BEHIND HIS ICE

chapter twelve

Chapter Twelve

Eve

The silence after Mira Laurent’s question felt deadly.

Are they wrong?

Nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

And unfortunately, my heart chose that exact moment to completely lose stability.

I looked toward Xavier Moore carefully, waiting for the obvious answer.

The logical answer.

The answer that should have come immediately.

But Xavier stayed silent.

And somehow…

That hurt more than anything else.

Mira noticed too.

Of course she did.

A small crack appeared in her perfect composure for the first time since I’d met her.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

“I think,” I said quietly before Xavier could respond, “this conversation has become inappropriate.”

Professional.

Calm.

Emotionless.

At least on the outside.

Inside, my emotions were currently collapsing like a badly constructed building.

I grabbed the nearest file from my desk quickly.

“I’ll organize the Lawson reports.”

Then I walked away before either of them could stop me.

Because staying there any longer would have destroyed whatever self-control I had left.

—

The employee lounge on the twenty-fourth floor was empty when I entered.

Thank God.

I leaned against the counter and closed my eyes briefly.

This was bad.

Very bad.

Because somewhere between late-night conversations, hospital visits, and dangerous almost-kisses…

I had genuinely fallen for Xavier Moore.

And now reality was finally catching up to me.

A billionaire CEO with a fiancée did not get emotionally involved with women like me.

Not seriously.

Not permanently.

Eventually, reality always won.

I inhaled slowly.

Then my phone buzzed.

Daniel.

“Hey,” I answered quietly.

“You okay?”

I frowned slightly. “Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

“Because Lena called saying you’re in emotional distress.”

I closed my eyes.

Traitor.

“I’m fine.”

“You sound like Mom when she says she’s ‘fine’ right before fainting.”

Fair point.

I sat slowly at the table while rubbing my forehead.

“I just need things to stop becoming complicated.”

Daniel went silent for a second.

Then carefully—

“This about your boss?”

The scary part?

I didn’t even ask how he knew.

“Yes.”

Another silence.

“He hurts you?”

“No,” I answered immediately.

Too quickly.

Too honestly.

Because Xavier had never actually hurt me.

Confused me? Yes.

Emotionally destabilized me? Absolutely.

But hurt me?

Not intentionally.

Daniel sighed softly. “That’s worse.”

Before I could respond, the lounge doors suddenly opened.

And my stomach dropped instantly.

Mira.

Of course.

Because apparently the universe enjoyed my suffering professionally.

“I’d like to speak with you,” she said calmly.

Daniel immediately heard the shift in my silence.

“What happened?”

“I’ll call you later.”

I ended the call before he could argue.

Mira walked toward me slowly in heels that probably cost more than my monthly rent.

The woman truly looked flawless even while emotionally threatening people.

Annoying talent.

“You don’t have to glare at me,” she said smoothly. “I’m not here to fight.”

“That’s comforting considering you look like a Bond villain.”

To my surprise, Mira laughed softly.

Real laughter.

Not fake society laughter.

Interesting.

Then her expression became serious again.

“You love him.”

Straight to murder.

Wonderful.

I stood slowly. “You’re engaged to him.”

“That wasn’t an answer.”

I crossed my arms defensively. “What exactly do you want from me?”

The question lingered heavily between us.

Then unexpectedly…

Mira looked tired.

Not angry.

Not elegant.

Just emotionally exhausted.

And suddenly she looked less like a villain and more like a woman slowly losing the man she planned her future around.

“I’ve known Xavier for eight years,” she said quietly.

I stayed silent.

“He’s never looked at anyone the way he looks at you.”

My heartbeat stumbled painfully.

“Mira—”

“He barely touches me anymore.”

The confession shocked me.

“He cancels dinners. Ignores calls. Forgets conversations.” Her smile faded slightly. “But somehow he remembers everything about you.”

I didn’t know what to say.

Because part of me already knew she was right.

And that made the guilt even worse.

“I never meant for this to happen,” I whispered honestly.

Mira studied me carefully.

Then suddenly—

“He’s not the real Xavier Moore.”

I frowned slightly. “What?”

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Colder.

Heavier.

Mira looked toward the closed lounge doors before lowering her voice.

“There are things about Xavier you don’t know.”

Something sharp moved through my chest.

“What kind of things?”

For the first time since meeting her…

Mira hesitated.

Which terrified me.

“Three years ago,” she said quietly, “someone died because of him.”

Everything inside me froze.

“What?”

Mira’s expression hardened painfully.

“There was an accident involving one of his former employees. A woman.”

The room suddenly felt too small.

Too warm.

Too loud.

“The company buried it,” Mira continued softly. “The media never got the full story. But after that… Xavier changed completely.”

I stared at her in shock.

“No,” I whispered. “That doesn’t sound like him.”

Mira laughed quietly without humor.

“You don’t know him nearly as well as you think you do, Eve.”

My chest tightened painfully.

Because suddenly every sleepless night…

Every cold silence…

Every flicker of sadness in Xavier’s eyes…

felt different.

“What happened to her?” I asked carefully.

Mira looked directly at me.

Then delivered the final blow.

“She was his assistant too.”