hours.When I stepped out, his eyes swept over me — slow and assessing.“You came,”

The morning light spilled through my curtains like it was trying too hard to be gentle, too soft for the weight settled on my chest.I had slept, maybe for an hour, but my dreams had been restless shadows of Dante’s smirk and Zayden’s voice—cold, sharp, accusing:Did you give him the file?My stomach tightened every time I replayed it.I dragged myself into the shower, letting the hot water hit my skin until I could pretend—just for a moment—that none of this was real.That Dante hadn’t cornered me.That Zayden hadn’t sounded… different.Distant.Like he already knew.By the time I left for work, my limbs felt heavy.Not physically—emotionally.The kind of heaviness that sits behind your ribs and whispers that something bad is coming.The office building loomed, tall and polished, but today it felt unfamiliar.Quiet.Hushed.The moment I stepped inside, every sense sharpened.People moved slower.Conversations were softer.Some eyes darted toward me and quickly away—like they knew som

The three words hit me like a physical force.I missed you too.They cut through the fog of my anger and the suffocating pressure of my jealousy, silencing every sharp retort I had ready. They were simple, but in his voice—low, utterly sincere, and layered with the same longing I felt—they sounded monumental.My traitorous chest finally loosened its painful grip.“Zayden…” I managed, the sound thin and reedy.He didn't move, holding me pinned between his intense gaze and the cold edge of my desk. The air between us vibrated with a thousand unsaid things: it was just 24hrs apart, the unspoken hurt, the ridiculous, blazing heat that still flared every time we were this close.“I won’t ask you to trust me blindly, Rielle,” he said, his voice dropping another octave until it was a mere, warm vibration. “But I will ask you to trust what you see. And what you know.”“What I know?” I repeated, the word tasting like ash. “What I know is that Linda—”“Linda is my childhood friend more of a bab

I stood frozen for a full minute after Zayden left, staring at the closed door, trying to process the whiplash of emotions. One minute I was a sniveling, jealous mess; the next, I was being invited for a private dinner with a man who could ignite a firestorm in my chest just by looking at me.I needed professional counsel. I needed Elsie.I snatched my phone and practically lunged for the office restroom—the only place I could be sure of total privacy. I hit Elsie’s number, and she picked up on the first ring, clearly sensing the high drama from my heavy breathing alone.“Rielle? Oh my God, you sound like you just ran a marathon in stilettos. What happened?”“Elsie,” I whispered, my voice still shaky. “It’s Zayden. He’s back. And I just made a complete fool of myself.”I quickly recounted the entire exchange: the sharp, unmeant jealousy, the 'towel' incident, my stupid accusations, and Zayden's devastatingly quiet correction and subsequent invitation.Elsie was silent for a beat. Then

My breath stalled in my throat.The way he said it…low, unfiltered, thick with desire felt like it pressed against the inside of my skin, warming everything it touched.I swallowed hard, the glass trembling slightly in my hand.His eyes traveled slowly up my thigh, lingering like he was memorizing the shape of me.It wasn’t subtle…nor polite.It wasn’t even careful. It was hungry.When his gaze finally lifted back to my face, the shift in the air was undeniable.The space between us shrank…not physically, but electrically.My lips parted.But nothing came out.Zayden’s hand…his large, warm, steady hand..slid across the counter until his knuckles brushed the outside of my thigh.Barely a touch.But it jolted through my whole body.His fingers flexed once, as if resisting the urge to grip.Then he dragged his knuckles slowly up, tracing a soft line along my thigh, stopping just before the hem of the dress.“Did you wear this for me?” he asked, voice quiet but far from soft.My breath sh