The CEO'S RULEBOOK

In Too Deep

Angel’s POV

(Flashback)

I groaned as I opened my eyes, the blinding morning light spilling through pink floral curtains. I blinked rapidly, trying to fight off the remnants of sleep and the pounding headache that reminded me of last night.

My eyes wandered over the unfamiliar room, the lightly painted walls soft and unassuming. Confusion hit me like a wave.

“Where am I?” I muttered. Then, like a flood breaking through a dam, it all came rushing back.

I kissed her.

The memory hit me with the force of a hammer, vivid and unrelenting. My lips were on hers, my hands tangled in her hair. The way she stopped me when I almost went too far. A smirk curled at the corner of my lips.

I glanced down. There she was, Mila, sleeping peacefully beside me, her face a picture of serenity. My fingers twitched with the urge to touch her, and before I could think twice, I gave in, brushing a strand of hair away from her cheek.

God, she’s beautiful, even when she sleeps.

I couldn’t look away, my mind replaying every detail of last night. She had slipped past every wall I’d built, breaking through my defences; I didn’t even realise I still had. She had become an obsession I couldn’t control. The harder I tried to resist her, the more I craved her.

“You know the saying, ‘the bigger the love, the harder the fall’?

''Yeah, I’m free-falling, and there’s no coming back,” I whispered to no one but myself.

Her name should’ve been Angel, not mine. I chuckled softly at the irony.

But as I sat there, I knew one thing for certain: I couldn’t keep running. Mila wasn’t just a passing infatuation. She was mine, and it was time to claim her.

I leaned down, pressing a featherlight kiss to her forehead. Then, without waking her, I slipped out of bed, gathered my things, and left the room.

The drive to Alexis’s house was quick, but my mind felt heavy. Ending things with Alexis was inevitable. She was supposed to be a distraction, a way to forget about Mila. But I couldn’t deny it anymore... Mila had a hold on me that I couldn’t break.

Pulling into Alexis’s driveway, I braced myself. Her guards let me in without hesitation, and soon I found myself pacing as I rehearsed my words in her living room.

“Babe, what are you doing here so early?” Alexis’s voice called from the staircase.

I glanced up. She was wearing one of those dresses that usually made me lose my train of thought, but not today. Today, I was focused.

“We need to talk,” I said, sitting down and motioning for her to join me.

Her brows furrowed in concern as she walked over, her smile faltering. “You’re scaring me. What’s going on?”

I took her hand, steadying myself. “Alexis, this isn’t working out. It’s best if we end things. I’ve had my fun, but…it’s over.”

Silence.

Her face was unreadable as she stared at me, fingers fiddling with the hem of her dress. The room felt stifling, the weight of her unspoken words pressing down on me.

Finally, she laughed, a sound that didn’t belong in this moment. It was sharp and cold, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

“Nothing is ending between us,” she said, her voice deceptively calm. Her eyes glinted with something I couldn’t quite place.

“Alexis... ”

“Oh, sweetheart,” she interrupted, a cruel smile spreading across her lips. “You really don’t get it, do you? I’m carrying your child.”

Her words slammed into me like a freight train. My breath caught, and my vision blurred.

“You…what?”

“You heard me,” she said, sauntering closer, her fingers trailing down my chest. “Your child. Your heir.”

I stumbled back, my mind racing. This couldn’t be happening.

“I don’t believe you,” I spat, though my voice wavered.

She smirked, pulling a folded piece of paper from her pocket and handing it to me. A positive pregnancy test stared back at me, its implications sinking in.

“Why now?” I muttered, pacing. “Why now, when I was finally ready to give Mila everything?”

“Oh, don’t look so miserable,” Alexis said, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. “We’re going to make a great family. But first, you need to handle something for me.”

Her tone turned sharp, the playful facade dropping. “Your little assistant...Mila. That's her name, right?

I froze, my heart stopping mid-beat.

“She’s the reason for all this, isn’t she?” Alexis pressed her tone, a mix of anger and triumph. “She’s the reason you want to break up with me, right?”

I opened my mouth to speak, to deny, to explain, but nothing came out. Her words hung in the air like a noose tightening around my neck.

“Get rid of her,” she demanded, moving closer, her voice now laced with venom. “Or I’ll ruin her. I’ll ruin her family, her entire life, and I can also throw you into the mix. Imagine the headlines: ‘CEO of Harris Construction abandons his pregnant girlfriend for an assistant.’You know what that would do to your reputation.”

She smiled then, a cold, calculating smile that made my stomach churn. “You know what I’m capable of.”

I clenched my fists, trying to steady my breathing. This wasn’t the Alexis I had thought I knew. Or maybe it was, and I had just been too blind, or too selfish, to see it.

“You don’t have to do this,” I said, my voice low, almost pleading. “I’ll take responsibility for the baby. I’ll support you, but you don’t need to drag Mila into this.”

Her laughter echoed through the room, sharp and cruel. “Oh, sweetheart, this isn’t about what I need. It’s about what you need to do. You’re going to end this little fantasy you’ve been living, and you’re going to make sure that assistant of yours knows her place. Otherwise...”

She let the unspoken threat linger, the weight of it settling over me like a dark cloud.

I swallowed hard, the reality of the situation sinking in. I was trapped, caught between the life I wanted and the consequences of my mistakes. Alexis had me cornered, and I couldn’t see a way out that didn’t destroy everything or everyone I cared about.

Nodding stiffly, I turned to leave. Her parting words followed me like a shadow.

“Remember, darling,” she called after me, her voice dripping with false sweetness, “this isn’t a game you can win. Play your cards right, or I’ll make sure everyone loses.”

Her words echoed in my mind long after I left her house.

Back at home, I called Olivia, my HR manager.

“Olivia,” I said, my voice heavy with exhaustion. “I need you to demote Miss Brown immediately.”

“To what position, sir?”

“I don’t care. Just…far away from me.”

As I hung up, I collapsed onto the couch, guilt clawing at me. Mila was going to hate me. But it was better this way. Better than leaving her with nothing.

She didn’t belong in this world, my world.

Trust me, I tried to keep my distance the next day. But I couldn’t stay away.

Mila’s house loomed ahead as I parked, rehearsing what I would say.

Hours passed as I debated whether to knock. Then, in my rearview mirror, I saw her, drunk, stumbling from a taxi, her steps unsteady. She fumbled with her bag, and her keys fell to the ground.

“Mila,” I called out, stepping out of the car.

She didn’t hear me, so I moved closer, picking up the keys.

“Looking for these?” I said, my voice gentle.

She froze her back to me.

When she turned around, her eyes, those beautiful eyes, met mine, filled with a mix of surprise and apprehension.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded, crossing her arms, the bitterness in her tone cutting deeper than I expected.

The ache of wanting her hit me harder than before.

“I need to explain,” I said, stepping closer, but her guarded expression told me everything I feared.

I had already lost her.