MY EX LOVER IS A BILLIONAIRE

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 11; The kiss from last night

Lena Carter stepped into the sleek, polished halls of WB Holdings a little later than usual. As the morning sun filtered through the large glass windows, casting a warm glow on the contemporary décor, her mind was already churning with the potential stories for the day. She had anchored the morning report and received a commendable reaction from the viewers, a small but fulfilling victory that temporarily eclipsed the tumultuous echoes of her personal life.

Finishing her rounds of small talk with a few colleagues, Lena felt a twinge of excitement mixed with anxiety as she recalled the unexpected kiss from Damian Wolfe. Memories from the night before rushed back: he had driven her home, the quiet rush of car lights illuminating their faces, and then the lingering moment as he leaned in. The kiss was soft yet filled with an undeniable tension.

She made her way to the kitchen, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingling with the whirring sounds of the office. She needed that caffeine fix to ground her thoughts and keep her mind off Damian. Just as she reached for the coffee pot, she froze. Damian stood at the other end of the kitchen, a tall figure clad in a tailored suit that only accentuated his presence. Their eyes locked, and the familiarity wrapped around them like a thick fog. Her cheeks flushed involuntarily, and she quickly turned her back on him, as if that would shield her from the warmth of their shared history.

“Didn’t you come here to get something?” Damian’s voice cut through the silence, sharp and unmistakably cold.

Lena shook her head, not trusting her voice. “No, just... just coffee,” she managed to say, her tone hurried as she glanced over her shoulder, still feeling the weight of his gaze. Each heartbeat echoed in her ears, her mind racing with emotions that had been buried for so long.

“What’s the rush? We could talk,” he said, stepping closer, a hint of challenge lacing his words. It both intrigued and unsettled her.

“No thanks,” she replied, her voice firm, though inside, a storm raged. She could hear the soft clattering of dishes, the hum of conversation outside the kitchen, but right now it felt all too suffocating.

Lena started to leave the kitchen, a quick retreat, but Damian moved to block her path. “Is this about last night? The kiss?” His eyes held her captive, a whirlpool of emotions threatening to pull her under.

“Damian, I—”

“Lena,” he interrupted smoothly, yet his tone hinted at the urgency she feared. “We can’t just pretend that didn’t happen.”

A flicker of adrenaline coursed through her. She wasn’t ready to confront the feelings they had danced around for months now. “I have to get back to work,” she lied, desperate to escape the charged atmosphere between them, but as she grasped for the door handle, his expression darkened.

It was a sentiment that reverberated through her heart. All those months of longing for clarity, and yet here they were, standing on the precipice of a decision once more.

Before he could finish, Lena was suddenly aware of a presence behind her. A silhouette loomed in the doorway, sending an involuntary shiver through her. Lena turned, her instincts piquing.

“Damian?” A voice interrupted sharply. It was Sophie, the head of PR, and the abruptness of her arrival shattered the tension in the air.

“What are you doing here?” Sophie asked, her gaze landing on Lena, confusion intertwining with curiosity.

Lena stepped back, grateful for the interruption but painfully aware that this moment was far from over. “I just came in for some coffee,” she replied, too quickly.

“Sure you did,” Sophie replied, arching an eyebrow at Damian while her eyes flicked back to Lena, who felt her heart pounding.

Damian’s icy demeanor returned, as he cleared his throat. “I need to discuss tomorrow's meeting with you, Sophie. Could you give us a moment, please?”

Lena felt a hasty retreat beckoning to her as she side-stepped Damian, trying to procure some semblance of normalcy. “I’ll... I’ll be in my office.”

---

Lena Carter sat at her desk, the weight of the day’s unease pressing down on her chest. Waves of anxiety washed over her as she stared blankly at the screen in front of her. The office was quiet, apart from the quiet hum of the air conditioner and the distant sound of her colleagues typing away. But in her mind, the image of the kiss replayed like a haunting refrain—a flash of heat, a moment that spiraled into a thousand questions she didn’t have the answers to.

"It was just a kiss," she whispered to herself, as if speaking the words aloud could dissipate the tension knotted in her stomach. The memory of Damian Wolfe’s lips on hers sent a shiver down her spine, stirring up a tempest of emotions she thought she had buried. “He can’t want to get back together. No, that can’t happen,” she insisted, shaking her head, trying to clear the fog of confusion.

Elaine, her team leader, entered the office with an air of authority. She caught sight of Lena, lost in her thoughts, and called her name. "Lena! Earth to Lena!" The familiar tone jolted Lena from her internal struggle, her head snapping up at the sound of her name.

“What are you thinking about so hard?” Elaine inquired, a smile on her face

“It’s nothing,” Lena replied quickly, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Elaine studied her for a moment, the smile fading a fraction before she quickly shifted back to business.

“Make sure to submit the reports for the day to Damian’s office,” she instructed, her tone light yet laden with expectation.

Sighing deeply, Lena stood up, her feet dragging as if they were made of lead. She feared stepping into his domain. With a deep breath, she made her way to his office, her heart pounding in her chest with each step. Just as she reached the threshold, he looked up, his eyes lighting up with a mixture of recognition and something more—perhaps hope

“Lena,” he said, a hint of warmth creeping into his voice. “I was just thinking about you.”

“A good thing, I hope,” she replied, trying to match his tone but feeling her heart race. She placed the report on his desk, avoiding his gaze as she braced herself for the conversation to come.

His demeanor shifted, the atmosphere turning electric as he asked, “About the kiss last night… what did it mean to you?”

The question hung in the air. Lena felt an odd mixture of anxiety and resolve bubble up within her. “It doesn't mean anything, Damian,” she responded coldly, her voice firm and unwavering. In that moment, she sought to shatter any lingering hope he might have had. She turned to leave, but an unexpected surge of determination struck her. “What do you want, Damian? Why are you doing this?” The words tumbled out unbidden.

A silence fell between them, heavy and charged. Damian leaned back in his chair, seemingly contemplating the weight of her questions. “I want to understand you, Lena. You’re…it’s not about the kiss. It’s about what we were. I thought we…”

“You thought wrong,” Lena interrupted, shaking her head vehemently. Yet, a part of her felt tugged by the sincerity in his expression.

Determined to escape her own mounting feelings, she turned and left.