By the noon, Elena was done. She had lost count of how many times she had walked into Alex's office with a cup of coffee in her hand, but she knew it was at least six. Every single time, Alex found something wrong with it. Too sweet. Too bitter. Not hot enough.
She was a CEO who managed millions of dollars in business deals. Now she was playing servant, making coffee for the man who had stolen her company.
Elena stood in the executive pantry, staring at the espresso machine like it had personally offended her. She had never felt so annoyed in her life. Alex was doing this on purpose. They both knew it.
She grabbed a fresh cup, her knuckles white around the handle from how hard she was gripping it. She marched back into his massive office and slammed the cup down on his desk with a sharp clack.
"Your coffee, Mr. Valois," she said, her voice cold and flat.
Alex didn't even look up from his tablet. He let her stand there for a long moment, letting the silence do its work. Then he finally leaned back in his leather chair, his dark eyes moving from his screen to her face with a lazy, superior look was in his eyes.
He picked up the coffe cup, but before he brought it to his lips, his hand stopped.
His eyebrows raised automatically as he brought the cup closer to his nose and sniffed the dark liquid carefully. A slow smirk spread across his face.
"What is this?" Alex asked, his voice calm and deep.
Elena crossed her arms, tilting her chin up. "It's coffee. Exactly what you ordered."
"It smells different," Alex muttered. His eyes narrowed as he glared at her. He set the cup down hard on his desk and leaned forward until his shadow fell completely over her. "The aroma is off. It doesn't smell like the ones you brought earlier.
"Elena rolled her eyes and let out a sharp huff. "That's because I changed the coffee beans, Mr.Valois. I thought your constant complaints were because you didn't like the company's regular brand. So I went to the lower storage and brought up the premium imported roast. It's a completely different brand."
Alex didn't look convinced. He leaned back, a dark, mocking smile creeping back onto his lips. He tapped his long fingers against the desk, his gaze locked on her eyes.
"A different brand?" he said slowly. "Or did you finally lose your mind and drop something else in here? Tell me the truth, Elena. Did you put poison in this cup? Is this your way of getting your company back? What a shame."
Elena felt a hot rush of pure rage hit her chest. She couldn't believe his audacity. He was sitting there, fully protected by his billions, accusing her of murder just to mess with her head.
"You think I'd waste poison on you?" Elena hissed. She stepped closer to the desk. Before he could stop her, she reached out, grabbed the hot cup directly from his hand, and brought it to her mouth.
She didn't hesitate. She took a long , deliberate sip right from the exact spot where his lips had been, swallowing the bitter liquid without blinking.She set the cup down and wiped her lip with the back of her hand, her eyes drilling into his with absolute fury.
"If I wanted you dead, Alex, I wouldn't use a cowardly trick like poison. I'd look you right in the eye while I stab you with my hands."
Alex raised his eyebrows. A sudden flash of surprise crossed his face before it turned into pure amusement. He looked at the cup, then looked back at her lips, his dark eyes darkening with a heavy, intense look.
He didn't say a single word.
He simply reached out, took the cup back, and without breaking eye contact for even a second, he gulped down the hot liquid. Then he put the cup down, his eyes burning with a wild, possessive light. "Not bad, PA Vane. Now get back to your desk. We have work to do."
The rest of that afternoon turned into a complete nightmare. Alex didn't let her rest for a single second.
He pulled out massive stacks of financial reports, operational budgets, and shipping logs from the last six months. Files that had already been approved and locked by the old board.
"The alignment on page four is wrong," Alex said, tossing a thick folder onto the desk. "Redo the text formatting and print it again.
"Elena slammed her pen down. "The text is perfectly aligned, Alex! This is a standard corporate font. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this file."
"What's with the tone Ms.Vane ?? Is this how you talk to your senior... I mean BOSS??," Alex replied smoothly, not even looking up from his laptop. "And since I own this entire company, my preferences are the only thing that matters. Redo it."
Elena wanted to scream. She took the folder, went to the printer, reformatted the pages, and handed it back to him twenty minutes later.
"Still not perfect," he said, barely glancing at it before sliding it back across the desk toward her. "The margin on the left is off by a millimeter. I want it completely perfect before it goes into the permanent archive. Do it again."
He made her redo the same five files over and over again, changing tiny, meaningless details just to keep her fingers busy. It was pure rage-bait—a mental war designed to break her pride and force her to acknowledge his absolute control over her time. Elena knew exactly what he was doing. So, she forced her face to remain an unreadable sheet of ice, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry or beg.
By the time the wall clock chimed, it was already 11:00 PM. The entire executive floor was completely dead. Most of the lights had been turned off, leaving only the lights of Elena's cabin and the glow from Elena's computer screen. The city lights outside the massive glass windows flickered far below, casting long shadows across the floor.Elena's head was pounding from a total lack of sleep, her eyes burning as she stared at the computer screen.
Suddenly, the heavy sound of boots clicking cut through the quiet. Alex stood up from his desk, buttoning his coat as he prepared to leave. He walked past her cabin, pausing for a second to look down at her exhausted state.
"I'm heading out," Alex said, his voice deep and calm in the quiet room. "You can pack up and do the rest of the work tomorrow morning. Just don't leave any loose papers on the desk showing your clumsiness."
" Thank you so much for your so-called kindness, Sir, after making me work like a machine all day without a shred of pity, "Elena said without even looking at him as she didn't had any energy left to handle him anymore.She just let out a sharp, angry huff, shoving her laptop into her bag with aggressive, fast movements. She was so tired her hands were trembling; she just wanted to get away from his suffocating presence.
"Goodnight, Mr. Valois," she muttered bitterly, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she stood up and grabbed her coat.
Alex smirked, turning around and walking out of the executive suite, his long steps taking him toward the lobby area just a few meters ahead.
Elena finished packing her things in a rush, throwing her bag over her shoulder. She walked out of the office into the dim hallway, her heels clicking loudly against the polished marble floor. She felt completely drained, her body aching for her bed.
"Oh, Elena! Ma'am, are you finally done for the night?"
Elena stopped, turning her head from where the voice was coming .Marcus, one of the senior data analysts from the tech pool, was standing near the water cooler holding his jacket. He had stayed late to finish a server update. He walked toward her, a warm, genuinely sympathetic smile on his face.
"Hey, Marcus," Elena said. For the first time in two days, the icy mask fell from her face. A soft, weary, but entirely real smile appeared on her lips. "Yes, I'm finally free. It's been a brutal shift."
"We've all been watching from downstairs," Marcus said softly, his voice full of concern as he stepped closer. "The whole tech team is completely on your side, Elena. If that guy keeps pushing you like this, just know we're ready to lock the servers if you give the word. You don't deserve to be treated like a secretary."
Elena let out a soft laugh, the tension in her shoulders dropping just a fraction. "Thank you, Marcus. That honestly means a lot to me. Just keep the core data stable. I can handle him."
"You're amazing," Marcus smiled, reaching out to give her a friendly, supportive pat on her shoulder. "Let's walk down together. I can drop you off if you need a ride."
Just a few meters away, near the main glass entrance of the lobby, Alex had stopped. He had heard her voice—the soft, warm tone she never, ever used when speaking to him. He turned his head slowly, his eyes locking onto the scene by the water cooler.
The exact second Alex saw Marcus's hand touch Elena's shoulder—and the exact second he saw that genuine, soft smile on Elena's face—something violent and completely unhinged exploded in his chest. A blinding rush of pure, possessive jealousy surged through his veins, so hot and sudden it made his jaw clench until it ached.
She had never smiled at him like that. To him, she was nothing but a beautiful, dangerous woman who threw threats and cold words whenever he got close. Yet here she was, standing in the dim hallway, laughing and letting some random, low-level employee touch her bare skin. Alex's fists clenched inside his pockets, his dark eyes turning entirely black with fury. He wanted to march over there, rip that man's hand off her shoulder, and remind the entire floor who she belonged to now.
But even he was confused of the feeling. Why was he feeling such a thing for the women he oath to destroy, the woman whom he thinks he hates the most. He refused to accept his own jealousy. He was too arrogant to let her affect him. He just ignore the scene and went straight to the elevator.
Marcus's phone suddenly buzzed loudly in his pocket. The other party pulled it out, checking the screen, his face dropping.
"Ah, damn it, that's my buddy down at the entrance," Marcus said, looking apologetic. "He's waiting for me with the rest of the guys for our late-night dinner party. They're actually taking the service stairs because the loading dock is open. I have to run this way, Elena. Are you going to be okay taking the elevator alone?"
"Go ahead, Marcus. Don't keep them waiting," Elena smiled, waving her hand. "Have fun."
"See you tomorrow!" Marcus called out, turning around and rushing down the side corridor toward the stairwell, his footsteps fading quickly.
Elena turned back toward the main lobby, her mind already shifting back to her exhaustion. She walked toward the bank of executive elevators and saw that one of them was about to close. It would take at least 15 minutes to call another elevator from the ground floor, so she rushed toward the closing doors.
But as she reached the elevator, she looked inside and froze.
Alex was already standing there.
Elena's heart skipped a beat as she looked inside. His tall, big frame completely blocked the light. His coat was open, his dark silk tie was slightly loose around his neck. He usually had a smirk on his face, but currently, he looked dangerous—his eyes were burning with a dark fury that made the air feel freezing cold.
Elena instantly took a step back, her eyes narrowing. She didn't want to get inside with him. "What are you doing? I thought you left."
Alex didn't answer. Instead of letting the doors close, he stepped out of the elevator toward her. His massive presence instantly made the wide lobby feel small and suffocating.
Elena backed away, wanting to just turn around and walk to the stairs, but Alex moved with terrifying speed. He stepped forward, caging her against the wall next to the elevator bank. He raised his right hand, slamming his palm against the wall right next to her waist, his large body completely trapping her in.
"What's the matter, Elena?" Alex whispered, his deep voice dropping to a low, mocking tone. "Are you that afraid that you can't even take a lift with me? Why are you such a scaredy-cat?"
Elena's eyes widened, a hot spark of defensive rage wiping away her exhaustion. She was completely confused. Usually, Alex was cool, calm, and just loved to annoy her with jokes. But right now, he was acting completely different. He was genuinely angry, and she couldn't understand why.
"I am not afraid of you," Elena spat back, tilting her face up, her eyes drilling into his with absolute defiance. "I just prefer not to waste my breath breathing the same air as you. Move out of my way."
Alex's grip on the wall tightened, his knuckles turning white. He was furious because he had seen her acting friendly with someone else earlier, but he could never admit that to her—or even to himself. He didn't even realise that he hated seeing her smile at anyone else.
"Watch your language, Elena," Alex growled, leaning down until his face was just inches from hers. The scent of his dark cologne wrapped around her. His dark eyes traveled down to her lips before snapping back to her gaze, his breathing heavy and ragged. "You work for this company, which means you follow my command. Get in the elevator."
"I don't have to do anything you say when the workday is over," Elena hissed, her hands coming up to press hard against his chest, her fingers digging into his vest to push him back. "You don't own my free time. Your ego is so fragile it's embarrassing."
Alex let out a short, low laugh that had no warmth. He didn't move back an inch; instead, he leaned into her pressure. "My ego is perfectly fine, sweetheart. But I command respect in this building. Now, stop throwing a tantrum and get inside."
To prove she wasn't scared of him, Elena grabbed his wrist, yanked his hand off the wall, and stepped past him straight into the elevator car. "Fine. Let's go. See if I care."
Alex turned sharply and followed her inside, the heavy glass doors sliding shut behind them, sealing them in together. The physical friction between them was electric—a heavy, suffocating tension that made it impossible to breathe as they glared at each other in the small space.
" And if you are talking about respect then listen , I will look down on you until the day I watch your entire empire burn to the ground," Elena promised in a deadly whisper.
"I'd love to see you try," Alex murmured, stepping closer until his lips were so close she could feel the heat of his breath.
They stood there, locked in a brutal closed space, both of them trying to look down on the other, their pride refusing to let either back away.
Suddenly, before either of them could say another word, a loud metal sound came from the elevator shaft. The bright lights inside the elevator blinked twice and then turned off completely, leaving the whole car in total darkness. The moving elevator gave a sudden, violent shake and stopped dead in its tracks between the floors.
Elena's breath hitched in her throat as her back hit the solid wall, trapped in the dark with the one person she hated most.