All Chapters of He is.... Not Him: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I stood on the balcony, my heart pounding hard in my chest. I pressed my hands against the cool railing, trying to calm my breathing. Idiot. You absolute idiot, Evelyn Sharpe.Running away was the most unprofessional thing I could have done. Ten years. It had been ten years. I should have been able to smile, shake his hand, and say, “Long time no see.” Instead, I’d run off like a scared kid.What was I going to do now? I couldn’t hide out here forever. I took a deep, shaky breath and wiped the last of the tears from my cheeks. I had to go back. I had to face him. This was my dream job, and I wouldn’t let a ghost from my past ruin it before it even began.My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to see Victoria Sterling’s name on the screen. I took one more deep breath and answered.“Evelyn Sharpe? Where did you go?” Her voice was short and confused.“Ms. Sterling! I am so sorry. I… I had a sudden stomachache. I needed to use the restroom right away.” The lie came out easily. I ev

The rest of the day passed in a blur of tense focus. The small inconsistency I’d found felt dangerous. I didn’t know what to do with it. Was it nothing? Just a coincidence? Or was it the clue that would break everything open?Part of me wanted to go to Julian’s office right away. But the memory of his cold, judging eyes stopped me. What if I was wrong? He’d think I was a nervous new hire seeing problems where there were none. I’d already made a huge fool of myself in front of him once; I couldn’t risk a second time.So, I did the only thing I could. I pushed the fear down and kept working, checking every document until my eyes hurt. The name "Aethelstan" seemed to jump out from every page, a constant reminder of the hidden war Victoria had talked about.When I finally left, the office was almost empty. The silence felt heavy and tense. My walk to the elevator was filled with the sound of my own footsteps and my worried thoughts.The next morning, I arrived early, determined to show my

The morning after the security break-in felt strange. The Aethelgard Tower ran with its usual smoothness, but under the surface, a nervous energy buzzed. People whispered in the hallways, not about me, but about what happened the night before.I’d arrived early, determined to show my value wasn’t just about getting through a crisis. My first job was to send the finished progress report for the Zenith project to Julian.I attached the file, wrote a professional email, and hit send. Almost right away, my internal chat pinged.Julian Thorne: My office.My heart did a little jump. Was something wrong with the report? Had Cipher found something else?I walked in to find him at his desk, not looking at financial reports, but at pictures on his monitor—different very fancy, over-the-top cat carriers. He didn’t look up.“The report is fine. You found the problem with the silicone supplier. Good.”“Thank you, sir,” I said, waiting for the ‘but’.It didn’t come. Instead, he turned his monitor t

The world shrank to the cold light of the phone screen and the picture of those men around our jet. The smiling man by the landing gear wasn’t just a worker. He was a threat. A promise of something awful waiting for us in the air.My blood went cold. I couldn’t breathe. I just stared, my mind screaming one word over and over: Sabotage.Julian’s reaction was the opposite of mine. The brief, shocking fear on his face was gone, wiped away so completely it might never have been there. What replaced it was a scary, total calm. He was a hunter who had just seen the trap, and every instinct was now fixed on survival.He didn’t waste a second.“Kim,” his voice was low, a sharp sound in the tense quiet of the car. “Lose them. Now.”Mr. Kim’s hands tightened on the wheel.“Sir.” He didn’t ask questions. He just acted.The sedan, which had been moving smoothly through traffic, suddenly turned hard right, cutting down a narrow side alley I didn’t think was wide enough for a bike. Trash cans scatt

The car ride to the airport was ice. I sat as far from him as I could, staring out the window at the passing grey buildings of Tokyo. I didn't look at him. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction. My hands were clenched in my lap, my nails digging into my palms.I recited the schedule for the coming week in a flat, robotic voice. Meetings, reports, deadlines. I didn't miss a single thing. I was perfect. I was professional. And I was seething inside.He just listened, nodding slightly, his hand stroking Isabella’s fur through the carrier. He didn't seem to care about the freezing silence between us. He probably didn't even notice.We got to the airport and stood on the curb. The silence was so heavy I could barely breathe. Mr. Kim was getting our tickets. I couldn't stand there with him for another second."I'll go—" I started to say, turning to leave."Miss Sharpe."His voice stopped me. It wasn't loud. It wasn't a command. It was just… there.I turned around slowly. He was looking