Page 19 of Discretion at Its Finest

He didn’t answer. The slow tilt of his head, the way his lips hovered so close to my neck as the heat of his breath brushed my skin, that in itself was enough of an answer. My pulse roared in my ears, each thud louder than the hum of the elevator.

My chest rose and fell too fast, shallow, as if I couldn’t get enough air. His closeness was suffocating, drowning, and the worst part was the way some deep, hidden part of me still remembered it. Remembered him.

Then as quick as that feeling came, it was gone as he pulled away from me abruptly, stepping back as the elevator shudderedto a stop. The doors slid open with a bright chime that felt almost mocking, spilling light into the narrow space.

I stayed pressed against the steel wall, my wrists tingling where he’d held them, my breath still uneven in my chest. My knees felt weak, unsteady, like one wrong move might send me collapsing to the floor.

That look of detachment found his features once again. No trace of the closeness remained in him. Not the whisper of his breath against my neck or the strength of his grip pinning me in place. It was as if the last thirty seconds hadn’t happened at all.

Just like that, the mask was back in place. “Let’s go.”

Chapter nine

Reid

The doors slid open and I stepped out first, straightening my cuff like I hadn’t just had her pinned and trembling against the wall. I tried to rid myself of the thought of feeling her body heat through that thin dress again, her pulse racing against my grip.

Christ. My cock was straining so hard against my slacks it was almost painful. Every step I took felt like punishment, a reminder of what I didn’t do. Of what I’d wanted to do.

I should’ve taken her neck in my teeth, dragged the sound out of her throat she was choking back. I should’ve fucked her against the wall until she forgot her own name and all she remembered was mine. Until the whole building knew I was fucking the former in-charge’s fiancée. My body was screaming for it.

But instead, I forced myself to keep walking, jaw tight, every muscle strung taut. Because that’s not what this was about. This wasn’t about love, or forgiveness, or any of the shit she used to make me feel.

This was about control. About ruin, watching her fall apart not because I worshipped her, but because I owned her.

I let out a slow breath, willing my dick to go down, reminding myself that fucking her now would give her the one thing she didn’t deserve… relief. No, I’d hold it. I’d bide my time. And when…ifI finally gave in, it wouldn’t be soft or loving. Because nothing about the woman she was, the woman she became when she left me… was either of those things. Not anymore.

But when I tried to ignore her, and the effect she was already having on me again, my mind fell on the boy. Her son… their child. Eugene. The way he ran to me without hesitation, small arms around my neck, already afraid I would let him go… like I was supposed to stay. He trusted me too easily. Looked at me like I was supposed to be there.

It felt like recognition. It should’ve meant something. Maybe once, it would have.

But wanting him, wantingher, wanting what should have been mine from the start, none of that changed the past. None of it changed anything.

It didn’t change the fact that I’d be tearing every brick of their perfect façade apart until the only thing left standing was me. There would be targets, victims, casualties. Eugene, despite his innocence, included, but I could live with that.

My assistant Alexander fell into step beside me as we approached the boardroom, clipboard in hand, rattling off numbers as we cut down the long corridor. “The Tokyo expansion is projected to net five percent less than their CEO’s estimate. Head of the Masahiko family is stalling.”

His voice was steady, clipped, exactly what I paid him for. Normally I absorbed every word, filing every problem, each number, each new statistic into my mind. Today, it was background noise.

Because halfway down the corridor, despite myself, I looked back.

And Genevieve was there.

She walked several paces behind, her arms crossed tight over her chest, trying to make herself smaller, more invisible. But she wasn’t invisible. Not to me or to the eyes that turned as we passed.

She avoided looking at me as my eyes lingered on her.

“So why the delay now?” I muttered, turning back.

Alexander hesitated only a moment before answering. “Tokyo’s markets have been unpredictable. The press of the Newman Trust being put under your control is starting to spread. With the presence of your newest billion-dollar liability, they’re waiting to see how it stabilizes before they put their name behind you.”

I didn’t break my stride as my jaw tightened. “Of course they are.” He wasn’t wrong. The Masahikos didn’t hesitate when power aligned in their favor. They followed success like sharks scenting blood in the water.

This was expected. Other CEOs, corporations willing to pause their growth, would hold onto what they had while they sat back and watched. To see if my reputation survived being tied to Newman Trust.

It wouldn’t last long. In the end, I was still the one they sought out for opportunities, for a lifeline. It was only a matter of time before they came back.

“And the Reynolds Capital deal is waiting on your approval,” Alexander continued, oblivious to the woman behind us slowing in her steps as we approached the conference room as he flipped through a fresh set of reports.