A low chuckle slipped past my lips, every pair of eyes trailing after as my retreating footsteps faded through the office.
Reaching his office, my hands raised to knock but before I could do so, the door slid open.
Alexander sat there, his gaze unreadable. "Co in."
My feet obeyed before my mind caught up.
"Sit." The command cut through the silence.
My body sank into the chair and my gaze instantly slid to the floor.
"Are you avoiding eye contact with ?" His deep chuckle resonated in the office, and my throat moved as heat crawled up my neck.
"Not at all, Sir. Maintaining... professional distance seems best." My explanation sounded before I could stop myself.
"Hm. Interesting." His voice dropped, amused. "You didn’t seem worried about professional distance when you chose to call last night."
My gaze stayed glued to the floor. No defense. No excuse.
"No answer? Hmm?" His voice pressed in closer.
"Mr. Blackwood," my head lifted slowly, "maybe I shouldn’t have called you. Because of today—your actions—everyone in the office has their eyes on . Exactly what I feared."
His expression shifted, a small crack of softness breaking through the usual cold exterior. He leaned forward, hands planted firmly on the desk.
"Do you need to clarify things for them?"
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. Absolutely not. Alexander stepping in would start a fire I’d never be able to put out.
I shook my head instantly.
"Why did you call , Mr. Blackwood?" The question flowed out of my mouth, desperate to shift the spotlight away from myself.
Alexander remained silent for a while, his gaze fixated intensely on . The silence stretched. Heavy, charged silence.
"There’s a banquet tonight," he said at last. "I want you to attend with . As my female companion."
My head snapped up. "You must be joking. You want to go with you? Why ? You have... options. Many options. Choose literally anyone else."
Did he have any idea what kind of scandal would erupt if people found out I had been on his arm at a banquet?
He was definitely playing gas.
Alexander tapped his fingers in a steady rhythm against the desk, the cool swish of his chair turning adding to the tension.
"Serena," he said, each syllable coated in absolute finality, "you’re attending with . This is not up for debate."
My mouth opened to protest, but he lifted a hand—and the words died in my throat.
"No further argunts." His gaze flicked to the door. "You may leave."
My teeth caught my lower lip, frustration crawling under my skin as I stood. Not even the slightest chance to say no.
Of course. Alexander Blackwood never asked. He simply decided.
-------------------------
Once I returned to my cubicle, I sank into the chair, exhaustion slowly creeping over . One night of pleasure... now turned to endless frustration.
Suddenly, my head snapped up, hearing footsteps approaching . My eyes t with Ethan instantly, my eyes rolling before I could stop them.
"What are you doing here? This isn’t your departnt."
"I ca to see my ex, who by the way has sucked up to the boss."
My brows arched on their own as a laugh escaped my lips. Without even looking around, I was sure that the workers’ eyes were on us... eager for drama.
"Says the one who cheated. Tell Ethan, do you think you have the right to stand in front of and say things like this?"
"Serena, we dated for three years! You—"
"And you cheated!" I fired back, my eyes wide with anger. The frustration from earlier was already at its peak and Ethan was the perfect person to vent it on. In my defence, he brought it on himself.
Ethan remained silent. No excuse. And why would he? He was the one who cheated. I stayed faithful to him, but he threw everything under the bus by cheating on ... and with Jessica. He was aware of how I couldn’t stand her, but he did it anyways.
"You—" pointing at him, my face hardened. "—don’t get to tell what I should do with my life. We are done. We have nothing to do with each other."
Before Ethan could spew whatever nonsense he was gathering in his throat, a sharp voice sliced through the air.
"Step away from her."
Maya.
She stord across the room like she’d been waiting her whole life to verbally destroy him. Ethan stiffened, his jaw twitching. He had always been scared of her.
"Oh look," Maya said, crossing her arms, "the office’s most useless departnt decided to deliver trash back to recycling."
"Maya, stay out of this," he muttered.
She let out a laugh. "Stay out? You cheated on my best friend with a woman who uses her mirror more than her brain. You’re lucky she’s talking to you at all. ? I’d have thrown a stapler."
A few chuckles echoed around the room. Ethan’s face turned a shade darker.
"This isn’t over," he snapped at Serena. "You think you can just walk around with that boss-lover attitude—"
"Finish that sentence," Maya warned, stepping closer, "and I swear your next HR complaint will have my na on it."
Ethan swallowed whatever courage he had left. With one last glare between both of us, he turned sharply and stord off.
Maya exhaled dramatically. "God, he’s exhausting. Like a flu you thought you recovered from but still shows up uninvited."
Despite everything, a small laugh escaped .
Then her gaze sharpened. "Okay, talk. Why did Alexander Blackwood summon you to his office? You were gone for a while."
My pulse raced.
Maya narrowed her eyes even more. "Serena... what happened?"
I swallowed, leaning forward so only she could hear.
"There’s a banquet tonight," I whispered. "He... wants to go with him."
Maya froze. Blinked. Then blinked again. Her mouth opened—but no sound ca out.
"You’re joking," she finally breathed.
I shook my head.
Her eyes widened in raw disbelief Serena... do you realize what this ans?"
The words hung in the air—thick, dangerous, thrilling.
And I had absolutely no idea how to answer.
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