All Chapters of Beautifully Ruined By Him: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

68 Chapters

Work had started ago

Nora's POV "What do you mean they pulled out?" Priyanka's voice cracked slightly. "Yesterday? Why didn't anyone tell us?" "I don't know," Jason said, still catching his breath. "I heard it from someone in operations. They just said the partnership fell through." "That's the production company backing the entire Meridian rollout," Chloe said, standing up so fast her chair rolled back and hit the desk behind her. "If we don't have them, what are we even presenting tomorrow?" My mind went somewhere else entirely. Yesterday. Cael had been gone all day yesterday. No calls, no messages, nothing but food showing up on my desk with a note that gave nothing away. *I've fixed it,* I thought, except I had no idea if that was even true. I didn't know anything yet. I was just guessing, piecing together a shape out of silence. "Nora?" Priyanka was staring at me. "You okay?" "I'm fine," I said, though my voice came out thinner than I meant it to. "Let me find out what's actually going on befo

Investigating

I should have left it alone. Cael said it was handled, and it was handled; new partners, contracts signed and there was nothing left for me to do. I called the old production company anyway. Just to be sure. The first call went nowhere, a receptionist reading me a polite script about "internal restructuring." The second call, to someone I'd actually worked with directly during early planning, gave me a little more explanation. "Look, I probably shouldn't say this," the woman on the line said, voice lowered like she was checking over her shoulder even though I couldn't see her. "But it wasn't really about your company. There were... complications on our end." I frowned. "What kind of complications?" "I really can't say more than that." "Please. I'm not trying to get you in trouble. I just need to understand what happened." She paused, then, quieter, "Financial complications. That's all I can tell you." I thanked her and hung up, chewing on the words the whole time. Financial c

Stubborn Woman

Cael's POV I hadn't planned to come back to the office this late. The signature page for the new production contracts sat in my office, and legal needed it first thing tomorrow before the presentation even started. Better to grab it tonight than scramble for it at seven in the morning. The building was mostly dark by the time I got there, just the emergency lighting and the occasional glow from a monitor someone forgot to shut off. My footsteps echoed down the hallway toward my office, and I almost walked straight past her desk without noticing. Almost. Something made me glance sideways, some habit I'd built without meaning to over the past several weeks, always checking, always aware of exactly where she was in a room even when I told myself I wasn't. Nora was slumped forward at her desk, head resting against her arm, laptop still open in front of her, the screen glowing faintly against her face. I stopped walking. For a second I just stood there, taking in the sight of her — h

Almost-kiss

Nora's POV I woke up with a jolt, disoriented, blinking against the dim office lighting. For a second I had no idea where I was. Then my desk came into focus, my laptop closed beside me, and something warm and heavy slipped off my shoulder as I sat up. A jacket. I stared down at it, dark fabric, expensive, unmistakably not mine. My stomach dropped. I looked around properly now, fully awake, and noticed the papers I'd left scattered across my desk were stacked neatly to one side. My pens, lined up. My laptop, closed, though I distinctly remembered leaving it open when exhaustion finally won. Someone had been here. Someone had covered me, cleaned up around me, let me sleep instead of waking me. I already knew who. My face went hot just thinking about it, imagining him standing over me while I slept with my mouth probably open and drool possibly happening, completely unaware, completely defenseless. "Oh my God," I muttered, dragging both hands down my face. I needed to move. I

Stop thinking about it

By the time I got home, I was soaked through and still buzzing everywhere his hand had touched me. I dropped my bag by the door, kicked off my shoes, and stood there dripping onto the floor for a second before my brain caught up enough to move. "Get it together," I muttered, peeling off my wet blazer. I went straight to the kitchen because apparently my solution to every crisis in my life involved instant noodles. I filled the pot, set it to boil, and leaned against the counter while I waited, arms crossed, staring at nothing. I pressed a hand against my own chest like that would somehow stop the memory from replaying itself for the tenth time in the last twenty minutes. "It was nothing," I said out loud, to my empty kitchen, which had heard a lot of my nonsense lately and never once talked back. "Thunder happened. I fell. He caught me. That's it. That's literally it." The water started boiling. I dropped the noodles in and watched them soften, stirring absently, my mind absolute

Pathetic Idiot

“Who is this?” There was silence. Then a shaky breath came through the phone. “Nora…” I frowned. That voice..... I pulled the phone away and checked the screen. *Unknown number.* “You’ve forgotten me already?” My expression changed immediately. Daniel...? You’ve got to be kidding me. I almost ended the call when his voice came out panicked and hurried. “Nora, wait..!” I put the phone back to my ear. “What do you want?” “I just need you to listen to me.” I rolled my eyes and sat up straighter against the pillows. “Seriously?? it’s the middle of the night, Daniel.” “I know.” “Then why are you calling me?” “I didn’t know who else to call.” I almost laughed. “That’s not my problem.” “Nora, please.” Something was different in his voice... not the usual confidence or arrogance. He sounded tired. Desperate. And somehow that only annoyed me more. “What do you want?” “I’m sorry.” I stared at the wall. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. “For what?” “For everything.” I let out a

Call with her mom

I stared at the screen, another unknown number. It could be Daniel calling again, typical of him. But it could be someone else... who knows if it eas important. I should probably set up a "no calls after 9pm" rule in cases like this. If it was Daniel again, I'll block and report the number immediately so I picked the call. "Who is this?" My voice was sharp, ready for his voice again. "Nora?" I stopped. "...Mom?" "Yes, sweetheart, it's me." The relief in her voice hit me wrong, somehow. Made my jaw tighten instead of loosening. "What do you want?" "What do I want?' She sounded hurt, her voice breaking. "I just wanted to check on you. Pm my daughter. You haven't called in days." I bit my lip. "I've been busy." "I know. I saw the news about the presentation tomorrow. I wanted to wish you luck." I didn't answer right away. My free hand curled into the blanket on my lap, fingers twisting the fabric. "Nora? Are you there?" "Do you know Daniel?" The question came out of nowher

Disaster before the presentation

I woke up before my alarm, which never happened. For a second I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, waiting for the exhaustion from last night to catch up with me. It didn't. Something else had taken over instead, sharp and clear, cutting straight through the mess of everything that happened after midnight. Today mattered more than any of it. I got up, showered, and stood in front of my closet longer than usual, finally settling on the navy suit I'd been saving for exactly this kind of day. Sharp lines, clean fit, the kind of outfit that made you stand up straighter just putting it on. Totally giving off boss lady vibes. I did my hair properly for once, makeup simple but deliberate, and looked at myself in the mirror before I left. "You've got this," I said out loud, and for once, I almost believed it. The office was already busy when I arrived, earlier than I expected. Chloe was there, hair still slightly damp from a rushed shower, going through her section of the deck one

Nora to the rescue

"Sienna," Priyanka said immediately, eyes narrowing. "It's Sienna. Has to be." "She hasn't touched this project in weeks," Chloe said. "How would she even get access?" "I don't know, but who else would want to sabotage us this badly?" "Where is she right now?" Jason looked around the floor. "Has anyone even seen her today??" As if on cue, the elevator dinged behind us. Sienna stepped out, looking pale, tired, moving slower than usual, one hand pressed lightly against her side. Chloe was on her feet before I could stop her, crossing the floor fast. "Where were you last night?" Chloe demanded, blocking her path. Sienna blinked, startled. "Excuse me?" "The presentation file. It's gone. Both copies. Deleted sometime overnight." Sienna loooked confused.... didn't even look like an act. "And you're asking me because...?" Chloe didn't let her finish. "Because you weren't here yesterday, and you conveniently show up right after it disappears." Sienna's jaw tightened. "I was at the

You can do this

Cael walked onto the floor just as Derek came scrambling back with the external drive, his face still pale, his hands still shaking. "What's going on?" Cael's voice cut through the noise instantly, low and even, but sharp enough that everyone straightened at once. "I've got it handled," I said quickly. His eyes moved over the scene, Derek frozen near his desk, Mr. Shawn's furious expression, Sienna standing off to the side looking equal parts confused and vindicated. "Nora." "I mean it. I've got it." I held up the drive Derek had just handed over. "The files are here. We just need someone to verify them fast and reload the deck before we head down." Cael's jaw tightened, but he didn't push further, which told me he trusted my read on the situation more than he trusted his own instinct to take over. "Priyanka," I said, "get this loaded and verified. Now." She grabbed the drive and ran for the nearest workstation, Chloe right behind her. Cael looked at Derek for a long moment, c

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