All Chapters of The Billionaire I Rejected Is My Boss: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The next day, I avoided him. Not intentionally. At least, that’s what I told myself. I stayed focused. Kept my head down. Took on more work than necessary just to keep moving. Because if I stopped— If I slowed down— I would think. And thinking would take me back to that room. To that moment. To what he said. “Because you matter.” I tightened my grip on my pen slightly, forcing my attention back to the report in front of me. It didn’t matter. None of that mattered. This was work. Nothing else. It had to stay that way. “You’re overcompensating.” I didn’t look up. “Good morning to you too,” I said. Lila’s voice had come through my phone earlier, but now it echoed in my head like she was standing right in front of me. “I’m serious,” she continued. “You’re doing that thing.” “What thing?” “Where you pretend something doesn’t bother you by acting like it doesn’t exist.” “I’m working,” I said again. “That’s not what I asked.” I exhaled slowly. “What do you want me t

By Friday, I told myself I had it under control again. The tension. The thoughts. Him. Everything neatly pushed back into place where it belonged. Work helped. It always did. Structure. Order. Logic. Things that made sense. Things that didn’t look at you like they could see through every layer you carefully built. I walked into the office earlier than usual, determined to stay ahead of everything. Including him. Especially him. But of course— Life didn’t work like that. “You’re early.” I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. I closed my eyes briefly before facing him. “Deadlines don’t wait.” Ethan stood a few steps behind me, his presence already shifting the atmosphere around us. “They usually do,” he said. “You just don’t let them.” “That’s called being efficient.” “That’s called avoiding.” I sighed softly. “We’re not doing this again.” “We never stopped.” I met his gaze. “I did.” “No,” he said calmly. “You just got better

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Not because he was too close. Not because of the tension. But because of what he said. Because I couldn’t stay away. The words lingered in the air, heavy, impossible to ignore, impossible to pretend I didn’t hear them. I let out a quiet breath, forcing myself to recover. “That’s not a good enough reason,” I said, even though my voice lacked the firmness I wanted. “It’s the truth.” “That doesn’t make it acceptable.” “It makes it honest.” I shook my head slightly, trying to regain control of the situation, of myself. “You don’t get to just show up here because you feel something.” “And you don’t get to pretend you don’t.” “That’s not the same thing.” “It is when it leads to this.” I crossed my arms, creating a barrier between us. “This is exactly why I set boundaries.” “And this is exactly why you hide behind them.” “I’m not hiding.” “You are.” “I’m protecting myself.” “From what?” “You.” The word slipped out before I could softe

I kept my head down for most of the morning. Emails. Reports. Anything that required focus—anything that kept me from thinking too much. It was working. Barely. Until it wasn’t. “Ava.” My name. Low. Controlled. Too familiar. My fingers paused over my keyboard before I slowly looked up. Ethan stood a few steps away from my desk. Composed as ever. Untouched by whatever chaos he’d left behind in my apartment the night before. Or at least… he looked that way. “Mr. Blackwood,” I said calmly, straightening slightly. Professional. Distant. Safe. His gaze lingered on me for a second longer than necessary, like he was assessing something. Or maybe confirming something. “I need you in my office,” he said. Simple. Direct. No emotion. “Of course.” I stood immediately, grabbing my notepad even though I didn’t need it. More armor. More distance. As I followed him down the hallway, I could feel it again. Eyes. People watching. Whispers that hadn’t quite started yet—but

The presentation room felt colder than usual. Or maybe it was just me. I stood near the screen, tablet in hand, going over the final slides for what felt like the hundredth time. Everything was in place. Every number checked. Every transition smooth. There was nothing left to fix. And yet— My chest still felt tight. “You’re going to be fine.” I glanced to the side. Lila stood near the door, arms crossed, watching me with that knowing look again. “I know,” I said. “You don’t sound like you know.” “I do.” “Then why are you rehearsing like your life depends on it?” I exhaled quietly. “Because this matters.” “It always matters,” she said. “That’s not new.” No. It wasn’t. What was new— Was everything else. “I just want this to go well,” I added. “It will,” she said simply. Then, after a slight pause, “Unless something distracts you.” I gave her a look. “Nothing will.” She didn’t look convinced. But she nodded anyway. “Good. Because today? All eyes are going to be in th