All Chapters of One Night Stand With My Ruthless Boss : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

I hadn’t even caught my breath before the email hit: “Mandatory strategy meeting – 15 mins. Conference Room 4. Attendance non-negotiable for all marketing department.” Which was Jason-speak for: show up or you’re fired. I grabbed my notebook, stuffed my dignity in my back pocket, and followed the rest of the marketing team like we were heading to our own executions. Jason stood at the front of the room—tall, sharp-jawed, and stone-faced. His gray suit looked like it had been stitched by angels. His black leather glove on one hand—yeah, I’d always seen him in that glove and never seen what was under it. Ever. His expression said he hadn’t smiled since birth. “About the new skincare line we are launching,” he said, his voice cutting through the room like a scalpel. “It is recorded by the last boss that you guys were told to submit your ideas. I want your pitch ideas. Today.” No “good morning.” No warm-up. Just straight to the jugular. Around the table, people slid their proposal

In Jason’s car Daniel, Jason’s assistant, quickly helps him to his car. Jason Hale sits stiffly, jaw clenched, as his assistant opens the door and helps him inside with the care of someone handling cracked glass. He doesn’t say a word. Instead, he reaches into the glove compartment, pulls out a sleek silver pill case, flips it open with practiced precision, and pops a dry Gabapentin capsule straight onto his tongue. No water. Just pressure. His throat works around it while his eyes stay frozen forward—focused, but not really seeing. The pain is still fresh. The kind that grips and doesn’t let go. His gloved hand tightens over his thigh as he endures the pain to himself. Outside, his assistant stands by the car like a shadow—giving him privacy, pretending not to notice the way his boss just winced, his breathing stuttering through clenched teeth. Jason is supposed to be invincible. But in this quiet, sealed-off car, where no one’s watching—he breaks. ⸻ Emery’s Apartm

In another part of the city, Emery’s room. I slam my laptop shut, my fingers tingling from hours of typing proposals. “Jason Hale, you better accept this one,” I mutter under my breath, the words sharp like daggers. The man is a walking storm, and tomorrow’s the day I will find out if I survive it or if he drags me under for good. I stretch, rubbing my sore neck, and shuffle to the kitchen, craving the only thing that might save me: coffee. My hand slams against the empty container. No coffee. Just my luck. Rain taps lightly on the window, a soft drumming that matches my mood. I shrug on my hoodie, yank my disposable mask over my face—the leftover habit from last cold season to shield myself from cold and flu—and decide to make a quick run to the next grocery store and get myself a little coffee. I step out into the rain and head for the grocery store, but… The nearest grocery store? Closed. I didn’t even know it was that late that they would already be closed. I stand there fo

The melody lingered, pulling at something inside his chest.Jason’s brows furrowed.Wondering how this could happen—his condition made even the lightest touch feel like fire, but whoever this woman was… she’d managed to hold him, to wipe him down, even undress and redress him—and not once had his body screamed in pain.It was impossible.He murmured to himself, How could this happen? Could this woman be the same one from months ago? Why can she touch me, hold me, clean my body without triggering my touch allodynia? Who is she?He pushed out of bed, his bare feet sinking into the tiles, and quickly got dressed. When he stepped into the elevator, his reflection stared back at him—perfectly neat, as though he hadn’t just suffered one of his worst episodes the night before.Downstairs, he approached the reception desk.“Hello. I woke up in one of your rooms,” he said, his voice clipped and businesslike. “How did I get here?”The receptionist blinked, clearly caught off guard, then quickly

At first, his body remained still, almost statuesque. Emery’s hand brushed the fabric of his jacket and the line of his neck, wiping frantically, and nothing happened. No flinch. No sharp pain. Her touch didn’t trigger his allodynia. Jason’s chest rose and fell slightly faster than normal, his gaze narrowing. Something inside him shifted, an instinct, a recognition he hadn’t admitted to anyone. The faintest trace of disbelief flickered in his eyes. Could it be? Was it really her? The person he’d been searching for… right here? The woman whose touch didn’t hurt? Because now she had just touched him, and his allodynia didn’t trigger. He stood there in the moment, watching how her hand kept touching his neck as she tried to wipe off the coffee from his jacket, and his body didn’t react.I froze, my hand hovering over his jacket, the handkerchief trembling between my fingers. Why isn’t he moving? Why is he standing so still? Is he angry? Is he thinking of firing me for spilling the coffee