CHAPTER 8: THE JEALOUS CEO
1286 Words
89 days left.
I thought jealousy looked ugly on people.
Turns out, it looks really good on Damian Voss.
---
It started on a Monday.
I was in Damian's office going through board files when Rina knocked.
"Mrs. Voss, you have a visitor."
"Me?" I frowned. "Who?"
"A Mr. Daniel Lim. He said he's an old friend."
My blood froze.
Daniel.
I stood up so fast the chair screeched. "Tell him I'm busy."
Rina looked confused. "He said he won't take long. Just 5 minutes."
Before I could answer, the door opened.
Daniel Lim.
My ex.
3 years. College. The guy who left me when Aira got sick because "he couldn't handle the drama."
He looked the same. Clean suit. Smug smile.
"Maya," he said. "Wow. You look... different."
"Daniel. What are you doing here?"
"I heard you got married." He laughed. "To Damian Voss. Big jump from cleaning jobs, huh?"
I didn't answer.
Damian chose that exact moment to walk in from his meeting.
He stopped when he saw Daniel.
"Who is this?" Damian's voice was ice.
"Mr. Voss," Daniel held out his hand. "Daniel Lim. Old friend of Maya's. From university."
Damian didn't take the hand. "She's in a meeting."
"I just wanted to catch up," Daniel said, looking at me. "It's been a while. Maybe coffee after work?"
The room got 10 degrees colder.
Damian walked to me. Stood right beside me. Close.
"Mrs. Voss has plans," he said. "With me."
Daniel's smile faltered. "Oh. Right. The marriage." He looked between us. "Well. Congrats."
He left.
The second the door closed, Damian turned to me.
"Old friend?"
"Ex," I admitted quietly. "We dated in college."
"For how long?"
"3 years."
Damian walked to his desk. Sat down. Started typing like nothing happened.
But his jaw was tight.
"Are you mad?" I asked.
"No." Click. Click. "Why would I be mad?"
"Because you look mad."
"I'm not." Click. "He just seemed... familiar."
I stared at him. "Damian."
"What?" He looked up. "Do you want to have coffee with him?"
"No."
"Good."
He went back to typing.
That was the first sign.
---
The second sign came at lunch.
Rina brought food for two. As usual.
Damian ate in silence. Then: "So. Daniel."
"Here we go."
"I'm just asking." He pushed his rice around. "Was he serious? About you?"
"We were 20, Damian. I don't know."
"Did he meet your sister?"
"Yes. Once."
Damian put his chopsticks down. "He left you because of her."
It wasn't a question.
"Yeah." I looked down. "Said it was too much."
Damian was quiet for a long time.
Then: "Idiot."
I laughed. "What?"
"Nothing." He picked his chopsticks back up. "Just. Idiot."
---
The third sign was at 5 PM.
I was in the bathroom when my phone buzzed.
Unknown number: *Hey Maya. It's Daniel. Coffee tomorrow? 3 PM. That cafe near campus. Please. I owe you an explanation.*
I deleted it.
When I came out, Damian was standing there. Arms crossed.
"Who texted you?"
"No one."
"Your phone lit up." He looked at me. "Was it him?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"And I deleted it."
Damian stared at me for 5 seconds. Then nodded. "Okay."
He walked away.
But that night, he didn't sleep on his side of the bed.
He slept on the sofa. Again.
---
Tuesday.
I went to Voss Group as usual.
At 2:50 PM, Rina came in. "Mrs. Voss, there's a delivery for you."
Flowers. Big ones. Red roses.
With a card: *Miss you. -D*
My stomach dropped.
Damian walked in right as I was reading it.
He saw the flowers. His face went blank.
"From who?" he asked.
"Daniel."
He picked up the card. Read it. Put it down.
"Do you want to reply?" he asked. Voice neutral.
"No."
"Okay." He sat at his desk. "Rina. Throw those out."
Rina froze. "Sir?"
"Throw. Them. Out."
She took the flowers away.
The office was silent for the rest of the day.
On the drive home, Damian finally spoke. "Why did he contact you?"
"I don't know."
"Did you do something?"
"No!"
"Then why now?" He gripped the steering wheel. "After 3 years? After you married me?"
"I don't know, Damian!"
He slammed the brakes at a red light.
We both jumped.
"Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean to--"
"It's fine."
Back at the penthouse, he went straight to his study.
I went to the bedroom.
At midnight, I heard glass break.
I ran to the study.
Damian was standing there. A whiskey glass shattered on the floor.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Nothing." He was cleaning it up with his bare hands. "Go to bed, Maya."
"You're bleeding."
"It's fine."
I grabbed the first aid kit and knelt beside him. "Let me."
He didn't stop me.
I cleaned the cut on his palm. Small.
When I was done, he looked at me.
"Why did you delete the text?" he asked quietly.
"Because I didn't want to see him."
"Why?"
"Because I don't care about him anymore."
Damian's eyes searched mine. "You sure?"
"Yes."
He exhaled. Like he'd been holding his breath.
"Good."
---
Wednesday.
Daniel showed up at Voss Group. Again.
In the lobby. With coffee.
"Maya!" he called when he saw me. "I was hoping--"
"Mr. Lim," Damian's voice cut through.
He was standing by the elevator. In a full suit. Looking like death.
"What are you doing here?" Damian asked.
"Just dropping something off for Maya." Daniel held up the coffee. "We go way back."
"She doesn't drink coffee from strangers." Damian walked to me. Took my hand. "Come."
He pulled me into the elevator.
The doors closed.
Damian let go immediately.
"I'm sorry," he said. "For that."
"Why did you do that?"
"Because I don't like him."
"That's not a reason to--"
"He hurt you." Damian looked at me. "And I don't like people who hurt you."
The elevator stopped.
We didn't move.
"Damian," I whispered. "Are you... jealous?"
He didn't answer. Just stepped out.
---
That night, the board called an emergency meeting.
Victoria was there. Smiling.
"So," she said. "Rumor is your ex is back, Maya. How... interesting."
Damian's hand found mine under the table. Squeezed.
"My wife's past is not board business," he said.
"Everything is board business when stock is involved," Victoria smiled. "Especially scandals."
"No scandal," Damian said. "Because my wife is loyal. Aren't you, Maya?"
All eyes on me.
I looked at Damian. At his tight jaw. At his hand holding mine.
"Yes," I said. "I am."
Victoria frowned.
After the meeting, in the car, Damian still hadn't let go of my hand.
"Thank you," he said.
"For what?"
"For choosing me."
I turned to him. "I didn't choose you. The contract did."
"Then why are you still holding my hand?"
I looked down. Our fingers were still laced.
Oh.
I pulled away. "Force of habit."
Damian smirked. The first real smirk in days. "Sure it is."
---
Thursday.
No Daniel.
But Damian was different.
He brought me coffee himself. Not Rina.
He asked about my day.
He walked me to the car.
At 8 PM, he knocked on the bedroom door.
"Can we talk?"
"Sure."
He sat on the edge of the bed. Far from me.
"I don't like him," he said. "Daniel."
"I know."
"And I don't like that he had you first."
My heart stopped. "Damian..."
"But I like that you chose to delete his text." He looked up. "And I like that you said no to coffee. And I like..." He stopped.
"What?"
"Nothing." He stood up. "Good night, Maya."
He left.
I stared at the door.
89 days left.
But the Ice King was melting.
And I think it was because of jealousy.
- Writer
