Sophie’s phone buzzed just as she was about to hail a cab to work.
Unknown Number: Are you Sophie?
She frowned at the message. No name, no introduction. Just that.
She ignored it and slipped her phone back into her bag.
The cool morning breeze did little to calm the whirlwind of emotions inside her. After last night—after telling Alex she loved him—she didn’t know how to face him. He hadn’t said it back. He hadn’t said anything. Just stared at her like she had flipped his entire world upside down.
Maybe she shouldn’t have said it.
Maybe she had ruined everything.
By the time she got to the office, she had half a mind to avoid him entirely. But fate had other plans.
Alex arrived almost immediately after she did.
Her heart did that stupid, annoying thing where it skipped a beat at the sight of him. He looked effortlessly sharp in his navy suit, his tie slightly loosened as though he had been in a rush. His blue eyes found hers the moment he stepped out of his car.
Neither of them said a word.
He just… looked at her.
A moment stretched between them. An invisible pull.
Then, just like that, he walked into the building without another glance.
Sophie swallowed hard and forced herself to focus on work.
She went straight to the breakroom, made his coffee—black, no sugar, just how he liked it—and carried it to his office.
When she stepped inside, Alex was at his desk, flipping through some files.
His gaze lifted to meet hers, dark and unreadable.
She set the coffee down. “Here’s your—”
“Come here.”
The command was soft but firm.
She hesitated. “Alex, I—”
His chair scraped against the floor as he stood. “Come. Here.”
Her pulse hammered in her throat as she slowly walked around the desk, standing in front of him.
He studied her for a long moment, then reached out, his fingers brushing the side of her face. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
She exhaled shakily. “I—”
He didn’t let her finish.
His lips crashed onto hers in a kiss that was desperate, hungry, possessive.
Sophie barely had time to react before his hands were on her waist, pulling her onto his lap.
She gasped as his fingers trailed down her back, pressing her closer, molding her to him. Her body reacted instantly, a fire igniting in her core.
His lips moved to her neck, nipping and sucking in a way that made her toes curl.
“Alex,” she breathed.
His hands gripped her hips, rocking her against him.
A moan escaped her lips, her hands threading through his hair as she lost herself in the moment.
It was intoxicating—the way he touched her, the way he made her feel like she was the only woman in the world.
Time blurred.
The only thing that mattered was him.
She had no idea how long they had been tangled in each other when Alex suddenly pulled away, his breathing ragged.
“Stay,” he whispered, his forehead resting against hers. “Just for a little longer.”
Her heart ached at the vulnerability in his voice.
She nodded. “Okay.”
Just as he pulled her back into another heated kiss, the office door creaked open.
Neither of them noticed.
Not until—
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The slow, sarcastic clapping made Sophie freeze.
Her eyes snapped open as she turned toward the intruder.
Her stomach dropped.
Standing in the doorway, arms crossed, was Maya.
Alex’s ex.
Or, at least, the woman who was supposed to be his ex.
Sophie scrambled off Alex’s lap, grabbing her clothes, her heart pounding so hard it echoed in her ears.
Maya smirked, her gaze flickering between them. “Well, well, well. Isn’t this interesting?”
Sophie’s throat went dry.
Alex’s jaw clenched as he slowly stood up, his expression dark and unreadable.
“Maya,” he said coldly. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Her smirk widened. “I should be asking you that. But I guess I don’t need to.” She turned to Sophie, tilting her head. “So, you’re not only his secretary, you’re his new toy?”
Sophie stiffened.
Before she could say anything, Alex stepped in front of her, his posture tense. “Watch your mouth.”
Maya laughed. “Relax, darling. I just came to see my fiancé.”
Sophie felt like the ground had been ripped from under her.
Fiancé?
She turned to Alex, shocked, betrayed, heartbroken.
He wasn’t denying it.
His silence was the loudest answer of all.
Sophie’s world came crashing down.