Replacing my ex

Chapter 14

I looked back at him.

Cole was leaning lazily against a pillar, looking devastating in a deep navy suit, complete with his signature, frustrating smirk.

“Good morning, sir,” I said, ignoring his comment and turning back to fold my umbrella away.

I added a few unnecessary, deliberate extra steps just to avoid sharing the elevator up with him.

When I thought I had stalled long enough, I turned back around.

And he was still there. Just watching me.

With a heavy sigh, I walked toward the elevator and pressed the call button. When it arrived, I stepped inside, offering a tight smile.

“Going up, sir?”

He followed without a word, stepping in and pressing the button for our floor.

The ride up was the longest of my life, the silence deafening. The entire time, his thumbs flew across his phone screen.

Finally, the elevator chimed, breaking the silence. I walked out and he trailed behind me.

Once at my desk, I dropped my bag and stood there, frantically trying to figure out a way to make my damp, bedraggled self look somewhat presentable.

Suddenly, the intercom buzzed.

“Sir?” I answered, completely distracted.

“Still haven’t learned how to answer the phone, I see,” his dry voice cut through the speaker.

“What can I do for you this morning, sir? A coffee, perhaps?” I asked, forcing a cheerful tone.

“Come into my office,” he commanded, cutting the connection instantly.

I knocked twice and pushed the door open.

“Leo is waiting downstairs,” he stated.

“Who is Leo, sir?” I asked, blinking in confusion.

“My security chief. Go down there. He’ll tell you what you need to do,” he said, already looking back down at his computer.

As I walked out, a hot wave of annoyance flared in my chest. Why couldn’t he just speak normally? Why did I constantly have to guess what he meant? And why, today of all days, did it have to pour rain? Why did my entire life have to be upended by that i***t Ryan?

By the time the elevator doors slid open in the basement, I was practically blinking back hot tears of frustration.

Instantly, my eyes landed on a broad-shouldered man with tattoos sneaking up his sleeves, leaning casually against a sleek black SUV.

“Lila?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

I gave a silent nod.

“Hi. Leo,” he introduced himself, tapping his chest. “Get in.”

He circled the vehicle, pulled open the back door, and gestured for me to enter.

“Why?” I asked, planting my feet firmly on the concrete.

“He said you might be stubborn,” Leo grinned, unfazed. “He asked me to take you to get a change of clothes and freshen up.”

“Oh,” I murmured, my annoyance flickering out, replaced by surprise. “That’s not necessary. I’ll figure something out here.”

“Do you want to tell him that?” Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I … fine,” I muttered, marching over to the car.

In a petty act of tiny rebellion, I yanked open the front passenger door and hopped into the front seat instead.

Leo chuckled, sliding into the driver’s side and starting the engine. But instead of turning left toward the main streets or my apartment, he made a hard right.

“I live that way,” I said, pointing backward over my shoulder.

“I’m not taking you home. I’m taking you to Cole’s,” Leo told me smoothly.

“What? Why would you take me there?” I asked

“Just following instructions, Lila,” he answered.

My head was spinning. Was the mounting stress finally breaking my brain? I could have sworn Leo had just said he was taking me to change clothes.

A short drive later, Leo steered the SUV down into the subterranean parking garage of a luxury residential building I never thought I’d set foot in.

Located just blocks from Legacy Tower, it was famous for housing ultra-exclusive opulent apartments.

“Mrs Norris will take you up,” Leo told me as he cut the engine.

“What?” I blurted out.

Nothing made any logical sense today.

“Mrs. Norris. She’s Cole’s housekeeper,” he explained, nodding toward a middle-aged woman standing patiently near the private elevator bank.

She smiled and waved warmly, and Leo gave her a friendly wave back.

In a daze, I stepped out of the car and walked over to her.

“Hello there, Lila,” she greeted me, as if we had known each other for years.

“Hello, Mrs. Norris,” I replied weakly.

“Follow me, please,” she said, turning into the elevator car.

She pressed the button for the penthouse, and the car hummed upward. To my bewilderment, she started humming softly along to the elevator music.

When the doors slid open, they revealed a private hallway with only two heavy double doors.

She unlocked one of them, calling back over her shoulder “Come on, dearie. Let’s get you warmed up.”

Cole’s home was stunningly elegant yet starkly minimalist, defined by sharp lines and absolute precision. It looked less like a lived-in home and more like a high-end furniture showroom.

Mrs. Norris led me straight to a plush guest suite, handed me a fluffy towel and fresh toiletries, and pointed me toward a gorgeous ensuite bathroom.

I stood under the scalding spray of the shower, scrubbing away the chill and stress of the morning.

When I finally emerged wrapped in the towel, I discovered three curated outfit choices laid out neatly across the king-sized bed. My soaked, “drowned-rat” clothes had completely vanished.

I quickly dressed in a chic, comfortable sweater and black office pants, then stepped out to try and find Mrs. Norris.

I tracked her down in the expansive kitchen, where she was carefully transferring a pan of fluffy scrambled eggs onto a plate.

“You’re looking much better. Now let’s get some color into those cheeks,” she scolded affectionately, reaching out to pinch my cheek.

“Sit. Have some breakfast.”

“Oh, thank you so much, Mrs. Norris, but I really should get back. Besides, I already ate breakfast,” I lied smoothly.

Right on cue, my stomach let out a ferocious, echoing grumble.

Mrs. Norris paused, slowly turning her head to look at me.

“Really?” she asked, fighting back a smile.

I groaned and buried my face in my hands.

I sat down at the island, and she joined me with a plate of her own. Over steaming coffee, we fell into an easy, delightful chat.

I learned that she had practically raised Cole and Bash from childhood, starting out as their nanny before following them into adulthood. Even now, they constantly begged her to retire and travel the world, but she stubbornly refused, treating them like her own boys.

To my absolute shock, she casually referred to the terrifying billionaire CEOof Legacy Incorporated as "Coley".

When I recounted my chaotic first day and the coffee standoff, she laughed until tears came to her eyes.

Toward the end of our meal, I asked if Cole had eaten anything before rushing out.

When she realized he survived on nothing but black coffee, she was genuinely horrified, immediately packing a thermal container of food and muttering about how disappointed she was in him.

“Thank you for telling me that, Lila. I like you already,” she chuckled, patting my hand.

When breakfast wrapped up, I stood to carry my dishes to the sink, but Mrs. Norris blocked my path instantly, shooing me away.

“Oh, so now you’re eager for me to leave?” I teased.

She smiled warmly and pinched my cheek one more time.

“You’re a cheeky girl, aren't you?”

“Before I get out of your hair, could you point me to where my clothes are please?” I asked.

“They’re in the wash, darling. I’ll just send Leo down with them on Monday.”

“Thank you Mrs Norris,” I said.

“Where did these come from, by the way?” I asked, gesturing to the outfit I was wearing.

“A courier dropped them off. No idea where from,” she answered breezily.

After a tight, motherly hug goodbye, I headed back down to the garage, slipping a few of Mrs. Norris’s homemade cookies into Leo’s hand as a peace offering.

On the drive back to Legacy Tower, Leo and I chatted easily.

I found out he had worked for Cole for nearly a decade. He had started out as Cole’s personal security and driver, and later was made chief of security at Legacy. The sheer loyalty and deep admiration he held for Cole completely threw me off. It was impossible to reconcile this beloved boss with the tyrannical monster I had been warned about.

When I voiced my confusion, Leo just chuckled.

“The thing is, Lila,” he said, shifting gears smoothly into traffic, “he just doesn’t suffer fools lightly.”