Page 28 of Her Possessive Dominant Fake Husband

It wasn’t until after I’d gotten my vanilla lavender latte and left the building that I heard a voice I’d hoped to never hear again.

My former boss. He was making his way toward me, arms crossed, eyes full of ill intent. "Claire," he said, his voice filled with false warmth. "Long time no see."

My breath hitched, and the panic was sudden and complete. I thought about the security Alexander had insisted on, but there was no one here, no one but him and me. My former boss. The pervert. The guy with nothing but bad intentions.

He got closer, and I realized I was wrong about so many things. He was more intense than before. I was less strong than I thought.

"Looks like your new man can’t keep up with you," he said, his voice low as he scanned the space around me, searching for a missing Alexander. "Why don’t we go somewhere…privateand catch up?"

I froze, every muscle locked in fear and indecision. My mind was blank, my escape routes vanished. I felt like I was back in his office, back in that place where I had no power and no options. It was happening again.

"I—I have to go." I stepped back, trying to escape him on busy streets where I knew no one would come to my rescue if he grabbed me and tried dragging me away.

He reached for my arm.

"Claire," Alexander’s voice made my heart leap into my throat.

Alexander was at my side, sudden and imposing, his presence an iron wall between me and the threat. He stoodthere, tall and unwavering, and everything changed in an instant. The power shifted. The fear dissolved.

My former boss stepped back, his confidence shaken, and in a flash of resentment and defeat, he left. He disappeared into the chaos of the city, leaving me reeling and breathless.

Alexander didn’t say I told you so. He didn’t gloat or chide me for not taking him seriously. He just stood there, his eyes on me, his expression as unreadable and infuriating as ever.

We left quickly, walking back to his place, with nothing but silence between us. I didn’t speak, afraid that if I opened my mouth, the tears would come. I was still shaking, still unable to believe I’d let myself be this vulnerable, this exposed.

I stopped moving for a second, and my breath caught. Alexander’s eyes were on my hands, checking for the tremor I couldn’t quite hide.

I hadn’t even realized he was watching me like that, so closely, so carefully. His gaze was too much, and yet not enough.

"You noticed I left and knew where I’d go," I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

Alexander exhaled slowly, like he’d been holding that breath, holding it until he could be sure I was okay. He nodded, the tension leaving his body in one long, quiet release.

"Of course, I noticed," he said, his voice steady, and I knew he was talking about more than me leaving – he was talking about the fear making me shake, the close call, the fact that I’d messed up, probably.

I turned toward him, and I noticed something too. How his fingers twitched at his side, a small movement that made me realize how much he’d held back, how much he’d wanted torearrange my ex-boss’ face. It was that restraint, that invisible touch, that undid me more than any words or actions ever could.

"I always notice, Claire," he said softly, and the sincerity in his voice was as terrifying as it was comforting. "Even when you think I don’t."

I was trembling, but not from fear, now. Not from my former boss or the way he’d cornered me, exposed me, left me terrified and desperate.

No, I was trembling because Alexander Reed, billionaire CEO with a cold heart and colder expression, was turning out to be more dangerous than I ever imagined. He saw me. And despite everything, I started to think I was beginning to see him too.

Chapter Eight

Alexander

I stepped through the door and let it swing shut. Claire's ex-boss was too absorbed in his screen to notice me, too comfortable for a man about to be destroyed.

When he finally glanced up, he had the nerve to smirk. "Well, if it isn't the man himself," he said, leaning back. "Guess she’s playing hard to get."

He thought he was clever. That would change. I stayed silent. His brows began to rise a little at a time, as if he was rethinking everything. The weight of my silence had always been more dangerous than words.

The longer I stood without speaking, the more he began to squirm in his chair. He’d seen the latest photos in the press. Claire's pretty, innocent smile on full display. My arm around her waist. A possessive, damning touch. Us both at baby boutiques and seen in and around doctor’s offices.

I finally stepped forward, my gaze steady. "Is this really worth the trouble?"

The calm in my voice unsettled him. I saw it in the way he blinked, in the slight hitch of his breath. "Holy shit," he said,pushing back from his desk. "The man himself thinks I’m a threat."

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