All Chapters of The CEO I was never meant to love : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Silence stretched between them after Mason asked the question.Lena felt it settle into her bones, heavy and suffocating, like the pause before something breaks.Her mouth opened, then closed again, as if the answer had slipped out of reach the moment he asked.“Evan is—” She stopped herself.Her fingers tightened around the edge of the chair, nails pressing into the polished wood beneath the desk.“Someone from my past,” she said finally.Mason didn’t react right away.He straightened slowly, the movement deliberate, as though he were deciding where to place a weight.Then he turned away from her, walking back toward the window.“That’s not an answer,” he said.Lena watched his reflection in the glass.The city stretched endlessly behind him, all glass and steel, all things built to last.She wondered if he saw people the same way—structures to be tested, reinforced, or replaced.“It’s the only one I’m giving,” she said.The words surprised even her.They came out steadier than she f

The night air outside the building tasted like rain and unfinished arguments.“Lena.”She froze.She didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.The voice had lived in her head for three years, learned her moods, learned how to soften and sharpen at will.Her fingers tightened around her bag strap before she faced him.Evan stood just beyond the pool of light from the office entrance, hands shoved into his jacket pockets like he was cold—or nervous.His hair was shorter.His smile was careful, like something rehearsed in a mirror.“I was hoping it was really you,” he said.His eyes skimmed her face, lingering too long.“You look… good.”“Don’t,” Lena replied.Her voice came out steadier than she felt.“Don’t talk like we’re catching up.”He lifted his hands slowly, palms out.“I just want to talk.”“You always do,” she said.“And it’s never just talking.”Cars passed behind him, headlights slicing through the space between them.The city moved on, indifferent, while her pulse hamme

The night doesn’t end when the door closes.“Stay inside,” Mason said into his phone.Lena leaned her forehead against the cool wood of her apartment door, listening to the muffled sound of his voice through the thin barrier.Her wrist still throbbed faintly, a reminder she couldn’t shake.She pressed her palm over it, breathing slowly, counting until the shaking eased.Outside, Mason ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket.Evan hadn’t gone far.He stood across the street now, half-hidden beneath a flickering streetlamp, watching the building like it might open itself to him if he waited long enough.His posture was casual, but his eyes weren’t.They locked onto Mason with immediate recognition.“So,” Evan said, pushing off the lamp post.“That’s who you are.”Mason didn’t respond right away.He took in Evan’s stance, the tension coiled beneath his attempt at confidence.The kind of man who mistook persistence for entitlement.“You followed her,” Mason said.Evan sm

The door stayed closed.“Who is that?” Lena asked, her voice barely steady.Mason didn’t answer right away.His hand dropped from the door handle as if touching it had burned him.The silence stretched long enough to hurt.“I’ll handle it,” he said.He opened the door just enough to step outside and closed it behind him.The lock clicked.Lena stood alone in the living room, staring at the door like it had chosen a side.She caught fragments of voices through the thick wood.Low.Controlled.Not angry—worse.Minutes passed.She didn’t know how many.When Mason finally came back in, his face had changed.Not tense.Not angry.Empty.“Who was that?” she asked.“No one you need to worry about,” he replied.That answer landed wrong.It felt rehearsed.Cold.“Try again,” Lena said.Mason shrugged out of his jacket and placed it neatly over the chair.Every movement was precise.Distant.“I said it’s handled.”She stared at him.“That’s it?”“Yes.”Her chest tightened.“That’s not fair.”He

The shadow vanished before either of them could breathe.“Stay here,” Mason said.Lena grabbed his sleeve.“No.”He looked down at her hand, then back at her face.“Lock the door.”“I said no,” she repeated.The firmness in her voice made him hesitate.Then he moved toward the window instead of outside.He shifted the curtain slightly, careful.The sidewalk below looked empty.“Whoever it was is gone,” he said.Lena’s phone buzzed again.Unknown Number: Too slow.Her stomach turned.Mason took the phone gently from her hand.“I’ll have this traced,” he said.“You think it’s him?” she asked.Mason didn’t answer immediately.His silence said enough.He stepped back from the window and dialed someone.His tone changed—colder, clipped, controlled.“I need security outside this address tonight,” he said.“Yes. Now.”Lena wrapped her arms around herself.She suddenly felt exposed in her own living room.Mason ended the call and looked at her.“I’ll have someone stationed downstairs.”“You d