My phone buzzes at 11:47 PM.
I'm in bed—technically in bed with Marcus, though he's been asleep for hours. I've been staring at the ceiling, replaying the moment Dominic's hands settled on my shoulders earlier. The weight of them. The warmth. The way his voice dropped when he asked what I wanted.
The phone screen lights up the dark room.
Dominic Ashford: I need your thoughts on the Jakarta acquisition. The numbers don't add up. What would you do?
My heart rate spikes immediately.
This could wait until morning. This should wait until morning. It's not urgent. It's not time-sensitive. It's just financial projections that won't matter for another week.
But I reach for my phone anyway.
Marcus stirs beside me. "Who's texting you this late?"
"Work." The lie comes easily now. Too easily. "Crisis with a client overseas. I need to look at something."
He mumbles something and rolls over. Within seconds, he's snoring softly.
I slip out of bed and pad to the living room, closing the bedroom door behind me. My fingers are already typing.
Me: Looking at it now. Give me ten minutes.
I open my laptop. Pull up the acquisition files. Actually analyze the numbers even though I know this isn't about the numbers. This is about him ensuring I'm thinking about him at midnight. About him being the last voice in my head before I sleep.
Fifteen minutes later, I've drafted a comprehensive analysis. It's good work—better than good. The kind of strategic thinking that made him hire me three years ago.
I send it.
His response is immediate.
Dominic: Brilliant. This is exactly why I need you.
Three words. Why I need you.
Not "why the company needs you." Not "why this project needs your expertise."
Why I need you.
My hands are shaking as I stare at the screen.
Dominic: You see patterns no one else sees. You think three steps ahead. You challenge assumptions instead of accepting them. Do you know how rare that is?
I don't respond. I should put the phone down. Go back to bed. Pretend this is just professional validation.
Dominic: Marcus doesn't appreciate this about you, does he? He sees you as his future wife. His comfortable partner. He doesn't see the brilliance I see every single day.
My breath catches.
Dominic: You're wasted on a man like him, Bella. You know that.
I should be offended. I should defend Marcus. I should tell Dominic he's crossing lines and overstepping boundaries.
But I can't.
Because he's right.
Marcus appreciates me. Marcus is kind to me. Marcus wants to build a life with me.
But Marcus doesn't see me the way Dominic sees me.
Me: It's late. I should sleep.
Dominic: But you're not sleeping. You're thinking about what I said. You're wondering if I'm right. You're questioning everything about your engagement and your future and whether you're settling for less than you deserve.
Dominic: Good. Keep thinking about it. I'll see you at 8 AM.
He goes offline before I can respond.
I sit in the dark living room, my laptop still open, my phone still in my hand, my mind completely consumed by him.
He's in my head. At midnight. And I let him in.
I arrive at the office exhausted.
I didn't sleep after his texts. I spent the entire night analyzing what he said, replaying his words, wondering if he's manipulating me or telling me uncomfortable truths.
Probably both.
Dominic is already at his desk when I arrive. He looks perfect—well-rested, impeccably dressed, like he didn't spend last night planting thoughts in my head.
"Good morning, Bella." He doesn't look up from his computer. "Coffee is on your desk. One sugar, light cream, thirty seconds."
It's already prepared. Already perfect. Already exactly how I like it.
"Thank you for your analysis last night," he continues, still not looking at me. "I used it in my presentation to the board this morning. They were impressed."
"I didn't know there was a board presentation—"
"Last minute addition." Now he looks at me, and his eyes are dark with satisfaction. "But your work saved us. You saved us. Again."
He stands and walks toward me, stopping just inside professional distance. But I can feel the pull of him. The magnetic attraction that makes me want to close the gap.
"You have a gift, Bella." His voice is soft, intimate despite the professional setting. "A rare combination of analytical brilliance and creative problem-solving. Most people have one or the other. You have both."
No one has ever described me like this. Marcus tells me I'm smart. My mother tells me she's proud. But no one has ever articulated my value the way Dominic does.
"And you're beautiful." His eyes trace my face, my body, with open appreciation. "Not just conventionally attractive. Beautiful in a way that makes men lose their focus. That makes them forget what they're supposed to be doing because they're too busy trying to figure out how to keep your attention."
My cheeks flush. I can feel the heat spreading across my face.
"You're blushing," he observes with a smile. "Good. You should know the effect you have. You should own it instead of hiding behind professional clothes and engaged-woman boundaries."
"Dominic—"
"We have the Taiwan delegation at ten. Wear the navy dress. The one with the wrap closure." He returns to his desk like he didn't just thoroughly deconstruct me. "It makes you look powerful."
By noon, I'm a mess.
During the morning meeting with the Taiwan delegation, Dominic kept his hand on my lower back. Again. For the entire two-hour session. His fingers occasionally traced small circles against my spine through the fabric of the navy dress he specifically requested I wear.
When I presented our market analysis, he stood slightly behind me. Close enough that I could feel his presence. Close enough that when I stepped back, I pressed against him for a fraction of a second before moving forward again.
Close enough that everyone in the room noticed.
At lunch, Sarah from accounting corners me in the break room.
"So." She's trying to sound casual. "You and Ashford. That's... close."
"It's professional." The lie is automatic now. "I'm working directly on his strategic initiatives."
"Right. Professional." Her smile suggests she doesn't believe me. "It's just that Marcus is a nice guy. And Dominic Ashford is..." She pauses, searching for words. "Intense. Some might say obsessive. Some might say dangerous."
"Thanks for the concern." I grab my coffee and leave before she can say more.
But her words stay with me.
Obsessive. Dangerous.
She's not wrong.
At 3 PM, I'm reviewing contracts in my office when Dominic appears in the doorway connecting our spaces.
"Come here." It's not a request. "I need your eyes on something."
I follow him into his office. He gestures to his computer screen. "What do you think of this acquisition target?"
I lean over his desk to review the information. He stands beside me, close enough that our arms brush. Close enough that when he reaches to scroll, his hand covers mine on the mouse.
"Your analysis?" His voice is right beside my ear.
"They're overvalued." I try to focus on the screen instead of his proximity. "Their debt ratio is unsustainable. Market share is declining despite their projections."
"Exactly what I thought." His hand is still over mine. "But tell me why I'm still considering it."
"Because..." I force myself to think through the distraction of his touch. "Because their technology platform is worth acquiring even if the company isn't."
"Good." His thumb strokes across my knuckles. "You see the value hidden underneath the surface problems. That's why I need you."
There it is again. Need.
"Dominic, your hand—"
"Is on yours. I'm aware." He doesn't move it. "Does it bother you, Bella?"
Yes. No. I don't know anymore.
"It's not appropriate—"
"Neither was kissing me." His voice drops lower. "Neither is responding to my texts at midnight. Neither is wearing the dress I asked you to wear. Neither is the way you lean toward me during meetings now instead of away."
He's right. I've been doing all of that. Participating in whatever this is between us.
"So stop pretending you're uncomfortable." His hand tightens on mine. "Stop pretending you don't want this. Stop lying to yourself about what you feel."
He releases my hand and steps back, giving me space I no longer want.
"Back to work, Ms. Chen."
THE TEXT FROM MARCUS
At 7 PM, I'm still at the office. Dominic left an hour ago for a dinner meeting. Alone, thank God. If he'd asked me to accompany him, I would have said yes immediately.
My phone rings. Marcus.
I consider not answering. Then remember I'm supposed to be his fiancée. I'm supposed to care about him. I'm supposed to want to hear from him.
"Hey." I try to inject warmth into my voice.
"Where are you?" He doesn't sound warm. He sounds frustrated. Suspicious.
"Still at work. Big project deadline coming up—"
"You're always at work now, Bella." His voice is sharp. "You're never home. You barely talk to me when you are home. You turned away when I tried to kiss you last night. What the hell is going on?"
"Nothing's going on. I told you, this promotion is demanding—"
"Is it the promotion? Or is it him?"
My blood runs cold.
"What?"
"Your boss. Dominic. I looked him up. Thirty-five, unmarried, known for being ruthless and obsessive. And you're spending eighteen hours a day with him. Do you think I'm stupid?"
"Marcus, you're being paranoid—"
"Am I?" His voice cracks. "Because my fiancée has been distant and distracted for two weeks. Because you flinch when I touch you. Because you check your phone constantly like you're waiting for someone else to text you."
I can't respond. Because he's right about all of it.
"I'm coming to your office." His voice is determined now. "We need to talk. Face to face. Right now."
"Marcus, wait—"
He hangs up.
I stare at my phone, my heart racing.
Marcus is coming here. Now. He's going to confront me. He's going to demand answers I can't give him without admitting what's been happening with Dominic.
My phone buzzes again. But it's not Marcus.
Dominic: Dinner meeting ended early. I'm heading back to the office. We have unfinished business.
He's coming back.
Marcus is coming here.
Dominic is coming here.
They're both going to arrive, and everything is about to explode.