REJECTED LUNA, BILLIONAIRE ALPHA'S OBSESSION

CHAPTER 4: TRAPPED FOR 89 FLOORS

The elevator doors closed with a soft ding.

And suddenly, the entire world shrank to 6 feet by 8 feet.

Ava and Kael.

Alone.

89 floors to go.

The silence hit first. Thick. Heavy. Like the air had been sucked out and replaced with glass.

Ava stared straight ahead at the numbers counting down. 89...88...87...

She could feel him. His presence was too big for this small space. Like a storm trapped in a box. Like a wolf pacing in a cage.

She refused to look at him. If she looked, she might break. If she looked, five years of anger and hurt and practice might crumble.

"You look good," Kael said finally. His voice was rough. Like gravel. Like he hadn't used it in days.

Ava didn't turn. "Thank you."

"You look tired," she added, because she couldn't help herself. Old habits died hard. "Dark circles."

"I haven't slept in 3 days."

"Not my problem."

The words came out colder than she intended. But she needed the cold. She needed the armor. She needed him to know she wasn't that girl anymore. The girl who would have cried if he said he was tired.

Another floor passed. 85...84...83...

"Why are you doing this?" Kael asked. He shifted. She could hear his expensive suit rustle. "You could have built Carter Industries anywhere. Dubai. London. Singapore. Why New York? Why Blackwood Tower? Why me?"

Ava turned then. Really looked at him.

God, he looked wrecked. Dark circles under those gray eyes. Jaw tight like he'd been clenching it for days. The top button of his shirt undone. Hair messy. She'd never seen Kael Blackwood look anything less than perfect. Impeccable. Untouchable.

Now he looked human.

"Because," she said softly, "you broke me in this building."

Kael flinched. Just a tiny movement. But she saw it. The Alpha who never flinched, flinched.

"You broke me in the boardroom," she continued, voice getting stronger. "You broke me in this elevator. You broke me in every hallway of this tower. You broke me in the garden when you said I wasn't good enough in front of 300 people."

She took a breath.

"So I'm going to rebuild myself in it."

"That's not fair." His voice was low.

"Was it fair what you did to me?"

He had no answer for that.

The elevator dinged. 70th floor. Nobody got on. The doors closed again.

Kael took a step toward her. The space got smaller. The air got hotter.

"Ava, I was 24. I was stupid. I was scared—"

"Don't." She held up a hand. Her hand was shaking. She hid it. "Don't you dare make excuses."

"I loved you."

"You rejected me."

"I thought I was protecting you!" His voice cracked. For the first time in her life, she heard Kael Blackwood crack. "The pack politics, the enemies I had, the threats against you—"

"You should have told me."

"I couldn't. My father said—"

"I don't care what your father said!"

Another floor. 60...59...58...

Ava crossed her arms over her chest. Her heart was pounding. "So what? You expect me to forgive you because you had a hard time? Because daddy didn't approve?"

"No. I expect you to hate me." He laughed, but there was no humor in it. Just pain. "And you do. I can see it in your eyes."

"I don't hate you, Kael."

He looked up, surprised. Hurt.

"I don't," she said. The truth of it hit her too. "Hate takes energy. And I don't waste energy on people who don't matter."

The words hit him like a physical slap. She saw his jaw clench. Saw his hands fist at his sides.

"Then why are you here?" he growled. "Why buy my company? Why destroy everything I built?"

"I'm not destroying you." She stepped closer. Close enough that she could see the flecks of silver in his gray eyes. Close enough that she could smell his cologne. Cedar and smoke and heartbreak. "I'm replacing you."

His pupils dilated. "You can't run this company."

"Watch me."

The elevator stopped. 45th floor.

The doors opened.

Three executives stood there. Middle-aged men in suits. They took one look at Ava and Kael standing way too close, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife, and immediately stepped back.

"We'll... we'll take the next one," one of them stammered.

Doors closed.

Back to just the two of them.

"They know," Kael said quietly.

"Good." Ava turned to face the doors again. "Let them talk."

"Ava—"

"No." Her voice was sharp. "You don't get to talk to me like we're still... like we were."

"Then how do I talk to you?" There was frustration in his voice now.

"As your CEO. As your boss. As the woman who owns your company."

30...29...28...27...

"Fine." Kael's voice was flat. Controlled. The mask was back. "CEO Carter."

Ava almost smiled. Almost. Victory tasted bitter.

"How's Carter Industries doing?" he asked. Professional. Distant. Like they were strangers in a meeting.

"Better than Blackwood Tech."

"Low blow."

"Truth hurts."

Another long silence. The only sound was the soft hum of the elevator.

"Did you mean it?" Kael asked suddenly. "About wanting me to say it again? What I said that night?"

Ava closed her eyes. God. The night. The garden. Fairy lights. 300 people in expensive dresses. His voice echoing.

"I reject you, Ava Carter. You're too weak. You're an embarrassment to my name. I will never mark you. I will never claim you."

"Yes," she whispered. "I meant it."

"Why?"

"Because I need to hear it." Her voice broke, just a little. She hated that. "I need to hear it from the man who has to call me 'boss' now. I need to know you regret it. I need to know it wasn't easy for you."

"I do."

The words were so quiet she almost missed them.

Ava turned to him. "What did you say?"

"I said I regret it," Kael said. He was looking at her now. Really looking. Like he was memorizing her face. Like he was drowning and she was air. "Every day for five years, Ava. Every single day I wake up and regret it."

The elevator dinged. 15th floor.

Ava's heart was pounding so hard she thought he could hear it. "That doesn't change anything."

"I know."

10...9...8...7...

The tension was unbearable. The air felt electric. Like before a lightning strike.

Kael took another step. Now there was barely a foot between them. She could feel the heat from his body.

"You won," he said. His voice was barely above a whisper. "You got the company. You got the power. You got everything. What else do you want from me?"

Ava met his eyes. Held them. "I want you to beg."

His pupils flared. Shock. Anger. Something else.

"What?"

"I want you to beg me to let you stay," she said. Her voice was steady now. "Beg me to give you a job. Beg me to keep you on as... what? Consultant? Advisor? Beg me to..." She swallowed. Her throat was dry. "Beg me to forgive you."

Kael's jaw clenched. A muscle ticked. "I don't beg."

"Then you can quit."

3...2...1...

Ding.

Ground floor.

The doors opened.

The lobby was full of people. Phones out. Watching. Waiting to see what would happen.

Ava stepped out without looking back. Her back was straight. Her head was high. "See you Monday, Mr. Blackwood. 9am sharp. Board meeting. Don't be late."

She walked away, heels clicking against the marble lobby. Each step was a declaration.

Behind her, she heard the elevator doors close.

And she heard Kael's voice, barely a whisper, but she heard it:

"Ava, wait."

But she didn't wait.

She couldn't.

Because if she turned around, she might forgive him.

And she wasn't ready to do that yet.

Not when it still hurt this much.

Not when she could still hear his voice saying "you're defective" in her nightmares.

Outside, the cold New York air hit her face. She breathed in. Breathed out.

She'd done it.

She'd faced him.

And she hadn't broken.

But as she got into her car, she gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles went white.

Because the worst part was...

Part of her still wanted him to beg.

Part of her still wanted the Alpha who rejected her to fall to his knees and say her name.

And that scared her more than anything.