Boss of My Heart

Chapter 6: Shadows Of The Past

The morning light poured through Damian’s office windows, painting soft golden stripes across his desk. The skyline stretched endlessly beyond the glass, but his mind was miles away — somewhere by a quiet river where a girl with soft brown eyes smiled at him like he was just a man, not a CEO.

He could still smell the sweetness of fruit on her hands.

He had meetings lined up, deadlines, a board waiting to discuss a merger, but none of it mattered right now. Not when every thought drifted back to her.

“Sir?”

Damian blinked and looked up. His assistant, Daniel, stood by the door with a cautious expression. “The investors from Hong Kong are on line one. They’ve been waiting.”

“Tell them I’ll call back in ten minutes.”

Daniel hesitated. “Sir, it’s already—”

“Ten minutes,” Damian repeated quietly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

The assistant nodded and slipped out.

Damian leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. He’d spent his whole life building walls around himself — never letting anyone close enough to see what was behind the sharp suits and cold eyes. But with Lila, those walls had cracked.

He didn’t plan to fall for her. It just happened, like rain slipping through open fingers.

A faint vibration pulled him from his thoughts. His phone.

A message from Lila:

> “I’m at the market. Sold almost everything already 😊 You’d be proud of me.”

A rare smile curved his lips. He typed back:

> “Always proud of you. Don’t forget to eat something yourself this time.”

Her reply came almost instantly:

> “Yes, boss 😜”

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. No one had ever dared tease him like that.

But that warmth faded the moment Daniel rushed back in, face pale.

“Sir… you need to see this.”

He handed over a tablet. On the screen, a gossip headline glared in bold letters:

“MYSTERY GIRL SEEN WITH CEO DAMIAN COLE – ROMANCE OR SCANDAL?”

Below it was a photo — grainy but clear enough. Damian by the riverside, laughing. Lila beside him, her hair dancing in the wind.

His chest tightened.

“Where did this come from?” he asked.

“Online tabloids. It’s spreading fast. The board is already asking questions.”

Damian set the tablet down, his expression unreadable. “Schedule a meeting in an hour. I’ll handle it.”

“Sir, should we deny it?”

He paused, eyes darkening. “Not yet.”

---

That afternoon, the office buzzed with whispers. Assistants exchanged glances. Executives spoke in low tones. Every time Damian passed, conversations stopped.

By the time the meeting began, the tension was thick enough to cut.

One of the board members, Mr. Kingsley, cleared his throat. “Damian, you’ve seen the article, I presume?”

“I have.”

“Then you understand our concern. Your… involvement with this girl—”

“Her name is Lila,” Damian interrupted sharply.

Kingsley blinked. “Be that as it may, it doesn’t look appropriate. The company’s reputation is on the line.”

Another board member added, “We’re not telling you who to date, Damian, but when your personal life becomes public—”

“I know exactly what’s at stake,” Damian said, voice low but firm. “And my personal life remains my own.”

“You can’t be serious,” Kingsley scoffed. “She’s a street vendor, for heaven’s sake! You think investors will take us seriously when they see this?”

Damian’s jaw clenched. He rose from his seat, palms flat on the table. “Our investors care about numbers, not gossip. As long as this company delivers results, my relationships are irrelevant.”

The room fell silent.

He straightened his tie, calm once more. “Meeting adjourned.”

And just like that, he walked out.

That evening, Lila waited at the market longer than usual. The sun had already dipped low, painting the sky with streaks of rose and gold. She packed the last of her fruit crates into her small cart, humming softly to herself.

She was about to leave when a woman approached — tall, dressed in sharp corporate black, with a cold smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“You’re Lila, right?”

Lila frowned. “Yes. Can I help you?”

The woman’s smile widened. “I work for Cole Enterprises. I thought you should know — your picture is everywhere today.”

Lila blinked, confused. “My picture?”

“On the internet. With Damian.” The woman tilted her head. “You really thought no one would notice?”

A lump formed in Lila’s throat. “I don’t understand…”

“Oh, I think you do.” The woman’s tone dripped with disdain. “Girls like you never last long. He’ll get bored, and you’ll be back here selling fruit while the world laughs.”

Lila’s heart pounded. “You don’t know him.”

“Don’t I?” The woman chuckled softly. “He’s a CEO, sweetheart. Men like him don’t marry market girls. They use them for distraction — then move on.”

Lila’s chest ached, but she forced herself to stay calm. “You should go.”

The woman smirked, took one last glance at her, and walked away.

Lila stood there for a long time, staring at the sunset that suddenly didn’t look so beautiful anymore.

When she finally got home that night, her phone buzzed nonstop — messages from friends, some curious, some mocking, some supportive. She didn’t know what to say to any of them.

Finally, Damian’s name flashed on her screen.

She hesitated, then answered.

“Lila?” His voice was soft but tense. “Are you okay?”

“I saw it,” she said quietly. “The pictures.”

“I’m so sorry. I’m handling it.”

“People came to the market,” she whispered. “They were talking… pointing.”

Damian’s chest tightened. “I’ll fix this, I promise.”

“How?” she asked. “By pretending I don’t exist? Or by letting them call me names until they get tired?”

He sighed. “You don’t deserve this.”

“No, Damian,” she said, voice trembling, “I don’t. But it’s happening anyway.”

He didn’t know what to say. For the first time, silence stretched between them — heavy, uncertain.

Finally, she whispered, “Maybe we should stop seeing each other for a while.”

His pulse stopped. “Lila, no—”

“Just until things calm down.”

“I can’t do that,” he said firmly. “I won’t.”

She closed her eyes, tears stinging. “You have a whole world to protect. I just have me.”

“Then let me protect you too.”

But she didn’t answer.

The next day, Damian arrived at her market stand before sunrise. The world was still half asleep, the streets empty.

Lila was setting up her crates when she saw him approach — tall, dressed simply in jeans and a shirt, nothing like the powerful man from the office.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she said softly.

“I had to see you.”

“Damian—”

He stepped closer. “Let them talk, Lila. Let them say what they want. None of it matters.”

“It matters to me,” she said. “I’ve worked too hard to be laughed at.”

He took her hands gently. “Then let me stand beside you. I won’t hide anymore.”

Her eyes glistened. “You’ll lose everything.”

“Then let me lose it for something real.”

For a long moment, they stood there, the city waking slowly around them.

Lila searched his face — the man who once looked untouchable now standing before her with vulnerability in his eyes.

“You really mean that?” she whispered.

“I’ve never meant anything more.”

Tears filled her eyes, but this time they were soft, not broken. “Then hold my hand.”

He did.

And just like that, as the first rays of sunlight spilled across the market, they faced the world together — hand in hand, knowing the battle had only begun.

But while love gave them courage, fate wasn’t done testing them.

Because somewhere, in the shadows of the past, someone was watching. Someone who wasn’t ready to let Damian Cole be happy.

Watch out for what happens next chapter… 💞