CHAPTER eight
1005 Words
Chapter Eight
Eve
I almost kissed Xavier Moore.
That thought alone was enough to ruin my entire week.
Maybe my entire life.
Because normal people did not almost kiss their billionaire boss inside hospital cafés while emotionally vulnerable and sleep-deprived.
Unfortunately, my life stopped being normal the second Xavier Moore started looking at me like I mattered.
I stared out the passenger window silently as he drove us back from the hospital later that evening.
The city lights blurred across the glass while exhaustion settled heavily into my bones.
Neither of us spoke much.
But somehow the silence between us no longer felt cold.
That was the dangerous part.
Silence with Xavier used to feel intimidating.
Now it felt comfortable.
Safe.
And I absolutely could not allow myself to get attached to a man emotionally unavailable enough to make therapists cry professionally.
“You’re thinking too loudly,” Xavier said suddenly.
I frowned slightly. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“It does when your facial expressions become dramatic.”
I looked toward him in disbelief.
“Did you just insult my face?”
“One hundred percent.”
I should not have smiled.
But I did.
And Xavier noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
The man noticed everything about me lately.
“You look better when you smile,” he said quietly.
My heart instantly betrayed me again.
Wonderful.
Fantastic.
At this point, my emotional stability deserved financial compensation.
I looked away quickly toward the window.
“You say strange things sometimes.”
“So do you.”
“No, I say funny things.”
A faint smirk touched his mouth. “Debatable.”
The car grew quiet again after that.
But not awkward quiet.
Soft quiet.
The kind that slowly wraps around two people before they realize they’re becoming emotionally attached.
Terrifying.
When we finally arrived outside my apartment building, I reached for the door immediately.
Then paused.
Because Xavier was still looking at me.
Not casually.
Not professionally.
Intensely.
Like he was trying to memorize something.
“Thank you,” I said softly.
“For what?”
“For today.”
His expression shifted slightly.
Almost surprised.
“You keep thanking me like helping you is unusual.”
I swallowed carefully.
Because for most people…
It was.
I forced a small smile before stepping out of the car.
“Goodnight, Mr. Moore.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“You only call me that when you’re creating distance.”
The accuracy nearly offended me.
“I should go.”
“Eve.”
Just hearing my name in his voice did dangerous things to my heartbeat.
I looked back carefully.
And for one impossible second…
It felt like he was going to say something important.
Something that would change everything between us.
But then his phone rang.
Reality ruined the moment instantly.
Mira Laurent.
Again.
I looked away first.
Of course it was Mira.
There was always going to be a Mira.
A beautiful, elegant reminder that Xavier belonged in a world I could never fit into.
“You should answer that,” I said quietly.
His jaw tightened slightly.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Not goodbye.
Not goodnight.
Just certainty.
Like seeing me tomorrow was already expected.
I hated how much I liked that.
—
The next morning, I arrived at Moore Industries determined to behave normally.
Professionally.
Emotionlessly.
Like I had not spent the entire night replaying hospital café almost-kisses in my head like a mentally unstable romance heroine.
Unfortunately, the universe hated me.
Because the second I stepped onto the executive floor, every employee looked nervous.
Again.
Honestly, working here felt like surviving inside a corporate horror movie.
Clara from accounting rushed toward me immediately.
“Eve,” she whispered urgently, “Mr. Moore is furious.”
I blinked. “That doesn’t narrow anything down.”
“He canceled three meetings, terrified two investors, and hasn’t spoken to anyone except security all morning.”
That definitely sounded serious.
I walked quickly toward Xavier’s office before knocking once.
“Come in.”
Cold voice.
Very cold voice.
Ah.
Terrifying CEO Xavier had returned.
I entered carefully and immediately noticed the tension in the room.
Xavier stood beside the windows, one hand in his pocket while the other held a file tightly enough to wrinkle the pages.
His expression looked lethal.
“You wanted to see me?”
He turned slowly toward me.
And suddenly—
The anger faded slightly.
Just slightly.
But enough for me to notice.
“There’s been another security breach,” he said calmly.
Which somehow sounded more threatening than yelling.
“What happened?”
“Private company files were leaked last night.”
My stomach dropped.
That was bad.
Very bad.
“Do we know who did it?”
“No.”
I walked closer carefully and took the file from his hand.
My eyes widened as I scanned the pages.
These weren’t random files.
These were confidential merger documents.
Someone inside the company was deliberately sabotaging Moore Industries.
“This isn’t coincidence anymore,” I said quietly.
“No,” Xavier agreed coldly. “It’s betrayal.”
The word felt heavier than business.
More personal somehow.
I looked up at him slowly.
“You think someone close to you is responsible.”
His silence answered everything.
For a moment, he looked exhausted again.
Not angry.
Not powerful.
Just tired.
And suddenly I remembered something important:
People feared Xavier Moore so much that nobody ever asked if he was okay.
The realization hurt unexpectedly.
“You haven’t eaten today, have you?” I asked softly.
His expression changed immediately.
Almost confused by the question.
“What?”
“You skipped breakfast.”
“How would you know that?”
“Because you get more aggressive when you’re hungry.”
A dangerous silence followed.
Then—
To my complete shock—
Xavier laughed quietly.
Low. Real. Warm.
And somehow that sound affected me more than anything else ever had.
God help me.
I was falling for him.
- Writer
