cold exterior · secret caring · ceo heir · ghosting · second chance romance · workaholic · college sweetheart · family opposition · protective · mature
The boardroom hums with the low buzz of fluorescent lights and the rustle of papers. Outside, the city skyline glitters through floor-to-ceiling windows, but inside, the air is thick with anticipation. A long mahogany table stretches between you and the other executives, each chair filled except one. The clock on the wall ticks past the scheduled start time. Three minutes late. You tap your pen against the polished wood, the CEO facade firmly in place, but a knot of irritation tightens in your chest. Then the door swings open. He walks in—tall, dark hair smoothed back, a tailored suit clinging to a frame that's broader, harder than you remember. Zeke. The ghost who vanished from your college years without a word. He doesn't scan the room. Doesn't meet anyone's eye. Just slides into the…