The night should've been perfect. The restaurant was softly lit, the kind of place people post on Instagram with captions like "My kind of peace." But all I felt was a growing ache in my chest and the emptiness that came with pretending. Zion was still talking, something about a new app project at work but I wasn't even there anymore. My mind kept replaying that moment with Aec. The way he'd looked at me like I was something he'd bought, something under contract. And maybe, in some twisted way, he was right.
I fiddled with my spoon, dragging it against the plate to distract myself. Zion reached across the table, his voice soft.
"Shar, you've barely touched your food. Is something wrong?"
Those words should've made me blush. It used to. Now it just echoed in my head, like a word I'd outgrown.
I forced a smile. "I'm just tired, Zion. Maybe I should go home."
He frowned, he was half confused, half worried.
"Come on, Sharon. We just got here. You said you wanted to try this place."
"I know," I muttered, setting my spoon down. "But I don't feel like myself tonight."
Zion leaned back, searching my face. "Did I do something?"
"No," I lied quickly. "You didn't. I just… want to go home, please."
Something in my tone must've told him I wasn't changing my mind. He sighed and signaled the waiter. "Fine. Let's get you home."
The drive back was silent. He played one of his soft R&B playlists, but even that felt heavy. I watched the city blur past my window, wondering how my life had twisted into something I didn't recognize. Zion had always been the safe choice, the soft man every girl would wish for. But safety wasn't what my heart beat for anymore.
When we reached my apartment, Zion turned off the car engine but didn't unlock the doors immediately. "Sharon… talk to me. You've been different lately. Did something happen?"
I swallowed hard. "Nothing happened. I'm just tired. Please."
He stared at me for a moment longer, like he wanted to argue but didn't know where to start. Finally, he nodded. "Alright. Rest well, okay?"
"Goodnight, Zion."
"Goodnight, baby."
I got out before I could reply.
That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, his voice and Aec's overlapping in my head. I didn't sleep until morning.
---
The weekend ended too quickly and it was Monday again.
The office smelled like fresh coffee and perfume, a mixture of normalcy I desperately needed. I was early, mostly because I wanted to feel prepared, to remind myself that my life was still mine.
Then I heard the squeal.
"Sharon!"
Maxie came running from the elevator, arms wide, curls bouncing, face glowing from her time away. I barely had time to brace before she wrapped me in a hug so tight I could barely breathe.
"Oh my God, it's been forever!" she said dramatically, pulling back just enough to look at me. "Girl, you've lost weight. Don't tell me you've been starving yourself while I was gone."
I laughed, the first genuine laugh in days. "Maybe a little. The office is boring without you."
She looked at me as if I was keeping something from her
I rolled my eyes. "Don't start."
"I'm just saying," she teased, wagging a finger. "You went from answering client emails to private meetings with the devil himself. You must be doing something right."
"Or very wrong," I muttered.
Maxie gave me a curious look, but before she could ask, Joel's voice came over the intercom. "Sharon, Mr. Aec wants to see you in the conference room."
I took a deep breath. "Duty calls."
The conference room was colder than usual. Aec was already there, leaning over a set of files, sleeves rolled up, eyes glued to the paper. He didn't look up when I entered, which was unusual. Normally, there'd be at least a sharp comment or a glance that felt like a challenge. But today… nothing.
"Good morning," I said carefully.
"Sit," he said without looking up. His voice was flat, no edge, no warmth, nothing. Just orders.
I sat, my stomach twisting. He went through the project files, explaining a few details in his usual clipped tone, but there was no tension, no teasing smirk. Just professionalism... Cold professionalism.
He closed the file and finally looked at me. "Make sure these are ready before Friday. That's all."
"Understood."
He stood up, straightening his cufflinks. His expression was unreadable. For a moment, I thought he might say something else, but instead, he walked past me and out the door.
As he reached the hallway, I saw Diana waiting by the glass door, pretending to be checking her tablet but Aec didn't stop. He brushed past her without a word, still, she followed.
I sighed, packing up the files. "Of course," I murmured.
Back at my desk, I tried to bury myself in work, but my head wasn't in it. A few minutes later, Joel appeared.
"Miss Sharon," he said hesitantly. "Miss Diana wants to see you in her office."
"How come everyone wants to see me today" I murmured under my breath...
My stomach dropped. "Did she say why?"
He shook his head. "She didn't seem… pleased."
I forced a smile. "Thanks, Joel."
Before I could leave, Maxie appeared, leaning on my desk. "When did you start getting called into the boss's boss's office, huh?" she teased. "Girl, what are you hiding from me?"
"Nothing. Yet," I said. "I'll tell you later, I promise."
She narrowed her eyes playfully. "You better."
I got to her office and the air felt thicker, so cold. She sat behind her glass desk, looking like the cover of a fashion magazine, perfect hair, perfect lips, perfect disdain, beautiful.
"Good morning," I said softly.
No reply, just silence.
She kept typing for another few seconds before finally glancing up. "Close the door, Miss Sharon."
I obeyed.
She leaned back in her chair, her gaze sharp and assessing. "I'll get straight to the point. I don't like mixing personal life with work. It makes things messy."
I blinked. "I agree, ma'am."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Good. Because lately, there have been… rumors. Whispers about your relationship with Mr. Aec."
My breath caught. "Relationship?"
"Yes." She tilted her head. "Is there one?"
"No," I said quickly, almost too quickly. "There's nothing between us. We just work together."
Her lips curved, not in a smile, but in that fake, icy way people smile before cutting you down. "I see. Then let's keep it that way, shall we? Because I don't tolerate unnecessary distractions in this company. Especially from people who don't understand their place."
Her words hit like a slap. I tried to keep my voice steady. "Understood, ma'am."
"Good." She went back to her screen. "You may leave."
As I turned to go, she added, "Oh, and Sharon?"
I froze.
She didn't look up. "If I ever find out you're trying to play games around here whether with him or anyone else you'll regret it. Deeply..."
My pulse skipped. "Yes, ma'am."
I left before she could say more, my legs shaking slightly.
Back at my desk, I slumped into my chair. Maxie immediately noticed. "Whoa, what happened? You look like you just saw a ghost."
"Let's just say your boss's boss doesn't like me very much," I murmured.
"What? Why?"
"Long story. I'll tell you at home."
---
That Evening
By the time work ended, all I wanted was peace. Maxie insisted she'd be sleeping over. "You need girl therapy," she'd said, waving off my protests.
At home, the atmosphere was light again. We took showers, wore pajamas, and Maxie started cooking noodles while humming off-key.
When we finally sat to eat, she crossed her legs dramatically. "Okay, spill... Everything."
I hesitated, then laughed softly. "You sure you're ready for this?"
"Please. Try me."
So I told her. From the moment I got involved with Aec, the strange contract, the tension, the park. I told her about that night when he'd stopped the car beside Zion, how my heart had pounded like I was caught cheating even though I hadn't done anything wrong.
Maxie's eyes widened. "Wait, wait, wait...he just drove past Zion like that? With you in the car?"
"Yes."
"Girl, that's psychological warfare! That man's playing mind games."
I laughed weakly. "Tell me about it."
Then I told her about his house and the way the air had felt thick, the way he'd looked at me like he was trying to decide whether to devour me or dismiss me. How close we'd gotten before he'd stopped.
Maxie clutched her chest. "No way. No way! Aec almost..."
"Maxie!" I hissed, laughing.
"Fine, fine! But damn, girl. That's hot. And terrifying. But hot."
I shook my head, blushing despite myself.
Maxie smirked. "So let me get this straight, you signed a sex contract with a ridiculously hot billionaire, and you're complaining?"
I groaned. "You make it sound simple."
"Well, it's not simple," she said, "but come on. At least let me live through you."
We both laughed. For a while, it felt like old times again, carefree, warm, easy. Until the knock.
It was soft at first. Then firmer.
I frowned. "Who's that?"
"Maybe the neighbor?" Maxie said, slurping her noodles.
I stood, tugging my light night dress lower. It wasn't see-through exactly, but the fabric clung too much. My nipples were already visible through it, and I cursed under my breath, I just needed to get the door
I opened the door and froze....
Aec stood there. Tall, composed, eyes dark and unreadable. His gaze dropped, slowly, and deliberately to my chest. The air between us tightened.
My breath hitched. "Mr. Aec?"
His jaw flexed slightly. "Tonight," he said coldly. "I can't hold back any longer."
For a second, my brain stopped working.
Then, from inside the house, Maxie called out, "Sharon, who's at the door?"
Before I could answer, headlights flared in the driveway. A car door slammed.
Zion. He was holding a bouquet of flowers.
And in that single moment, everything in my world collided...my past, my choices, my secret.
Aec's gaze lifted to the approaching car, his expression unreadable. "You should tell your boyfriend," he said quietly, "that he's about to lose his place."
And before I could move, before I could breathe, he stepped closer, so close I could feel the heat of him and whispered, "See you inside."
Then he walked past me into the living room, where Maxie was still seated, eyes wide in shock.
I was frozen on the doorstep when Zion's voice called out softly, "Sharon?"
The bouquet in his hand trembled slightly.
And I realized whatever peace I'd been clinging to was officially over.