Chapter 2: Let Me Go Please

Kyla packed up her things, ready to leave the office for the last time. Her heart felt heavy, but she knew she had to do this. Walking out of Reece’s world was the only way to save herself from more heartbreak. But just as she reached the door, her phone buzzed.

It was an email from HR.

URGENT: Audit Review – Immediate Action Required

Her breath caught. What the hell was this?

Before she could even process, her office door swung open, and there stood Reece, looking sharp in his tailored suit, but his eyes were wild. "Kyla," he said, his voice calm but with a hint of urgency, "We have a serious problem with the company's audit. Something’s wrong, and I need you to handle it."

Kyla stared at him in disbelief. “Now? I just handed in my resignation,” she said, keeping her voice steady.

He moved closer, his presence filling the room. “Look, I don’t know what happened. Finance flagged some irregularities, and it’s bad, Kyla. If we don’t fix this, we’re talking millions. This could get ugly fast.”

Kyla’s stomach churned. The company’s reputation, her job, everything could be at risk. She knew Reece was asking her to stay, but this wasn’t a game. She couldn't walk away knowing there was a crisis.

Sighing, she placed her bag down and sat back at her desk. "Fine. I'll stay until the audit issue is resolved, but after that, I’m leaving for good."

Reece smirked but quickly masked it. "I knew I could count on you."

---

Hours stretched into days. Kyla worked tirelessly, going over endless files and documents. Something didn’t feel right about the audit. The mistakes seemed too deliberate, too well-placed to be accidents. She couldn’t shake the feeling that someone had set this up, but who?

By the third night, Kyla hadn’t left the office. She was sleeping on the couch, barely getting any rest between work sessions. The smell of coffee lingered in the air, her eyes heavy with exhaustion, but she couldn’t stop. She had to find out what happened.

One night, while scanning through another file, the door opened unexpectedly. Kyla looked up, expecting it to be Reece again, but instead, a tall, statuesque woman with sleek blonde hair walked in. She looked like she had just stepped off the cover of a magazine. The expensive designer dress she wore clung to her body, and her heels clicked sharply against the floor. Her lips curled into a fake smile.

"You must be Kyla," the woman said, her voice dripping with superiority. "I’ve heard so much about you."

Kyla frowned, confused. "And you are?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I’m sorry. I assumed Reece had told you.” She stepped closer, her perfume strong and overwhelming. "I’m Vivian, Reece’s fiancée."

Kyla’s heart stopped. Fiancée? The room suddenly felt smaller, her chest tightening as the word sank in. So, this was the woman Reece’s mother had chosen.

"Fiancée?" Kyla repeated, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Yes," Vivian purred, her gaze sharp as she looked Kyla up and down. "You didn’t think someone like him would settle for...well, this, did you?"

Kyla clenched her fists, fighting back the urge to slap that smug look off Vivian’s face. The woman was everything Kyla wasn’t—rich, beautiful, and clearly from the same elite world as Reece. But she wouldn’t let herself be humiliated.

"I have work to do," Kyla said coldly, standing up to walk Vivian to the door. But before she could get far, Reece stepped in. He glanced between the two women, tension filling the air.

"Vivian," Reece said, his voice tight, "You shouldn’t be here."

Vivian smiled sweetly, but her eyes were icy. "I just wanted to see the woman who’s been working so closely with my future husband."

Kyla could feel the heat rise in her cheeks, embarrassment and anger mixing together. Reece moved closer to her, putting himself between the two women, his back turned to Vivian.

"Kyla, I need you to stay," he said, ignoring Vivian completely. "This audit—it’s not what it seems."

"I know that," Kyla snapped, feeling her patience fray. "But I can’t keep pretending everything’s fine, Reece. I can’t—" She paused, trying to gather her thoughts. "I’m leaving after this, and you need to accept it."

Vivian’s laugh echoed behind them. “Looks like you’re losing your little pet, Reece.”

Reece’s jaw tightened, and without looking back at Vivian, he said, “Get out.”

Vivian’s eyes flared with anger, but she composed herself quickly. "I’ll see you at home," she said, her voice saccharine as she left, leaving the tension in the room suffocating.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Reece turned back to Kyla, his face serious. "I paid someone off," he admitted quietly, running a hand through his wet hair. “To mess up the audit.”

Kyla’s heart sank, realizing what he had done. "You...you set this up? So I would stay?"

Reece stepped closer, his eyes filled with something she couldn’t quite place—desperation, maybe even guilt. "I can’t lose you, Kyla," he said, his voice raw. “Not like this.”

Kyla felt her throat tighten, her heart aching at his words, but anger flared in her chest. "So you lied? You tricked me into staying because you couldn't let me go?"

Reece’s face softened, and for the first time, Kyla saw vulnerability in his eyes. “Yes.”

She slapped him, hard. The sound of it echoed in the room, and her hand stung from the impact, but she didn’t care. “You don’t get to control me, Reece. You can’t manipulate me into staying just because it’s convenient for you.”

Reece looked at her, his cheek red from the slap, but he didn’t move. He didn’t yell, didn’t fight back. Instead, he reached for her, his fingers gently tracing her jawline. “I love you, Kyla,” he whispered, his breath warm against her skin. “I didn’t realize it until I thought I’d lose you.”

Kyla felt her knees weaken at his words. This was what she had wanted, wasn’t it? But now, hearing him say it, she didn’t know if she could trust him. “You have a fiancée, Reece,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

“I don’t care about Vivian,” he said firmly. “She’s not you.”

He kissed her then, softly at first, but soon it deepened, his lips moving against hers with a hunger that she had felt every time they were together. For a moment, Kyla let herself melt into him, her body responding to his touch, but then she pulled away, shaking her head.

“This doesn’t change anything,” she said, stepping back. “I’m still leaving when this is done.”

Reece’s face darkened, but he didn’t argue. “We’ll see,” he said quietly, watching her as she turned back to her desk, her mind spinning with everything that had just happened.