Chapter Two: Just An Assistant.
1179 Words
Six hours before everything changed, before the cold distance between, hours before Leo learned the agonizing truth about his position in the life of the man he has give his three years.
The entire thirty-second floor was silent.
Not the peaceful kind of silence.
It was the tense, suffocating silence that only existed whenever Charles Harrison was in a bad mood.
Employees moved carefully, heels softer against marble floors, voices reduced to whispers. Nobody dared linger near the CEO's office longer than necessary.
Everyone feared Charles Harrison.
The ruthless Alpha CEO of Harrison International.
A man known for destroying rival companies with a single meeting and reducing grown executives to trembling wrecks with only a glance.
Everyone feared him.
Except Leo.
Leo balanced a tray carefully in his hands as he stepped out of the private elevator leading directly to the executive floor. The scent of freshly brewed coffee mixed with the warm aroma of lunch filled the air around him.
Black coffee.
No sugar.
Medium rare steak.
Exactly how Charles liked it after stressful meetings.
Leo knew every little detail about him.
After three years, how could he not?
He knew which ties Charles hated.
Which whiskey he drank after midnight.
Which documents irritated him.
How his voice deepened during the beginning of rut season.
How he liked Leo's fingers in his hair when the Alpha instincts became too overwhelming.
How he only slept peacefully when Leo stayed beside him.
Three years.
Three years of hidden touches.
Secret nights.
Soft moments that existed only behind locked penthouse doors.
Three years of loving a man who belonged to him only in private.
Leo stopped in front of the large office doors.
Something inside made him pause.
A voice.
Charles's voice.
Soft.
Gentle.
Leo blinked in surprise.
He had never heard Charles sound like that in the office before.
Curious, he lifted his hand toward the door but froze when he heard a quiet chuckle from inside.
"You're overthinking again," Charles murmured.
The deep Alpha voice carried easily through the slightly opened door.
There was warmth in it.
Warmth Leo had spent years craving outside the privacy of Charles's bed.
A small smile unconsciously touched Leo's lips.
Maybe Charles was talking to him about tonight.
Maybe he finally—
"I'll have dinner with you tonight."
Leo's hand stilled.
Another pause.
Then Charles spoke again.
"And no, don't worry about my assistant."
The smile disappeared from Leo's face.
Inside the office, Charles gave another low chuckle.
"He's just an assistant."
Silence.
Everything inside Leo went still.
The words replayed once.
Twice.
Again.
He's just an assistant.
The tray in Leo's hands suddenly felt unbearably heavy.
His fingers tightened around the coffee cup hard enough to almost crack it.
Just an assistant.
Not the omega who stayed awake through violent rut nights while Charles clawed through expensive sheets trying to control himself.
Not the omega Charles held against his chest at three in the morning.
Not the omega whose scent filled Charles's penthouse.
Not the omega Charles bit, marked temporarily, kissed breathless whenever instinct took over.
Just an assistant.
A bitter smile slowly formed on Leo's lips.
Ah.
So that was all he was.
The door opened suddenly.
Leo lifted his head immediately, years of practice forcing calmness onto his face.
Charles stepped out, still holding his phone.
The Alpha froze for a second upon seeing him.
Tall.
Sharp-featured.
Terrifyingly handsome in his dark suit.
His silver watch glinted beneath the office lights while those cold gray eyes landed on Leo.
For a brief second, surprise crossed Charles's face.
Then it vanished.
"Leo," Charles said smoothly, ending the call without hesitation. "Why are you standing there?"
As if nothing had happened.
As if Leo's entire world hadn't shattered thirty seconds ago.
Leo lowered his gaze politely and lifted the tray slightly.
"Your coffee and lunch, sir."
Sir.
The title made Charles frown faintly.
Leo usually only called him that during office hours in front of others.
But right now, the hallway was empty.
Charles stepped closer.
Immediately, the familiar scent of cedarwood and dark spice wrapped around Leo, painfully comforting.
"You look pale," Charles muttered. "Are you sick?"
The concern in his voice almost made Leo laugh.
Concern.
Now?
After that?
"I'm fine, sir."
Charles studied him carefully.
Alpha instincts were annoyingly sharp.
Too sharp.
Leo could practically feel Charles noticing the slight tremble in his hands, the stiffness in his posture, the strange dullness in his scent.
"What's wrong?" Charles asked quietly.
For one dangerous moment, Leo almost broke.
Almost.
He wanted to ask.
What am I to you?
Why do you touch me like I matter when I don't?
Why did you make me believe those nights meant something?
But the words refused to come out.
Because deep down…
Leo already had his answer.
Just an assistant.
The elevator dinged softly at the far end of the hallway.
A young omega stepped out, dressed elegantly in designer clothes, holding a gift bag.
Beautiful.
Confident.
And smiling brightly the moment he saw Charles.
"There you are," the omega said playfully.
Charles's expression softened instantly.
Leo felt something twist violently inside his chest.
The omega finally noticed him standing there and tilted his head slightly.
"Oh," he said. "You must be the assistant."
Leo smiled politely despite the ache spreading through him.
"Yes."
Charles said nothing.
Didn't correct him.
Didn't deny it.
The silence hurt more than the words themselves.
The omega stepped closer to Charles naturally, completely comfortable within the Alpha's personal space.
"I brought the documents Uncle asked for," he said.
Charles nodded. "Come inside."
Then those gray eyes shifted briefly toward Leo.
"Leave the tray on the desk."
Professional.
Cold.
Distant.
Like the last three years had meant absolutely nothing.
Leo swallowed painfully.
"Yes, Mr. Harrison."
Something flickered in Charles's expression at the formal title.
But Leo was already moving.
He entered the office quietly, placed the coffee and lunch carefully on the desk, then turned toward the door.
His gaze accidentally landed on the couch near the windows.
Memories hit him instantly.
Charles pinning him there during rut season.
Large Alpha hands gripping his waist desperately.
"Stay," Charles had whispered against his throat back then. "Please…"
Leo's chest tightened violently.
How cruel.
How painfully cruel.
Because Charles only needed him during the storm.
Never after it.
Leo walked out without another word.
Behind him, the office door closed softly.
And for the first time in three years…
Leo realized he no longer knew where he belonged.
He went back to his desk,hurt, and shattered,Charles soft face when he saw that omega broke him more,he smiled bitterly at himself and murmured,three years Leo,for three whole years he never looked at you with those gentle eyes.
Hmmmm,he huffed
You're just the assistant Leo, you're so pathetic to even think you could become more than that to Charles,he mocked himself, furiously wiping the hot tears running down his cheeks.
He took a slow deep breath to calm himself down and got back to finishing his report on an ongoing company project.
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