The day after the lobby encounter, Lily came into the office with her head down and her stomach in knots. She barely managed a wave at Melissa before bee-lining to her desk.
She could still hear Sebastian's words in her head. Alex is dangerous to be close to. She hated that it lingered, gnawing at her, even when she tried to brush it off.
But what made it worse was Alex's reaction. He had barely looked at her after dragging her away from Sebastian. His expression had been unreadable, his tone like frost. Stay away from him.
She sighed, dropping into her chair. "Great. Another day in the ice palace."
Inside his office, Alex Knight wasn't faring much better.
His pen tapped against the desk, an uncharacteristic tic betraying his mood. His mind was replaying the image of Sebastian leaning too close, the smug curve of his smile, the way Lily had looked uncertain, even shaken.
His jaw clenched. He didn't blame her—she didn't know Sebastian's games, didn't understand how dangerous he really was. But still, something twisted inside him.
It felt too close to history repeating. And that, he couldn't allow.
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By midday, the tension snapped.
"Miss Carter," Alex's voice cut across the office. "My office. Now."
Melissa gave Lily a sympathetic wince. "Uh-oh. Good luck, rookie."
Lily's heart thudded as she stepped into the lion's den.
Alex didn't waste time. He stood by the window, arms crossed, his eyes sharp. "What were you thinking yesterday?"
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Talking to him. Entertaining his nonsense." His voice was calm, but the steel beneath it was unmistakable. "You were careless."
Lily's mouth fell open. "Careless? He cornered me in the lobby! What was I supposed to do, run away screaming?"
"Yes," Alex said flatly. "That would've been preferable."
Her jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me?!"
He didn't flinch. "Sebastian Brooks is not someone you can afford to toy with. You should've shut him down."
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Something in Lily snapped.
"You know what?" she said, hands on her hips. "I am so sick of you acting like I'm some incompetent child who can't handle herself."
His eyes narrowed. "That's not what I—"
"Yes, it is!" she cut him off, her voice rising. "You've been treating me like a disaster waiting to happen since the day I got here. And maybe sometimes I am clumsy or scatterbrained, but that doesn't mean I don't try. It doesn't mean I don't care. And it definitely doesn't mean I was 'careless' for being polite to someone in the lobby!"
His jaw tightened, but she wasn't done.
"You don't get it, do you? You're so used to controlling everything—everyone—that you can't stand the idea that maybe I'm not just some pawn you can move around. I'm a person. I make choices. And sometimes I screw up, but that doesn't give you the right to talk to me like I'm worthless!"
The room went dead silent.
Alex stared at her, stunned. No one—no one—had ever raised their voice to him like that.
And for the first time, he didn't know what to say.
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Lily's chest heaved as she glared at him. She could feel her hands trembling, but she refused to look away.
Alex's expression was unreadable, but his silence spoke louder than words.
Finally, she let out a shaky laugh, though there was no humor in it. "You know what? Forget it. I'm sorry for wasting your precious time."
She spun on her heel and stormed out, the door slamming shut behind her.
The echo lingered in the office, sharp as glass.
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The rest of the day was agony. Lily sat at her desk, typing furiously to avoid eye contact, while whispers rippled through the office.
"Did you hear them yelling?"
"She yelled at Knight?!"
"She's insane. Or brave. Or both."
Melissa plopped into the chair beside her. "So… that happened."
"Don't," Lily muttered, not looking up.
"I mean, I've been here five years and never seen anyone talk back to him like that. You might've just made history."
"Yay me," Lily said flatly.
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Back in his office, Alex sat motionless, staring at the city skyline.
Her words echoed in his head. I'm a person. I make choices. That doesn't give you the right to talk to me like I'm worthless.
Worthless.
The word cut deeper than he expected.
He hadn't meant it like that. His anger wasn't at her—it was at Sebastian, at the risk, at history threatening to repeat itself. But in trying to protect her, he'd lashed out.
And now, she saw him the same way everyone else did. Cold. Controlling. Ruthless.
His hand tightened around his pen until it snapped.
For a fleeting second, he considered going to her desk. Saying something—anything.
But the words stuck in his throat.
Alexander Knight didn't apologize.
And so, he stayed silent.
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That night, Lily curled on her couch with a tub of ice cream, replaying the fight on loop.
Every word she'd said. Every look he'd given her.
She groaned, covering her face with a pillow. "I'm going to get fired. Definitely. Totally. Fired."
But underneath the panic, something else lingered. A strange, stubborn pride.
For once, she hadn't backed down. She'd stood her ground.
And even if Alex Knight hated her for it, she couldn't regret that.
Across the city, Alex stood in front of his penthouse window, the lights of Los Angeles glittering below.
His reflection stared back at him, sharp and unyielding.
He should have apologized. He knew that.
But instead, he poured another glass of scotch, convincing himself silence was safer.
Because if he let himself break that line—if he let Lily Carter see the man behind the armor—he wasn't sure he could stop.
And that terrified him more than anything Sebastian Brooks could ever do.