Chapter 73 New resolve
Though not just with anger, but something deeper. “You order me around in front of everyone like
you owned me.
Lucas hesitated.
“You said it yourself yesterday that you don’t own me. So what was that in the kitchen?”
Lucas didn’t raise his voice, but every word landed sharply. “My personal worries are mine. I told you we’d talk during my break. You didn’t listen, you bossed me out as if I belonged to you.” His jaw tightened. “That’s ownership, Alex. You can’t say one thing and act another way. What do you think the staff will say?”
Silence stretched, the air between them thickened. Their eyes locked…challenging, unguarded, vulnerable. Alex held his gaze, waiting, searching, until Lucas’s eyes finally flickered and softened.
That instant, Lucas turned away, but not fast enough. The shine in his eyes betrayed him. Alex stepped forward, closed the distance, and wrapped his arms around him.
“Sweetheart… I’m sorry.” His voice dropped, rough at the edges. “I didn’t mean it like that. I wasn’t trying to control you. I just…” He exhaled shakily. “I’ve noticed you haven’t been yourself. You’ve been distant. I panicked. I was worried.”
Lucas stayed stiff for half a second… then melted.
His arms slid around Alex’s waist, fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt like he needed something solid to hold onto. Alex let out a relieved breath and placed a kiss on his hair.
“I’m sorry, babe” Alex whispered again. “Okay?”
Lucas nodded against his chest.
After a moment, Alex pulled back slightly, just enough to look at him. His hand came up gently, thumb brushing Lucas’s cheek.
“Babe… tell me what’s wrong.”
Lucas swallowed before replying, “It’s Nathan.”
Alex’s expression shifted.
“He wants to meet your lifesaver. He said he needs to tell him he’s in love with you.” Lucas’s eyes lifted to meet his. “I tried to talk him out of it. I told him it was a bad idea. He wouldn’t listen.”
He stepped out of the embrace completely now, pacing once before turning back.
“And that’s not even the worst part.”
Alex’s brows furrowed. “What else?”
Lucas hesitated, then forced it out. “Zenith told Nathan that I was smooching with you. That he saw us kissing yesterday morning.”
For a split second, Alex just stared before mouthing, “What?”
His jaw clenched so tight a muscle ticked. “Damn it.” His voice dropped, dark and controlled. “That snake is pushing it. He’s already eating more than he can chew.” His eyes flashed. “I think it’s time I sack him.”
“What?” Lucas’s head snapped up. “You can’t just fire him because of this!”
“Because of this?” Alex stepped closer again, anger simmering beneath the surface. “He’s spreading lies about us. He’s stirring things up deliberately. That’s misconduct.”
“But since it wasn't a lie, what will that look like?” Lucas shot back. “The boss fires an employee because of a personal issue? Because he’s jealous?”
“I am not jealous,” Alex responded.
Lucas gave him a look. Alex’s silence lasted half a second too long.
“This isn’t about jealousy,” Alex corrected, though his tone softened. “It’s about him crossing boundaries.”
“And you firing him crosses bigger ones,” Lucas said quietly. “People already talk. If you sack him now, you prove every rumor right.
That hit hard. Alex looked away, dragging a hand through his hair.
The tension shifted…less explosive, but more complicated.
“So what do you want me to do?” he asked finally.
Lucas stepped closer again, voice steady now. “Trust me to handle it. Let me talk to Nathan. Let me deal with Zenith if I have to. Just… don’t fight my battles for me.”
Alex’s eyes searched his face.
“I’m not trying to own you,” he said softly. “I just don’t want to lose you.”
Lucas’s breath caught, he breathed. “You won’t,” he murmured. “But if you keep acting like I’m something you need to control… you might.”
That landed harder than any accusation.
“Come on, why does it sound like a threat?” Alex asked.
“Yes Alex, you dragged me out of the kitchen like I committed an offense. You didn’t even try to understand me, at first.”
Alex blinked, “I was protecting you,” he said quietly.
“From what?” Lucas shot back. “From being seen with you? From gossip? Or from yourself?”
The words landed in confusion. Alex’s breathing slowed. “I asked Salome to take over because you were overwhelmed.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were,” Alex insisted gently. “Lucas, you were staring into space, when I got to you, your hands were shaky.”
That made Lucas pause.
Alex took a careful step forward—not touching, just close enough for Lucas to feel his warmth.
“I’m calm in public because I have to be,” Alex continued. “If I slip, if I look at you the way I want to… people will talk.
Lucas’s anger flickered. “You think I care about gossip?”
“I care,” Alex snapped softly, emotion finally breaking through. “I care too much. You think I enjoy pretending? You think I don’t want to walk up to you and pull you into my arms whenever I feel like it?”
His voice cracked at the edges.
“I’ve been holding back every second until you're ready.”
The room felt smaller. Lucas’s chest tightened. He hadn’t expected that. Alex’s eyes were no longer confused, they were just vulnerable.
“When you glared at me earlier and told me not to touch you…” He swallowed. “It feels like I’m losing you, and I don’t even know why.”
Silence fell again but this time, it wasn’t sharp. It was heavy. Lucas’s stance slowly loosened, though not completely.
“I don’t want to feel like I’m just an employee when I’m with you,” he admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want to feel small.”
That broke something in Alex. He closed the remaining distance but not touching yet, just standing close enough that their breaths mingled.
“You could never be small to me,” he said softly. “You’re the only one in this building that makes me forget I’m the boss.”
Lucas’s eyes flickered with relief.
“And if I overdid it out there…” Alex’s voice lowered. “I’m sorry.”
Alex lifted his hand again, taking it slowly as he reached for his hand, giving him room to pull away.
But Lucas didn’t, he accepted and their fingers intertwined.
“Don't fire Zenith, give me time to handle things, if I need your help, I will come.”
“Okay,” Alex said quietly. “No firing. No stepping in unless you ask me to.” He paused, “But if Zenith pushes again,” he added, eyes darkening slightly, “I won’t stay quiet.”
Lucas almost smiled, “Fair, but remember you can't just sack him just because you're the boss. This is a personal issue. Zenith is good at his job. So you have to have a good…”
“Come on babe, he is being a bitch and gossiping around with you. He…”
“But we kissed, didn't we?” Lucas said as he raised his hand stroking Alex’s cheek.
“Yeah” Alex responded and leaned in brushing his lips. “Babe, I love you so much.”
He captured his lips in a passionate kiss. That instant, the office door opened and Nathan stood there.