Mondays were always loud.
Phones ringing. Keyboards clacking. Voices buzzing in too many directions. Mel kept her head down, focused on her screen, trying to drown it all out with a lukewarm cup of coffee and sheer willpower.
Morgan Enterprises wasn't exactly glamorous from her end—just rows of cubicles, deadlines, and meetings that could've been emails. But it paid the bills. And she liked knowing she was part of something big, even if it didn't always feel like it.
She had just finished typing up a report when the office fell... oddly quiet.
Like someone had pressed pause on the chaos.
She looked up, confused—then froze.
Jace.
Her heart skipped.
There he was. Standing next to the glass-walled office of James Morgan, CEO himself. Two steps behind his father, dressed a little more polished than before—still rugged, but with a button-up shirt instead of a hoodie, sleeves rolled up, jaw set like stone.
Like he didn't want to be there.
Like this world wasn't his.
He didn't see her at first. He was focused on the conversation, nodding as his father gestured toward a few senior staff.
Mel ducked slightly behind her monitor, mind racing.
That's really him.
He's really Morgan's son.
She felt something twist in her stomach. It was one thing to think it was true—but seeing him here, with his father, in this building, made it real. Made everything suddenly complicated.
Of all the companies in the world, why this one?
And why hadn't he said anything?
As if on cue, Jace's eyes flicked around the office—and landed right on her.
Mel sat up straight. Too fast.
Their eyes locked.
His expression shifted subtly. Recognition. Surprise. A flicker of something softer.
She could swear he almost smiled.
But then one of the executives said something, and his face hardened again. He turned away, just like that, and followed his father into a meeting room.
Mel let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"You okay?" a voice asked beside her.
She jumped. It was Brielle, her co-worker, clutching a coffee cup and looking mildly amused. "You look like you just saw a ghost."
Mel swallowed. "Yeah. Something like that."
"Didn't know Mr. Morgan had a son. He's kinda hot."
Mel didn't answer.
Because now she knew—this wasn't just some club crush.
This was the boss's son.
And she had no idea what that meant for her... or what would happen the next time he looked at her like that again.
---
jace pov.
---
Jace sat stiffly in the conference room, the drone of corporate chatter echoing around him like static. Marketing updates. Q3 projections. Expansion strategies. All of it felt miles away.
He couldn't focus.
Not when she was out there.
Mel.
He had barely walked into the building when he felt the energy shift. He didn't expect to see her here—definitely not sitting at a desk, eyes wide like she'd just seen a ghost.
Of all places...
She works here?
He clenched his jaw, fingers tapping lightly against the table while one of the directors pitched something about regional numbers. He didn't care. He couldn't.
Because all he could think about was the look on her face.
Surprise. Confusion. Maybe even disappointment.
He wasn't just some guy anymore. Not the stranger in the alley. Not the mystery at the club.
Now she knew.
James Morgan's son.
Exactly the kind of man she probably didn't want anything to do with. The kind who came from money and power and secrets. The kind her best friend warned her about.
She probably thinks I played her.
Jace leaned back in the leather chair, letting his eyes drift to the glass wall across the room. From here, he could see the blurred shape of the office floor. Rows of desks. Employees moving like pieces on a board.
And somewhere in all that noise... was her.
He felt something tighten in his chest. Regret, maybe.
He didn't lie to her. Not technically. But he hadn't told her the truth either. Because the truth came with baggage. It came with assumptions and headlines and the constant question: what do you want from me?
Mel had never asked that.
She'd just looked at him like a person.
Not a name.
Not a legacy.
Now he didn't know if she'd ever see him that way again.
The meeting ended. People started filing out. His father clapped him on the back.
"You'll be here more often, son," James said. "Time you started seeing how things really work."
Jace gave a tight nod.
He already knew how things worked.
People built empires on charm and lies.
He just wasn't sure which one she'd see in him now.
---
Mel pov
---
Mel sat at her desk, pretending to review a spreadsheet she'd already finished hours ago.
Her mind wasn't on numbers.
It was on him.
Jace Morgan.
The mystery man who saved her. The guy at the club with the devil-may-care smile and rough edges. The one who looked at her like she wasn't just another face in the crowd.
Now, suddenly, he was Jace Morgan—heir to the empire. Her boss's son.
She leaned back in her chair, letting out a slow breath.
Of all the freaking people.
He hadn't said anything. Not during the meeting. Not even when their eyes met through the glass. But something shifted in her the moment she saw him in that boardroom, dressed like he belonged there.
And it hit her hard.
He wasn't just "Jace" anymore.
He was untouchable.
And you're just you.
Just Mel. Office employee. Pays rent late. No fancy pedigree. No high society roots.
She wasn't the kind of girl guys like him ended up with.
They ended up with women who wore power like perfume. Women with sharp smiles, tailored suits, and connections she couldn't even dream of.
And maybe—just maybe—he realized that now.
Maybe he regretted helping her. Regretted the club. Regretted her.
She forced herself to shut her laptop. "Nope," she muttered. "Not going down that road."
She stood up, grabbed her bag, and made a beeline for the elevator. If she left fast enough, maybe she wouldn't run into him again. Maybe she could go home, scrub this whole ridiculous crush from her system, and remind herself that some guys are just a good moment—not a good future.
But as the elevator doors opened, she nearly ran straight into him.
Jace.
He was standing there, hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall like he'd been waiting.
Mel froze.
So did he.
"You leaving already?" he asked, voice low.
She cleared her throat, heart thudding. "Yeah. Long day."
He nodded, eyes scanning her face like he was searching for something. "Can we talk?"
Mel hesitated. "Why?"
His brows lifted slightly. "Because I think we need to."
She almost said no.
---
The silence inside the elevator was thick.
Mel stood with her arms crossed, staring straight ahead, pretending her heart wasn't pounding like a drum in her chest.
Jace stood beside her, unusually quiet. His usual cocky air had dimmed into something more careful. Thoughtful.
The numbers above them ticked down slowly.
"So," she said finally, unable to take it anymore. "You're really him."
Jace turned to her. "Yeah."
"The CEO's son."
"Last I checked."
She glanced at him. "You never thought to mention that?"
"I didn't think it mattered."
She let out a dry laugh. "It kind of does."
He shifted slightly. "Would it have changed anything?"
Mel stared at him. "Honestly? I don't know."
The elevator doors opened with a soft ding. They both stepped out into the lobby, the glow of late afternoon spilling in from the glass entrance.
Jace nodded toward the side exit. "Can we walk?"
She hesitated again—then gave a small nod.
They walked out into the quiet parking lot, the city humming faintly in the distance. Mel shoved her hands into her jacket pockets, staring at the pavement as they walked.
"You're probably used to people throwing themselves at you," she said. "Figured I'd be just another story, right?"
Jace stopped walking. "Is that what you think?"
She looked up at him, heart hammering again. "I don't know what to think, Jace. I don't even know who you really are. One minute you're fighting off thugs in an alley, the next you're at a club like you don't care about anything, and then... you show up in a suit in my office."
"I didn't know you worked there," he said quietly.
"Still."
"I didn't lie, Mel," he added. "I just didn't lead with my last name."
"Well now I know." She looked away, voice softening. "And it just makes everything more complicated."
Jace stepped in front of her. "Why?"
"Because guys like you don't end up with girls like me."
His expression faltered. "What kind of guy do you think I am?"
"The kind who can have anything," she whispered. "Anyone. And I'm not—"
"Stop," he said, stepping closer. "Don't do that."
Her eyes met his.
"I don't care about all that, Mel. I don't care that you work in a cubicle or that your shoes aren't designer or that you drink burnt coffee from the office machine."
She blinked. "How do you—?"
"I notice things." His voice dropped lower. "Especially when it comes to you."
The world felt suddenly quiet again.
Just the two of them.
He reached out like he wanted to touch her, but stopped just short, fingers curling into a fist at his side.
"I haven't stopped thinking about you," he admitted. "Since that night."
Mel's breath caught.
He took a step back, giving her space.
"I'll leave it alone if that's what you want. But I'm not here because of my name. I'm here... because of you."
For a long second, she didn't say anything.
Then she nodded once, barely.
"Okay," she said softly.
He gave a slight, almost uncertain smile. "Okay."
---
"I knew it," Ella said, practically jumping on the couch. "I knew there was something about that guy."
Mel dropped her bag on the floor and flopped down beside her, exhausted. "You said he was trouble."
"He is trouble. That doesn't mean I can't be right."
Mel groaned and pulled a throw pillow over her face. "Please. I'm already confused enough."
Ella snatched the pillow away. "Tell me everything."
Mel looked at her for a beat, then gave in. "He showed up at the office today. Turns out, he's the CEO's son."
I told you so Ella said
"He looked different today. Polished. But still him, somehow." Mel shook her head. "And I couldn't stop staring. It's like the air changed when he walked in."
"Did he talk to you?"
"He waited for me after work. Said he didn't know I worked there." Mel paused, fingers fiddling with the hem of her sleeve. "Said he's been thinking about me."
Ella raised a brow. "And what did you say?"
"I told him I didn't think guys like him were for girls like me."
Ella went still. "Mel."
"I know. I know how it sounds."
"No you don't he's a bad guy
Mel sighed. "It's just hard to believe it's genuine."
Ella tilted her do you like him?
Mel didn't answer right away.
She kept thinking about the way he looked at her outside the building. Not like someone above her. Not like someone who pitied her. But like someone seeing her. Like she mattered.
"I think I'm scared," she admitted.
Ella smiled gently. "Then be scared.
Mel leaned back on the couch, staring at the ceiling.
The thought of him overwhelming her
And long into the night, she kept thinking of him