MATED TO THE BULLY

chapter 7: The Professional Mask

The sun hadn't even fully cleared the horizon when Sage was already back at her desk, the blue light of her monitor reflecting in her amber eyes.

She hadn't slept well—the phantom sensation of the fated bond had been humming under her skin all night, a persistent vibration that felt like a radio tuned to a station she didn't want to hear.

​Jaxon's apology from the night before felt like a heavy stone she was forced to carry.

"I'm sorry," he had said. The words were small compared to the mountain of notebooks he'd shredded and the years of public mockery he'd invited.

​A sharp knock at her office door broke her concentration. She didn't need to look up to know who it was; the air in the room suddenly felt electric, heavy with the scent of pine and rain-soaked earth.

​"You're early," Sage said, her voice a cool, professional blade.

​Jaxon stood in the doorway, holding two cardboard coffee carriers. He looked like he hadn't slept much either; the streaks of silver at his temples seemed more prominent in the early light. He didn't have the arrogant smirk he used to wear like armor. Today, he just looked tired.

​"I remember you used to skip breakfast in school because you were trying to stay in the library," he said softly, stepping in. He set a cup on her desk. "Black coffee. Two sugars. And a croissant from the bakery down the street."

​Sage finally looked up, her gaze flat. "I don't skip breakfast anymore, Jaxon. I'm an adult. I manage my time."

​"I know," he replied, his gray eyes searching hers. "I'm not trying to manage you. I'm just... trying to be a person. A decent one."

​She wanted to throw the coffee away. She wanted to tell him that a croissant didn't fix a broken eighteenth birthday. But the bond flared—a warm, traitorous glow in her chest that made her want to reach out and touch the jagged scar on his jawline.

​She clenched her hands in her lap. "The merger meeting starts in twenty minutes. If you want to be 'decent,' have the revised northern branch projections ready. I won't have our partnership look weak because you were too busy playing delivery boy."

​Jaxon winced, but he didn't snap back. The old Jaxon would have snarled at an omega talking to him that way. This Jaxon just nodded. "They're already on your server. I worked on them until three a.m."

​He turned to leave, but paused at the door. "Sage? I'm not doing this because of the bond. I'm doing it because you deserve it. You always did."

​As the door clicked shut, Sage looked at the steaming cup. She took a sip. It was exactly how she liked it. She hated that he remembered. She hated even more that for a split second, she didn't want him to leave.