Chapter Eleven

Emilia

It had been hours since my confrontation with Jayden, but the heat of his words still burned in my chest. I had managed to shove down my emotions for a while, burying the sting of his insults deep down where I could ignore them—at least until the next time I’d have to face him. The anger, the accusations—none of it was new. But today, it had felt different. Personal. He wasn’t just angry about the position. No, it was more than that. It was about power. Control.

I wasn’t the same Emilia anymore, and he couldn’t handle that.

With a heavy sigh, I walked back to my office, the long hallway stretching before me like a passage I had to walk every day—grueling, unyielding. I passed several employees who quickly turned their attention back to their work as I approached, but I could sense the looks. The whispers. They were still fresh. Still sharp.

When I reached my office, I felt a moment of relief, thinking I could finally gather my thoughts and catch my breath. It was only a fleeting thought, though, because the moment I was about to close the door, it slammed open with a force that sent a shudder through the room.

Jayden.

I froze, my heart skipping a beat. I had known he wouldn’t be done with me. I had known that his anger hadn’t been fully spent. The cold steel in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. He was still angry—angrier than before—and he was back to make sure I knew it.

I took a slow breath, steadying myself against the wall, trying to maintain some semblance of composure as he strode in. Every step he took was calculated, full of the same fury he had exhibited earlier. His usually composed expression was twisted now, something feral simmering beneath his polished exterior. His jaw was tight, and his hands, fists clenched, were hanging at his sides.

Jayden closed the door behind him with an audible click. The sound felt final, like an executioner’s gavel. My stomach turned. I didn’t know what to expect next, but I was certain it wouldn’t be pleasant.

"You must be so proud of yourself," he sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "Seducing your way to the top like the whore you are."

I stiffened, my breath catching in my throat. His words stung, but I didn’t let it show. "Excuse me?" I forced the words out, hoping my voice didn’t betray the panic that threatened to rise up inside me.

"Oh, don’t play innocent, Emilia." He took another step forward, pushing me back until I hit the edge of my desk. I could feel the sharp corners digging into my back, but I barely registered it. I was too focused on him. "You really thought you could fool everyone? That they wouldn’t put the pieces together?"

I stood my ground, even though my insides were shaking. "I earned this position," I said, my voice quieter than I intended, but still firm.

Jayden let out a sharp laugh, cutting through my words. "Earned?" His voice was dripping with disdain, every syllable like a slap. "You think anyone believes that? Do you think I believe that?" He sneered, stepping so close that I could feel the heat of his body against mine.

I wanted to argue. I wanted to shout at him that I had worked my ass off for this position, that it hadn’t been handed to me. But his presence, his anger—it was suffocating, oppressive. I opened my mouth, but he didn’t give me the chance to speak again.

"I know what you are," he spat, his face twisted in disgust. "A pathetic little nobody who climbed her way up on her back. Tell me, Emilia, how many of them did you have to spread your legs for?" His words cut deep, each one sharp enough to draw blood. My stomach twisted into knots, nausea rising in my throat, but I refused to show it.

My voice trembled with the force of my anger. "That’s not true!" I practically hissed the words, the rawness of them coming from a place I didn’t even recognize.

"But it’s what everyone is saying," he shot back, his eyes flashing with cruel satisfaction. "And why wouldn’t they? One minute, you’re nothing—just a disposable assistant. The next, you're sitting at Richard Kane’s right hand? Please." He leaned closer, his breath hot against my face. "Tell me, Emilia, how many of them did you fuck to get there?"

I pressed my back harder against the desk, but it did nothing to ease the pressure in my chest. His words were like a weight, suffocating me, and all I could think about was the false narrative he was spinning.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to speak, to get the words out. "I worked for this, Jayden. You know I did." It was the truth. It was all I had.

But Jayden wasn’t listening. He was too wrapped up in his own anger to hear me. His eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening as he took another step closer, until I could feel his presence almost consuming me.

Then, in a move that was faster than I could react to, he grabbed my wrist. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to send a jolt through my entire body. My pulse quickened, and I immediately tried to pull away, but his grip tightened just enough to remind me that he was in control here. His fingers were cold, digging into my skin with an unyielding force.

"Let go of me," I said, my voice low and dangerous. I tried again to break free, but he didn’t release me.

His grip only tightened slightly, but it was enough to make me feel helpless. My stomach churned, the pressure of his presence, the weight of his anger suffocating me.

Finally, after a long pause that felt like an eternity, Jayden released me with a scoff. "You disgust me," he muttered, backing away from me like I was something beneath him, something to be discarded.

I was trembling now, my whole body shaking with the aftermath of his words. I refused to show him how much he’d hurt me, how much his insults had shaken me. I held my ground, though my breath came in shallow gasps, and I fought to steady myself.

Jayden straightened his tie with a casual flick, as if the confrontation had meant nothing at all. He looked at me one last time, his gaze cold, calculating. Then, his voice lowered to a near-whisper.

"This isn’t over, Emilia," he said, his tone almost eerily calm. "You took what was mine," he murmured. "And trust me... I'll make you pay for it."

He didn’t wait for my response. He didn’t even acknowledge my presence anymore. With one final glance, he turned on his heel and strode out, his footsteps echoing down the hallway like a warning.

As the door clicked shut behind him, I sank back into my chair, my body still trembling with the aftershocks of his fury. I was used to Jayden’s arrogance, his temper. But this? This felt different. It wasn’t just resentment. It was rage. A dangerous, volatile rage that I knew wasn’t going to fade anytime soon.

I had expected backlash. I had expected resentment. But I hadn’t expected this.

By the time I walked out of my office, I could feel the weight of a hundred unspoken accusations pressing down on me. It wasn’t just the hushed voices in the hallways or the sideways glances from colleagues who had once treated me with respect—it was the way they looked at me now. Like I was a fraud. Like I didn’t deserve to be here.

I had been prepared for some resistance—after all, no one had expected Richard to choose me—but I hadn’t anticipated just how vicious people could be.

"She must have done something to get that position."

"There’s no way Kane would choose her unless she had something to offer."

"Sleeping her way to the top… classic."

The words slithered through the air like poison, reaching my ears no matter how hard I tried to ignore them.

I clenched my jaw and kept walking, my grip tightening around the file in my hands. I had worked too hard for this to let a few rumors shake me. But the sting of their words burrowed deep, hitting a wound I didn’t want to acknowledge.

I had spent my life proving my worth, pushing myself beyond limits, sacrificing sleep, personal time—everything—for my career. And now? Now, my achievements were being reduced to nothing more than gossip, to lies spun by people who had no idea how much I had given up to be here.

A group of employees stood near the break room, their voices dropping as I approached. A woman I recognized from HR gave me a quick, pitying glance before looking away, as if afraid to meet my eyes for too long. Another man, one of the senior managers, smirked slightly, his expression filled with amusement as though this was nothing more than office entertainment for him.

I refused to let them see me falter.

Chin high, shoulders back—I moved through the hallway like I couldn’t hear them, like their words meant nothing. I had learned a long time ago that showing weakness only gave people more power over you.

But Jayden… I knew he wouldn’t stop at whispers.

No, he wanted to see me break. He wanted to see me fall.

And if there was one thing I had learned about him, it was that he never stopped until he got what he wanted.

A part of me knew he had started this. He had fueled the rumors, fed the fire, made sure that every single person in this company doubted me. And he wasn’t done yet.

I exhaled slowly, steadying myself.

Let them talk. Let them believe what they wanted.

I wasn’t here to please them. I wasn’t here to justify my place.

I was here to win.