All Chapters of The Billionaire I Rejected Is My Boss: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The rest of the day didn’t settle. It lingered. That conversation in the elevator—if it could even be called that—stayed with me longer than it should have. You should decide what you actually want. The problem was, I thought I already had. I sat at my desk, reviewing the same document for the third time, barely registering what was in front of me. Because my mind wasn’t here. It kept circling back. To him. To the way he said it. To how easily he stepped back—like whatever had been building between us didn’t matter as much as I thought. And that… that was what bothered me the most. Not the distance. But how natural it seemed for him. Like letting go cost him nothing. “Ava.” I looked up. Lila was watching me again. “You’re doing it.” “Doing what?” “That thing where you pretend you’re focused, but your brain is somewhere else entirely.” “I am focused.” “You’re not.” I leaned back slightly. “Why are you monitoring me today?” “Because you’re acting strange.” “I’m

The next morning started like every other. Routine. Predictable. Safe. And yet… Nothing about it felt the same. I stood in front of my closet longer than usual, staring at clothes I had worn a hundred times before, suddenly unsure of what I wanted. Not what looked good. Not what was appropriate. But what felt right. And that was new. Because I didn’t hesitate over things like this. I didn’t second guess. I chose, I moved, I handled it. Simple. Except today… it wasn’t. I finally reached for something neutral. Clean. Professional. Something that didn’t say anything. Or maybe, said exactly what I needed it to. Nothing. By the time I got to the office, I had already made a quiet decision. I wasn’t going to chase whatever this feeling was. I wasn’t going to analyze it. And I definitely wasn’t going to let it affect how I acted. I had control. And I was keeping it. “Ava.” I looked up as Lila approached, coffee in hand. “You’re early.” “So are you.” She shrugged.

Neither of us moved. That was the first problem. Because if one of us had stepped back—if one of us had chosen distance—this would have ended right there. Clean. Controlled. Safe. But we didn’t. We stayed exactly where we were. Close enough to feel it. Not close enough to pretend we didn’t. “You’re making this harder than it needs to be,” I said. My voice was steady. But it took more effort than I wanted to admit. “I’m not making anything harder,” Ethan replied. “I’m keeping it simple.” “This isn’t simple.” “It is,” he said calmly. “You just don’t like the version of it that you created.” That hit. Not loudly. Not sharply. But enough. “I didn’t create this alone.” “No,” he agreed. “You didn’t.” Silence stretched between us again. But this time, it wasn’t empty. It was full of everything we weren’t saying. Everything we were avoiding. Everything we were pretending wasn’t there. “You could have met me halfway,” I said. “In what way?” “By not shutting everyth

I meant what I said. I don’t stay in the middle. Not in business. Not in decisions. And definitely not in something like this. So when I told her I wouldn’t wait forever… that wasn’t pressure. It was truth. And yet, standing there, looking at her… I wasn’t as detached from it as I should have been. Ava Morgan didn’t hesitate easily. She thought things through. Measured them. Controlled them. Which meant this… this uncertainty wasn’t natural for her. But she was still here. Still standing in front of me. Still choosing not to walk away. And that changed things. More than I wanted it to. “You’re thinking too much.” Her voice pulled me back. I looked at her. “I’m deciding.” “About what?” “How much longer I let this stay undefined.” A slight shift in her expression. Not obvious. But there. “And what does that decision look like?” she asked. “It depends on you.” “I thought you said you already made your decision.” “I did,” I said. “About control.” “And now?” A

I didn’t answer him. Not immediately. Because calling it a mistake would have been easy. Safe. Expected. But standing there, still close enough to feel the aftermath of it, I knew that wouldn’t be honest. And for once… I wasn’t sure I wanted to hide behind what was easy. Ethan didn’t rush me. Didn’t push. Didn’t fill the silence. He just watched me. Waiting. Like he already knew this wasn’t something I could decide in a second. “This wasn’t nothing,” I said finally. My voice was quieter now. Less controlled. More real. “I know.” “And it wasn’t planned.” “I know that too.” I exhaled slowly, running a hand lightly through my hair. “This changes things.” “Yes.” No hesitation. No denial. Just… acceptance. “And you’re okay with that?” I asked. A small pause. Then… “I was never pretending it wouldn’t.” That hit differently now. Because before, I thought he was just being difficult. Controlled. Deliberate. But now, I could see it clearer. He hadn’t been avoid