Lahat ng Kabanata ng MY CEO, MY OBSESSION : Kabanata 91 - Kabanata 100

Week five, I break the rules.Not by calling Damien. By looking him up online, something I've managed to avoid for almost a month.There's a new interview in Forbes: "Damien Voss on Building Purpose-Driven Business in a Profit-Obsessed World."I read it at two AM, unable to sleep, unable to resist.The interviewer asks about his transformation from ruthless CEO to ethical leadership advocate. His answer guts me:"I spent years believing power was the goal. Then I met someone who showed me that power without purpose is just control dressed up as success. She taught me that real leadership isn't about dominance—it's about creating space for others to rise. I'm still learning that lesson. Probably will be for the rest of my life."They ask if he's in a relationship. His response:"I'm learning to be in relationship with myself first. To understand my patterns, my triggers, my capacity for healthy connection. Until I can do that work, I'm not ready to bring someone else into it."He's say

Dr. Chen doesn't waste time the next morning."You broke the no-contact agreement.""He called me. His business is imploding. I couldn't just ignore him.""You could have. But you chose not to. Why?"I stug into the couch, exhausted from no sleep. "Because he needed me. Because hearing him in pain and not responding felt cruel.""So you prioritized his needs over your own healing process.""That's not—" I stop. "Okay, maybe. But it wasn't like before. I didn't lose myself in fixing him. I just listened and offered perspective.""And how do you feel now?""Like shit. Like six weeks of work just evaporated because one phone call reminded me how much I miss him. Like I'm back to square one."Dr. Chen leans forward. "Elena, you're not back to square one. But you did learn something important last night. What was it?"I think about the dream, the three AM panic, the realization that came with it."That I can't separate my wellbeing from his. That even with three thousand miles and six week

Monday morning, I fly to Seattle.It's the first time I've been back since everything imploded. The city looks the same—grey skies, rain-slicked streets, mountains in the distance—but I'm different. We both are.Damien's office building rises ahead of me, glass and steel against storm clouds. I stand on the sidewalk for a full minute, gathering courage, before I walk through the doors.The receptionist recognizes me. "Ms. Torres. Mr. Voss is expecting you. Twelfth floor, corner office."The elevator ride feels eternal. My reflection in the mirrored walls shows someone trying very hard to look composed—tailored suit, hair perfect, makeup flawless. Professional armor for a meeting that's anything but professional.The doors open.And there he is.Damien's standing in the hallway like he was waiting, like he couldn't stay in his office knowing I was in the building. He looks thinner than I remember, tired around the eyes, grey more pronounced at his temples. The lawsuit has aged him."El

Day five in Seattle, the cracks start showing.We're in the conference room reviewing depositions when Damien snaps at one of the junior lawyers over a minor procedural question."That's not how discovery works. Did you even read the filing guidelines?"The lawyer—a woman named Sarah who's been working eighteen-hour days—looks stung. "I did, but the opposing counsel's interpretation—""Their interpretation doesn't matter. The rules are clear. This is basic shit, Sarah.""Damien," I interrupt. "Can I talk to you? Privately?"He looks irritated but follows me into his office."What was that?" I ask once the door closes."What was what?""You just humiliated Sarah in front of everyone for a mistake that's barely even a mistake.""She should know better—""She does know better. She's brilliant and exhausted and you just treated her like she's incompetent because you're stressed about the case." I cross my arms. "This is what you do. When you're overwhelmed, you get controlling and harsh.

Three months later, the case is over.Reed settled two weeks before trial—not because we were weak, but because Christine's team uncovered evidence so damning he had no choice. Emails proving he'd orchestrated not just my situation, but a decade-long pattern of corporate sabotage across the industry.The settlement includes a public apology, financial restitution to all identified victims, and permanent injunctions preventing him from certain business practices. His firm is under investigation. His reputation is destroyed.We won.It should feel triumphant.Instead, I'm sitting in my Boston apartment on a Friday afternoon, staring at the news coverage, feeling absolutely nothing.I didn't attend the settlement conference. Worked everything remotely from Boston like I said I would. Damien handled the in-person negotiations. We communicated through lawyers and carefully worded emails. Professional. Distant. Exactly what I said I needed.It's been ninety-three days since I left Seattle.