My Boss, My Obsession

Shadows in Daylight

Morning sunlight spilled into the villa's master bedroom, gilding the tangled sheets and the man lying beside Claire. Aidan's breathing was deep, steady, and for a fleeting second, she let herself believe they were just a normal couple. No boardrooms. No notes slipped under her door. No whispered warnings.

But reality had teeth.

She was brushing her hair in the bathroom when she heard him on the phone — voice low, controlled. "No. It's too soon. We'll handle it when we're back." A pause. "I don't care what Maya thinks."

The mention of her name made Claire's pulse tighten. She didn't push — not yet.

By noon, they were dressed and driving back toward the city. The cliffside view in the rearview mirror faded into a sprawl of glass and steel. Claire could feel it — the shift in Aidan's demeanor. The warmth of the villa was gone. His expression had sharpened, the weight of business settling on him like armor.

When they stepped into the office, whispers bloomed like weeds. Heads turned. Eyes darted from Claire to Aidan, then to Maya — who stood by the reception desk in a tailored cream suit, lips curved in a slow, knowing smile.

"Well," Maya said sweetly, "the prodigal returns."

Aidan didn't slow. "In my office. Now," he told her, voice like clipped glass.

Claire tried to slip past unnoticed, but Maya's gaze snagged on her. "Enjoy your little… retreat?" The words were laced with venom, barely veiled.

Claire didn't answer. She headed for her desk, but her hands were shaking. It wasn't just Maya. Something else was off. Emails were flying in faster than usual, and her inbox was full of half-finished reports she'd never seen before.

She had just started sorting through them when a shadow fell over her desk. Vincent. His usual smirk was absent; instead, his tone was low.

"We need to talk. Outside."

She hesitated. "I'm working."

He leaned closer. "It's about the note."

The air left her lungs. She grabbed her phone and followed him down the corridor, out the side door where the city noise swallowed them.

Vincent's eyes were hard. "You think this is a game? That man doesn't just ruin women — he destroys them. Ask his last assistant. Oh wait… you can't. She disappeared."

Claire's mouth went dry. "You're lying."

"Am I?" Vincent pulled something from his pocket — a photo. Grainy, but the face was clear: a young woman, dark-haired, standing beside Aidan at some formal event. The date in the corner was from two years ago.

"She thought she was special too," Vincent said. "Then one day, her apartment was cleared out, her number disconnected. No one's heard from her since."

Claire's fingers clenched around the photo. The city seemed louder, harsher. She wanted to run back to her desk, to Aidan, to anything that made sense. But when she looked up toward the office windows, she could see him inside with Maya — her hand brushing his sleeve, his jaw tight as if he was holding back something explosive.

And for the first time since she'd met him, Claire wasn't sure she wanted to know the truth.