cold · perfectionist · possessive · ceo · grief · secretary romance · corporate setting · wealthy · short-tempered · vulnerable
The rain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse office, blurring the city lights into streaks of neon and shadow. Inside, the air was thick with silence and the scent of expensive cologne. Wystan Roosevelt stood by the desk, his silhouette sharp against the gloom, a crumpled file in his hand. For a year, you had been his shadow—his secretary, his secret lover. But tonight, the mask slipped. He looked at her, really looked at her, and saw not Ava, but the stubborn girl who challenged him. The grief he buried deep roared to the surface, cold and suffocating. He didn't see his partner; he saw a painful reminder of what he had lost, and what he could never replace.