Chapter 18: Office Whispers and Watchful Eyes
1053 Words
Monday morning arrived like a slap to the face.
Elena stood in the mirror of her bathroom, applying a final coat of lip gloss with trembling hands. Her eyes were shadowed with worry, even after two nights of being wrapped in Dominic’s arms. The memory of him whispering “you changed my life” still echoed in her head.
But this wasn’t Dominic’s penthouse anymore. This was real life. This was the office.
And there… eyes watched everything.
She stepped into the elevator and rode to the 40th floor, heart pounding in her chest. She wasn’t sure what would be worse: people noticing a change… or people not noticing anything at all.
As the elevator doors opened, a few employees stood around the lobby, gossiping in hushed tones. When they saw her, the chatter didn’t stop—it simply shifted.
“Elena,” one of the junior assistants said with a polite smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Morning.”
“Morning,” Elena replied calmly, walking past with practiced poise.
She reached her desk, sat down, and forced herself to breathe. She had done nothing wrong. Not technically. But secrets like this? In a company like this? They didn’t stay hidden long.
Ten minutes later, her phone buzzed with an internal message from Dominic.
Dominic:
My office. Now. And bring your coffee.
She stood, smoothed her skirt, and grabbed her mug—trying not to make eye contact with anyone. The short walk to his office felt like a runway under a spotlight. When she stepped inside and closed the door, her shoulders finally dropped.
Dominic stood by the window, tie loosened, shirt rolled up at the sleeves. He turned as she entered, his expression unreadable.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I think people are suspicious,” she said quietly. “They’re watching me.”
“I figured they would be.”
“I don’t think we’re being careful enough.”
He walked to her and set his hands gently on her waist. “Then let’s stop pretending we’re something we’re not.”
Her eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I don’t want to hide this anymore.”
“Dominic…”
He cut her off. “Elena, I’m the CEO. I don’t care what the office whispers. I care about you.”
She stepped back. “It’s not that simple. People will say I only got the job because I slept with you. That I’m trying to manipulate my way up.”
“You earned your position before we ever touched.”
“That doesn’t matter to them.”
His jaw tightened. “So what do you want to do? Keep sneaking around?”
“I don’t know,” she said, frustrated. “I just want to protect what we have.”
He studied her for a long moment, then nodded. “Then we do it your way. But just know this—I’m not letting you go. I don’t care who knows about us. I’m not ashamed of you.”
A soft knock interrupted them.
They froze.
“Sir?” came the voice of his executive assistant, Marie. “Your eleven o’clock is here.”
“Thank you,” he called back, then turned to Elena. “I’ll see you later tonight?”
She nodded, silently slipping out the side door to avoid being seen.
But Marie’s sharp eyes followed her exit through the crack in the door.
---
Across the office
Marie returned to her desk, her fingers flying across the keyboard. She had worked for Dominic for five years—seen dozens of women flirt with him, sleep with him, and disappear just as fast.
But Elena was different.
Too close. Too present. Too protected.
And Marie didn’t like being kept out of the loop.
She clicked open a hidden file she kept for situations like this: documentation, internal communications, security footage access codes.
If something was going on between Dominic and his assistant, she was going to find out.
Not because she cared about him—but because the board would care. And if she brought it to them first, she might just secure the promotion that had been dangling in front of her for months.
Let them fall in love.
Let them crash and burn.
She’d be the one standing when the ashes cleared.
---
That Night – Dominic’s Penthouse
Elena arrived just after eight, slipping off her coat as Dominic opened the door. He kissed her cheek gently, pulling her into the warm light of the apartment.
“Dinner’s already ordered. I didn’t feel like cooking,” he said, handing her a glass of wine.
“Thank God,” she muttered. “I’m running on fumes.”
They sat together on the couch, a movie playing quietly in the background. She curled into his side, his hand resting on her thigh as they sipped wine and tried to forget the tension of the office.
But halfway through the second glass, Dominic paused.
“I’ve been thinking about something,” he said slowly. “If we’re going to keep this private… maybe we need some kind of plan.”
“Like what?”
“Like limiting contact at work. No closed-door meetings unless necessary. No texting unless it’s urgent.”
Elena hesitated. “You think it’ll help?”
“Marie’s already suspicious.”
Elena blinked. “You noticed too?”
“She’s always two steps ahead. We give her nothing, she has nothing to use.”
Elena set down her glass. “You think she’d report us?”
“If she sees it as a threat to her own position? Absolutely.”
A long silence followed.
Then Elena said softly, “I don’t want to lose this.”
“You won’t,” he promised, brushing her hair behind her ear. “Not unless you walk away.”
She met his gaze. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Dominic leaned down, his lips brushing hers with deliberate care. But there was fire in the kiss. Possessive. Hungry. A promise and a threat wrapped into one.
And when he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom, Elena realized something terrifying.
She would risk everything for this man.
And that kind of love… always came with a price.
- Writer
