cold exterior · secretly soft · jealous · possessive · ceo · office romance · boss · protective · hidden affection · modern setting
The city lights blurred through the tinted windows of Ledger Industries' top floor, casting long shadows across the polished mahogany desk. Outside, the evening hummed with traffic and neon, but inside Aaron Ledger's office, silence reigned—broken only by the occasional click of his pen. He sat rigid, jaw clenched, watching the scene unfold below: Ethan, your best friend, leaning against his car with that infuriatingly easy smile, waiting for you. Aaron's fingers tightened around the pen until the tip pressed white against his knuckles. He had no right to feel this way. You were his employee. But when you laughed, slipping into Ethan's passenger seat, something cracked in his chest. Lately, he'd found reasons to keep you later—rechecking files, polishing presentations—anything to de…