Chapter 10: Chairman?

Chloe. Richard was becoming the first man I wanted to know even without needing him to want me first. Our encounters stopped feeling like random crashes on the sidewalk. We didn't set proper dates, but I found my steps slowing near the courtyard terrace, waiting for the quiet sound of his footsteps. Our dynamic remained hindered… There was no physical rush or sudden pressure, yet our conversations became increasingly personal. Richard learned small details about me—that I took my tea with honey, I pulled my cardigan sleeves over my hands when my anxiety spiked. In return, I gathered fragments about him. I learned he preferred early mornings, that his humor was dry, and that he held an unwavering standard for accountability. “You... don't really… talk about home,” I said, my fingers shaking around my glass on the café patio. “I mean…Where you grew up.” Richard swirled his black coffee before lifting it. “Nothing much to tell,” he said smoothly. "It was... just disciplined. High expectations.” “That sounds…” I hesitated, “A bit lonely, or maybe?" “It taught me how to survive,” he replied, his voice dropping into a quiet register. He remained careful about revealing too much. He still hadn't mentioned his surname, discussed his family, or explained the source of his quiet authority. And yet, it was impossible not to feel it. Earlier that afternoon, when a building manager tried to dismiss a maintenance complaint, Richard had simply stepped forward. He hadn't raised his voice. He had just spoken three quiet sentences, and the manager’s posture had instantly collapsed into hasty deferrals. I sat across from him now, tugging my sleeves down over my knuckles, wondering what kind of life he truly lived. Interest was fast becoming the earliest, most dangerous form of affection. For the first time since Brandon’s betrayal, I looked forward to seeing someone. But unlike my four years with Brandon, I wasn't building a future around Richard. I wasn't trying to make myself indispensable so he wouldn't discard me. Not yet. I wanted to know him, but a constant fear kept my guard up. I knew that the moment I truly understood him, I would hand him the exact same power Brandon had used to crush me: the power to destroy me. Richard respected every silence and every boundary I drew. The romantic tension between us lived in the lingering eye contact across a small table and the slow burn of expressive exposure. “You're doing it again,” Richard murmured, setting his cup down against the saucer with a soft clink. I blinked, pulling my gaze away. “Doing... what?” “Lost,” he said softly, his gray-blue eyes fixed on mine. “Where are you right now, Chloe?” I traced a tight circle into the condensation on my water glass. “Just…” I swallowed, looking down at my hands. “Thinking.” “What about me?” There was silence. My heart skipped a month. “The reason I left everything behind,” I murmured. “My... last relationship and the world I had built.” Richard leaned back, giving me space, his gaze fixed on mine with complete focus. “It wasn't just a breakup, Richard,” I said, my voice cracking slightly. “I walked away from a wedding. Less than twenty-four hours before I was supposed to be at the altar…And…And that… cost me everything… I know my sister betrayed me… but… I missed her… We've never been separated since our parents left us… I wanted to hate her… but I can't; I still love her…” I paused, gasping for air. A faint shift occurred in his eyes—a dark flicker of intense focus—but his expression remained composed. “Spit it out.. Let your mind be free.” “I felt lonely for the first time… it felt like…” My throat choked. “Sienna wasn't just my sister… she was my best friend…” The tears finally pushed themselves out. “And Brandon? I spent four years building my world around him… I gave him everything…because… I… thought if I gave enough… we'd never regret choosing me…” “And?” Richard asked, his voice low and steady. “What changed?” “I realized…” I swallowed hard. “I realized he made me feel like his love was something I had to earn... Like I had to constantly prove I was worth... tolerating.” The raw admission hung in the cold air. I braced myself for a hollow platitude, but Richard didn't immediately comfort me. He sat in absolute silence, letting my words settle. Then he leaned forward, his gaze piercing straight through my defenses. “And…” Richard paused, his eyes never leaving mine. “You believe that asshole?” I froze. The question hit me like a truck. I opened my mouth to offer a defense, but nothing came out. I just stared at him, my heart hammering. “I…” I let out a shaky breath. “I don't really know if I believe him or not.” Richard just gave me a small, steady nod, letting the question sink deep into my consciousness. Before I could process the emotional shift, a sharp vibration rattled the tabletop. Richard’s phone lit up beside his coffee cup. The warmth in his posture vanished, replaced by an impenetrable armor of cold authority. “Excuse me,” he said, sliding the phone off the table. He turned slightly in his chair, pressing it to his ear. “Any problem?” The caller's voice leaked faintly through the speaker—a frantic, high-strung male voice. “I…I just need your final sign-off on the release, sir,” the voice stammered. “Mr. Parker's insisting on handling the statement himself, but…sir, the board won't touch it without your call. Chairman, please…" My blood ran cold. Chairman? Mr. Parker? My pulse spiked wildly. Richard’s jaw tightened into marble. “Tell that brat," he cut in, his voice dropping to a freezing command, “That if he touches that release before I review it, I will strip him of his board seat before the market opens tomorrow… Do you understand me?” “Ye…Yes, sir…understood! Right away, sir…" Richard ended the call with a flick of his thumb, exhaling a heavy, controlled breath before turning back to face me. I sat entirely frozen in my chair, my knuckles ghostly white. Son. Mr. Parker. Chairman. The horrifying pieces swirled in my mind. I looked at his broad shoulders, the silver threading through his dark hair, and those gray-blue eyes that commanded respect without raising a voice. “Who…”I rasped, my throat tight. “Who are you, really?” Richard paused. He looked at me for a long, unblinking second. Then, the faintest trace of a slow, controlled smile touched his lips. “Someone..." he murmured softly, “You probably shouldn't get too curious about.” His voice was a soft warning wrapped in absolute calm. And instead of frightening me away… It made me want to know him even more.