Beneath The Billionaire

Chapter6

Maya walked into the conference room, her heels echoing in the otherwise silent space. The events of the past day hung heavily over her—Sebastian’s visit to her mother’s house, the mind games, and the way he’d tried to manipulate her feelings. She was done with it all. Today, there would be no more pretending. She would stand her ground.

As she set her laptop down and opened it, her focus was entirely on her work. She couldn’t afford to get distracted. But the moment the door opened and Sebastian stepped into the room, her pulse quickened. The air between them shifted, the tension palpable.

“Good morning, Maya,” Sebastian greeted, his voice smooth and casual, but his gaze was anything but. His eyes were sharp, assessing, as if he was waiting for her to make a mistake.

“Morning,” Maya replied, keeping her tone neutral and avoiding eye contact. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her riled up.

Sebastian’s lips twitched, and he took a step closer to the table, leaning in slightly, his presence as commanding as ever. “I thought you’d be at home sulking after last night, but here you are, playing the professional. Impressive.”

Maya resisted the urge to snap back, but it was hard. “I’m not here to play games, Sebastian.Just here to do my job”

Sebastian’s eyebrow arched, an almost predatory gleam flickering in his eyes. “Oh, I don’t know about that. From where I’m sitting, you’ve been playing a game since the very beginning.” He leaned in a little more, his voice lowering just enough to send a shiver down her spine. “You’ve been writing your little stories, making me the villain… It’s not all work for you, is it, Maya?”

Her skin prickled under the weight of his gaze. She refused to acknowledge the shift in the air. She slammed her laptop shut, the sound sharp enough to make a few people outside the conference room glance nervously at the door.

“Do you think I’m the villain here? You’ve been manipulating everything from the start. Your wealth, your power—control. I’m not your puppet, Sebastian.” Her voice rang with confidence, even if she wasn’t sure she entirely believed it herself.

The door to the conference room was slightly ajar, and she noticed that the office staff had begun to gather in the hallway. Whispers floated in from the hallway as more people peeked in. The tension between them wasn’t subtle anymore. People had stopped working, intrigued by the spectacle unfolding before them. A couple of heads turned, barely able to contain their curiosity.

Sebastian’s lips curved into a sardonic smile, eyes flicking to the door before returning to Maya. “ Well,I’ve heard worse. But you’re not as innocent as you like to pretend, Maya. I see you. All your little jabs, your sharp words… You think I don’t notice?”

Maya’s anger flared, but so did something else—something much more complicated. The way he looked at her, like a predator sizing up its prey, was stirring a part of her she refused to acknowledge. Still, she pushed it aside. “I don’t need your approval, Sebastian. And I don’t need your games.”

He took a step forward, and the air between them seemed to crackle with an electric charge. “Games, Maya? If anyone’s playing a game here, it’s you. You’ve been toying with me, undermining my every move. Writing your little articles, acting all high and mighty. I’m not some easy target you can bring down with a couple of words.”

Maya’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not the only one who’s been fighting for what they have, Sebastian. Maybe you should remember that next time you try to walk all over people.”

“Is that what you think? That I’ve had it easy?” he said, his voice suddenly low and intense. He moved a little closer, his proximity causing her pulse to quicken. The tension in the room thickened, and she felt an undeniable pull toward him. Damn it, she couldn’t let him get under her skin, not now.

Maya didn’t break her gaze from Sebastian, but she noticed out of the corner of her eye one of the staff members was standing just outside the door, smirking and leaning in to get a better view. Another colleague peeked around the corner, trying to maybe stifle a laugh?

Sebastian’s gaze shifted, and his eyes darkened for a brief moment. He straightened his posture, sending a quiet warning through the room. His icy glare was enough to send a shiver down the spine of anyone watching. The hallway suddenly became deathly silent, and the staff quickly looked away, suddenly afraid to make eye contact.

Maya caught the change in his demeanor, and for a brief moment, she realized just how much power he wielded. It didn’t help that the air between them was charged with something far more dangerous than just their argument. She felt the heat of his gaze on her skin, almost like a physical touch. It made her heart race, and she hated that she couldn’t control her reaction to it.

But then, just as the tension seemed ready to snap, one of the staff members stepped closer, trying to ease the tension by passing some information.

“Excuse me Sir, there is…”

The remark died on their lips as Sebastian, with a swift movement, locked eyes with the person daring to interrupt. His expression was cold, and the staff member backed off quickly, returning to the safety of the hallway.

Maya was still on edge, her emotions a whirlwind of frustration and something else she refused to acknowledge. She stood her ground, her voice steady as she met Sebastian’s gaze one last time. “I’m not playing your game anymore, Sebastian.”

With that, she turned, walking out of the room with a confident stride, leaving him standing in the aftermath. Maya’s heart pounded in her chest, her thoughts racing. She didn’t know if she hated him or… if something else was slowly starting to shift between them.

As she walked out of the conference room, the staff quickly scattered, pretending like they hadn’t been watching, but Maya could feel their eyes on her back.Feel his eyes on her back. She tried to ignore the electric tension that still clung to the air.

One thing was for sure—this fight between her and Sebastian wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

***The city lights flickered through the windows of the upscale restaurant as Sebastian leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tracing the rim of his wine glass. It was a rare night of respite—a Friday evening without meetings, charity events, or the pressure of work weighing him down. Ella had insisted on this dinner, claiming it was the only time she’d get to see him without his usual army of bodyguards, assistants, and phone calls.

Ella, his younger sister, had always been the more grounded of the two. Where he had mastered the art of control and dominance, she was effortlessly warm, unpretentious. In some ways, they were opposites, but there was one thing they always shared: family loyalty.

She’d never let the family name or their wealth define her, which made her one of the few people Sebastian truly respected.

She was already sitting at the table when he arrived, sipping a glass of red wine and scanning the menu. Her dark brown hair was loosely tied back, a few stray curls escaping the bun, and her warm smile greeted him as he approached.

“Well, well, look who finally decided to show up,” Ella teased, motioning for him to sit. “I thought you were going to bail on me.” She joked.

Sebastian offered a tight smile, easing into his seat. “I’m here now. Hope I’m not too late.”

“Please. I knew you’d show up eventually.” She took another sip of wine, eyeing him over the rim of the glass. “You’re always on the go, Seb. I don’t know how you do it. I’d lose my mind.”

He chuckled, although it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’ve got a lot of people relying on me. It’s just the way it is.”

Ella studied him carefully, sensing the undercurrent of tension beneath his words. She wasn’t fooled by his calm exterior. “What’s going on, Seb? You look like you’ve been carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. Is it the company? Or is it something else?” She leaned in slightly, her voice softening. “You can talk to me, you know. I’m still your sister.”

Sebastian let out a slow breath, setting his wine glass down and glancing out the window for a moment. It was clear she could tell something was bothering him, but how could he explain the latest storm in his life?

“Everything’s fine,” he said, forcing a smile. “Just work stuff, nothing new.”

Ella raised an eyebrow, not buying it. “Sebastian, I’m not an i***t. It’s not just work. You’ve been acting… off. Ever since that protest. What’s going on?”

Sebastian’s gaze shifted, the memory of the protest still fresh in his mind. He could still hear Maya’s voice in his head—the sharpness, the anger in her words. He had played his cards carefully, but the scathing article she’d written had stung. It made him feel like maybe, just maybe, he was slipping. He didn’t like the feeling.

“I had an issue with someone at work,” he said finally, his jaw tightening. “A reporter. Maya. She published an article about me—about the protest—and it wasn’t exactly kind.”

Ella’s expression softened with concern. “A reporter? Wait… Is she the one you’ve been at odds with? The one you’ve been dragging along for this week?”

Sebastian didn’t answer right away. His mind was still on Maya, still stewing over their last exchange. It wasn’t just the article—it was the way she’d gone after him so fiercely, as if she wanted to tear everything he’d built apart. And the worst part was, she hadn’t been wrong. Some of the things she’d written hit too close to home.

“She’s… different,” Sebastian muttered, his gaze flicking to his sister. “She’s not like the others. Doesn’t back down. She’s challenging me in ways I didn’t expect.”

Ella gave him a knowing look. “Oh? I think I can tell why you’re still thinking about her. Sounds like you might even be a little… intrigued.”

Sebastian shifted uncomfortably in his seat, looking away. His sister had an uncanny way of seeing through him. “I’m not ‘intrigued.’ She’s just a problem I need to deal with.”

Ella smiled, her tone teasing. “Uh-huh. If you say so. But I know you, Seb. You don’t let people rattle you like this. Not unless they’ve got something that gets under your skin.”

He didn’t respond, the weight of his own thoughts pressing in on him. He had a plan, though. He always did. He would deal with Maya in his own way, but the fact that she had managed to ruffle his feathers left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“I just don’t like being challenged,” he admitted after a long pause. “I’ve worked too hard for too long to have someone come in and try to tear it all down.”

Ella studied him for a moment, her expression serious. “You know, it’s okay to have someone challenge you once in a while. It doesn’t mean they want to destroy you. Maybe you just need to listen to what they’re saying instead of fighting back. It’s not always about winning, Seb. Sometimes it’s about learning something new.”

Sebastian chuckled darkly, but it lacked any real humor. “You always were the idealist, Ella.

“And you’re the cynic,” she shot back, giving him a pointed look. “But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”

The waiter arrived, and they both ordered their meals, the brief silence between them heavy with unspoken words. Sebastian’s thoughts drifted back to Maya. She wasn’t like the others, he knew that. Her fire, her passion—they weren’t things he’d expected to encounter. But he wasn’t about to let her win. No, he’d make sure she learned her place.

But for now, he’d keep his cards close. He wasn’t ready to let his sister in on all the details—at least not yet.

As the evening wore on, they talked about family, about Ella’s work with the charity, and about the old memories they shared growing up. But no matter how much they laughed or reminisced, Sebastian’s thoughts kept drifting back to Maya and the mess she had thrown him into.

“Maybe you’re right,” he muttered quietly, mostly to himself. “Maybe this isn’t over yet.”