Beneath The Billionaire

Chapter7

Maya stared at her laptop screen, the cursor blinking mockingly against the blank document. She had been sitting in her tiny apartment for hours, trying to muster the energy to write something—anything—

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, but every time she tried to form a sentence, her thoughts spiraled back to him. The smug smile he wore when he thought he had the upper hand, the way he dismissed her as if she were some sort of nuisance he was forced to tolerate.

She shoved her chair back abruptly, pacing the small space. “Who does he think he is?” she muttered, her voice sharp with frustration. “Billionaire or not, he doesn’t get to treat people like chess pieces.”

Her anger simmered as flashes of their interactions played in her mind. The protest confrontation. The nerve of him showing up at her mother’s house, uninvited and calculated. And that damn smirk when he had said, “See you in the office tomorrow,” like he was so sure she would be there.

Maya stopped pacing and leaned against the counter, her chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. She hated how much space he occupied in her mind. Hated that she was still thinking about him when she should be focusing on moving forward.

The truth was, Sebastian was getting under her skin in ways she hadn’t expected. And that scared her.

She picked up her phone, scrolling through her emails until she found the one from her editor about the assignment. Re-reading the details made her stomach twist. She’d been so excited about the opportunity, thinking it was her big break. But now? Now it felt like a trap—a twisted game where Sebastian held all the cards...

Her fingers tightened around the phone as her jaw clenched. “No more.”

Maya pulled up her editor’s contact and began typing a resignation email. She didn’t want to shadow him anymore. She didn’t care about the article or the magazine’s reputation. All she wanted was to be done with him and the chaos he brought into her life.

But as she typed, doubts began to creep in. Would quitting mean Sebastian won? Would walking away prove she wasn’t strong enough to handle him?

“No,” she whispered to herself. This wasn’t about winning or losing. It was about protecting her sanity.

She hit send before she could second-guess herself, then tossed her phone onto the couch and sank down beside it.

For the first time in days, she felt a strange sense of relief. She was done. Done with Sebastian’s manipulative games, done with the endless tension between them, done with the whole charade.

Maya leaned back and closed her eyes, letting the weight of the decision settle over her.

And yet, in the quiet of her apartment, a nagging voice lingered in the back of her mind. A voice she desperately tried to ignore as she whispered to herself, “He’s not worth it.”

***

Sebastian leaned back in his chair, glancing at his watch for the third time that morning. His schedule was packed, as usual, but something felt…off. His assistant, Claire, hovered by the door, clipboard in hand, waiting for his approval on a report.

“You can send it off,” Sebastian said absently, waving Claire away.

“Yes, sir,” Claire replied, but she didn’t move..

“What?” Sebastian asked, his tone clipped.

“Miss Taylor didn’t show up today,” Claire said cautiously. “I thought you’d want to know.”

Sebastian frowned. “She’s late?”

Claire hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “No. She quit. Effective immediately.”

For a second, Sebastian thought he’d misheard. “She what?”

“She quit, sir. I received an email from her editor confirming it -. this morning. She’s withdrawn from the shadowing assignment entirely.”

Sebastian’s jaw tightened. “Did they give a reason?”

“No, but…” Claire shifted uncomfortably under Sebastian’s glare. “She’s been unhappy lately. That much was obvious.”

Sebastian dismissed Claire with a wave, but his mind churned. She quit? Just like that? The Maya he’d come to know didn’t seem like the type to walk away from a challenge. She was fiery, stubborn, relentless to a fault.

The memory of her storming into his office, fire blazing in her eyes, came rushing back. The way she’d stood toe-to-toe with him during the protest, completely unfazed by his authority. And now, she was running?

His phone buzzed, breaking his thoughts. It was an email from her editor, confirming Maya’s decision and apologizing for the “inconvenience.” Inconvenience? He scoffed, leaning forward to type a quick response.

Subject: Re: Withdrawal of Maya Taylor

Dear Carmen Harrold,

I was surprised to hear of Miss Taylor’s decision to withdraw from the assignment. While I respect her personal choices, I must remind you of the agreement between our organizations. The terms were clear, and I trust the magazine values its commitments as much as I do.

Please ensure Miss Taylor understands the importance of following through with her obligations. A sudden departure like this reflects poorly on both her professionalism and the integrity of your publication.

I look forward to your swift resolution of this matter.

Best regards,

Sebastian Blake

Sebastian hit send, though the act did little to ease the frustration bubbling inside him. He couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that Maya quitting wasn’t just about the job. It was about him.

He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temple. Maybe he’d pushed her too hard. The stunt with her mother had been calculated, yes, but it wasn’t malicious. At least, not entirely.

His thoughts spiraled further when, without thinking, he picked up his phone and calle d her directly.

“Sebastian,” Maya’s voice came through the line, sharp and guarded. “What do you want?”

“I heard you quit,” he said, keeping his tone even. “Care to explain?”

“I don’t owe you an explanation,” she shot back. “I’m done. That’s all there is to it.”

“Done?” he repeated, his voice rising. “You think you can just walk away because things got difficult? That’s not how this works.”

“Don’t lecture me, Sebastian,” Maya snapped. “You’re the reason I’m done. You, your games, your ego. I’m not sticking around to be part of whatever power trip you’re on.”

“Power trip?” he echoed, his grip tightening on the phone. “This wasn’t about power, Maya. This was about doing your job. Or are you so fragile that a little adversity makes you run?”

“Fragile?” Her voice dropped dangerously low. “You have no idea what I am, Sebastian. But I know exactly what you are—a selfish, manipulative—”

“Careful,” he interrupted, his tone ice cold. “You don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

“And I don’t want to,” she spat.

There was a beat of silence, thick with tension. Sebastian felt his anger simmering just beneath the surface, but beneath it was something else—a flicker of regret he refused to name.

“Fine,” he said finally, his voice low. “Run away if you want Maya. Run away.”