All Chapters of His Billion-Dollar Mistake : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

CHAPTER 12The office felt colder than usual that morning.Not temperature-cold. Not physical. Emotional. Tense. Like the walls themselves were waiting for something to break.Ivy was back. I didn’t see her yet, but I knew. Could feel it in the air. In the whisper of heels on the hallway floor. In the subtle shift of my coworkers’ expressions. Everyone knew. Everyone noticed.I pressed my palm to my desk. Tried to steady myself. Tried to breathe. But the knot in my stomach refused to loosen.“Morning, Maya.” Reign’s voice came from behind me. Calm. Controlled. Protective.I swallowed. “Morning, sir.”He leaned against the edge of my desk. Just slightly. Enough that I felt the warmth radiating from him. Enough that my pulse skipped.“You handled yesterday well,” he said softly. “But today… expect interference. And Ivy doesn’t play fair.”I nodded. “I… I’ll be careful.”“You’ll do more than that,” he said, eyes locking on mine. “You’ll impress. You always do. Don’t forget it.”I blinked

CHAPTER 14The morning light barely touched my desk when I arrived.Not that it mattered. Shadows clung to the office corners anyway. Some were natural. Some… not.Ivy was already there. Not openly confrontational. No, she was subtle. Leaning casually against the hallway railing, phone in hand, smile faint but sharp. Watching. Waiting.I stopped mid-step. Heart thudding. Fingers gripping my bag strap like it could hold me together.“Good morning, Maya,” she said lightly. Smiled too easily. Too intentionally.“Good morning,” I replied. My voice was firmer than I expected. Protective instincts kicked in before I even thought about it.Her eyes lingered on me. Long. Measuring. Predatory.“You’re getting bold,” she said softly. “Not many last this long.”I swallowed. Bold? Or stupid? Hard to tell. Probably both.Before I could respond, Reign appeared. Quiet. Dominant. Protective. Dangerous warmth radiating from him like a shield I couldn’t resist leaning into.He didn’t speak immediately.

CHAPTER 16The office smelt faintly of coffee and tension that morning.Not the usual kind of tension. The quiet, coiled kind. Sharp, watching, waiting.Ivy wasn’t here yet. But her presence lingered in my mind. That soft, dangerous influence. Always watching. Always calculating. Always testing.I tried to focus on my desk. On the emails. On the reports. On anything that didn’t involve Reign or Ivy.But the air felt thick. Heavy.And then, of course, everything started.“Morning, Maya,” Reign said quietly as he walked past my desk.I looked up. He was calm. Controlled. But there was something in his eyes. A subtle warning. Sharp. Dangerous. Protective.“Morning, sir,” I replied. My voice is too small. My stomach is tight.He didn’t linger. Just a nod. A glance that spoke volumes. A subtle anchor I couldn’t resist leaning into.The first call of the day was from a client. Minor, but urgent. Henderson had mismanaged something, and I had to fix it fast.Evan appeared at my side before I

CHAPTER 18 Morning came too fast. Too bright. Too sharp. Too loud for the kind of sleep I barely had. My body woke up before my mind did. Before the fear. Before the nerves. Before the memory of Reign walking me out of the office like I was something fragile. Something worth shielding. It hit me all at once. His hand on my back. His voice—low, protective. His anger when he realised Ivy cornered me. And that quiet ride home where neither of us spoke, but somehow everything felt said. I shouldn’t remember it this clearly. I shouldn’t replay it like it meant more than it did. I definitely shouldn’t feel the warm flick in my stomach when I think of the way he glanced at me under the streetlights. But I do. And it scares me. And… maybe something else too. The office wasn’t quiet this morning. It was buzzing. Low whispers. Fast footsteps. People were moving like something was wrong but trying not to look like something was wrong. Never a good sign. The coffee machine hi

CHAPTER 20 The lounge was quiet.Almost too quiet.Every small noise—the hum of the fridge, the faint clatter of cups from the distant kitchen—felt amplified. My chest tightened. My heart raced.Every time I glanced at Reign, it was like the world shrank.He didn’t speak at first. Just leaned there, calm, composed, and impossibly intimidating. Even when he didn’t try, he commanded the room.“You need to know something,” he finally said.I blinked. “About… Ivy?”He shook his head slowly. “About today. About you. About… everything.”The word 'everything' hung in the air. Heavy. Dangerous.“I…” My voice faltered. “I don’t know what to say.”“You don’t need to say anything,” he replied. Stepping closer, but not too close. Not yet. “Just… listen.”And I did.“Today,” he started, voice low and deliberate, “I realised just how much they’ve underestimated you. Ivy, the board, even some colleagues—they see you as inexperienced. As someone who can be pushed around. But you… you’re different. S