Ethan stared at the corner of his desk where the resignation letter used to be.
Technically, it was still there, just balled up inside the trash can.
The fact didn't make him feel any better.
Across the bullpen, Olivia moved through her morning like nothing had happened. Calm. Efficient. Unshakable. She answered emails, scheduled calls, and handed him a new stack of contracts with her usual polite smile. If he hadn't read the letter himself, he might have thought he imagined the whole thing.
He hadn't.
"Sir?" Her voice snapped him back to reality.
Ethan blinked at the open folder in front of him. He hadn't read a single line. "What?"
"You've been staring at the same paragraph for three minutes," she said, tilting her head slightly. "Should I get you another coffee?"
He narrowed his eyes. "You're acting like everything's normal."
"It is normal."
"No, it isn't. You're quitting."
She didn't flinch. "I'm… leaving in two weeks, yes."
"And yet you're smiling."
"I'm being professional," Olivia said, lips twitching. "It's my job."
"Not for long," he muttered.
She heard it, of course. She always did.
Before she could reply, Logan Hale strolled in like he owned the place, which was impressive considering Ethan actually did. He leaned against the doorframe with the kind of smirk that made people want to throw things at him.
"Well, well," Logan drawled. "What's with the storm cloud over your desk, boss?"
Ethan gave him a look sharp enough to cut steel. Logan ignored it, as usual.
Olivia, diplomatic as ever, offered him a polite, "Good morning, Mr. Hale."
"Miss Carter." He flashed a grin. "Always a pleasure. Especially when my day starts with the CEO looking like someone stole his candy."
"She's resigning," Ethan said flatly.
Logan froze. Then, in true best friend fashion, burst out laughing. "You're kidding."
Olivia gave a little nod. "Two weeks."
The grin slipped right off Logan's face. "Wait, you're serious?"
Ethan folded his arms. "Apparently."
Logan looked between them, assessing. "You do realize he's going to be insufferable, right?"
"I'm sitting right here," Ethan muttered.
"I know," Logan said cheerfully. "That's why I said it."
---
By noon, the news had spread through the top floor like wildfire.
In the break room, Rachel leaned over the counter, whispering to Denise from Accounting.
"She actually turned in her notice? I thought she'd outlive all of us."
"She's the only one who understands his handwriting," Denise whispered back. "God help the next poor soul."
"I heard he's already in a mood," Rachel said. "And it's only Monday."
Out in the hall, Ethan passed by a pair of junior analysts who instantly straightened like they'd been caught stealing company secrets.
Logan followed behind, coffee in hand, looking amused. "Congratulations. You've achieved dictatorship-level paranoia."
Ethan ignored him. "I'm rescheduling her exit interview."
"You mean stalling."
"I'm only preventing a catastrophic operational gap," he snapped.
Logan sipped his coffee. "You like her."
Ethan stopped dead in the hallway. "I do not."
"You like her," Logan repeated, unbothered. "And not in the 'she's efficient at her job' way. In the 'I'll lose my mind if she leaves' way."
Ethan glared. "She's… useful."
"Uh-huh. That explains the look on your face when she walked out of your office this morning. You looked like someone canceled Christmas."
Ethan resumed walking. "Shut up."
Logan just grinned.
---
Back at her desk, Olivia could feel the weight of his gaze on her through the glass wall of his office.
She didn't need to look to know he was watching.
He always did when he was irritated. Or when something unsettled him.
Unfortunately, she'd become both.
"Don't look so calm," Rachel whispered, leaning over the divider. "He's sulking."
"He doesn't sulk," Olivia murmured, eyes fixed on her computer.
Rachel raised a brow. "Right. And you're not planning to blow up his world with this resignation."
Olivia managed a small smile. She loved this office. These people. The normalcy.
It made leaving harder than she wanted to admit.
"You sure about this?" Rachel asked quietly.
Olivia hesitated for the briefest second before nodding. "Yeah. I'm sure."
At 5:45 p.m., Olivia started shutting down her computer.
Ethan's door opened.
"You have a six o'clock meeting," he said.
No greeting. Just pure CEO energy.
She frowned. "No, I don't. I cleared your calendar."
"I added one."
"When?"
"Five minutes ago."
She stared at him. He stared right back.
"Of course you did," she muttered under her breath, grabbing her notebook.
Ethan smirked, barely. "Two weeks' notice isn't over yet, Miss Carter."
Olivia followed him into the conference room, wondering if she should add petty tyrant to his list of impressive CEO qualities.
She took her usual seat, back straight, face composed. Ethan opened his laptop but didn't type. He just looked at her.
"What's this meeting about?" she asked.
He leaned back in his chair. "I haven't decided yet."
Her lips parted. "You..."
"It's an open discussion," he interrupted smoothly. "Topic: Why you're not allowed to leave."
Her jaw tightened, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of reacting. "This is wildly unprofessional."
"Good thing I'm the boss."
She almost smiled. Almost.
The clock on the wall ticked softly.
Ethan's expression was calm, but his chest felt tight. He'd spent three years convincing himself she was just an employee.
So why did the thought of her leaving make everything feel… wrong?