The morning after Alan left felt strange—too quiet, too still, too heavy with things I didn't want to think about. My body still remembered being held in his arms, and my mind kept replaying the moment he kissed my forehead like I was something precious.
But when I arrived at the office, I realized the rest of the world had no interest in letting me breathe.
The elevator doors opened to hushed whispers, side glances, and smirks that felt sharp enough to cut skin.
"Did you hear?""She really went on a date with David?""She's shameless.""Trying to seduce the CEO and a coworker at the same time?"
My stomach twisted.
Then I saw her—Veronica, standing at her desk like a queen overseeing her court. Her lips curled into a satisfied smile the moment her eyes landed on me.
"Good morning, Julia," she sang, way too loud. "Looks like you had quite a night."
The entire office went silent.
My heart sank. She knows. Not everything—but enough to make trouble.
I forced a steady voice. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh?" She tilted her head innocently. "So you didn't spend the whole evening with David? Laughing, smiling, and—"
"Enough, Veronica." My voice cracked, but I held my ground.
She stepped closer, lowering her voice only slightly. "You really think you can outplay me? Alan is mine. And you? You're just a temporary distraction he'll toss aside once he gets bored."
Whispers exploded around us. My cheeks burned. I wanted to disappear.
Before I could respond, David walked in—bright, cheerful, oblivious to the growing storm.
"Julia! About last night—" he started.
The office froze.
My heart stopped.
Veronica's smile sharpened into a blade. "Oh, please, David. Why don't you tell everyone? It looked like you two had a great time."
David blinked, confused. "Uh… it was just dinner. She said she needed to relax. I was trying to help."
"Help?" Veronica laughed. "Right. By flirting with her nonstop?"
David's face reddened. "I wasn't flirting."
"You sure?" Veronica's voice rose. "Because you don't look like someone who's 'just helping'."
The coworkers giggled, enjoying the spectacle. Some filmed discreetly. My chest hurt.
"Stop," I whispered. "You're twisting everything."
"Oh sweetheart," Veronica purred. "I don't need to twist anything. You handed me the rope yourself."
She leaned in, whispering deadly quiet into my ear:
"You think Alan will protect you? You think he'd take your side over mine? Let's see."
And with that, she strutted away.
My legs trembled. I tried to reach my desk, but before I could sit, the office door opened.
Alan stepped out.
His presence sucked the oxygen from the room. His expression was cold. Controlled. Dangerous.
Every employee straightened instantly.
But the only person he looked at—
Was me.
And not in the soft way from last night.
This was different.
His gaze flicked to David, then to me, then to Veronica—slowly, as if piecing together a puzzle he already hated.
The room watched like hungry wolves.
"Julia," he said, voice sharp enough to slice through steel. "My office. Now."
My breath caught. A tremor shot through me.
The whispers returned instantly.
"Ohhh, she's in trouble.""Is she getting fired?""Veronica must've told him everything…""Poor girl."
David whispered urgently, "Julia—if he blames you, I'll explain—"
"No," I whispered back. "Please don't make it worse."
I walked toward Alan's office, heart pounding like a drum. I could feel the weight of every stare. Every judgment. Every assumption.
I stepped inside. Alan closed the door behind us with a soft, final click that felt like a lock on my throat.
The silence inside was thick. Suffocating.
Alan's jaw ticked. His eyes were dark.
"What," he said slowly, "exactly happened last night?"
My breath hitched. "Alan… I told you—"
"And I believe," he cut in, voice low and dangerous, "you told me you would not see David. And yet here I am, listening to my employees gossip about your 'date.'"
I flinched. "It wasn't like that. They're twisting—"
He stepped toward me. "Are they?"
I nodded, trembling. "Yes."
"And the smile?" he asked, voice tightening. "The one you gave him this morning?"
I froze. He noticed. Of course he noticed.
"It wasn't—"
"Julia," he snapped softly. "Do not lie to me."
Tears welled in my eyes. "I wasn't trying to make you jealous."
The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them.
Alan's expression cracked—just a fraction. His eyes darkened in a different way, a way that looked almost… wounded.
"You think this is about jealousy?" he whispered harshly. "This is about loyalty."
My throat tightened. "I didn't betray you…"
He stared at me for a long, agonizing moment. Then his voice dropped, edged with raw possessiveness.
"I kissed you last night while you slept in my arms."
My heart stopped.
He stepped closer, his breath brushing my cheek.
"And today… I had to watch you smile at him? Like nothing happened?"
Tears spilled down my cheeks. "Alan… I'm sorry. I swear I wasn't—"
A knock interrupted us.
Veronica. Standing confidently in the doorway.
"Alan," she said sweetly, "I thought you should know—Julia has been causing quite a scene this morning. It's affecting morale."
Alan turned his head slightly.
And smiled.
A cold, slow, terrifying smile.
"Veronica," he said softly. "Close the door. And stay outside."
She blinked. "What?"
He stepped past me, opened the door wider, and looked her dead in the eyes.
"I said," he repeated, "close the door. And do not interrupt me again."
The office gasped. Veronica's face drained of color.
She closed the door.
Alan turned back to me, his voice low, strained with emotion he tried to hide.
"You belong to me, Julia," he murmured. "I won't tolerate anyone dragging you down. Not Veronica. Not this office. And not your own guilt."
I swallowed hard, trembling. "Then… what do you want me to do?"
He stepped so close the heat of his body wrapped around me.
"Prove," he said quietly, "that you're mine."