The CEO's Dirty Secret: Why the Billionaire Is Hiding?

Chapter 7: Dangerous Proximity

The door groaned under Gavin’s weight, the heavy, rhythmic thuds echoing through the small office like a funeral drum.

"He’s not going to stop," Elvina said, her voice tight. She backed away from the door, her eyes searching the dark corners of the room. "He’s going to bring the whole frame down on us."

Rian stayed rooted by the door, his posture relaxed, though his fingers were curled into white-knuckled fists. "Let him hit it. The structural integrity is compromised anyway. One more shove and he’s going to end up wearing the doorframe."

"Rian, stop being a prick! This isn't a board meeting. It's a disaster."

"I'm not being a prick, I'm being an observer. He’s outside, we’re inside. That’s the hierarchy of the moment, isn't it?"

"You're obsessed with hierarchies."

"I'm obsessed with you," he snapped back, his voice dropping into a register that made the air in the room feel thinner. "That’s the difference."

Outside, Gavin’s voice took on a frantic, high-pitched edge. "Elvina! I know you're in there with him! I saw the car! Don't you dare let him manipulate you!"

"He sounds desperate," Rian noted, a thin, cruel smile playing on his lips.

"He's terrified," Elvina corrected. "He thinks I'm his last shot at stability."

"And what do you think, Elvina? Are you his safety net?"

"I'm just a woman stuck in a dark room with a guy who’s currently under arrest."

Rian stepped away from the door and moved toward her, his silhouette cutting through the gloom. "Is that really how you see this? As a detention?"

"How else am I supposed to see it? You’re here because you’re a thief. I’m here because I’I’m an idiot who thought you were a human being."

"Ouch. That one’s going to leave a bruise."

"Maybe you deserve it."

"I probably do," Rian admitted, his voice softening. He reached out, his hand hovering near her waist before he pulled it back. "But the police aren't coming in this weather. The roads are washed out. It’s just us."

"And the man trying to break the door down."

"He’ll give up when the rain gets worse. He’s a suit, Elvina. He doesn't like getting his hair wet."

Elvina shivered, a involuntary reaction to the damp, biting chill of the room. "It’s freezing in here."

Rian moved behind her, his heat radiating through the thin fabric of his hoodie. He didn't touch her, but he stood close enough that she could feel the steady, rhythmic pulse of his breathing. "Lean back. I’m a human heater."

"You're a menace."

"I'm a warm menace. There's a difference."

She leaned back, her head resting tentatively against his chest. It was absurd. Ten minutes ago, she was preparing to have him arrested. Now, she was clinging to him for warmth while the world outside fell to pieces.

"Why did you really come to the sandbox, Rian?" she asked into the silence.

"I told you. I wanted to see if you were as bored as I was."

"That's a lie. You never do anything without a leverage play."

"You caught me." He sighed, his hands finally settling on her shoulders. "I came because I was tired of being the smartest guy in the room. I wanted to see what it was like to be the guy who gets yelled at for leaving mud on the floor."

"And? Was it everything you dreamed of?"

"It was terrifying," he whispered. "Every time you looked at me like I was a human being, I felt like I was losing my edge."

"You are losing your edge. You're a mess."

"I'm falling apart, yeah."

"You're not supposed to say that. You’re supposed to tell me how you’re going to buy the playground and turn it into a high-rise."

"I don't want the playground," he murmured, his breath tickling her ear. "I don't even want the firm. I’m starting to think I just wanted something that wasn't for sale."

Elvina turned in his arms, the darkness hiding the flush on her cheeks. "Nothing is for sale, Rian. People just have a price you can't afford."

"Is that your price?"

"I'm not a product."

"You're the only thing that’s felt real for three years."

Gavin hit the door again, a massive thud that vibrated through the floorboards. "Elvina! Answer me!"

"He’s going to get hurt," Elvina said, her voice shaking.

"Let him," Rian growled, his hands moving to her face. "He’s not the one standing here."

"Rian..."

"Don't," he cut her off, his thumbs tracing the line of her jaw. "For one night, let's pretend there isn't a board, a lawsuit, or a guy with a key outside. Can you do that?"

"I don't think I can."

"Try."

He leaned in, the distance between them dissolving into the charged, heavy air of the storm. When he kissed her, it wasn't the calculated, predatory move she expected. It was hungry, desperate, and terrifyingly honest.

Elvina’s hands clutched his hoodie, pulling him closer as the world outside ceased to exist. For a moment, the chaos didn't matter. The lawsuit, the broken roof, the man screaming at the door—it all faded into the background of a pulse that was beating in perfect synchronization with his.

Rian pulled back, his eyes dark and wide, his forehead resting against hers. "I think I'm in way over my head."

"You think?" she whispered, her lips swollen and trembling.

"I’m not playing the game anymore, Elvina. I’I’m done."

"Rian, you can't just quit."

"I just did."

The door shuddered one last time, the wood splintering near the latch, a sliver of light from a lightning strike illuminating the frantic, hollow-eyed face of Gavin pressing through the gap.

"I see you!" Gavin shrieked, his voice cracking. "I see what you're doing to her!"

Rian didn't let go of Elvina. He turned his head slightly, his gaze locking onto the gap in the door with a look of terrifying, cold triumph.

"She’s not yours to see, Gavin," Rian called out, his voice smooth and lethal. "Go home. You've already lost."