Chapter 27 Close The Door

Chapter 27 Close The Door

For a few seconds, the world just… stopped.

I stood there, my brain refusing to process the lacy piece of humiliation clutched in my hand. Ethan’s face was a perfect blend of shock and amusement, while Leo, the absolute menace, leaned casually against the doorframe like he hadn’t just detonated a social grenade in the middle of my morning.

I could actually feel the heat spreading from my chest up to my face.

“You—” I started, my voice coming out as a strangled squeak. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Leo tilted his head, pretending to think. “Plenty of things, but I wasn’t aware returning lost property was one of them.”

Ethan snorted, trying and failing to hide it behind a cough. “Wow. Morning’s off to a great start.” Daniel who had suddenly appeared in the scene, commented.

I shot him a glare that could have melted steel. “Don’t. Say. A. Word.”

“Wasn’t planning to,” he said, but his smirk said otherwise.

I turned back to Leo, my mouth opening and closing because I didn’t even know where to start. The smirk tugging at his lips was too daunting, too deliberate. Like he was enjoying this. Which he obviously was.

“You could’ve at least… I don’t know, handed it to me privately!” I hissed.

Leo shrugged, eyes gleaming with that infuriating amusement. “You didn’t give me the chance. You bolted out of the car before I could say a word. I don’t see a reason why bringing it to you is a big deal”

“That doesn’t mean you get to….” I glanced down at the stupid, lacy fabric in my hand and quickly shoved it into my pocket like that would somehow erase the humiliation. “humiliate me in front of my coworker!”

“Boss,” Daniel corrected with a grin. “Big difference.”

I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. “You’re not helping, Daniel!”

“Zoey,” we should speak privately. It was the first time Ethan had uttered a word since Leo started this drama.

Leo’s gaze hovered between us, his smirk fading just enough to reveal something colder underneath. I saw it, the tiny tightening of his jaw, the way his eyes darkened when Ethan moved a little too close to me. It was gone in an instant, but it left a trail of heat running down my spine.

“Next time, Zoey,” Leo said, voice lower now, “try keeping your things together.”

Then he turned and walked off, leaving a trail of expensive cologne and chaos behind him.

As soon as he left, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. “I’m going to kill him,” I muttered.

Danny was still grinning like a child who’d just watched his teacher trip over a chair. “You two have… interesting dynamics.”

“Don’t start.”

“I mean,” he said, leaning back against my door, “most people forget their phones, maybe their keys. But underwear? That’s a new one.”

I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. “Please stop talking.”

He chuckled, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. But for the record…” He paused. “You okay?”

I gasped, thrown off by the sudden shift in tone. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just… regretting my life choices.”

“You sure? Because you look like you’re about to commit murder.”

“I am about to commit murder,” I said. “Premeditated. Cold-blooded. Possibly justified.”

Daniel laughed, then turned serious again. “You should be careful, Zoey. I don’t think that man does anything by accident.” 

“I’ve noticed,” I muttered. “He’s like a walking disaster dressed in Prada.”

“Zoey, we should—“

Before Ethan could finish the sentence, hurried footsteps approached us, and both of us turned at the same time. It was Leo again, except this time, his expression was blank.

What could have happened within a few minutes?

“Meeting room. Ten minutes,” he said, “both of you.” He added, making sure Daniel knew he wasn’t needed.

And just like that, he was gone again.

Ethan let out a low whistle. “Does he ever do anything the right way?”

“Apparently not.”

Ten minutes later, I was sitting across from him in the conference room, trying very hard not to stab him with my pen. He sat at the head of the table, perfectly composed, as if the morning’s little stunt had never happened. The man could commit emotional arson and still look like he belonged on the cover of a business magazine.

“Alright,” he said smoothly. “Let’s talk about the Adams project.”

Ethan nodded, diving into his presentation, but I barely heard a word. My brain was too busy trying to process Leo’s expression. Every time I glanced at him, his eyes flicked toward me, not lingering, but enough to make my skin prickle.

Halfway through the meeting, I realized my pen had snapped in my hand. When it finally ended, Some of the workers stayed behind to pack up the projector. I made a quick attempt to flee, but Leo’s voice stopped me mid-step.

“Zoey. A word.”

I froze, mentally counting to ten before turning around. “If this is about the underwear—”

“It’s not,” he said quickly, though the faint twitch at the corner of his lips said otherwise. “Follow me.”

And I did so without questioning. I walked a few hurried steps behind him until we got to his office.

“Close the door.” 

Oh no.

I closed it slowly, deliberately, every instinct screaming run.

He waited until the latch clicked before speaking.