All Chapters of The CEO I was never meant to love : Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Lena Carter paused just outside the ballroom doors, smoothing her palms over the front of her dress.The fabric was a soft shade of blue she’d hesitated over for days, worrying it might be too much, too noticeable.Evan had said it looked “nice enough,” which had somehow settled her nerves.The music drifted through the doors in a low, elegant hum, mixed with laughter and clinking glasses.She took a breath and stepped inside.Warm light wrapped around her instantly.Crystal chandeliers scattered gold across the polished floor, and the room buzzed with voices saying her name.Someone handed her a glass of champagne before she could refuse.She smiled, automatically at first, then more genuinely as coworkers approached one after another.For once, she wasn’t invisible.“Promotion suits you,” a colleague said, raising her glass.Lena laughed softly, feeling her cheeks warm.She nodded, thanked them, listened as people talked about projects she’d stayed up late fixing, details she’d caug

The street seemed impossibly quiet after the headlights stopped in front of her.Lena froze, unsure if the sudden stillness was a relief or another warning.The engine hummed low, steady, like a heartbeat she could feel in her chest.The car door clicked open.A figure emerged.He was taller than she expected, suit impeccable, shoes polished to a mirror shine.The collar of his shirt was crisp, the tie perfect—not a wrinkle in sight.He moved with deliberate calm, every step measured.Yet there was danger in the stillness of his gaze, a sharpness that didn’t need to be loud.Lena instinctively stepped back.“Get lost,” one of the men sneered, voice slurred.The stranger didn’t speak at first.His eyes swept over them, unflinching, and the street seemed to bend around him.He took a single step forward.The men’s laughter died.“Leave,” he said, voice low and commanding.Not a shout. Not a threat.Just a word that carried authority, heavy and undeniable.The men hesitated, sizing him u

The office smelled faintly of polished wood and the lingering hint of coffee.Lena adjusted her blazer for the third time, even though it already sat perfectly.Her heels clicked softly against the hardwood floor, echoing in the nearly empty office space.She tried to focus on her schedule, on emails waiting, on anything but the memory of the man from the car.But the memory clung to her like a shadow.Mason Hart’s presence hovered in the building even before she saw him.She sensed it in the sudden quiet that fell over her department whenever he passed.Her fingers trembled slightly as she sorted documents on her desk.She told herself it was nerves.Her heart refused to believe anything else.The hum of the elevator broke her concentration.She glanced up, expecting someone from her team, and froze.Mason stepped out.Suit perfectly tailored, hair combed meticulously, eyes scanning the room with precision.He didn’t smile.He walked past her desk with calm authority, glancing briefl