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73 - Responsibility
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2024-10-29 19:42:56The words that Jia had been planning to say evaporated like dust motes in the sun when she met Daniel’s gaze. There was no judgment in it behind his glasses, nothing that should make her feel ashamed or victimized, but maybe the perfect, neutral expression he wore was even worse. Because - she knew that he wasn’t neutral about what he had seen, knew that his opinion of her had to have shifted the instant that he saw her tangled with Atlas against the glass. He had warned her about it, after all. She remembered the conversation only too well.
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In the Shadow of the CEO 74 - Rejection
"I have to go somewhere," she told Atlas when she returned to the office. He had been waiting for her with a smile, half-sitting back on her desk with those eyes that were so blue that her resolve had nearly crumbled in the first instant. But Daniel's words were still burning in her mind hours later, and this was something she had to do."I'll take you there."She smiled back but shook her head. "It's personal. I need to go alone."At his silence, she paused to wonder if she had been too cold. She hadn't meant to be, and she was sure that none of her anxiety had slipped out in her tone, but maybe the words themselves had been too brusque. She came closer and stopped only when she stood directly in front of him, nearly touching his knees."But I'll see you in the morning if you like," she added. "If you still want to pick me up?"Maybe he wouldn't want to, a voice whispered in the back of her mind. She tried to stamp it out since there was no
In the Shadow of the CEO 75 - Stop
Dr. Lindhurst's warning that the birth control wouldn't be effective right away had Jia faking her pain longer than necessary (and certainly longer than she really wanted) around Atlas. She watched him carefully in that time, wondering if any day now he would get tired of waiting and demand her body then and there, or if he would simply begin to lose interest upon not being able to play with his newest toy as much as he liked.Or was he a man whose anticipation only increased with the wait? Jia couldn't begin to guess. All she knew was that she warned herself every morning when her eyes opened that this might be the day he no longer wanted her around. That way, surely it would hurt less if it really happened happened. Though from what Daniel had said earlier that week, it was a matter of 'when,' not 'if.'But she had to put that out of her mind for now and focus on work. There was still the dinner on Friday night and then the twins' competition on Saturday to wor
In the Shadow of the CEO 76 - Vapors
He'd made an oversight, Atlas had realized when he picked up the twins. He should have brought a bigger car, one with four doors and a real backseat so that Jia didn't have to pull her seat forward for them to climb in. It was hard to keep the necessary concessions at the forefront of his mind, though, when Jia alone occupied his thoughts every idle moment. But these things took practice, and he was sure he would get accustomed to her siblings with time.They didn't complain about the cramped transportation, however, and Jason (though his elder sister called him by another name - Jisu?) kept up an animated conversation throughout the whole half hour ride back to Manhattan. The girl, Jeannie, was far quieter, but Atlas knew better than to think it was out of any sort of shyness. More than once, he caught her venomous stare in the rear view mirror, and he had to wonder again what it was that he had done to make her so hostile.He was an only child so he couldn't claim to
In the Shadow of the CEO 77 - Repercussions
Jia didn't know what to make of the entire weekend. It had started badly with the dinner Friday evening, but shortly thereafter, Jini retracted her claws and allowed Atlas significantly more peace than before. The glares didn't quite stop, but they seemed to be limited only to spurts of time rather than maintaining a constant vigil. It lessened even more after Saturday when Atlas made surprise arrangements for William to take them to Manhattan for the Regionals so that they didn't have to take the bus.For Nationals, he'd said, he would make sure to show up in person. Jini had rolled her eyes at the thinly veiled encouragement.The competition was a grueling six hours that ended in the twins' advancement, and William had arrived to take them back home afterward. Sunday disappeared in a flash - all three of them were exhausted after a busy week and spent the day sleeping in. The only interruption was a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Lee, who came bearing food in disposab
In the Shadow of the CEO 78 - Accountable
Jia understood. Lydia's deception had been far from malicious. If anything, it was proof that she was still looking out for her, contrary to Jia's worries all this past week that the other woman hated her. And maybe it was also true that Lydia had borne the burnt of the burden of the legwork for a while because she was uncomfortable being in the same office space as her, but she'd flat out admitted to concealing the truth from Jia in order to spare her feelings. Sure, she hadn't said it in so many words, but..."Thank you."The blonde pursed her lips and looked uncomfortable for a second, but in short order, she sighed and shook her head. "It's fine. Just...you've got to think a little more before you act. When it comes to something as big as Pandora Lights, you're talking about celebrities and up-and-coming stars and all the money that goes with it. That's billions of dollars exchanging hands per year. You've got to..." She shook her head again, but this time it was m
In the Shadow of the CEO 79 - Talks
"Just so you know, none of them will blame Ms. Munson for anything, even though she was the one who broke her contract. She's too well-liked and has the best PR team money can buy."The elevator was halfway to the IT floor, the carriage humming around them as they continued to ascend. Jia turned to look at Lydia, surprised that she had spoken at all. She had thought the conversation was over already, but clearly not - and despite her current misery, she felt a sudden surge of defensiveness on Dolly's behalf."She has a right to her own life," she replied, although she kept her voice as matter-of-fact as possible so that she didn't come off as combative. "It should be her choice whether she wants to stay in the industry or not."The blonde nodded. "Yes. But that has nothing to do with legal obligations. When I say she broke contract, I don't mean that she put in a pink slip and announced that she was leaving.""Well, I mean...it was sudden, but -"
In the Shadow of the CEO 80 - Expectations
"So where do you want to start?"Jia closed her eyes as Atlas ran his fingers down the side of her face, the calluses following the dip of her cheek and down to her chin. She sighed. "Are we - dating?"It was a clumsy way to begin a talk so important, and she knew it. But it was better than nothing, and at least he looked amused rather than disappointed at her lack of eloquence. A smile quirked at the corners of his mouth as he took a lock of her dark hair between his fingers and raised it to his lips. He pressed a kiss to it, keeping his eyes on her face all the while, and she became even more acutely aware that she was still straddling his lap."I'd say that we are. I wish I'd been more plain about it if you've been doubting it so much.""No, it's not that," she hurried to say. "I just...wanted to be sure. Might as well.""Mm.""How serious is it?""How serious do you want it to be?"She took one hand off his shoulder a
In the Shadow of the CEO 81 - Avoidances
Atlas could only admit the problem to himself once he was back in his penthouse fresh after a shower, and that only because he was still riding the haze of a post-coital high. It was easier to face his problems when he was comforted by the fresh memory of Jia's soft body melting against him, her stammering cries and the way she couldn't ever seem to look him in the eyes as he made her come.He didn't know what that said about him. Maybe that he was a better person for having been inside her? And that if he wanted to stay that way, he was going to have to ask for her help a lot more often?But dry humor aside, they had skirted a topic tonight that he had long avoided. Not just with Jia but with everyone in his life, including those who had deserved better...but Daniel had never wanted to hear anything of it anyway. That chapter was closed for the both of them - except Atlas had decided to leave it behind while Daniel kept it chained to his ankle. A friendship that had s
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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
