Chapter 268: Chapter 268: The Ex 2

MAILAH LEANED AGAINST THE DOOR IN GRAYSON’S office, hiding her smile behind her coffee cup.

It was 8:30 AM on a Tuesday, and they were back to their routine. The drive to the tower had been quiet, but it was a warm quiet.

Grayson had insisted on holding her hand the entire way, his grip firm as if he were afraid she might float away—or be snatched by a passing ex-boyfriend.

“You’re doing great, Grayson,” Mailah said, walking over to his desk. “Most CEOs take years to master the art of the accidental CC. You’re ahead of the curve.”

Grayson looked up, the silver in his eyes softening into that clear blue that always made Mailah’s knees feel a bit like jelly. “If I am to be a human businessman, I will be the best one. I will conquer the spreadsheets. I will defeat the middle managers.”

He reached out, pulling her into the space between his knees. He didn’t say anything at first; he just rested his forehead against her stomach, exhaling a long, weary breath. It was a gesture so human, so vulnerable, that it made Mailah’s heart ache.

But as she ran her fingers through his dark hair, the doubt she had been carrying since the bistro started to itch.

Since the encounter with Julian, Grayson had been… different.

He wasn’t just sweet; he was extra everything.

He had ordered three different types of pastries for her breakfast because he “heard her stomach growl” at 6:00 AM.

He had replaced the chair in her office because he thought the old one looked “unsupportive of her spine.” He even had his assistant, bring her a fresh vase of lilies every three hours because he noticed one petal had started to wilt.

On the surface, it was a dream. It was the kind of stuff people wrote romance novels about.

But Mailah couldn’t stop wondering: was he doing this because he liked her? Or was he doing this because Julian had reminded him that other men might want her?

Was she a person to him, or was she just a very high-value piece of property he was currently guarding?

“Grayson?” she whispered.

“Mmm?” He didn’t move, his face still pressed against her.

“Why are you being so… attentive today? You even tried to fix my stapler. You hate staplers.”

Grayson pulled back, his eyes searching hers. “I don’t like the way the other man looked at you. It felt like he was trying to take something that belonged in this house.”

Mailah felt a cold shiver.

Belonged. There was that word again.

“I’m not a thing, Grayson,” she said gently, trying to keep her voice light. “I’m a person. I stay because I want to, not because I’m owned.”

Grayson tilted his head, looking genuinely confused. “Is there a difference? If I want you here, and you are here, the result is the same.”

“There is a huge difference!” Mailah laughed, though it felt a bit forced. “One is a relationship. The other is… a collection. I’m not a stamp or a rare book.”

Grayson stood up, looming over her. He reached out, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw. “You are more than a book, Mailah. Books don’t make my blood feel like it’s boiling when they smile at someone else.”

He kissed her then—a quick, firm press of lips that tasted like coffee and something dark.

“Now, go. I have a 10:00 AM with the legal team. They want to discuss ’liability.’ I intend to show them that I am the biggest liability they’ve ever seen.”

Mailah spent the next hour at her desk, staring at a floor plan but seeing nothing but Grayson’s silver eyes. She needed to know. She needed to test if his “sweetness” was about her happiness or his control.

She waited until Grayson walked past her office on his way to the boardroom. She stood up and followed him into the hallway.

“Grayson! Wait,” she called out.

He stopped, turning toward her.

Behind him, three lawyers in grey suits stopped as well, looking nervous.

“I forgot to tell you,” Mailah said, her heart hammering. “I was thinking about going away for the weekend. Just a solo trip. Maybe to the coast. I need some fresh air, away from the city.”

She watched his face closely. If he loved her, he’d want her to be happy, even if it meant being apart for a few days. If he was just possessive…

Grayson’s expression didn’t change, but the air in the hallway suddenly felt very thin. The lawyers shuffled their feet, looking at their watches.

“The coast?” Grayson repeated. “Alone?”

“Yes. Just a little break. I’d be back Sunday night.”

Grayson walked toward her, his footsteps silent on the carpet. He ignored the lawyers. He ignored the ringing phones. He stopped inches from her, his presence heavy and overwhelming.

“No,” he said.

Mailah blinked. “No? What do you mean, no?”

“The coast is cold this time of year,” Grayson said, his voice a low hum. “And the crows are active near the water. It’s not safe. If you want fresh air, I will buy a forest. We will go together. I will make sure the air is the perfect temperature for you.”

“But I wanted to go alone, Grayson. That’s the point of a solo trip.”

“I don’t like it,” he said, his eyes flashing silver. “You stay where I can hear your heart. It’s better for everyone.”

He turned and walked into the boardroom without another word, leaving Mailah standing in the hall.

She let out a frustrated sigh.

He failed the test. He hadn’t asked if she was stressed. He hadn’t asked what she needed. He had simply decided that she stayed where he could monitor her.

It was swoon-worthy in a “dark prince” kind of way, but it was also terrifying.

Mailah went back to her office and tried to focus on work, but the “possession” debate was screaming in her head.

She was so deep in thought that she didn’t hear the soft knock on her door.

“Lailah? Er… I mean, Mrs. Ashford?”

It was Grayson’s assistant, Elena. She was holding a tablet.

“What is it, Elena? Is the legal team on fire?”

“No, nothing like that,” she said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. “But… there’s a situation in the lobby. A man just arrived. He’s being very… persistent.”

Mailah’s stomach dropped. “A man? What does he look like?”

“Tall, blonde-ish,” Elena said. “He says his name is Julian. He says he won’t leave until he talks to you.”

Mailah groaned, burying her face in her hands.

Elena whispered. “He’s making a bit of a scene. The guards are five seconds away from calling the police—or worse, Grayson.”

Mailah stood up, her pulse racing. If Grayson found out Julian was in the building, the lobby would become a crime scene.

A supernatural crime scene.

She had to handle this.

She had to give Julian closure and get him out of there before Grayson’s 10:00 AM meeting ended.

“Where is Grayson?”

“Still in the boardroom,” Elena said. “The legal team is trying to explain what a ’non-disclosure agreement’ is. It’ll take him at least twenty minutes to realize he doesn’t care.”

“Okay,” Mailah said, grabbing her purse. “I’ll go down. I’ll talk to him.”

Elena looked at her, her eyes filled with genuine worry.

The elevator ride down to the lobby felt like it took a century. Mailah watched the numbers tick down—40, 30, 20—feeling more like she was heading toward a firing squad than a conversation.

When the doors opened, the lobby was a blur of glass, steel, and corporate hustle. But standing right in the center, near the giant marble fountain, was Julian.

He looked tired. When he saw Mailah, his face lit up with a look of such pure, desperate relief that it made her chest hurt.

“Mailah!” he shouted, stepping toward her.

Two security guards immediately moved to block him.

“It’s okay,” Mailah said to the guards, her voice steady. “I know him. Give us five minutes.”

The guards looked at each other, then stepped back, though they didn’t go far.

Mailah led Julian to a quiet corner near the tall glass windows that looked out onto the busy street. The sunlight was bright, reflecting off the polished floors, making everything feel too exposed.

“Julian, why are you here?” she whispered, her hands clenched at her sides. “I told you to go.”

“I don’t care,” Julian said, his voice cracking. “I care about you. Mailah, I spent all night thinking about what happened at that restaurant. That guy… he’s not normal. The way he looked at me… what is going on? Is he hurting you?”

“No! He’s not hurting me,” Mailah said, and it was the truth. “He… he saved me, Julian. In ways you wouldn’t understand.”

“He’s a monster,” Julian hissed. “I saw his cold eyes, Mailah. What has he done to you? Did he brainwash you? Is that why you’re here?”

Mailah looked at him, and for the first time, she saw the gap between her old life and her new one.

Julian was a good man. He was safe. He was “normal.” But he was also part of a world that she didn’t belong to anymore.

“Julian, listen to me,” she said, her voice soft but firm. “I loved you once. I really did. But that Mailah is gone. The person standing in front of you now… she belongs here.”

“You don’t ’belong’ here!” Julian cried, grabbing her shoulders. “You’re Mailah! You’re the girl who loves street tacos and bad horror movies! You’re not this… this corporate ice queen in a cream suit!”

“Let go of her, Julian,” Mailah whispered, glancing nervously at the elevators.

“No! I’m taking you home. Right now. We’ll go to the police. We’ll go to my parents’ house. He can’t find us there.”

Julian’s grip was tightening on her arms. He wasn’t trying to hurt her, but he was desperate. He was a human trying to fight a war he didn’t understand.

“Julian, please—”

“I believe the lobby is for visitors, not for people who don’t know when to leave.”

The voice came from directly behind them.

It wasn’t a loud voice, but it had the weight of a falling mountain. The temperature in the lobby didn’t just drop—it plummeted. The glass windows rattled in their frames, and a thin layer of frost began to creep across the marble floor near the fountain.

Mailah froze. Her heart didn’t just beat fast; it felt like it was trying to escape her ribs.

Grayson was standing there. He wasn’t wearing his suit jacket anymore. His white shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, his sleeves rolled up, revealing the powerful muscles of his forearms. His hair was slightly disheveled, as if he had run from the boardroom the moment he felt her distress.

But it was his eyes that were the most terrifying. A swirling, violent storm that seemed to swallow the light of the lobby.

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