He's My CEO
1964 Words
My heartbeat stumbled instantly.
Jay’s mouth fell open across the room.
He pointed at my phone like he’d just witnessed a crime.
“No way.”
I turned away quickly.
“Lower your voice.”
“That’s HIM?”
I waved aggressively for him to shut up.
On the phone, silence stretched softly.
Then the man spoke again.
“You stopped talking.”
Same voice.
Low.
Tired.
Dangerously familiar now.
Except tonight it sounded warmer again.
Not cold like the office.
Not sharp.
Just… human.
I swallowed.
“You.”
A quiet pause.
Then—
“Me.”
Jay nearly screamed silently behind me.
I grabbed a pillow and threw it at his face without looking.
He looked deeply offended.
“I can’t believe you’re choosing a mysterious billionaire over family.”
“You literally stole my fries yesterday.”
“That’s unrelated.”
The man on the phone exhaled softly.
Not exactly a laugh.
But close.
And somehow that affected me more than it should have.
I stood slowly from the bed and walked toward the tiny kitchen just to escape Jay’s dramatic facial expressions.
Rain tapped softly against the windows.
The apartment smelled faintly like noodles and laundry detergent.
“So,”
I said carefully.
“You knew.”
Silence.
Then—
“About?”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Pretend you don’t understand what I mean.”
Another pause.
I leaned against the counter.
“You knew I was the girl from the interview.”
“…Yes.”
My stomach tightened.
Simple answer.
No hesitation.
No surprise.
Like he’d already decided honesty was easier tonight.
“And you said nothing?”
“You sounded stressed enough already.”
I blinked slowly.
That… was unexpectedly considerate.
Which annoyed me.
“You could’ve warned me.”
“Would you still have come?”
I opened my mouth.
Then stopped.
Because honestly?
I didn’t know.
And apparently my silence answered for me.
His voice softened slightly.
“Exactly.”
I frowned immediately.
“You sound very smug for someone who emotionally terrorizes people in conference rooms.”
A quiet breath crossed the line again.
That almost-laugh thing.
“Vincent talks too much.”
“So you admit you terrorize people?”
“Only professionally.”
“That’s worse.”
“Probably.”
I stared down at the floor tiles.
Why was this easy?
Talking to him should not feel this easy.
Especially after today.
Especially after seeing how cold he was in daylight.
I lowered my voice slightly.
“You sounded different.”
Silence.
Not uncomfortable.
Just careful.
“Different how?”
“At work.”
I hesitated.
“You sounded like someone else.”
The line went quiet for a few seconds. Long enough for my chest to feel strange again.
Then—
“Maybe I am.”
That answer shouldn’t have affected me.
But it did.
Because he didn’t say it jokingly.
He sounded tired.
Like the sentence carried weight I couldn’t see yet.
Jay suddenly appeared beside me eating cereal again because apparently that was his entire personality now.
He whispered loudly—
“Ask him if he’s rich-rich or emotionally damaged rich.”
I shoved his face away immediately.
“Go away.”
Nathan’s voice came softly through the phone.
“Your brother sounds exhausting.”
“He is.”
“I heard that,” Jay said proudly.
I ignored him.
Then quietly—
“Why do you only call at night?”
The question slipped out before I could stop it.
Jay immediately looked interested again.
Nathan didn’t answer immediately.
I could hear faint movement on his side.
Maybe walking.
Maybe pacing.
Then finally—
“People are less dishonest at night.”
I frowned slightly.
“That sounds suspiciously deep.”
“It’s true.”
“You think people lie during the day?”
“Constantly.”
“Wow.”
“You disagree?”
I thought about it.
About customers smiling at the café while insulting workers afterward.
About rich employees pretending not to panic around Nathan.
About myself pretending his voice didn’t affect me.
“…Maybe not.”
Another quiet pause.
Then—
“How bad was today?”
The question came unexpectedly gentle.
My chest tightened again.
Because daytime Nathan Vale would never ask something like that.
Never.
I sat down slowly at the kitchen counter.
“Honestly?”
“Hm.”
“I thought everyone there secretly hated me.”
“They didn’t.”
“How would you know?”
“…I just do.
I rolled my eyes slightly.
“Very mysterious answer.”
“You survived Vincent. That alone makes you memorable.”
“Is he always like that?”
“Unfortunately.”
Jay interrupted again.
“Ask if Vincent is single.”
“Please disappear.”
Nathan went quiet briefly.
Then—
“Your brother likes Vincent more than me.”
I blinked.
Was that…
jealousy?
No.
Absolutely not.
My brain needed to calm down immediately.
Jay pointed dramatically.
“I KNEW HE WAS POSSESSIVE.”
“Nobody is being possessive!”
“That sounded defensive.”
Nathan spoke again before Jay could continue ruining my life.
“Did you celebrate?”
I frowned.
“Celebrate what?”
“You got the job.”
Oh.
Right.
That.
Everything today happened so fast my brain barely caught up.
I leaned back in the chair slowly.
“Not really.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know.”
I glanced toward the rain outside.
“It still doesn’t feel real yet.”
Quiet.
Then softer—
“It’s real.”
Something about the way he said it made my stomach twist strangely.
Like he wasn’t only talking about the job anymore.
Jay suddenly narrowed his eyes at me.
Then mouthed dramatically: YOU’RE BLUSHING.
I nearly threw another pillow at him.
Nathan spoke again.
“What are you doing?”
“Considering murder.”
“…Reasonable.”
I laughed before I could stop myself.
Real laughter this time.
Soft.
Tired.
And weirdly comfortable.
The line went quiet afterward. Not awkward.
Just…
still.
Like neither of us wanted to hang up first.
Jay noticed too.
His expression changed slightly.
Less teasing now.
More observant.
He slowly grabbed his headset again and walked back toward his game without interrupting.
Even he could feel it.
That strange softness settling between the silence.
Nathan finally spoke quietly.
“You laugh differently at night.”
My heartbeat stumbled again.
I looked down immediately.
“What does that even mean?”
“Nothing.”
“That definitely sounded like something.” A pause.
Then—
“During the day you sound careful.”
His voice lowered slightly.
“At night… you sound honest.”
The words landed too gently.
Too directly.
And suddenly I understood why these calls felt dangerous.
Not because he flirted.
Not because he was rich. Because he listened.
Like he noticed things people usually missed.
I swallowed slowly.
“You notice too much.”
“Occupational hazard.”
“That’s creepy.”
“…A little.”
I smiled despite myself.
Rain continued tapping softly outside.
Jay yelled angrily at his game again from the bedroom.
And somehow this strange unknown man had already become part of my nights without permission.
I hated how much that thought affected me.
Then quietly—
“Can I ask you something?”
Nathan’s voice stayed calm.
“Depends.”
“Why did you hire me?”
Silence.
Longer this time.
Careful again.
I thought maybe he wouldn’t answer.
Then finally—
“Because everyone else sounded rehearsed.”
A pause.
“You didn’t.”
My chest tightened unexpectedly.
Before I could respond, another voice suddenly echoed faintly from his side.
Male.
Distant.
“Nathan, the board members are waiting.”
Everything changed instantly.
The silence sharpened.
The softness disappeared.
And when Nathan spoke again—
his voice was cold.
Controlled.
The daytime version.
“I have to go.”
The shift hit me so hard it almost felt unreal.
Like someone flipped a switch inside him.
“Oh.”
Why did that disappoint me?
“Goodnight, Isla.”
Cold voice.
Same man.
Different person.
My fingers tightened around the phone.
And before I could stop myself—
“Nathan?”
Silence.
Then quietly—
“…Yes?”
I hesitated.
Heart racing suddenly.
“Which one is real?”
The line went completely silent.
- Writer
