My Corporate Affair

Chapter Nineteen

Elliot....

I hadn’t expected the drive to feel this… quiet.

Sophie had given me directions, and I followed them without question, even though my GPS could’ve easily taken me there. The deeper we drove into her neighborhood, the more the world seemed to slow down. The city lights were replaced by dim porch lamps. Neon signs faded into rusted fences and parked bicycles. It was calm. A place that didn’t need to prove anything.

A place very unlike mine.

When I pulled up to her house, I spotted two women standing outside, one older,looked like she was in her seventies her back slightly bent but her eyes sharp, and the other, middle-aged, with a folded shawl clutched tightly around her arms. They looked tense, worried. I could tell they’d been waiting.

Sophie barely had the door open before the older woman gasped and rushed forward. “Sophie, thank God!” Relief bloomed in her voice. But then her gaze shifted to me, and her brows lifted with curiosity… and something close to mischief.

“Oh,” she said, her eyes widening. “Well, isn’t he something.”

Sophie groaned under her breath. “Grandma…”

The middle-aged woman, her mother, I assumed,looked equally surprised, though more polite about it. “Good evening,” she said carefully. “And you are…?”

I stepped forward, offering a small, courteous smile. “Elliot. I work with Sophie.”

Her grandmother’s eyes narrowed like she was putting together a puzzle. Then her face lit up with a knowing smirk. “He’s your boyfriend?”

Sophie practically choked on air. “What! No ....Grandma, seriously...he’s not...”

“I’m her boss,” I added quickly, stifling a laugh. “Actually… I run the company.”

Their expressions shifted instantly. Shock. Embarrassment. And then a nervous apologies from her mother.

“Oh, my goodness. Please forgive us! We had no idea. We’re just… thank you for bringing her home safely. We’ve been so worried.”

“She stayed back to work late,” I explained gently. “She didn’t say it, but I could tell she didn’t want to worry you both. She handled everything really well today.”

Sophie’s mother’s eyes softened. Her grandmother beamed with pride, and for a second, I felt like I was intruding on something sacred. The way they looked at her, with so much love, it made something in my chest ache.

I didn’t even realize I was staring until her grandmother turned back to me, her tone now warm and welcoming. “You must come in. Let us at least give you something small. Tea, maybe? A little food?”

The invitation was genuine. And it was tempting. So was the thought of stepping further into this world of hers, a world that seemed to offer something mine never could.

But I shook my head, smiling gently. “Maybe next time.”

Sophie looked at me, her eyes meeting mine with quiet understanding. “Thank you again… for everything.”

“It was nothing,” I said, though we both knew that wasn’t true.

As I walked back to the car, I heard her grandmother’s voice again, low but playful. “Sophie, if he’s not your boyfriend, he should be. He is beautiful.”

I didn’t turn around, but I couldn’t stop the smile that crept across my face.

For a moment, I didn’t feel like the CEO of anything. Just a man craving something simple. Something warm.

And I had a feeling Sophie was at the center of it.

Sophie....

The second Elliot drove off, I turned around, only to be ambushed by the amused glint in Grandma’s eyes.

“Well,” she started, crossing her arms like she was about to interrogate me. “Isn’t he a fine-looking man.”

“Grandma,” I groaned, tugging my bag higher on my shoulder.

My mother didn’t even pretend to hold back her smile. “You just texted you were on your way. You didn’t mention you’d be getting a ride home from the CEO.”

“I wasn’t planning to,” I said, walking toward the door, my face already warm. “I finished late, and he offered. I said no, but he insisted.”

Grandma made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle. “Oh, so he insisted, hmm?”

I turned around. “It’s not like that! He’s just,,,he’s… nice.”

“You mean fine,” Grandma said, and I nearly tripped on the doormat.

“Grandma!”

“I’m just saying,” she said with a dramatic shrug. “I saw the way he looked at you. Men like that don’t insist unless they want to.”

My mother laughed and nudged her toward the house. “Let the poor girl breathe.”

I followed them inside, setting my bag down and kicking off my shoes, grateful for the warmth of the living room. The smell of mint tea lingered faintly in the air, someone must’ve brewed it earlier. Despite my embarrassment, it felt good to be home. Safe.

They sat down on the couch, still looking far too amused for my liking, and I rubbed my temples.

“Can I say what I wanted to tell you before you both turn this into a full-blown wedding planning session?” I asked, half-joking.

“Oh, please,” Grandma said, settling in. “I’m listening.”

I took a breath, and even though I was tired, my heart felt light again.

“So mama, remember how I wanted to tell you something before Grandma got sick?”

She nodded quickly. “Of course.”

“Well… I’ve been chosen to work closely with Mr. Elliot...uh, the CEO....on the upcoming project for the company. Just a small team, and I’m part of it.”

My mom’s eyes widened. “Wait, you? Working with him directly?”

I nodded, and their smiles exploded like fireworks.

“Oh, Sophie!” my mother said, reaching out and squeezing my hand. “That’s huge!”

“Look at my baby!” Grandma beamed, pressing a hand to her chest. “All those years of studying and working so hard… See what happens when you don’t give up?”

I laughed, their joy warming every corner of my heart. “It’s only just beginning. I’m nervous. But I’m excited too.”

“You should be,” Grandma said proudly. “And maybe now I’ll stop worrying about you being in that big office alone.”

I rolled my eyes. “You were never going to stop worrying.”

“True,” she said with a grin. “But now I’ll just worry about you falling for your handsome boss.”

I buried my face in my hands with a groan. “Can we not do this tonight?”

They just laughed. And despite the teasing and blushing, all I could feel was love.

Elliot....

I stepped into my apartment, the silence welcoming in a way I hadn’t realized I needed. The city lights glowed dimly through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long shadows across the polished floors. I set my keys on the counter, loosened my tie, and finally let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding all evening.

Just as I reached for a glass of water, my phone buzzed on the counter.

Mum.

“Elliot. Call me. We need to talk. Someone is threatening to release photos from that party in Milan last year. Do you realize how damaging this could be? After everything we’ve built? You promised you’d be more careful.”

I stared at the screen, my thumb hovering over the reply button.

Of course. Always something.

In another life, maybe even just a few months ago, I would’ve panicked. I would’ve called the legal team, tried to control the narrative, sent out NDAs, offered money to bury it all. But right now?

I didn’t care.

Not tonight.

Let them talk. Let them post pictures and stories. Let them spin their little headlines. That version of me—the reckless, hollow one who partied because it felt easier than thinking, that guy didn’t even feel like me anymore.

I’d spent the day watching someone fight to belong in a world that chewed people up and spat them out. I’d watched her keep going when everything tried to make her stop. Sophie had every reason to break down, and she still stood tall.

And here I was, being dragged down by the ghosts of mistakes I didn’t even recognize myself in anymore.

I turned the phone over so the screen faced the counter and walked away. I wasn’t going to ruin this quiet with noise.

Tomorrow, I’d deal with it. Whatever it became.

Tonight, I just wanted silence.