Rejected by my Ex, Claimed by His Billionaire Boss

Is this a joke to you?

Reneé had argued with Killian the night before, and now that they were sitting at the same breakfast table again, it felt rather awkward. They ate in stiff silence as every scrape of his fork and tap of her spoon sounded as if he were still furious at what had happened last night.

“Ahem.” Killian cleared his throat as he set his coffee cup down. “I’ll be out in ten, so be ready to—”

Before he could finish, Reneé cut him off without looking up. “I’ll be out in eight minutes, so take your sweet time.” She laid the spoon down with deliberate care, then rose from her chair.

For a second, their gazes locked, Killian’s jaw tightened at her infuriatingly calm expression before she turned away, and she walked out without waiting for his response.

Killian’s fingers curled around the handle of his mug, knuckles whitening. “What’s with that attitude?” he muttered, gritting his teeth, watching the doorway she had just disappeared through. His appetite vanished. “I’ll make sure you regret messing with me,” he hissed under his breath.

He shoved his chair back and stood, the legs scraping harshly. If she wanted to play with him, he’d tell her what it felt like to do that.

Reneé was out on time, and so was Killian. She opened the door for him and slid into the driver's seat. She started the engine, but again an awkward silence hung between them.

Her fingers tapped the steering wheel nervously, stealing a glance at Killian. His face was expressionless as usual; his eyes fixed on the tablet, barely acknowledging her presence. Neither of them spoke as tension grew between them gradually.

Just then, Reneé's phone buzzed. Max’s name flashed on the screen.

“Oh my God!” She startled slightly, pulling the car over to the side. “We had a meeting today? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Killian didn’t even lift his head. “Maybe if you started driving instead of panicking, we’d still make it on time.”

She glared at him through the rear mirror, gripping the wheel tighter as she drove away.

As they parked at the office, Killian didn’t wait for Reneé to open the door. Before she could even unbuckle her seatbelt, he was already out.

He knocked sharply on her window, startling her as she was still gathering her things. Reneé lowered the window.

“Don’t forget to bring the meeting materials to the meeting room,” he said plainly, without explanation about the meeting’s purpose.

Without waiting for a reply, Killian turned and went inside. Reneé rushed out of the car with the things in her hand.

As they stepped through the office doors, Killian didn’t waste a second and headed straight for the meeting room. Reneé, on the other hand, was left scrambling, hurriedly gathering whatever documents and files she could find. She refused to let Killian’s coldness drag her down or tarnish her professional image.

Thankfully, an assistant appeared just in time, offering much-needed help. With their help, Reneé managed to pull together the materials she needed.

All the while, she was quietly cursing Max for not giving her the heads-up about the meeting and Killian for his indifferent attitude. Yet, despite the frustration, she straightened her shoulders and stepped into the boardroom.

“Shall we start the meeting?” one of the directors asked, gazing at Killian.

“Of course,” another director said with a sneer barely hidden in his voice, “but I can’t understand since when we started waiting for a mere assistant.”

Reneé’s heart sank. She immediately bowed her head, “Please forgive me.” Her apologies were nothing for the higher-ups.

Killian’s eyes gleamed with a cold satisfaction as he glanced at her apologetic face. “Let’s get started,” he said smoothly, but the wicked smile tugging at his lips was mocking her. If she had been even half as considerate to him, none of this would be happening today.

As the meeting progressed, Reneé was asked for the documents. When she reached for the papers to present, her hand shook. Flipping the pages, her stomach dropped. The figures were mismatched, and the charts were incomplete.

Killian didn’t wait a second. His voice echoed through the room. “Is this a joke to you, Miss Renee?” he snapped coldly. “How incompetent can you be? You almost jeopardized the entire project with this careless error.”

The room fell silent. Every head turned to Reneé, some eyes sparking with disappointment.

Her cheeks burned as tears brimmed in her eyes at Killian’s words. “Honestly, I don’t know how you still have a job here,” he said mercilessly. “If you want to keep breathing in this company, you’ll learn to pay attention, or you’ll be out the door.”

Her vision blurred as she felt embarrassment and humiliation. She bit her lip hard, swallowing her pain, trying to suppress her tears.

“She must have slept her way to get the job; otherwise, no one would have been able to get the job so soon!” An older director commented, not realizing where he was.

Reneé was stunned. The tears she was holding back were now finally streaming down her face. She glanced at Killian to at least defend her, but he was simply skimming through the files as if nothing had happened.

“Now stop crying and leave!” Someone said, making her jolt in her place before she ran out of the boardroom in an unknown direction.