His Ruthless Possession

Kieran's knuckles whitened against the mahogany desk. "You're two hours forty-three minutes late." His voice rasped like sandpaper against glass, betraying three consecutive nights spent negotiating the Veridian Tech acquisition - a deal now jeopardized by the bombshell email he'd received at 3:17 AM.

Liora adjusted her oversized cardigan sleeves, the Balmain logo scratching her neck like an indictment. "Actually it's two hours thirty-seven..." Her correction died when his stormcloud gaze dropped to her sneakers. Those limited-edition Balmain collabs had been Ethan's impulsive gift after last night's champagne disaster at Chez Maurice, complete with paparazzi capturing her mid-sneeze.

"Where were you last night?" Kieran's thumb grazed the Paris Fashion Week tag dangling from her collar. Twelve pairs released stateside. She wore number seven.

"Walking Mrs. Abernathy's schnauzer," she lied, the Pomeranian mix she actually dog-sat yipping through her memory. Her cheeks burned as Kieran's new executive assistant Victoria chose that moment to enter, her Louboutins clicking a judgmental staccato against marble.

"You're blinking." Kieran circled her like a prosecutor closing in on perjured testimony. "Twice per second when lying." His fingers plucked off her tortoiseshell glasses, revealing hazel eyes now wide as a cornered doe. Victoria lingered near the espresso machine, smirking as she prepared his usual triple-shot macchiato.

The citrusy bergamot of his aftershave turned cloying. "Stop crowding me! I can't—" Her protest dissolved when his lips crashed against hers with hurricane force.

His left hand pinned her wrist against the chilled conference table while the right tangled in her chestnut waves. This wasn't a kiss but a conquest, all sharp nips and punishing pressure that tasted like espresso and betrayal. When his tongue breached her defenses, Liora's knees buckled—right as the boardroom doors burst open.

"Am I interrupting?" drawled a familiar voice.

Ethan Cross leaned against the doorway, Armani suit wrinkled in that artfully disheveled way only trust fund babies mastered. The tech mogul's arrival explained the sudden flurry of activity beyond the glass walls - junior associates scrambling with contract binders, HR head whispering urgently into her headset.

Kieran stepped back, his mask of control sliding into place. "Mr. Cross. We weren't expecting Veridian's CEO until noon."

"Changed my flight after seeing Page Six's riveting coverage." Ethan's grin didn't reach his glacier-blue eyes as he tossed a tabloid onto the table. There they were - Liora mid-sneeze at Chez Maurice, Ethan's arm around her shoulders, headline screaming Tech Titan's New Muse?

Victoria nearly dropped the macchiato.

Liora's blood turned to slush. "That's not—we weren't—"

"Save it." Kieran's voice could've flash-frozen the East River. "Ms. Chen was just leaving."

The slap echoed before she registered moving. Kieran's head snapped sideways, red blooming across his cheek as Victoria gasped. Ethan whistled low.

"You win." Liora's whisper fractured. "Twelve years I've been your human punching bag. The fool who brings coffee and contracts and..." A tear splashed on Gucci loafers she'd saved three months to buy him. "Turns out even mollusks grow new shells."

Ethan blocked her exit, voice uncharacteristically gentle. "My driver's downstairs." When she hesitated, he added, "The schnauzer misses you."

As the door hissed shut, Kieran stared at the abandoned security badge glowing in afternoon light - Liora Chen, Legal Assistant warping through his whiskey tumbler. Victoria cleared her throat. "Shall I reschedule the Tokyo call?"

"Cancel it." He tossed back the bourbon. "And find out who leaked those photos."

Three floors down, Ethan watched Liora shred a napkin at the lobby bar. "He's not the villain, you know."

Her head snapped up. "Excuse me?"

"Veridian's been extorting his family firm for months." Ethan swirled his Scotch. "That acquisition? Kieran's not buying my company - he's saving yours."

The revelation hit like a sucker punch. "Why tell me this?"

"Because watching you two orbit each other is more entertaining than Netflix." His smirk faded. "And because whatever game he's playing... you're the only real piece on the board."

Back in the executive suite, Kieran stared at the encrypted email that started this madness: Terminate Liora Chen or we tank the merger. Attached photos showed her leaving Ethan's penthouse at dawn - never mind she'd been retrieving Mrs. Abernathy's escaped terrier.

Victoria lingered by the door. "The leak came from—"

"I know." He didn't look up from the dagger-shaped letter opener his father had gifted upon his promotion. Some legacies cut deeper than others.

As twilight painted Manhattan in bruise-colored hues, two figures observed the drama from a black town car. "She took the bait," said the woman with vermilion nails.

Her companion adjusted his fedora. "Let's see if Mr. Holt's willing to burn his empire for a secretary."

The car merged into crosstown traffic, leaving Kieran's reflection fractured in the skyscraper glass - a king besieged in his gilded tower, clutching a broken pair of tortoiseshell glasses.