9:am
1898 Words
*Chapter 6: 9am*
I didn’t sleep.
At 7am I was in my bathroom, staring at my reflection. Same black blazer. Same armor. But my lips were still faintly swollen and I could still feel Damien’s hand on my jaw.
Rule #1 is officially dead.
So what the hell was Rule #2?
My phone buzzed.
Damien: _Car’s downstairs. 8:30._
Me: _I can drive myself._
Damien: _I know. I want to._
Of course he did.
---
*8:32am. Car to Cole Enterprises.*
He was in the backseat already. Navy suit. No tie. Laptop open.
He didn’t look up when I got in.
“Morning,” I said.
“Morning.”
Silence. The city passed outside.
At a red light he closed his laptop. Turned to me.
“You look tired.”
“I am.”
“Did you sleep at all?”
“No.”
He nodded. Reached into his briefcase. Pulled out a coffee. Black.
“Figured.”
I took it. Our fingers brushed. Neither of us pulled away this time.
“Ava,” he said. Quiet.
“Yeah?”
“Whatever happens in that meeting... we handle it together. Okay?”
I looked at him. Really looked. CEO mask gone. Just Damien. Tired. Honest.
“Okay.”
The car stopped.
---
*9:00am. 40th Floor. Conference Room.*
The board was already there. 8 of them. Suits. Faces I’d only seen on investor decks.
And at the head of the table: Mrs. Cole. Damien and Tyler’s mother.
My stomach dropped.
Damien saw her too. His jaw ticked.
“Mom,” he said. Neutral.
“Damien.” She smiled. Didn’t reach her eyes. “Ms. Monroe.”
I nodded. Sat down. Next to Damien. Not across. Next to.
The room felt like glass.
Mrs. Cole folded her hands. “Let’s skip the pleasantries. The video from last night’s gala is already circulating.”
She turned a tablet around.
It was us. Dancing. His hand on my back. My head tilted up at him. 10 seconds of pure, public, not-Rule-#1.
Someone in the room coughed.
“Care to explain?” Mrs. Cole asked Damien.
He didn’t blink.
“Yes. Ms. Monroe is the best Strategy Lead this company has hired in 10 years. She closed the Lagos deal. She saved us 400 jobs. And yes, we’re seeing each other.”
The room exploded.
“Damien—”
“You can’t—”
“This is a conflict of interest—”
“Enough.” Damien’s voice cut through everything. He stood.
“I’m not asking for permission. I’m telling you. Ava stays. I stay. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with the shareholders who just approved the merger because of her work.”
He looked at me.
“Say something.”
All eyes on me.
I stood too. Hands shaking under the table.
“I understand the concern,” I said. Clear. “I also understand that I earned this job before I knew who Damien Cole was. I will recuse myself from any decisions involving his compensation. I will sign any ethics paperwork HR requires. But I will not apologize for doing my job. And I will not apologize for who I care about.”
Silence.
Mrs. Cole studied me for a long time. Then she looked at her son.
“You’re serious about her.”
“Yes.”
She sighed. “Then we’ll draw up new protocols. And you’ll both be miserable.”
It wasn’t approval. But it wasn’t a no.
Meeting adjourned.
---
*9:42am. Damien’s Office.*
The door closed.
We both exhaled at the same time.
“That could’ve gone worse,” I said.
“That was worse,” he replied. But he was smiling. A real one. Small.
He walked to the window. Hands in pockets.
“They’ll watch us now. Every email. Every meeting.”
“I know.”
“Are you okay with that?”
I came to stand next to him. Not touching. Just close.
“I’m okay if you are.”
He turned. Looked at me.
“I’m more than okay.”
For a second neither of us moved.
Then his phone rang. He ignored it.
“Ava.”
“Yeah?”
“I meant what I said last night. I don’t want to be your boss. But I also don’t want to lose the company because of me.”
“So what do we do?”
“We do it right. Slow. Professional in public. And...” He stepped closer. “And whatever this is, in private.”
My heart was pounding.
“Define ‘whatever this is’.”
He reached up. Tucked hair behind my ear. His thumb lingered.
“Girlfriend. If you’ll have me.”
The word hit me like a punch.
Girlfriend. Not a fling. Not a secret.
Girlfriend.
“Yes,” I whispered.
He smiled. Then kissed me.
It was different from last night. Slower. Like he had time. Like no one was watching.
His hands came up to my face. Mine fisted in his shirt.
When we broke apart we were both breathing hard.
There was a knock.
We jumped apart like teenagers.
“Mr. Cole? Board needs you for the press statement.”
Damien didn’t take his eyes off me.
“5 minutes.”
The footsteps retreated.
He laughed under his breath. “This is going to be a disaster.”
“Probably.”
“Worth it?”
“Worth it.”
He kissed my forehead. “Go to your desk. Act normal. I’ll meet you for lunch.”
I nodded. Walked out on shaky legs.
---
*Flashback: 3 Years Ago. Family Dinner. Cole House.*
I didn’t know who Damien was yet.
Tyler brought me home for the first time.
His mom was warm. His dad was loud. And at the end of the table was Damien.
Quiet. Watching everything.
Tyler was drunk by dessert. Telling stories about me that weren’t true.
Damien caught my eye across the table.
He didn’t smile. He just... saw me. Uncomfortable. Out of place.
Later, when I went to the bathroom, he was in the hall.
“You don’t have to laugh at his jokes,” he said.
“What?”
“If you don’t find them funny. You don’t have to.”
I stared at him. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because someone should.”
That was it. That was the first time Damien Cole spoke to me.
And I’d forgotten until now.
---
*Present: 12:30pm. My Desk.*
My inbox was full.
_Congrats!_
_Did you see the video?_
_HR needs you to sign this._
And one from Damien. Subject: _Lunch._
Body: _My office. 1pm. Door stays open._
Door stays open.
Right. Professional.
At 12:58pm his assistant walked by. “He asked if you want Chinese.”
“Chicken and broccoli. No spice,” I said without thinking.
She smiled. “I’ll tell him.”
---
*1:03pm. His Office. Door Open.*
Takeout on the coffee table. Two chairs. Not the floor this time.
He was on a call when I came in.
“Yes. No. We’ll issue a statement at 3. No, she’s not resigning.”
He hung up. Looked at me.
“You’re here.”
“You said 1pm.”
“I also said door open.” He gestured to it. It was.
We ate in silence for 5 minutes.
“It’s weird,” I said.
“What is?”
“This. With the door open. And people walking by.”
He nodded. “I hate it.”
“Then close it.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because if I close it, I’m going to kiss you again. And I don’t think I can stop at one.”
The honesty knocked me back.
“Damien—”
“I know. Professional.” He ran a hand through his hair. “This is why Rule #1 existed.”
I set my chopsticks down.
“Then let’s make new rules.”
He leaned forward. “I’m listening.”
“Rule #2: No secrets. About work. About Tyler. About anything.”
“Done.”
“Rule #3: If it gets too much, we say so. No pretending.”
“Done.”
“Rule #4:” I hesitated. “We choose each other. Even when it’s hard.”
He stared at me.
“Rule #4 is the only one that matters.”
He stood. Closed the door.
Locked it.
I stood too.
“Damien, the door—”
“I know.” He backed me against it. Hands on either side of my head. “30 minutes. That’s all I need.”
He kissed me again. Harder this time. Like the meeting, the board, Tyler, all of it was gone.
Just us.
When he pulled back, he was smiling. Really smiling.
“You’re trouble, Ava Monroe.”
“You started it.”
He laughed. Opened the door.
---
*3:00pm. Press Statement.*
Damien stood at the podium.
“Cole Enterprises is pleased to announce the successful closing of our merger. This would not have been possible without our Strategy Lead, Ms. Ava Monroe.”
Cameras flashed.
“Ms. Monroe and I are also in a personal relationship. To ensure transparency, we have implemented new oversight protocols. That’s all.”
He walked off. Didn’t take questions.
My phone blew up.
Mom: _Are you okay?_
Me: _I’m okay._
Mom: _He looks at you like you hung the moon._
I didn’t know how to answer that.
---
*6:47pm. Parking Garage.*
He was waiting by my car.
“You didn’t have to wait,” I said.
“I wanted to.”
He walked me to the passenger side. Opened it.
“Dinner? At my place. No board. No cameras.”
“Is that allowed under Rule #2?”
“It is if you say yes.”
I said yes.
---
*7:30pm. Damien’s Apartment.*
It was nothing like I expected. No marble. No cold.
Books. A dog-eared copy of strategy reports. A guitar in the corner.
He cooked. Pasta. Terrible pasta.
“It’s awful,” he admitted, pushing it toward me.
“It’s edible.”
“Liar.”
We laughed. Real laughter.
After dinner we ended up on his couch. TV on. No sound.
His arm was around me. My head on his shoulder.
“Ava,” he said into my hair.
“Hmm?”
“Thank you. For not running.”
I closed my eyes.
“I’m tired of running.”
He kissed the top of my head.
“Then don’t.”
---
*11:00pm. My Apartment.*
Text from Damien: _Made it home safe?_
Me: _I’m home._
Damien: _Good. Sleep. Big day tomorrow._
Me: _What’s tomorrow?_
Damien: _Day 1 of us. No rules. Just us._
I stared at that text for a long time.
Then I typed: _I like that rule._
---
*Flashback: The Night I Signed The Contract.*
I was alone in my apartment. Pen in hand.
Rule #1 on a sticky note.
I almost didn’t sign.
My phone buzzed. Unknown number.
_Don’t do it if it’s going to break you. -D_
I didn’t know it was him then.
I signed anyway.
---
*Present: 11:59pm.*
Another text.
Damien: _P.S. I kept that sticky note._
My chest hurt. In a good way.
I turned off the light.
For the first time in 2 years, I wasn’t afraid of tomorrow.
---
Coming next
*Chapter 7: The Leak*
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