BOUND BY ONE NIGHT

Chapter19

Alex’s POV

Cassandra’s voice drones in the background as I stare at the city skyline outside my office window. Her heels click annoyingly against the marble floor sharp, entitled, like everything about her.

“You’re not even listening!” she snaps. She’s right. I’m not. I haven’t really listened to Cassandra in weeks, maybe months, not since her. I push away the thoughts of Lavender. I promised myself I wouldn’t think about her during work hours. It’s a pointless rule and I break it every minute.

Focus, Alex. I turn to Cassandra, feigning attention. “Sorry. What were you saying?” Her eyes narrow. “Our engagement announcement. My parents want to send out the invitations before the week ends.” A cold tightness coils in my chest. Engagement, Marriage, a future that feels like a suffocating cage.

“We haven’t agreed on a date,” I replied calmly.

“We should have, Alexander.” She drops into the chair opposite me and crosses her legs theatrically. “Your mother is waiting. My father is waiting. The press is waiting. Do you realize how many people are depending on us?” Depending, that word again. Depending on the perfect business alliance, the ideal power couple, the picture that everyone but me seems to care about.

“Business isn’t my personal life,” I say. She laughs like I told a joke. “Oh darling, for people like us, it’s the same thing.” My jaw tightens. Before I can respond, there’s a knock and Richard walks in, carrying a tablet.

“Sir, we have a situation,” he says carefully.

Good, A distraction. Cassandra sighs. “Richard, we’re in the middle of something...”

“It’s about the Haroldson file,” Richard interrupts, which is bold for him. “It’s… falling apart.” I straighten. That project is huge, one of the most important deals this quarter.

“What exactly fell apart?” I ask, all business now. Richard hesitates. “The numbers and some confidential projections are incorrect. Very incorrect. Haroldson’s legal team said they will back out unless it’s resolved this week.” Ice shoots through my veins. Lavender handled the projections.

But no, that sounds wrong. Lavender was meticulous and brilliant. The best assistant I ever had. Something else is off.

“What changed?” I demand. Richard shifts nervously. “The spreadsheets were updated the day after Lavender left. By…” His eyes flick to Cassandra. Cassandra rolls her eyes. “Oh please, don’t bring her into this. The woman abandoned her post in the middle of crucial work. We had to make do.” Anger flares hot and uncontrollable beneath my ribs.

“You approved someone to alter her work?” I snap.

“Well, yes.” She shrugs. “You needed results. I delivered.”

I stand, the chair scraping harshly. “You delivered a disaster.” Richard swallows hard. “Sir… they’re threatening legal action.” My pulse spikes. None of this would be happening if Lav.....No, thinking like that only leads to one conclusion, one I’m not ready to face.

“I’ll fix it,” I say.

Richard exhales, relieved. “Thank you, sir.” He exits quickly, closing the door behind him.

Cassandra folds her arms. “You’re going to run to her, aren’t you?”I freeze.

She scoffs. “Do you think I didn’t notice how obsessed you were? The way you looked at her? Like she was air and you were drowning?”

My voice lowers dangerously. “Don’t talk about her.”

She stands to face me, her perfume aggressively sweet. “This thing you think you feel for her? It’s infatuation. She’s beneath you. A pretty distraction.” Rage flashes through me. “Leave my office.”

“You’ll regret making this difficult,” she warns, leaning closer. “Because when we announce our date, and we will, everyone will be watching. And if you make me look foolish, I will not go down alone.” She smiles sweetly. Venom disguised as charm.

“And I’ll make sure she doesn’t get up again either.”

That’s it.

“I said. Leave.” The command in my voice finally forces her to step back. She storms out, slamming the door so hard the glass vibrates. I sink into my chair, fingers pressed to my temples.The office feels too quiet. Too empty. Too much like it’s missing something. Someone.

Lavender, I opened a locked folder on my computer, the last file she worked on, and the difference is instant. The numbers align. The structure is flawless. She was the reason my world ran so smoothly. The reason I could think straight. The reason I lost control.

My phone buzzes, a message from my mother.

‘We need to meet tonight. Cassandra’s parents will be there. We’re finalizing the engagement date.’

I slam the phone down. Everyone is pushing, everyone wants a piece of my life arranged to their liking. But none of them are asking what I want. What I want is gone.

No. She’s not gone. I know exactly where she might be. I never deleted her address from the HR files. I memorized it before she left, even though I told myself I wouldn’t ever use it.

I shouldn’t need Lavender.

I shouldn’t miss Lavender.

I shouldn’t think about her skin, her laugh, the way she looked at me like I was someone worth something.

But I do, God, I do. I shut my laptop and grab my coat. Richard spots me as I stride through the hallway.

“Sir? The meeting”

“Cancel it,” I say without slowing.

“But”

“I said cancel.”

My tone brooks zero argument.

If Haroldson falls apart, I fall apart. And the only person who can help me fix this… is the same person I drove away with my silence and fear. Cassandra’s threats echo faintly, but something stronger drowns them out.

Determination.

Lavender may hate me for finding her again. She may slam the door in my face. She may never forgive me for that night, for the confusion I let ruin everything. But I can’t lose her again without trying. For the first time in weeks, I feel alive. I push through the revolving doors into the crisp air. I’m going to find her. I’m going to beg if I have to. Because now I know the truth:

I would rather risk everything and have Lavender,than keep everything and live without her.