When the Cold CEO Falls First

I'm Not Remembering It Worse Than It Was

Kade's brain was still catching up with the rest of her.

She stood outside the executive suite for a moment, her portfolio clutched to her chest, and tried to put the last twenty minutes in order. She had walked in confident. Then she had seen Owen. Then she had seen Serena. Then she had forgotten every word she'd ever learned, including several she was fairly sure she'd known since childhood. Then the CEO of Sartori had offered her a second chance like it was a lost umbrella and not the most valuable opportunity of her career.

She shook her head. Don't think about it. Just don't think about it.

There was a plan. She had a plan. The plan was: find Owen, tell him you're here, be normal, don't mention the interview disaster, and just casually mention the woman he was holding. That last part was the important one.

She started down the corridor.

The office was busy in the way offices always were at three in the afternoon: people at desks, people walking with folders, someone on the phone sounding like they were trying to negotiate a hostage release. Kade did her best to be invisible. She kept close to the wall, avoided eye contact, and stepped aside for anyone who looked like they knew where they were going. Old habits. She had spent years perfecting the art of taking up less space than she needed, and it turned out that was a skill that never left you.

The corridor turned, and there was a break room. Glass walls. A long table. A coffee machine that looked like it cost more than her laptop.

Owen was inside, alone, staring at the espresso machine with the expression of a man who had been defeated by modern technology.

Kade stopped in the doorway.

She hadn't planned this part. She had thought she would find his office, knock on the door, do the surprise, saying “Hi. I applied. I'm here. Surprise!” But now that she was looking at the back of his head, at his shoulders in that soft grey sweater, at the way he was standing with one hand on his hip like the machine had personally insulted him. Her chest did something complicated and warm, and she forgot to be nervous.

He turned, and saw her.

His face lit up.

"Babe?" He crossed the room in three steps. "What are you doing here?"

She had prepared a lie on the walk down the corridor. She had rehearsed it, actually, in case anyone asked. “I'm just here to scope out the building. I have an interview tomorrow.” she would reply. Not technically a lie. Just not the whole truth. Because if she told him she had already had the interview, he would ask how it went, and she would have to tell him she had frozen in front of his boss and seen a woman who had once pushed her down a flight of stairs, and that was not a conversation she wanted to have in a glass room where anyone could see.

"I'm just here to check out the building," she said. "I have an interview tomorrow."

Owen's eyebrows went up.

"You applied?" His voice came out louder than necessary, and Kade glanced around, but no one was paying attention. "When? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to surprise you." She smiled at him. "If I get it, we'd be colleagues."

Owen's face went from surprise to delight to something almost childlike. He grabbed her shoulders and squeezed.

"You applied to Sartori," he said. "You applied to my company."

"I wanted to work with you."

"Babe." He pulled her into a hug that lifted her off her heels for a second. "I love you. You know that? I love you."

Kade's heart skipped. It was ridiculous. Three years, and he could still do that. He could still say I love you like it was a fact about the weather, and she still felt it in her stomach.

"I love you too," she said.

Owen stepped back and became immediately practical. This was one of the things she liked about him. He was warm, and then he was organized. "Do you have your portfolio with you? Your CV? I can help you revise tonight. I know the hiring manager—well, I know everyone, really. I can tell you what they're looking for."

"I already had the first rounds," Kade said. "Written test. Group interview. Departmental. I'm just waiting on the final round with the CEO."

Owen's expression shifted. Not badly. But noticeably.

"The CEO?" he said. "Lysander Sartori is doing your final round?"

"Is that unusual?"

"Rules have gotten tighter since I joined." He frowned slightly. "He doesn't usually interview candidates directly. Not at this stage. "

Kade thought about the folder on Lysander's desk. The way he had looked at her work. The way he had offered her a second chance like it was nothing, like he had time to spare.

"He's got a lot of work ahead, taking over the company full-time," Owen said. "I know this might be a little daunting." He squeezed her hand. "Don't worry. I'll help you. Tonight we can go over possible questions. We'll rehearse every answer. You'll be ready."

Kade thought about the interview she had already had. The one where she had talked about Agnes Martin and clothes that fail people, and then followed it up by complimenting the suits. She thought about how she had already answered all those questions and could not remember a single one.

"Okay," she said. "That would be nice."

Owen smiled at her. "I'm really proud of you, you know that?"

Her throat tightened. "Thanks."

"After this, we can commute together. Have lunch together. Take breaks together." He grinned. "Well. Not take breaks together. We can't hold hands or anything. The company has this rule—no love between colleagues. Not sure what the punishment is, and I don't want to find out. From what I've heard, Lysander doesn't joke around."

He seemed pretty nice to me. Kade frowned. “Isn’t he easygoing?”She asked tentatively.

"Lysander Sartori? Easygoing?" Owen let out an incredible laugh as he shook his head. "He's brilliant, don't get me wrong. But he's strict. My old manager told me a story about a guy who made a mistake in a client presentation. Not a big mistake. A small one. Sartori made him redo the whole thing in front of the board. In person. The guy quit two months later."

Kade felt a small, cold prickle at the back of her neck.

Maybe she was lucky enough to see a different side of him. She dismissed the thought. She had only just met him. First impressions were just impressions. She'd been wrong before. And she wouldn’t be too surprised to find Lysander a tyranny after she become his subordinate.

"Anyway," Owen said, "I should get back. I have a meeting in five minutes. But tonight we'll prepare. I promise." He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you at home."

Kade almost let him go. Then the question clawed its way out of her throat.

"Owen."

He turned.

"Who was the woman you were with?"

Owen's face didn't change. "What woman?"

"In the corridor. Before. You were walking with someone." Kade kept her voice level. "She was blonde. Cream coat. You had your arm around her."

"Oh, Serena. She's a product manager. We have a lot of handoffs." He shrugged. "She's just a colleague."

A colleague.

Kade felt something strange in her chest. The feeling was not jealousy, not exactly. It was not the sharp, hot thing she had felt when she first saw him with Serena. It was something worse, something quieter.

"Owen." She used her serious voice. The one she used for deadlines and contracts. "I need you to stay away from her."

Owen blinked. "What?"

"Please. It's important to me."

"Okay." He looked confused, but not defensive. Not yet. "Can I ask why?"

Kade took a breath. She had never told him. She had never told anyone, really, except Lena. But this was Owen. He was supposed to love her. He was supposed to believe her.

"She bullied me," Kade finally said. "In school. For three years."

Owen's face softened. "Babe. I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"I don't need you to be sorry. I need you to stay away from her."

"Are you sure it was her?" Owen asked. "I mean, it was a long time ago. And Serena's always been nice to me."

Kade felt her face go still. "What?"

"I'm not saying it wasn't her," Owen added quickly. "It's just—people change. Maybe you're remembering it worse than it was."

"I'm not remembering it worse than it was."Kade frowned, now she felt a bit upset.

Owen held up his hands. "Okay. Okay. Don’t be mad. I believe you. I just—I know her, and it doesn't add up. But if you say it was her, it was her."

Kade stared at him. She wanted to feel relieved. She wanted to feel like he had listened. But he hadn't, not really. He had said the words. But he didn't believe them.

And the worst part was that she couldn't prove it. She had no evidence. No witnesses. Only her memory, and her word, and the fact that she was standing here in front of him telling him something that had happened half a lifetime ago.

"Just stay away from her," Kade said. "Please."

Owen nodded. "I will. I promise."

"Do you mean it?"

He put his hand over his heart. "I promise on my grandmother's grave."

"You don't have a grandmother."

"I have a grandmother. She's just not dead yet." He grinned. "But I promise anyway."

Kade almost laughed. Almost.

"I should go," she said. "You have a meeting."

"Let me walk you to the lift."

"No." Kade stepped back. "You should go to your meeting. And anyway—we're supposed to be pretending we're not a couple. You said so yourself."

Owen's eyes lit up. "So you're already practicing."

"I'm being efficient."

"You're being adorable."He smirked.

"Goodbye, Owen."

"Goodbye, colleague." He gave her a little salute. Then his grin changed. It got slower. His eyes dropped to her mouth and then back up, and his voice went low. "Though I should warn you. If you keep wearing that skirt, I might not be able to keep my hands to myself tonight."

Kade's face went hot. "Don't harass your future colleague."

"You're not my colleague yet." He leaned in, his lips brushing her ear. "And I plan on being very thorough with my harassment."

She pushed him away, laughing. "Go to your meeting."

"I'm going." He walked backward, still grinning. "I'll see you later. We'll prep for that interview. You'll be amazing."

"I already had the interview," she muttered.

But Owen was already through the door.

Kade stood there for a moment, her hand pressed to her burning cheek.

Then she walked to the lift, out of the building, and toward the Tube station, her steps light and her head full of tomorrow.

She had no idea that tonight, Owen would not come home earlier like he promised.

And she had no idea that by this time next week, her life would never be the same.