All Chapters of LEVEL UP MY COLD CEO {MxM}: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Gloss POV The penthouse was quiet except for the faint hum of the city below. Rain streaked the windows, casting blurred reflections of the skyline across the polished floors. I was trapped. Literally. In the middle of the living room, Dream Lancaster stood with his arms crossed, eyes locked on me like he was trying to read every thought before I had a chance to speak. I swallowed, the tension in my chest tight, my hands clenched at my sides. “I… I’m just trying to survive,” I said finally, my voice low but steady. His brows drew together, the sharp angles of his face hardening. “Survive? Gloss, what the hell does that even mean?” I stepped forward, trying to keep my balance, not physically, but emotionally. Every nerve in me was screaming, every thought tangled. Stay calm. Keep it together. Just survive. The words ran through my mind like a mantra, but I didn’t let him know the truth. “I… I’m doing what I have to do to keep us both safe,” I said instead, careful with every word.

Dream's POV The penthouse was quieter than usual. The city’s hum outside felt distant, almost irrelevant, as I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the rain streak down the glass. My mind refused to focus on anything else. Gloss Rivera’s pale face haunted me, the flash of vulnerability I’d caught earlier refusing to leave my thoughts. I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt this unsettled. My life was organized, precise, controlled. Every move calculated, every outcome anticipated. And yet, the sight of him, standing there, trembling, caught off guard by something as simple as a business meeting, had shaken me more than I expected. I ran a hand over my face, rubbing at the tension forming in my jaw. I shouldn’t be affected. I wasn’t supposed to care about this. He was my secretary, my employee, and yet, watching him struggle, the near-collapse under stress, stirred something dangerous inside me. Something protective, something I wasn’t ready to admit. I called in

Gloss POV The office was too quiet the next morning. Dream hadn’t said a single word since he stormed out of the cafeteria. His silence wasn’t peaceful, it was heavy. The kind that made me check twice if I’d accidentally said something stupid again. I wanted to believe he was over yesterday’s jealousy episode, but judging from the frost in his eyes, I knew better. I was sorting through his schedule when he finally broke the silence. “Pack your things,” he said flatly, eyes still glued to his screen. “We’re leaving tonight.” “Leaving? Where are we going?” “Business trip,” he replied. “Three days. You’ll handle my correspondence and take notes.” Three days. Alone. With him. In some other city. The system practically buzzed to life in my head before I could even react. > [System Alert: Mission Generated] Accompany CEO Dream to business conference. Bonus points for emotional stability maintenance. I groaned inwardly. Emotional stability and Dream in the same room didn’

Gloss POV The first thing I noticed was the warmth. Not the usual comfort of a well-heated hotel room, but a body heat so close and real that it startled me awake. Blinking against the soft morning light filtering through the curtains, I realized the absurdity of my position. Somehow, in the dead of night, I had ended up draped over Dream like some ridiculous koala, my arms wrapped around him, my chest pressed to his back. Of course, now I'd have to deal with the aftermath. “Thanks a lot system" My stomach twisted, half from the closeness, half from the embarrassment. I froze, willing the ground, or rather the bed, to swallow me whole. Slowly, very, very slowly, I shifted an inch. Dream stirred, a low hum escaping him, a sound that made my cheeks heat almost instantly. His eyes fluttered open, dark irises meeting mine. Silence fell between us, heavy, awkward, almost suffocating. I could feel the rise and fall of his chest beneath my hands, the weight of his body pressing against

Dream's POV The moment Gloss’s lips brushed mine during the photo-op, something inside me shifted. I hadn’t expected it, hadn’t prepared for it, and yet, there it was. A jolt that ran straight through me, leaving my chest tight and my thoughts scrambling. I couldn’t focus. The event around me continued, donors smiling, cameras flashing, reporters asking questions, but I couldn’t hear a word. My attention was entirely on Gloss. The faint warmth of him, the way his lips had brushed mine, light, teasing, infuriating, and the tension that seemed to hang in the air between us. I ran a hand over my face, trying to shake it off. It was a brief moment, I told myself. It meant nothing. But the truth was, it had meant far too much. My pulse still thudded erratically, my chest felt heavy, and the familiar calm I usually carried like armor was completely gone. I had always prided myself on control, precision, strategy. Yet Gloss had managed to dismantle all of that in one seemingly insig