Jason
Jason leaned against the tinted glass wall of his office, arms crossed, eyes locked on the quiet hum of the marketing floor below.
She was still there. Catherine.
Typing away like she wasn't a walking distraction. Like she hadn't turned his world on its axis with just one night — and then walked away without a damn word.
He'd told himself it was just curiosity. Closure. A desire for explanation.
But that was a lie.
The real truth? He hadn't stopped thinking about her since the morning he woke up to find her gone. No note. No trace. Just cold sheets and a memory that burned.
His jaw clenched. And the look she gave him earlier… cautious. Controlled. Like she was the one in power now.
That wasn't going to fly.
Zane walked in without knocking, holding two coffee cups like a peace offering. "Still brooding like a Gothic novel hero, I see."
Jason didn't move. "She's pretending she doesn't remember me."
Zane snorted. "Maybe she's just good at pretending. Women have layers, man. Like croissants. Dangerous, flaky layers."
Jason shot him a warning glance, but Zane just grinned and set the coffee down on the desk.
"Relax. She remembers you. The way she went stiff when you walked in? That wasn't indifference. That was emotional whiplash."
Jason sighed. "It doesn't matter. I didn't come here to chase a ghost."
"No," Zane said, taking a sip from his cup, "you bought an entire company for one."
Jason said nothing.
Zane lowered his cup. "So what's the plan? Stare at her until she breaks? Or are you going to actually talk to her like a functioning adult?"
Jason turned away from the glass, finally grabbing his coffee. "I already did."
Zane blinked. "You did? What'd she say?"
"She asked what I wanted."
Zane leaned forward, clearly invested. "And you said?"
Jason's lips twitched into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Everything."
Zane let out a low whistle. "Okay, damn. That's either the most romantic thing you've ever said or the scariest."
Jason took a slow sip of his coffee. "Both."
Zane's grin widened. "Oh, she's in trouble."
---
Catherine
Catherine's fingers stilled over her keyboard, her pulse still thundering from that brief encounter.
Everything.
That was what he said.
What did that even mean? Everything?
Did he want her back? Did he want revenge? Was this some twisted power play to make her pay for disappearing without a word?
She didn't know. And that scared her more than anything.
Because if she let herself believe he wanted her for real, if she let herself fall again — she wasn't sure she'd survive the crash.
Her phone buzzed.
New Email: From: Jason Wilson
Subject: Coffee. Ten minutes. My office. Come alone.
She stared at the screen.
No please. No explanation. Just a command. Like she worked for him. Technically, she did.
But this wasn't about work.
This was about them.
And as much as she wanted to hit delete and pretend she never saw it… her feet were already moving.
---
Zane
Zane watched Catherine walk past the glass office doors and disappear into Jason's domain. He raised his brows.
"Well, well," he muttered. "Let the games begin."
Then his gaze drifted toward the front desk, where a certain troublemaker was perched on the edge of her seat, flipping through a folder like it was a magazine.
Rina.
She caught him staring and smirked.
Catherine
The knock on Jason's office door was softer than she intended, but he heard it.
"Come in," came the low reply.
She stepped inside, heart pounding in her chest like a warning bell. Jason stood behind his desk, not sitting, not smiling, just watching her with that cool, unreadable expression that made her skin burn and her throat dry.
"You wanted to see me?" she said, keeping her voice even.
Jason didn't answer right away. He moved around the desk, walking slowly toward her, the silence thickening with every step.
"I sent the message," he said, stopping just a few feet from her, "but I didn't think you'd come."
Catherine forced a small smile. "I work here. You're my boss now. Ignoring your email would've looked unprofessional."
His jaw ticked. "So that's the only reason you're here? Professionalism?"
She looked up at him, her walls rising fast. "What else would it be?"
Jason exhaled, gaze locked onto hers. "You tell me."
There it was again — that barely concealed tension, the way his voice dipped lower like a memory whispering against her skin. The same voice that had once breathed her name like it meant something.
She crossed her arms, more to steady herself than anything. "If this is about what happened between us—"
"It is," he interrupted, tone sharp. "It's always been about that."
She stiffened. "Jason—"
"You disappeared," he said, stepping closer. "You didn't call. You didn't leave a note. Nothing. I woke up and you were just… gone."
She swallowed hard. "That night wasn't supposed to mean anything. We agreed."
He laughed, but it wasn't amused. "No, you decided that. You walked out and turned it into a one-night stand. Don't twist it."
Her breath caught. "You don't know what I was dealing with."
"Then tell me." His voice was softer now, almost pleading. "Tell me what made you leave."
Catherine looked away, blinking rapidly. "It doesn't matter anymore."
"It matters to me," he said, his tone rough, raw. "I bought this company because I couldn't get you out of my head. I had my team track you down. Do you know how crazy that sounds? How stupid it is? But I did it anyway."
She stared at him, stunned. "You… you knew where I worked?"
"I found out after the fact," he said. "I didn't plan it, not at first. But once I knew, I had to see you again. Even if it meant walking into this building and pretending I didn't know who you were just to see how you'd react."
Catherine's heart ached in her chest.
"So what now?" she whispered. "You own the company. You got what you wanted. Are you going to fire me? Make me pay for leaving?"
Jason stepped forward, brushing his knuckles against her arm — a touch so light, it felt like a memory.
"I don't want revenge, Catherine," he said quietly. "I want answers. I want to know if any of that night was real for you. Because I haven't been the same since."
She trembled, her defenses crumbling faster than she could rebuild them. She wanted to stay strong, to keep pretending — but the way he was looking at her shattered something inside.
"It was real," she whispered.
Jason's breath hitched.
"But it scared me," she went on, voice shaking. "I've never felt anything like that before. And the moment I woke up, I knew… if I stayed, I'd lose control. I wasn't ready for that."
Jason took her hand gently. "And now?"
Catherine stared at their joined hands. "Now… I don't know."
He stepped closer, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I'm not asking you to have all the answers today. But don't shut me out again."
She nodded slowly, her heart pounding loud enough to drown out every warning in her head.
"I'll try," she whispered.
Jason smiled — soft, real — and for the first time in weeks, the tension in the room eased.
But just as he leaned in, the office door creaked open.
Zane.
"Sorry to interrupt your heartfelt staring contest," he said, casually holding a folder. "But HR needs a signature, and I'm pretending to be responsible."
Jason sighed, stepping back. "We'll finish this later."
Catherine gave a tiny nod, brushing past Zane on her way out.
Zane watched her leave, then looked back at Jason, raising a brow. "So… we're doing office romance now?"
Jason didn't respond.
Zane chuckled. "This is gonna be fun."
---
Rina
Meanwhile, at the front desk, Rina spun in her chair, completely bored until she caught Catherine returning, face flushed and eyes glassy.
"Well?" Rina whispered as Catherine passed.
"I can't," Catherine muttered, heading straight for the restroom.
Rina narrowed her eyes. Something definitely happened.
Then a familiar, cocky voice drifted across the room.
"You look like someone who needs a distraction," Zane said, leaning against the desk with a grin.
Rina arched a brow. "You look like someone who gets rejected a lot."
Zane laughed. "Touché. But hey, I'm persistent. Comes with the job."
She rolled her eyes. "What is your job again?"
"Keeping the boss from burning down the place… and apparently ma
naging wildcards like you."
Rina smirked. "You couldn't handle me."
Zane leaned in, lowering his voice. "Try me."
Zane smirked back.
Maybe Jason wasn't the only one signing up for a wild ride.