THE BILLIONAIRE'S ASSISTANT

Chapter 7

Travis POV

The cold silence after Emma closed her door felt like a weight pressing against my chest. I stood there longer than I meant to the city’s noises around me fading into the background, replaced by the pounding of my own heart. Something inside me had shifted, but I wasn’t ready to admit it yet. Not even to myself.

I hadn’t moved until my phone buzzed in my pocket a reminder of meetings, deadlines, emails piling up like a mountain I had no time to climb. But the world of business suddenly felt distant, almost meaningless. All I could think about was the way Emma looked on that bench so vulnerable, so real. No armor, no walls.

It’s strange. In a life where I’ve built everything on control and calculation, one simple moment with her has thrown everything off balance.

I slipped back into my car, hands gripping the steering wheel tighter than usual. I didn’t even know where I was going. The streets of New York blurred beneath the streetlights and the headlights of other cars, but I couldn’t focus on the city’s usual rush. My mind was replaying the scene over and over her eyes red, her breath shaky, the way she hugged herself as if to keep the cold out, or maybe to hold herself together when everything felt like it was falling apart.

I remember thinking, Why does it feel like my whole world is unraveling, when she’s the one who looks like she’s breaking?

The last time I felt this… off was years ago, before the empire, before I learned to build walls around my heart so high no one could climb. But Emma is different. She’s not just some employee. She’s not some passing distraction. And that scares me more than I want to admit.

Vanessa’s words echoed in my mind, sharp and venomous. “You have to be careful with her. She’s trouble.” I’d always trusted Vanessa’s judgment after all, she’s been by my side through every deal, every crisis. But right now, I wanted to shout back at her, to tell her she’s wrong. Emma isn’t trouble. She’s the only person who’s made me feel something real.

I parked outside my penthouse but didn’t go inside. Instead, I sat in the driver’s seat, staring out at the city’s glowing skyline. The lights that usually made me feel powerful and in control felt hollow now. All I wanted was to hear Emma’s voice again, to know she was okay.

The night stretched on. I thought about calling her, but I didn’t. I wasn’t sure what I’d say, or if she’d pick up. Instead, I let the silence sit heavy between us, like a fragile thread neither of us wanted to pull.

Morning came faster than I wanted, bringing with it the relentless pace of work. I tried to focus, but the office felt colder than usual or maybe I was just feeling colder inside. Vanessa greeted me with that knowing look, the kind that says she’s waiting for me to slip, to show weakness. But I wasn’t in the mood for her games today. Not when my mind was elsewhere.

I scanned the room until my eyes found Emma. She was at her desk, busy, focused on her work like always. But there was a new softness to her something vulnerable that made me want to reach across the room and pull her into a safer place. Maybe that was the danger in her: she made me want things I’d spent my whole life convincing myself I didn’t need.

I caught her eye across the room. For a moment, it felt like she was going to say something more than a simple "Good morning." Her lips parted, hesitation flashing across her face, but then she looked away and returned to her papers. I wanted to walk over and ask if she was okay, but something stopped me. Maybe pride. Maybe fear.

I know she’s scared. I can see it in the way she glances over her shoulder when she thinks no one is watching, in the way her hands tremble slightly when she thinks I’m not paying attention. But she’s stubborn, too. Stronger than she lets on. And maybe that’s why I keep wanting to protect her even when I don’t know if she wants me to.

For years, I’ve been the man with all the answers the CEO, the billionaire with a plan for everything. But with Emma, I feel like I’m fumbling in the dark. I don’t have the answers. I don’t know how to protect her from the world or from herself. And for the first time, I don’t want to run from that feeling.

There was a meeting scheduled mid-morning, but I couldn’t focus. Instead, I found myself wandering the office, stopping by her desk under the pretense of checking in on some files. She looked up when I approached, her eyes still tired but determined.

“Emma,” I said quietly. “You don’t have to pretend you’re okay.”

She blinked at me, surprised. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.” My voice softened, the usual edge gone. “You don’t have to do this alone.”

She looked down, and I saw the fight inside her the fight to stay strong, to keep going no matter what. I didn’t know what demons she was battling, but I wanted her to know she didn’t have to face them alone.

We worked together in silence for a while, the quiet between us something new not uncomfortable, but… real. It was the first time I felt like we were something more than just boss and assistant.

Later that day, I found myself asking about her personal life something I never did before. I learned about her small apartment, the way she keeps a few plants on her windowsill for company. I learned she misses her family, even though they’re far away. The more I listened, the more I realized how little I knew about her, and how much I wanted to.

As the office emptied and the day wound down, I caught Vanessa watching me again. Her smirk was sharper, more calculating. But I ignored her. I had bigger things on my mind.

Driving home, I thought about what Emma had said the night before how she felt like someone was watching her. I couldn’t shake the image of her sitting alone on that cold bench, scared and unsure.

It was the first time in a long time I felt like someone else’s safety mattered more than my own. That I would do whatever it takes to keep her safe.

Because with Emma, it’s not just about business anymore. It’s about something real.

And I don’t want to lose it.