His billion dollar heart

Chapter 6

If Lily had known walking into the office that morning would lead to public embarrassment, passive-aggressive sabotage, and a knock at her apartment door from a billionaire with snacks... she might've stayed in bed.

But no. She had worn her new beige heels. Brought her reusable coffee cup. Even hummed while walking to work.

Big mistake.

It all started with the slideshow.

She had spent two full evenings organizing Jaxon's quarterly investor presentation. Perfect slides. Balanced graphs. Color-coded titles.

But when the meeting started, and Jaxon tapped the clicker to display the first slide, instead of a sleek title card, the screen lit up with-

Lily Hart's Notes

To-Do: 1. Avoid Mira. 2. Don't flirt back. 3. Definitely ignore his eyes. 4. Maybe burn red dress?

Lily nearly died.

The room-packed with investors, board members, and a few executives-erupted into awkward silence.

Jaxon stared at the screen. Blinked.

Lily gasped. "That's not- I didn't-!"

But Mira's soft voice cut through like a knife. "Oops. Looks like someone uploaded the wrong file."

Lily turned slowly, staring at her with wide eyes.

Mira just sipped her coffee, lips twitching with fake sympathy.

Jaxon didn't say a word. He closed the laptop calmly, stood, and looked straight at Lily.

"Can I see you in my office?"

She stood there for a full ten seconds before following him.

Inside, he didn't sit. He paced.

"Lily," he said, voice low, "how did that file get uploaded?"

"I didn't upload it!" she said, face burning. "I had it saved on my desktop-someone must've-"

His jaw flexed. "Mira."

"What?"

He grabbed his phone, typed something, and slammed it on the desk. "She's the only one with admin access to your shared folder."

Lily sank into the chair, humiliated. "Everyone saw it."

He stopped pacing. His voice softened. "Are you okay?"

"No," she said honestly. "I want to crawl into the supply closet and die."

His brow creased. "This is my fault."

"No, it's-"

"I should've shut Mira down a long time ago."

He looked furious now. Not with her-for her.

And somehow, that made her heart c***k more than the presentation disaster.

He rubbed a hand through his hair. "Go home for the day."

"But-"

"Please," he said. "Let me handle this."

Lily left the building feeling like a scandalized meme.

Clarissa texted her five minutes later:

Clarissa:

Did you just walk out like a boss after a sabotage scandal? I'm obsessed. Teach me your ways.

Lily:

No. I walked out like a flaming dumpster.

Clarissa:

Still iconic.

She didn't reply.

She couldn't.

Jaxon Reid rarely yelled.

It wasn't his style.

But when Mira stepped into his office that afternoon, smug and polished in her beige silk blouse, he was already standing, hands clenched at his sides.

"Sit," he said.

She raised a brow. "Is this the part where you pretend I did something wrong?"

"You humiliated her."

Mira folded her arms. "I exposed what everyone was already whispering. She flirts. She distracts. She's completely unprofessional-"

"She's better than half the executives in this building."

"She's clouding your judgment."

"She's the only person who's made me actually care about this job again," he snapped. "You think you're protecting me, but all you've done is remind me how toxic this place can be."

Mira's smile faltered.

"She's not like the others, Mira," he said quietly. "And I'm not going to let you tear her down just because you feel... threatened."

Mira's voice turned cold. "You're going to throw away ten years of loyalty for a girl who didn't even say goodbye in high school?"

He stared at her.

And said, "Yes."

Three hours later, Lily was in pajamas, eating cereal, and trying to pretend she wasn't dying of embarrassment.

Mason had turned the living room into a reality TV commentary zone.

"So you're telling me this billionaire-who definitely has a skincare routine and a private jet-saw your 'don't flirt with him' notes on screen?"

"Yes."

"And he didn't fire you?"

"No."

"Did he say anything about the 'burn red dress' part?"

Lily groaned and threw a pillow at him.

He ducked and grinned. "Honestly, I'm proud. Most people just cry in the break room. You created content."

Then came a knock on the door.

She blinked.

Mason stood. "Are we expecting-?"

The second knock was firmer.

Lily peeked through the peephole.

Her heart stopped.

It was Jaxon.

Holding a large paper bag and... a cactus?

"What the-"

She opened the door slowly. "Hi?"

He looked sheepish. "Hi."

"What are you doing here?"

"I brought snacks. And this guy." He lifted the cactus. "His name's Kevin. He thrives on neglect. Thought he'd fit in here."

She stared.

He offered the cactus. "For surviving Mira."

She laughed despite herself and let him in.

Mason blinked from the couch. "Is that... the billionaire?"

"Yup," Lily said.

"Cool. I'll be in my room. Yelling into a pillow."

Mason vanished.

Jaxon placed the cactus on her counter, then opened the bag and pulled out a box of chocolate croissants.

"I didn't know what to bring. Wine felt too serious. Ice cream too cliché. So I panicked and bought carbs."

She opened the box. "Croissants are never a bad choice."

They sat at her tiny kitchen table. The entire vibe was wildly different from his penthouse and luxury restaurants. But he looked... relaxed. Almost relieved.

"I'm sorry about what happened," he said. "You didn't deserve it."

Lily tore off a piece of pastry. "No. But it's not the first time someone tried to sabotage me."

He looked at her, surprised.

"I grew up learning how to fight without throwing punches. That presentation just reminded me."

He nodded slowly. "Still, I should've protected you."

She met his eyes. "You stood up for me today. You didn't have to."

"I wanted to."

She smiled. "And you brought carbs."

He grinned. "It's the least I could do. Also, Kevin."

She eyed the cactus. "You really named him?"

"Absolutely. If you don't water him, he thrives. If you give him attention, he wilts. The opposite of me."

She laughed.

"Also," he added, reaching into the bag again, "I may have panicked and bought you this too."

He pulled out a book. The Great Gatsby. A collector's edition. Deep blue cover with silver lettering.

Her mouth parted slightly.

"You once told me it was your favorite."

Her voice caught. "It still is."

He smiled. "Maybe this time, Gatsby gets the girl."

She stared at him.

Everything was too much. The gift. The croissants. The way he looked at her like she was the most important thing in the room.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked softly.

"Because I like you."

She blinked.

"I liked you then. And I really like you now. And if I have to bring croissants to your door every week to prove it, I will."

She stared at him for a long second.

Then whispered, "Do you want to stay for coffee?"

His eyes lit. "Only if Kevin approves."

She glanced at the cactus. "He seems cool with it."

And just like that, the day that started with disaster... ended in warmth.

And croissants.