Chapter 24: You Forgot Who I Am
Chapter 24: You Forgot Who I Am
Chapter Twenty-Four: You Forgot Who I Am
POV: Elias Voss
Elias Voss didn’t shout.
He didn’t slam doors or throw papers.
He didn’t need to.
When he was angry, the world bent around him.
And right now, the world was going to bleed.
\---
He stood at the window of his office, phone pressed to his ear.
“Effective immediately, I want a full audit of the marketing department,” he said flatly. “Pull Slack logs, internal memos, timestamped activity reports, and personal device access history.”
A pause.
“No. Don’t tell Caitlyn Rivers.”
He ended the call and stared out at the skyline, teeth clenched so tight his jaw ached.
He’d warned them.
He had drawn the line.
Noah was his.
And anyone who tried to stain that would pay the price.
\---
When Vincent entered without knocking, Elias didn’t turn.
“What do you have?”
Vincent handed him a thin folder. “Camera review confirms Rivers delivered the envelope yesterday. She was careful — used a decoy exit, returned through legal, avoided main surveillance zones.”
Elias opened the folder. Photo stills. Clear as glass.
Her hand. Her bag. Her shadow leaving the envelope on Noah’s desk.
He closed the folder.
“Make sure she never holds a senior title again,” Elias said.
Vincent blinked. “Terminate?”
“Not yet. Strip her access. Block her from the next quarter’s strategy sessions. I want her department reviewed. Then reassigned. Quietly.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Vincent?”
“Sir?”
“If she breathes a word about Noah again—”
“I understand.”
\---
By 10:42 a.m., Caitlyn Rivers’s entire team had been pulled into compliance reviews.
By 11:15, her project authorizations were revoked.
By noon, her calendar was cleared.
By 12:03, she stormed up to the executive floor.
\---
Elias was waiting.
The door opened.
She didn’t ask to come in.
“You petty, vindictive—”
He raised a hand.
She stopped.
He spoke softly. Calmly. Terrifying.
“You made two mistakes, Caitlyn.”
She blinked.
“One,” Elias said, stepping forward, “you underestimated me.”
“And two?”
“You thought I would break the rules to protect him.” He paused. “I don’t need to.”
She laughed bitterly. “You’re in love with your assistant. It’s pathetic.”
Elias smiled.
Cold.
Measured.
“You don’t even know what love looks like.”
Caitlyn's face twisted. “He’s not worth it.”
Elias’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“He’s worth everything.”
\---
She left without another word.
Because she knew.
The war was over.
She’d lost.
\---
That evening, Elias stayed late — again. The sky had turned the color of polished obsidian, and the building was quiet enough to feel haunted.
Noah hadn’t come by.
Elias hadn’t summoned him.
But he couldn’t stop thinking about him.
The way he stood up to Caitlyn.
The way his voice shook but never broke.
The way he’d said, “I want to earn the right to stand beside you.”
He already had.
Elias just didn’t know how to say it yet.
\---
At 7:46 p.m., he opened his office door.
Noah’s desk was empty.
But a note sat on his chair.
You said stay close. I’m still here.
—N
Elias smiled.
Then opened the elevator.
\---
The penthouse was warm when he walked in.
Dim lights. Jazz playing low. The faint scent of coffee and something sweeter.
Noah was on the couch, barefoot, Elias’s hoodie swallowing his frame.
He looked up when Elias entered.
“You look like someone just fired a thousand-dollar pen at
a wall,” Noah said.
Elias walked straight to him.
Bent down.
And kissed him.
No hesitation.
No apology.
Just heat. Gratitude. Ownership.
When he pulled back, Noah was breathless.
“You okay?” he asked.
Elias sat beside him. “I am now.”