Chapter 213 Like A Mile Away

Chapter 213 Like A Mile Away
Leon’s POV

I sat in the back of my sedan, staring out the tinted window as the morning city traffic crawled by.

My head throbbed with a dull, steady ache. I had not slept more than two hours last night.

Every time I closed my eyes, all I could hear was Bianca’s icy voice from yesterday afternoon outside the office lobby, threatening to sue me for sexual harassment.

The words still felt like poison on my tongue. Would she really do that? Sue me?

Up in the driver’s seat, Thomas kept glancing at me through the rearview mirror.

He was usually a quiet man who kept his eyes strictly on the road, but I could guess my sighing inside the car was getting uncomfortable even for him.

"Mr. Steele," Thomas said softly, breaking the silence as we stopped at a red light. "Are you feeling alright this morning, sir? You look quite exhausted."

I let out a slow, tired breath and rubbed the bridge of my nose. "I’m fine, Thomas. Just a lot on my mind."

"If you don't mind me saying, sir," Thomas hesitated, adjusting his grip on the leather steering wheel. "It is about Miss Bianca, isn't it? When Elias dropped her off at her new house yesterday after work, he mentioned that she looked very shaken up. She barely said a word the entire drive."

I shifted in my seat, leaning forward slightly. "Did she say anything to him, Thomas? Did she mention why she is so angry with me?"

"No, sir. She didn't say anything," Thomas replied, shaking his head. "She just looked very tired and sad. But if I may speak freely, sir... I have driven for you for over ten years. I have never seen you care about a woman the way you care about Miss Bianca. And I have never seen her look at anyone the way she looks at you. Whatever happened between the two of you, I am sure it is just a terrible misunderstanding."

I looked out the window again, watching the tall glass office buildings pass by. "I don't even know what the misunderstanding is, Thomas. One day she was in my arms, telling me she wanted to be with me, and the next day she looks at me like I am a complete monster. I tried to give her space. I bought her the house, I got her the car, I tried to take care of her... and she tossed the ribbons I brought her directly into the trash."

Thomas cleared his throat gently. "Sometimes, sir, when a person has been hurt as much as Miss Bianca has, with her parents dying, her family business being taken, and everything her ex-husband put her through, excessive gifts can feel overwhelming. Maybe she doesn't want the billionaire Mr. Steele right now. Maybe she just wants Leon."

His simple words hit me harder than I expected. I sat back in the leather seat, staring at the back of his head.

"Maybe you're right, Thomas," I rumbled quietly. "Maybe I tried to fix things with money and luxury instead of just standing there and listening to her."

"You are a good man, sir," Thomas said as he turned the car into the parking garage of Steele International. "Just give her a little time. Love always finds its way to the top."

"Thank you, Thomas," I said, grabbing my briefcase as he hurried around to open my door.

I took the private elevator straight up to the top floor. My heart was pounding in my chest the entire ride up.

I was a man who commanded international boardrooms and controlled billions of dollars, but the thought of seeing my junior partner across the hallway made my hands sweat.

The elevator doors chimed open, and I stepped out onto the polished marble floor of the executive wing.

My eyes immediately went toward Bianca’s office. Her glass door was wide open, and the lights were on.

She was already sitting at her desk, typing rapidly on her keyboard. She was wearing a high-collared cream blouse, her hair pulled back into a neat bun. She looked breathtaking, but her face was completely pale, and dark circles sat under her eyes despite her makeup.

I stood there for a second, just watching her work. Then I smoothed down my suit jacket, took a deep breath, and walked down the hallway toward my own office.

As I passed her open door, I stopped. "Good morning, Bianca."

Bianca’s fingers froze over her keyboard for a fraction of a second.

She did not look up at me. She kept her eyes fixed firmly on her computer screen, her jaw set in a tight, rigid line.

"Good morning, Mr. Steele," she said flatly.

"Did you... did you get a good night's rest at the new place?" I asked, keeping my voice gentle as I stepped slightly closer to her doorway.

"My personal living arrangements have nothing to do with our work, Mr. Steele," she replied, her voice remaining cold.

She finally turned her head, looking directly at my face, but her eyes were like two pieces of ice. "The finalized shipping manifests for the northern hubs are already signed and uploaded to your private server. Is there anything else you need regarding the company's daily operations?"

I stared at her, completely lost.

The awkwardness between us was so thick it felt like trying to breathe underwater.

Every single person in the hallway could probably feel the cold wall she had built up between us overnight.

"Bianca, please," I murmured, lowering my voice so the passing secretaries wouldn't hear. "Can we just step into my office for five minutes? We don't have to talk about work. I just want to know what I did wrong so I can fix it."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Mr. Steele," she said, pulling a stack of paper files toward herself and opening a pen. "You are my senior partner and my employer. I am your employee. Everything is completely fine and professional. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have three project manifests to review before the afternoon conference call."

I opened my mouth to speak, to beg her to just look at me like a human being instead of a stranger, but she went right back to typing, completely ignoring my presence.

I stood in her doorway for another long, painful beat before realizing that pushing her right now in front of the entire office would only make things worse.

I turned around, walked into my own office, and shut the door behind me.

I walked over to my large mahogany desk, set my briefcase down, and slumped into my leather chair.

I buried my face in my hands, letting out a long, ragged breath.

My computer screen was flashing with unread emails, digital reports, and market updates, but I couldn't focus on a single number.

All I could think about was the icy look in her eyes. It wasn't just anger, it was a deep, profound disappointment.

She looked at me the way someone looks at a person who has completely broken their trust.

Around eleven in the morning, there was a quiet knock on my door.

"Come in," I called out, hoping for a second that it was her.

Instead, Simon stepped into the room, holding a thick black folder.

He looked extremely nervous, his eyes darting toward the floor.

"Mr. Steele," Simon said, standing near the edge of my desk. "I have the finalized quarterly budget reports for the logistics wing. Miss McIntyre asked me to hand them to you directly."

"Why didn't she bring them herself, Simon?" I asked, looking up at him.

Simon swallowed hard, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "She... she said she was very busy with the regional tracking lines, sir. She said it would be better if I handled all physical document transfers between your offices today."

I let out a dry, bitter laugh and took the folder from his hands. "I see. Thank you, Simon. You can go."

"Sir," Simon paused, looking at me with genuine concern before leaving. "Is everything alright between you and Miss McIntyre? The entire staff is walking on eggshells today. The atmosphere out there is very tense."

"Everything is fine, Simon. Just focus on your work," I said flatly.

Simon nodded quickly and backed out of the office, closing the door behind him.

I set the folder down on my desk, unable to open it.

I stood up, walked over to the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and looked down at the busy city streets far below.

Cars were moving like tiny bugs, people were rushing to work, and the world was spinning normally, but my entire life felt like it was stuck in a nightmare.

I had fought off hostile takeovers, I had handled dangerous rivals, and I had built a multi-billion-dollar empire with my own two hands. But standing in this grand, expensive office, surrounded by luxury, I had never felt more powerless in my entire life.

Bianca was only fifty feet away from me, sitting right down the hall, but she felt a million miles away.

And the worst part was, I didn't even know what lie, what secret, or what ghost from the past had taken her away from me this time.

I turned back to my desk, picked up my phone, and looked at her contact name. My thumb hovered over the call button, but Thomas’s words from this morning echoed in my mind.

‘Sometimes, when a person has been hurt as much as Miss Bianca has, excessive force can feel overwhelming.’

I set the phone back down on the desk, closed my eyes, and leaned against the glass window, preparing myself for a long, painful day at work.