Emma's POV “From today, you will have your lunch with me,” he said with finality, his voice leaving no room for argument.My blood boiled at his arrogance. “Then I would rather skip lunch altogether.”“Stop being childish,” he muttered, exasperating his words.“Stop bullying me,” I shot back, my anger matching his. “I don’t like it. I swear, I will vanish from here again and I don't care then what you do with all these employees, I would not allow you to take advantage of me i may be your employee, but not your slave. You can't force me to do anything, I would rather die than let you bully me like this.”For a moment, something flickered in his eyes—regret, perhaps? But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. He softened his tone slightly. “Please, have lunch with me.”"No, thanks," I said firmly, pulling my hand away from his grasp. The touch of his skin against mine sent an unwanted jolt through my body, a reminder of everything I was trying to forget.He sighed, a sound filled
Emma's POV I quickly ended the call with James, my heart pounding in my chest as I slipped the phone into my pocket. Ryan stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable, but the tension radiating off him was almost palpable. He had heard enough—perhaps not everything, but enough to fuel whatever storm was brewing inside him.“Who was that?” His voice was deceptively calm, but his eyes betrayed the jealousy and anger simmering just beneath the surface." What is your problem?" " My problem is that my wife left me alone one fine day and after six years, when I found her, I got to know that she has someone, somewhere who she thinks is her lifeline. I want to know about her lifeline too." He said coming very close to me. I saw a dangerous glint in his eyes. Trying to keep my tone light, though my hands trembled slightly. “ There is nothing you need to worry about.”Ryan took another step closer, his eyes narrowing. “You think I’m stupid, don’t you? That I can’t see through your lies?”
Emma's POV " Come back to me, Emma. Or I swear, I will burn this entire world, you will not leave me this time. And your lifeline will not be able to save you from me. I want you back, that's why I bought this stupid and mediocre firm. I can't lose you to someone else. You belong to me. Now come back to my office or I will do something that you might not like." Ryan lingered for a moment longer, his gaze intense and searching before he finally turned and walked out of the room, leaving me alone with my racing thoughts and a heart that ached with a mixture of fear and longing.What happened to him?? He betrayed and cheated me, but he was not like this? I knew that he was pretending at that time but how can someone pretend so much?Despite everything that happened in the past, I was still undeniably attracted to him. The girl, who thought she was frigid earlier, was burning under his gaze and a mere touch. I needed to control myself, to reign in my emotions around him.*********Kate
Emma's POV The walk back to my desk felt like a walk of shame. My colleagues gave me sympathetic looks as if they could sense the torment I was going through, but I ignored them, keeping my head down. I couldn’t face their pity, not after everything I had endured today.As I gathered my things and prepared to leave, I felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me, nearly knocking me off my feet. But I couldn’t afford to break down now. Not here, not in front of them.I made it to the lift, barely able to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over. The moment the doors closed behind me, I allowed myself a single, shuddering breath, my hands gripping the rail as I tried to steady myself.This was only the beginning. Tomorrow would be worse. I knew that. But I had no choice. I was trapped, forced to work alongside the man who had destroyed me, the man who was now determined to break me all over again.As the lift descended, the reality of my situation settled like a lead weight in my c
Emma's POV The way he looked at me, the way his touch had lingered, sent shivers down my spine. I hated that he could still affect me, that despite everything, there was a part of me that still craved his touch, his attention. But I couldn’t let myself fall into that trap again. I had to keep my distance, to protect myself from the pain he could so easily inflict.I crawled into bed, the sheets felt cold against my skin, and I stared up at the ceiling. Tomorrow would come soon enough, and I needed to be ready. Ready to face him again, to fight against the pull he had on me, and to protect the life I had built for myself and James.As I closed my eyes, the last thought that crossed my mind was of Ryan’s face, the way his eyes had darkened with that mix of determination and something else. Something I couldn’t quite place, but that terrified me all the same.Tomorrow would be another battle, another test of wills. But this time, I wouldn’t run. I couldn’t afford to.I would face him he
Emma's POV The Next day, I reached the office at eight in the morning as I didn't want to give him another chance to control me even by punishing him for not coming earlier, and I was shocked to see that Ryan was already there at the office. He smirked when he saw me and asked me to come to his office. But I told him that I would come once the staff came as I didn't want people to gossip about us. He shook his head and shrugged. " So? Let them gossip, I can announce that you belong to me." He said casually. " I don't want that... " " Yes of course! After all, you are single in their eyes. " He said sarcastically and went into his office. I shook my head and went to mine. The office environment was nothing short of stifling. Since Ryan had taken over the small firm where I worked, his presence had cast a long shadow over everything. Though his takeover had been smooth, with assurances that the existing staff would keep their positions, the atmosphere had changed dramatically. I h
Emma's POV My heart pounded in my chest. “It’s not any of your business, Ryan. But let me tell you, and I told this to Cade as well, repeatedly, that I’m not interested.”Ryan’s voice grew even colder. “I don’t want any more distractions. And if you think you can use your position to attract attention, think again. You belong to me. Now come to my office immediately.”The possessiveness in his tone was suffocating. He made it clear that despite our strained relationship, he considered me his domain. His comments about “belonging” to him were infuriating and humiliating, Cursing him, I went to Ryan's cabin and he made good on his threat. The workload doubled, and the pressure was relentless. Files piled up on the desk, each one more urgent than the last. Every time I thought I had a moment to breathe, another task would appear, and Ryan would be there, watching, waiting for me to break.But I refused to give him that satisfaction. I worked late into the night, pushing myself to the
Emma's POV Finally, it was evening after a particularly grueling day; I found myself staying late at the office, trying to catch up on the mountain of work that had been dumped on me. The office was quiet; the only sound was the tapping of my fingers on the keyboard. I had just finished a report when my phone buzzed—James.I glanced at the clock. It was past his bedtime.Oh god! He was already upset and I forgot to call him. He must have been waiting for me to call and comfort him. With a sigh, I answered the call, keeping my voice low. “James, honey, I am sorry; I had so much work to do that I didn't realize that it was time to talk to you. I am sorry, honey, but will change very soon." " Mom, are you so busy that you can't even talk to me for five minutes? It seems, no one loves me." He sounded very hurt. My heart went out when I heard him say that. He was my life. The most important person in my life. " Please don't say that honey; I love you the most in the entire world. It'