I'm still crying when Dominic's phone rings.
He doesn't move. Doesn't release me. Just lets it ring until it goes to voicemail. His hand continues stroking my hair, his other arm wrapped around my waist, holding me against his chest like I might disappear if he lets go.
The phone rings again.
"Answer it," I whisper against his shirt. "It could be important."
He pulls back just enough to look at the screen. His expression goes cold.
"It's Marcus."
My stomach drops. "What—"
Dominic answers on speaker.
"If you're calling to beg her to come back, save your breath." His voice is ice.
"I'm not calling for her." Marcus sounds different. Not heartbroken anymore. Angry. Dangerously angry. "I'm calling to tell you that I'm going to HR tomorrow morning. I'm filing a formal complaint. Sexual harassment. Abuse of power. Coercion."
My blood runs cold.
"You have no proof of anything inappropriate." Dominic's voice is calm, controlled. "Bella and I have a professional relationship—"
"Bullshit." Marcus's laugh is bitter. "I saw her face tonight. I saw the way she looked at you. I know what's been happening in that office."
"What you know and what you can prove are two different things." Dominic's arm tightens around me. "And if you try to destroy Bella's reputation with baseless accusations—"
"Her reputation?" Marcus's voice rises. "You're the one who should be worried about your reputation. Powerful CEO preying on his young secretary. Using his position to manipulate her into a relationship. The media will eat this up."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's a promise." Marcus's voice is cold certainty. "I'm going to make sure everyone knows what you did. What you are. And when I'm done, your company will be toxic. Your board will force you out. And Bella will realize she destroyed her life for someone who isn't worth it."
The line goes dead.
I pull away from Dominic, my hands shaking. "He's serious. He's going to HR. He's going to—"
"Let him." Dominic's expression is unreadable. "He has no evidence. No proof. It's his word against ours."
"But he saw me tonight! He saw how I looked—"
"He saw you working late with your boss. That's all." Dominic cups my face, forcing me to look at him. "Listen to me very carefully, Bella. When HR questions you—and they will—you tell them the truth."
"The truth?"
"That we have a professional relationship. That I've never touched you inappropriately. That Marcus is a jealous ex-fiancé making false accusations because he can't accept that you ended things."
"That's not—"
"That's exactly what happened." His eyes are dark, commanding. "He's making assumptions based on jealousy. He has no actual evidence of anything inappropriate. Do you understand?"
I stare at him. "You want me to lie."
"I want you to be strategic about the truth." His thumb traces my cheekbone. "What happened between us tonight—what almost happened—no one else needs to know. What Marcus thinks he saw is irrelevant without proof."
"Dominic, I can't just—"
"Yes, you can." His voice becomes softer, almost gentle. "Because if you don't, this destroys both of us. You lose your career. I lose my company. And Marcus wins."
He's right. I hate that he's right, but he is.
"Now." He releases my face and walks to his desk. "You're going home. You're going to sleep. Tomorrow morning, you're coming to work like nothing happened. We have the Taiwan delegation at 9 AM. You'll attend as my assistant. Professional. Distant. Appropriate."
"Dominic—"
"This is how we survive this, Bella." He's already typing on his phone, his mind shifting into damage control mode. "We maintain absolute professionalism in public. We give HR nothing to find. And we wait for Marcus to show his hand."
"And then what?"
His smile is cold. "Then I destroy him."
I didn't sleep.
I spent the entire night staring at my ceiling, replaying everything. Marcus's devastated face. Dominic's possessive touch. The ring on my desk. The choice I made.
The choice I can't undo.
At 8 AM, I walk into the office building expecting whispers, stares, judgment. But everything is normal. The lobby receptionist smiles. The security guard waves. The elevator is playing soft jazz.
No one knows yet.
When I reach the executive floor, Dominic's door is closed. I can hear voices inside—his and someone else's. Male. Formal.
HR.
My hands start shaking.
The door opens. A man in his fifties emerges—Richard Chen, Head of Human Resources. He sees me and his expression is carefully neutral.
"Ms. Chen. Good morning. Do you have a moment?"
It's not really a question.
"Of course."
He leads me to a conference room. Closes the door. Sits across from me with a legal pad and a recorder.
"This conversation is being recorded for documentation purposes. Do you consent?"
"Yes."
"We received a formal complaint this morning from Marcus Bennett regarding your working relationship with CEO Dominic Ashford. Specifically, allegations of sexual harassment and abuse of power. I need to ask you some questions."
My throat is dry. "Okay."
"Has Mr. Ashford ever made unwanted sexual advances toward you?"
"No."
"Has he ever touched you inappropriately?"
I think about his hand on my thigh last night. His fingers sliding upward. The way he held me while I cried.
"No."
"Has he ever made comments of a sexual nature?"
"No."
"Has he ever used his position as your supervisor to coerce you into any kind of romantic or sexual relationship?"
"No."
Richard studies me. "Ms. Chen, if Mr. Ashford has done anything that made you uncomfortable, you can tell me. This is a safe space. You won't face retaliation."
"There's nothing to tell." I keep my voice steady. "Mr. Ashford has been a professional supervisor. Marcus and I recently ended our engagement. He's hurt and looking for someone to blame."
"So there's no romantic relationship between you and Mr. Ashford?"
The lie sticks in my throat. But I say it anyway.
"No. We have a professional working relationship. Nothing more."
Richard makes notes. "And the late nights? The constant proximity? Mr. Bennett mentioned you've been working unusually long hours."
"I was promoted to a strategic role that requires more intensive work. Mr. Ashford has high standards. I've been meeting those standards."
More notes. "I see. And your engagement ended because...?"
"Personal reasons unrelated to my work."
He closes his notebook. "Thank you, Ms. Chen. I'll be speaking with Mr. Ashford as well. If you think of anything else you'd like to add to your statement, please contact me directly."
"Of course."
He leaves.
I sit alone in the conference room, my hands trembling, my mind racing.
I just lied to HR. I just protected Dominic. I just chose him over the truth.
There's no going back now.
At 9 AM, I walk into the conference room where Dominic is already seated with the Taiwan delegation. He doesn't look at me. Doesn't acknowledge me beyond a brief nod.
"Ms. Chen will be documenting this meeting."
I take my seat at the far end of the table. Open my laptop. Become invisible.
For two hours, Dominic is brilliant. He speaks Mandarin fluently. He discusses market trends with authority. He closes a deal worth hundreds of millions with a handshake and a smile.
And he doesn't look at me once.
When the meeting ends, the delegates leave satisfied. The room empties. It's just us.
"Well done." His voice is professional, distant. "Your notes?"
"I'll have them typed up by noon."
"Good." He stands. "I need you to—"
His phone rings. He answers it without checking the caller ID.
"Ashford."
His expression changes. Goes dark.
"When?" Pause. "I'll be right there."
He ends the call and looks at me. Really looks at me for the first time all day.
"Marcus is in the building. He's demanding to see you. Security is holding him in the lobby."
My heart stops. "What?"
"He's making a scene. Yelling about me manipulating you. About you being in danger. Security wants to know if they should call the police."
I stand on shaking legs. "I'll talk to him—"
"No." Dominic's voice is absolute. "You stay here. I'll handle him."
"Dominic, he's my ex-fiancé. I should—"
"He's unstable and angry and looking for a confrontation." His eyes are cold, calculating. "If you go down there, he'll say things that can't be unsaid. He'll make allegations in front of witnesses. He'll create evidence where none exists."
"So what do I do?"
"You stay here." He walks toward the door. "You let me handle this. And you trust that I know what I'm doing."
He leaves before I can argue.
I'm alone in the conference room, my entire world spiraling out of control, completely dependent on Dominic to manage the situation.
Dependent on the man who created this situation in the first place.
I shouldn't watch.
But I pull up the security camera feed on my laptop. The lobby cameras show everything.
Marcus is standing at the security desk, disheveled and desperate. He's been crying. His shirt is wrinkled. He looks like he hasn't slept.
He looks destroyed.
Dominic emerges from the elevator, perfectly composed. Perfectly controlled.
The contrast between them is devastating.
"Mr. Bennett." Dominic's voice is calm through the camera audio. "I understand you'd like to speak with Ms. Chen."
"I need to see her." Marcus's voice cracks. "I need to make sure she's okay. That you haven't—"
"Haven't what? Hurt her? Manipulated her?" Dominic steps closer. "Ms. Chen is an adult woman capable of making her own choices. She chose to end your engagement. She chose to focus on her career. Those were her decisions, not mine."
"You're controlling her—"
"I'm her supervisor. I expect professional excellence. That's not control. That's employment."
"I know what you are." Marcus's voice rises. "I know you're obsessed with her. I know you've been manipulating her for months. And I'm going to prove it."
Dominic's expression doesn't change. "I wish you the best in your endeavors, Mr. Bennett. But I'm going to have to ask you to leave the premises. You're trespassing."
"I'm not leaving until I see Bella!"
"Security." Dominic doesn't raise his voice. "Please escort Mr. Bennett from the building. If he returns, call the police."
Two security guards approach Marcus. He tries to resist, but they're bigger, stronger, trained.
"Bella!" He's shouting now as they drag him toward the exit. "Bella, if you can hear me, please! He's dangerous! He's not what you think!"
The doors close.
He's gone.
I stare at the screen, my hands covering my mouth, tears streaming down my face.
Because Marcus is right.
Dominic is dangerous.
And I chose him anyway.