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56 - Price
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Jia was angry. She had come dressed in something formal but also something that she could wear to work, because she hadn't known what would happen between the time she left for Atlas's penthouse and when her shift (should have) started at eight. Dark slacks and a white button down blouse, she had come dressed to get fired.
Instead, she was sitting on one of Atlas's sofas, smelling an aroma wafting from the kitchen so good that her mouth had turned down into a furious frown. Her fists were clenched in her lap, too, as she waited for the man to get off his phone in the hallway. His low voice was echoing amid the acoustics of the corridor with a pleasant, smooth ring, she noticed....and the conversation was taking too long.
Oh, she knew she should have eaten before she left the apartment, but she hadn't had an appetite all day. Not until now.
The worst part of it was that if she was being reprimanded in any way (it didn't seem like she was g
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In the Shadow of the CEO 57 - Breathless
Her time? What was that supposed to mean?Except Jia already had a good idea of that already even if she didn't want to admit it, because the truth was that she had no idea how to deal with Atlas when he was treating her with anything other than frigid disdain or cool regard. Every time he had deviated from either of those, it had blindsided her and sent her reeling.She could complain, still. She could point out that her time wasn't for sale either, especially when she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Sure, it hadn't been a physical coercion, but he shouldn't have put her in this position in the first place if he really did mean well.Jia listened to the low drone of Atlas's voice outside the kitchen. She wished he'd stayed close so that she could eavesdrop, but it was likely that he had left the kitchen specifically to prevent that, not just out of polite courtesy. It made her blood boil. She'd known the Lees for years - years! - and he had th
In the Shadow of the CEO 58 - Wilting
This was an awful idea. Jia knew this. She also knew that she shouldn't be wandering around the penthouse with such fearlessness, but the place was gorgeous and she was still riding the delicious high of having won an argument against the great and ferocious Atlas Grayson. Because she had most definitely won, even though there had been no shouting or anything else to suggest the 'discussion' was an argument. He had caved, and she hadn't.That was cause for celebration, and by celebration, Jia meant claiming a self-guided tour around the luxurious unit. Atlas was simply following behind in silence as she wandered around the living room first, admiring the graceful yet minimalistic decor of the furnishings. And then the hallway next since she had already seen plenty of the kitchen.There were two paintings hung up here, one an abstract display of pale, cool colors swirling skyward, and the other a generic oil painting of a calm meadow. She squinted at the second on
In the Shadow of the CEO 59 - Forward
"Mr. Grayson, please don't, really -""I'll have to insist, since you keep calling me by the wrong name in my own home -""That's ridiculous! I'm not going to have a single drop, so you can enjoy both of those yourself."But despite her continued protests, Atlas took a single step toward her with such undeniable authority that she hurried to receive the proffered wineglass. But it was a quarter full of the Romanée-Conti red wine that could have paid off Jia's debt nearly in full, and he really expected her to just drink it -!"Dolores purchased one from the same vineyard, one from a 2001 batch if I remember correctly. She ended up pouring eighty thousand dollars down her bath drain because she fell asleep in the tub while drinking from it. I hope you'll appreciate this far more than she did with her own."Jia gawked at Atlas as he raised the wineglass to his lips in a slow, hypnotically graceful movement. He kept his gaze trained on he
In the Shadow of the CEO 60 - Vacancy
It was nearly eleven o' clock. It was a terrible idea to have stayed this long at Atlas's penthouse on a Sunday night when they both had to be in the office bright and early the next morning, especially when it hadn't been for business reasons as Jia had initially thought it would be.No, she'd had dinner and wine and a fine conversation interlaced with what she could have sworn were bouts of flirtatious prodding instead. She had been neither scolded nor fired, and the one time that she had brought up Dolly, Atlas had brushed it off with an assurance that things had been handled.She didn't understand it. Was it the wine that dulled her thinking faculties? She couldn't reason out why he would be so lenient with her when she had indirectly caused the company's profit margin to plummet to unseen depths. Not just lenient, either, but indulgent.She shivered in the passenger seat of Atlas's Lamborghini, chilled by the memory of him pressing into her back when
In the Shadow of the CEO 61 - Style
"Ni-ni left early," said Jisu. "She needed to stop by somewhere."Jia paced up and down the living room, her anxiety split in so many different directions that she didn't know which one was tormenting her the worst. There was the matter of having to look Atlas in the face when she got to the office after the idiotic performance she had put on last night. Drunk and blushing and falling all over herself - the only reason she didn't bury her hands in her face at the mere thought of it was because she didn't want Jisu asking unnecessary questions about why she was so agitated.But there was also the problem of finding Jini missing this morning. Jia had run around the kitchen after waking up ten minutes late to get breakfast ready, but upon knocking on their bedroom doors, only Jisu had come out."Did she say where? Is she with anyone?"He shrugged. "Don't worry about it. She's going straight to school after, I'll meet her before first period. Oh, and do
In the Shadow of the CEO 62 - Locks
She should have worn a different skirt. A looser one. This was - too much. Jia's breath tightened and twisted in her chest until it felt like she was going to wheeze out her lungs, but Atlas had already called her in and she had no choice but to enter.What had she been thinking? She should have at least worn the open front jacket over her top while rifling through the Tote of Luxurious Mysteries this morning, but after going back and forth between that and the mirror at least a dozen times, she had ended up folding it and putting it away. Because...it was probably going to be too warm, she had told herself at the time, what with all the running around and frantic phone calls she would be handling all day.Now she felt horribly bare and exposed as she pushed open the door and let herself in. What would he say, she wondered. What would he do? Maybe a cool comment about her ridiculous behavior last night, about how she shouldn't drink in the company of others
In the Shadow of the CEO 63 - Whisper
Jia couldn't pinpoint exactly when she had become this way. Only a few weeks ago, she had been swinging a wine bottle at Richard's head for trying to grope her, and now she was falling all over herself with a single burning look from Atlas Grayson, the man she would have sworn she hated not so long ago.Since when had his cold, piercing blue eyes become captivating instead of intimidating? No, that wasn't right: they were still intimidating, too, only now in a way that made her whole body tingle with nervous thrills instead of making her recoil in dread.She locked the glass doors with a swipe of her ID on the scanner, and then did her best to pretend unflappable composure as she turned to walk toward Atlas. He was still leaning against the door frame, looking languid and sure with a subtle slouch curving his tall frame. Broad in the shoulders, tapering at the hips; by no account was he excessively bulky and hulking. And yet he seemed to fill the room more and more wit
In the Shadow of the CEO 64 - Clarity
This shouldn't be happening, thought Jia, but she couldn't muster up the will to say it aloud.She couldn't say anything at all, actually, as Atlas's hand continued to slide up her thigh with its electric, callused touch dragging along soft, warm skin. It was too surreal, too sudden after everything that had happened between them. Where had the subtle glances or the long but inscrutable stares gone? And what about the way he would draw close but so rarely ever touch, the way he would only press against her so briefly and make her heart pound as she wondered if she could brush it off as an accident?He had only ever hinted at this before, made her wonder when he would move in for the kill. This week, last week - dozens of times. Maybe more, so many that she couldn't imagine a time when he hadn't been circling around her and making her quiver the way she was now as his warm breath tickled her lips.It was the heat of his palm a
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In the Shadow of the CEO Author's Note
The ending has been modified due to feedback from several readers that were unsatisfied with the ending. While I can't really say I'm proud of the cut version because it doesn't properly envison what I had in mind for the story's conclusion, I'm happy to let readers leave off the story on a thoroughly final note.As a result, I have withdrawn plans to write a sequel and will leave the story as is. But thank you all anyway for coming with me on this journey! :DFind me on facebook @ManaSolStories so that you can keep up with my other stories here on GoodNovel instead.
In the Shadow of the CEO Epilogue
Jia pushed Atlas away from herself with a furtive look around the dim rear hallway they found themselves in. "Stop that! Someone will see."But he didn't listen. With a low, rumbling chuckle in his chest, he pressed her up against the wall and nuzzled her neck, breathing her in as if he couldn't get enough of her scent. She did her best to keep from melting in his arms as they snaked around her, one around her waist and the other coming up to cup the back of her neck, but a small gasp left her lips when she felt him grind his hips against hers."The things you do to me," he whispered in her ear, and she had to bite down hard on her tongue so that she didn't let out a breathy moan and tremble against him.No, they were absolutely not doing this. They were in a restaurant. In public! At a party! The last time they had done this, they had almost gotten caught by a waiter and only barely managed to hide themselves in a tangled mess in the utility closet."Atlas -""Fine, fine," he said, an
In the Shadow of the CEO 95 - Offerings
When Atlas finally came to bed, it was already past two in the morning. Jia had let the twins know she wouldn't be coming home - and although they probably thought she was up to mischief, the reality was that she knew she couldn't leave Atlas alone tonight. Even now, he sat on the side of the bed, slouched over with his elbows on his knees.She sat up and rested her fingertips on his bare, muscular shoulder. He felt so strong, and yet..."Sleep," she told him. "You'll know what to do tomorrow."He reached back and grasped her hand in his before turning around and sliding under the covers beside her. She was ready when he pulled her close and began kissing her neck and working his way down her chest, pulling on her clothes with growing insistence. But instead of yielding, she reached up to cradle his face in her hands and urged him with slight pulls to lift his head and look at her."Atlas," she murmured as she stared up at him. "I'm glad you told me."He stilled, so she kept on."If yo
In the Shadow of the CEO 94 - Choices
Clearly, they weren't going to be heading back into the building anytime soon. Jia took a deep breath before turning to look at Ava, making sure her face betrayed nothing but steady composure."You care about Atlas," she said shortly, "and so do I. It's your right to doubt my intentions, but our relationship is ours and no one else's. Meaning that it's his choice to stay in one with me, just like it's my choice to do the same with him.""So, in other words, you don't care. About letting the company crash because you can't give him up?""...I'll consider everything you said to me today. You can interpret my intentions however you want. I care about Atlas. He is important to me. So is Pandora Lights. I am not 'giving' either of them up like I'm swapping trading cards.""That's a nice, self-righteous way of saying you'd rather screw the whole company over rather than let go of his money. Before you say it's not about that, I'll just remind you that it's funn
In the Shadow of the CEO 93 - Adjustments
"How is our new schedule working for you?"Jia pressed her knees together and looped her hands around them as she thought about how to answer. She liked this place more than she had thought she would the first time she came, and the second. It was strange how liberating it felt to be in the one place she felt the most vulnerable."I think it's good," she said. "I didn't think I'd want to be here more than I had to, but you were right. I felt a lot better this week. And I think I was more stable. Well, stronger, I guess.""That's good," Dr. Brody - or Lisa, she preferred - remarked. She smiled at Jia and settled back in her armchair. "Do you want to tell me about it?"She made herself more comfortable on the sofa as well. Their very first meeting a month and a half ago, Lisa had told her that she was free to lie down if she preferred, that the kind of therapy she conducted encouraged her to be as comfortable as she could be physically so that she could be
In the Shadow of the CEO 92 - Games
"Mr. Burhock!""Jia, so good to see you again. How are you! You look ten times more lovely than before, how is that possible? Maybe if I spin around once, it'll happen again."Mr. Burhock was his sweet, jovial self as usual as he pulled her into a hug and pounded her back a little too hard with his plump fist. He babbled on about his new grandchild and about the rigors of childproofing his house now that there would be yet another small baby running about wild. No, he wasn't his usual jovial self - he was exceedingly so, more than normal.They were meeting in the hotel lobby of the Ritz-Carlton hotel. Ava would be here in a second as well once she adjusted her makeup in the bathroom. And then they would be off to a eat a celebratory dinner, a reservation at Burhock's favorite Greek restaurant. Jia was looking forward to it for more than one reason. For one, it was the one time Atlas would be eating with them instead of working himself to death in his offic
In the Shadow of the CEO 91 - Trees and Forests
"You should come help me."Jia had allowed Ava into the outer office when the woman came knocking, not bothering to ask how she had managed to come exactly at a time when Atlas and Lydia were in one of the conference rooms on the lower floor for a meeting. Then again, those two were getting busier and busier, and nearly a third of their day was simply attending video conferences; perhaps it was a coincidence after all.She had to stop suspecting Ava just because she was jealous. And she knew that was the reason, too. She had promised herself a week ago after the conversation in Atlas's car that she would remain self-aware, that she would handle herself with integrity when it came to the other woman. This was business. This was professional....It was still hard."What can I help you with?"Her response was the right one. She knew it already, but there was a pleased glint in Ava's eye as if she were impressed that Jia hadn't come running up with her
In the Shadow of the CEO 90 - Idyllic
Itwas nearly ten. Jia had begun to wonder if perhaps he would show up at all an hour ago, a stray thought that she could feel ballooning into another episode now that she knew what to look for. Knowing the enemy made it easier to fight, so she had spent a little time reorganizing the kitchen to take her mind off of Atlas and Ava and whatever they were talking about for the past five hours.When he did show up, she didn't even answer his call. She simply toed on her sneakers and shuffled out in a hurry with the shoes only half on her feet.He was standing outside his car and leaning against the passenger door. When he saw her appear, a faint smile turned up the corners of his mouth, and he opened it so that it could slide upward to let her in. She was already in a long, worn out white T-shirt and a pair of loose training pants, both of which had seen better days and absolutely did not suit the glamor of the car or the man who owned it -Stop, she told herse
In the Shadow of the CEO 89 - Concealed
Jia blinked and stared, not entirely certain that she had heard Atlas correctly. She couldn't have. It was only because she had been thinking hard about how to approach the topic of Ava tonight that she thought she'd just heard him say the name, that was all. She tried to step around Atlas and move closer to Erica to give her a proper greet since they hadn't seen each other since this morning for a cup of coffee (and water), but when she peeked around his shoulder, she found the woman staring straight at Atlas's face instead.It hadn't occurred to her how tall Erica was until now, as she watched them square off in an apparent staring contest. Or was it because she was standing up straight and squaring her shoulders, revealing her true height instead of carrying a moderate slouch when last they had met?In fact, everything about Erica was different now. Her appearance was the same, but her eyes were sharper and colder, and the way she tilted her head slightly at A
