THE FIRST GROVEL
The next morning, Elara arrived at the office with a pounding headache and an exhausted heart. Every whisper, every glance, felt heavier than the night before. The video Serena had leaked was still spreading like wildfire online.
Her inbox was full of notifications. HR emails. Gossiping coworkers. Messages from Evan—insistent, apologetic, desperate. And at the very top:
Lucien: I need to see you. Now.
Elara groaned. She wanted to ignore it. She wanted to disappear into the city streets again. But part of her, the part that hated to admit it, knew she couldn't.
By midday, she found herself in the elevator, heart hammering, as the doors opened to Lucien's office floor.
He was waiting. Not behind his desk, not sitting casually. Standing. Arms crossed. The calm, controlled CEO aura she hated and feared radiating from him.
"Elara," he said softly. "Sit."
She hesitated. Then reluctantly, she did.
He stepped closer, pausing in front of her chair. "About last night…"
She rolled her eyes. "Don't."
"No," he said firmly. "I need to say it. You—you walked out on me, and I…" His voice faltered for a fraction of a second, rare vulnerability. "…I panicked. I was reckless. And I shouldn't have cornered you like that."
Her eyes narrowed. "And now you're apologizing?"
"Yes." He swallowed hard. "I was wrong. Completely wrong. I…" He stepped back slightly, running a hand through his hair. "I can't stand seeing you like this. Seeing you doubt yourself, seeing… everyone attack you, and me unable to protect you."
Elara blinked. Something in his eyes—raw, almost broken—made her chest tighten.
"I'm not yours to protect," she said quietly.
"I know," he said, lowering his gaze. "I just… I can't help it. You're the only thing I've ever…" He paused, swallowed, then looked straight at her. "…ever wanted to fight for, even when I should've let you go."
Her pulse thundered in her ears.
"You're groveling," she said, half-teasing, half-hurt.
He smirked faintly, but the tension didn't leave his voice. "Maybe. Maybe I am. But this isn't about pride anymore. It's about you. And I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. To make this right."
Elara stared at him. Her chest tightened. His words—honest, desperate, dangerous—were impossible to ignore.
"And if I still want to leave?" she asked softly.
He stepped closer, closing the space between them. His hand hovered near hers. "Then I'll fight harder. I'll fix everything I've broken. I'll… grovel if I have to. But I won't let you disappear from my life. Not you. Not now. Not ever."
For the first time, she saw something behind the cold, untouchable CEO—a man who was dangerously human. Vulnerable, possessive, obsessed.
Her heartbeat thundered. She didn't know whether to be furious or… something else entirely.
Lucien reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face, and for a moment, the entire office faded around them.
"You're mine," he whispered, barely audible. "Even if you refuse to admit it."
Elara swallowed, torn between fury and desire. And deep down, she realized—he was right. Somehow… she already belonged to him.
The first grovel had begun, but the war between them was only just starting.