Chapter 4 –A battle of Control
1108 Words
Lucy barely slept
She spent the night tossing and turning, every minute replaying the way Alex had looked at her, the way his fingers had brushed against her skin, the way his voice had coiled around her like a silken rope, refusing to let go.
She hated him for making her feel this way.
By morning, she had shoved all those thoughts deep down, burying them under a mask of control. She was here to work, not to rekindle an old, painful flame.
Dressed in a fitted black skirt and a silk blouse that clung to her curves just right, she walked into Titan Enterprises with purpose. Her heels clicked sharply against the marble floor, her expression unreadable.
She wasn’t going to let Alex shake her.
She repeated that in her head as she rode the elevator up to the top floor.
But the second she stepped into his office, she realized how impossible that would be.
He was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, hands in his pockets, his sharp suit hugging his broad shoulders just perfectly. Sun rays streamed through the glass, highlighting the sharp angles of his face, the strong cut of his jaw, the sheer power he exuded with every breath.
And then he turned.
His storm-gray eyes locked onto hers, and just like that, she felt her control slip.
“Morning, Calloway.” His voice was deep, smooth—like he hadn’t spent last night roaming her thoughts.
Lucy lifted her chin, refusing to let him see how much he unsettled her. “Your schedule is on your desk.”
She walked past him, placing the neatly printed itinerary down, pretending not to notice the way his eyes followed her every move.
Alex was silent for a moment, then—“You left in a hurry last night.”
Lucy’s grip tightened around the folder. “I had work in the morning.”
His smirk deepened, slow and deliberate. “Right.”
Her pulse spiked.
He was playing with her.
Testing her limits.
She exhaled sharply. “Do you need anything else, Mr. Varela?”
“Yes.” He leaned against his desk, watching her with amusement. “Cancel my lunch meeting.”
She frowned. “Why?”
Alex tilted his head. “Because we’re having lunch together.”
Her stomach twisted.
“Excuse me?”
“You work for me, Calloway. It’s not a request.”
Her blood heated, but she kept her voice even. “I don’t mix business with pleasure.”
His gray eyes darkened, a challenge sparking within them.
“Who said anything about pleasure?”
Lucy’s breath hitched.
Damn him.
She needed to get out of this office before she did something stupid—like slap him. Or kiss him.
Before she could turn and escape, he murmured, “One o’clock. Don’t be late.”
Her heart pounded in sync with her footsteps as she stormed out.
She wasn’t going to play his game.
But the problem was—she already was.
---
**Lunch – A Dangerous Line**
Lucy regretted showing up the second she arrived.
The rooftop restaurant Alex had chosen was secluded, the kind of place where people whispered over candlelit tables, where soft music floated through the air, where the atmosphere rang intimacy.
This wasn’t a business lunch.
This was a setup.
Alex was already seated when she arrived, his jacket draped over the chair, his crisp white shirt rolled up to his elbows.
He looked devastatingly good, and she hated that she noticed.
She sat down opposite him, smoothing her napkin over her lap.
“I expected you to cancel,” Alex murmured, his gaze never leaving her.
She lifted her glass of water, her fingers steady. “I almost did.”
His lips twitched. “And yet, here you are.”
A waiter appeared, placing a bottle of wine on the table.
Lucy frowned. “I didn’t order that.”
Alex’s eyes glinted. “I did. It’s your favorite.”
Her heart clenched.
It had been years since she’d had that wine—since him.
“You don’t know anything about me anymore,” she said quietly.
Alex swirled the wine in his glass, studying her. “You sure about that?”
Lucy forced herself to focus on the menu, pretending his words hadn’t sliced through her.
They ate in silence, but it was not comfortable.
It was thick. Charged.
A slow, simmering tension that refused to fade.
And then Alex leaned forward, his voice dropping to something almost dangerous.
“Tell me something, Lucy.”
She hesitated. “What?”
His eyes flickered to her lips before meeting her gaze.
“What happens when you stop fighting this?”
Her pulse jumped.
This.
The pull between them.
The tension, the attraction, the unfinished past that neither of them dared to name.
She forced a smirk, hiding the tremble in her voice. “I don’t plan on finding out.”
Alex chuckled, low and dark. “We’ll see about that.”
She should have walked away. Should have thrown his own arrogance back in his face.
But she didn’t.
Because deep down, she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
---
**The Elevator Ride – A Moment Too Close**
The car ride back to the office was unbearable.
Silent.
Heavy.
Every breath, every shift of movement, laced with something neither of them would name.
By the time they reached Titan Enterprises, Lucy felt like she was seconds away from combusting.
She stepped into the elevator first, pressing the button for the top floor.
Alex stepped in after her.
The doors slid shut.
The space was small, too small for them.
Too warm.
Too them.
Lucy kept her eyes trained on the digital numbers as the elevator climbed, but she could feel Alex’s gaze burning into her.
“You’re avoiding me.”
Her fingers curled into fists. “I’m working.”
He stepped closer.
Not touching her.
Not yet.
But close enough that his scent—spiced wood and something purely him—wrapped around her.
“You’re scared,” he murmured.
Her breath caught. “Of what?”
His lips barely grazed her ear.
“This.”
Lucy’s body went rigid.
Her heart pounded.
Her skin burned where his breath had touched it.
She should push him away.
Should slap him.
She should tell him he was insane.
But then—
The elevator stopped.
The doors slid open.
And reality crashed in.
Lucy stormed out, her heart racing.
Alex followed, his smirk slow, satisfied.
“This isn’t over,” he murmured.
Lucy didn’t turn around.
She didn’t have to.
She already knew—
He was right
- Writer
