Page 35 of Claiming My Cocky Boss

My phone buzzed with a notification, reminding me that I had invited Cory, my friend for a long time, to lunch while on the plane. I leaned back in my chair and realized how much I needed this break, not just from work but from the constant pressure to figure everything out—Edgewater, Mia, and where I fit in between it all.

As I left the office, I felt the eyes of my employees on me again. They smiled and waved, but there was a distance between us now, one I hadn’t noticed before. And it wasn’t just about my time away. It was something more. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

The drive to meet Cory was quick, and as my driver pulled into the restaurant’s valet, I realized I hadn’t really been hungry until now. I’d been so wrapped up in everything that I hadn’t even thought about food. Inside, Cory was already waiting for me, his usual smug grin plastered across his face.

“About time you showed up,” he said, clapping me on the back as we took our seats. “Figured you were too damn busy living it up in Cedar Cove.”

I chuckled, though the truth was far from that. As we ordered, I couldn’t help but glance around, the old habit of sizingup my surroundings kicking in. This place was familiar, part of the world I used to thrive in, but it felt... off now.

“So, what’s going on?” Cory asked, cutting into his steak. “Still on this whole undercover boss thing?”

I sighed, swirling my drink in the glass. “Yeah. Still trying to figure out the whole mess with the embezzler. Thought I had it narrowed down, but I’m not so sure anymore.”

“And what about the girl?” Cory asked, raising an eyebrow. “The park ranger?”

I hesitated for a second before answering. “Mia. Yeah, she’s... she’s great. But it’s complicated. She’s not exactly into the whole billionaire lifestyle.”

Cory leaned back, smirking. “Who says she has to be? You could always just... step away from it, man. Make Carla CEO, let her handle the day-to-day, and you do whatever you want. You’re the owner. You can work from wherever.”

I blinked, surprised by the simplicity of it. It wasn’t something I hadn’t considered, but hearing it out loud made it seem more... real. Still, I wasn’t sure Mia would be on board with that either. She was fiercely independent, and the last thing I wanted was to overwhelm her.

Before I could respond, my phone buzzed again. It was a text from Carla.

CARLA: New proposal just came in. I’ll leave it on your desk.

Great. More work. But I couldn't help thinking about calling Mia. Checking in to see how she was doing, but the timing didn’t feel right. I wasn’t ready for that conversation, and from everything she’d said about needing time, I figured it could wait.

As Cory paid the bill, I massaged my temples, my mind already drifting back to the office. The new proposal could meanhours of work, and I still wasn’t any closer to figuring out who the hell was embezzling from Edgewater.

I headed back to the office after lunch with Cory, mulling over what he’d said about stepping back. Making Carla CEO and working from wherever sounded great in theory, but I wasn’t sure I could let go of the reins that easily. Edgewater was more than just a company to me; it was my legacy, something I’d built with my late father’s help. Could I really trust someone else to take control? Even someone as capable as Carla?

The SUV pulled up to the front of the office, and I stepped out, the late afternoon heat heavy on my shoulders. The building felt imposing like it always had, but now there was something else—an emptiness I couldn’t shake. Maybe it was because, for the first time, I was starting to question if I belonged here anymore. Was this life, this constant push for more, what I really wanted?

The elevator ride back up to my office was quiet, save for the occasional ding as we passed each floor. When I stepped out, I spotted Carla at her desk, typing away. She glanced up and gave me a quick nod, then gestured toward my office. “The proposal’s on your desk. It’s a big one.”

“Thanks, Carla,” I said, moving quickly past her.

The proposal was sitting neatly in the middle of my desk, along with a few other papers I’d need to review before the end of the week. I dropped into my chair, letting out a sigh as I picked up the file. My eyes skimmed the first few pages, but my mind was elsewhere—on Mia, the things she’d said, and how she looked at me when I finally told her the truth about who I was.

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. Cory’s suggestion kept ringing in my ears—make Carla CEO, step back, and live life the way I wanted. It made sense. Hell, I didn’t even like being in the office these days. I preferred the simplicityof Cedar Cove, the quiet moments with Mia, and the space to breathe. But could I really walk away from all this?

I stood up, moving toward the window that overlooked the city. The skyline stretched out before me, all glass and steel, a testament to power and success. I’d spent so many years chasing after this, making sure that Edgewater became a name people respected, feared even. But now, standing here with it all laid out before me, it felt... hollow.

A soft knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. Carla stepped in, her tablet in hand. “I’ve got the quarterly projections if you want to go over them.”

I turned to face her, giving her a nod. “Sure, let’s take a look.”

She came over to the desk, setting the tablet down and flipping through the data as she explained the numbers. I listened, but my mind kept drifting. As Carla went on about the company’s growth, I found myself thinking about how different things were now. A few months ago, I’d have been completely absorbed in these numbers, thinking of nothing else but how to make them better. Now? They felt like just another obligation, something I had to check off the list before I could get back to what really mattered.

“Makes sense?” Carla asked, glancing up at me.

“Yeah, it all looks good,” I replied, though I wasn’t sure I’d really absorbed anything she’d said.

Carla hesitated for a moment, then gave me a curious look. “You seem... distracted. Everything okay?”

I nodded, though I wasn’t sure it was the truth. “Yeah, just a lot on my mind. The whole embezzlement thing, trying to figure out what’s next.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Next? You thinking of making some changes?”

---