Chapter 32 : Under his Watch
Chapter 32 : Under his Watch
Emma was almost packed up for the night when Cole’s voice cut across the office.
“Emma, you are coming with me.”
She looked up, startled. “What?”
He was standing in the doorway to his office, coat already in his hand. “Meeting downtown. You’re coming.”
Emma hesitated, clutching her bag. “I can meet you there. It’s easier if..”
“No,” Cole said firmly. “We leave together.”
She swallowed, nodding quickly. “Alright.”
Her chest felt tight as she followed him out. The office was nearly empty, lights dimmed except for the cleaning crew. Cole’s stride was brisk, and she had to keep up.
When they reached the car, he opened the back door first like he was expecting her to sit there. She blinked, then moved toward the passenger seat instead.
His brow lifted, but he didn’t comment. He slid into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and pulled onto the road.
Emma sat stiff, bag clutched in her lap. She tried to look out the window, but every few seconds, her gaze darted to the mirrors, checking the street behind them.
Cole noticed.
He didn’t say anything at first. Just kept driving, his jaw tight. Emma shifted in her seat and tried to break the silence.
“So… what’s the meeting about?”
“Numbers,” Cole said shortly.
“Oh. Right.” She nodded. “End-of-quarter stuff?”
“Yes.”
And that was it.
Emma’s throat went dry. She tried again. “Should I have brought anything? Reports or..”
“I have everything,” he said.
Her fingers tightened on her bag strap. “Okay.”
The streetlights passed over them in steady rhythm. Cole’s profile was unreadable, sharp in the glow of the dashboard.
Emma’s leg started bouncing without her realizing. She pressed it still, then glanced back toward the rear window. A car had been behind them for a few blocks.
Her chest pinched.
Cole’s voice came low. “Why do you keep looking over your shoulder?”
Emma froze. “What?”
“You’ve checked the mirrors five times since we left,” he said evenly. “You do it at the office too.”
Her stomach dropped. “I don’t, i wasn’t.”
“You were,” Cole said, eyes still on the road. “What are you looking for?”
Emma’s throat closed up. She forced a laugh. “Nothing. I guess I’m just… tired. Thought I saw someone earlier, that’s all.”
“Someone,” Cole repeated.
“Yeah. It was nothing.” She stared at her hands. “I’m fine.”
He didn’t answer right away. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, the leather creaking softly. The silence stretched until Emma’s skin prickled.
Finally, he said, “You’re distracted. Distracted people make mistakes.”
“I won’t,” Emma said quickly.
“You already are.” His tone was calm but sharp enough to sting.
Emma’s cheeks burned. “I’m not distracted. I promise.”
Cole glanced at her briefly, his expression hard to read in the dim light. “If something’s going on, I need to know.”
“Nothing’s going on,” Emma said firmly.
He didn’t push, but he didn’t believe her either. She could feel it in the way his eyes flicked toward her every so often.
The car rolled on, the weight of his silence pressing down harder than any words.
Emma forced herself to look straight ahead, but her pulse raced.
The elevator ride up felt longer than it should have. Emma stood stiff at Cole’s side, clutching her bag like it was the only thing keeping her steady, he didn’t say a word.
They stepped out into the boardroom floor. Everything looked sharp, polished floors, glass walls, lights bright enough to sting her tired eyes. Emma tried to straighten her posture, hoping it would cover the fact her stomach was in knots.
Cole pushed the boardroom door open, and the low hum of conversation spilled out. Men and women in suits sat around the long table, laptops open, papers scattered.
“Mr. Harrington,” one of them greeted.
Cole gave a curt nod. “Let’s begin.”
He walked to the head of the table, and Emma slipped into a chair a little down the side. She opened her bag, pulled out her notepad, and forced her hand steady as she uncapped a pen.
The meeting started fast, numbers, reports, contracts, projections. Emma tried to focus, scribbling notes, but every so often she caught herself glancing toward the glass wall, half-expecting someone to be there watching.
“Emma,” Cole’s voice cut through suddenly.
Her head snapped up. “Yes?”
“Read back the numbers for revenue growth in quarter three.”
Her heart lurched. She flipped through her notes quickly, praying she hadn’t zoned out. She found it, cleared her throat, and read the figures.
Cole’s eyes stayed on her the whole time. When she finished, he gave a short nod. “Good.”
She let out a quiet breath and kept writing.
The board members kept talking, trading opinions in clipped voices. Emma’s pen moved across the page, but she felt Cole’s attention more than once.
Two hours crawled by. Finally, someone said, “That covers everything.”
Cole closed his laptop. “We’re done.”
The room broke into motion, Papers stacked, chairs scraping back, people leaving. Emma shoved her pen into her bag and stood too quickly, bumping the chair.
Cole’s voice stopped her. “Stay.”
Her bag strap slipped from her shoulder as she froze. “Excuse me?”
“Stay,” he repeated, calm but firm.
The last of the board members filed out, the door clicking shut behind them. Then it was just the two of them.
Cole leaned back in his chair, watching her. “You were distracted.”
Emma forced a nervous laugh. “I wasn’t.”
“Yes, you were. You kept looking at the glass wall like you expected it to break.”
She hugged her bag tighter. “You’re imagining it.”
“Am I?” His voice stayed low, steady. “Last night you barely looked at me. Tonight you couldn’t stop looking behind you. And in between, you look like someone’s haunting you.”
Emma’s mouth went dry. “That’s not..”
“Stop lying,” he said bluntly.
Her breath caught.
Cole didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to. The way he said it made her feel like the room itself had gone still.
“I’m not lying,” she whispered.
“Then tell me what’s wrong.”
Emma looked down at her shoes, her grip on her bag strap so tight her knuckles ached. “It’s nothing.”
He stood, slow and deliberate, and walked around the table until he was standing right in front of her. She had to tilt her chin up to meet his eyes.
“Nothing makes you flinch every time someone passes your desk,” he said. “Nothing keeps you awake all night.”
Emma’s stomach twisted. “You notice everything, don’t you?”
“That’s my job,” he said.
She swallowed hard. “Well, maybe I just, maybe I’m tired. Maybe I’m stressed.”
“That’s not all of it.”
Emma shook her head quickly. “I don’t owe you explanations about my life outside work.”
“No,” Cole agreed. “But if it affects my work, you do.”
Her pulse raced. “It doesn’t.”
“Doesn’t it?” He leaned in slightly, his eyes locked on hers. “You nearly missed the figures tonight. That’s not like you. Something’s pulling you apart, and I want to know what it is.”
Emma’s heart pounded. “I told you, it’s nothing you need to worry about.”
“Secrets don't stay secrets forever Emma,” Cole said.