Billionaire’s Regret: The One He Lost

"I'm Maxine Mason's father. Surely I got every right to discipline her?" Mr. Mason's words had barely finished hanging in the air when a sharp crack split the rooftop silence. A guttural, agonizing scream boomed out, echoing off the concrete. He clutched the hand Braxton Payne had just shattered, his face draining of every last bit of color.

"If you ever dare harass one of my employees at my company again, I'll make sure you disappear from this town for good," Braxton warned. Even seething with rage, Mr. Mason didn't dare push him further. He shot Maxine one last furious glare before slinking off, broken and defeated.

A sharp cramp twisted through Maxine's abdomen. She clutched her stomach, stumbling back a few wobbly steps. Her face went pale, cold sweat beading at her hairline. Braxton's eyes locked on her ashen skin, a flicker of worry cutting through his usual stoic mask. "I'll handle your father," he said flatly.

"No need to trouble you, Mr. Payne. I can handle my own family mess. This won't happen again," she answered. Her tone was detached, almost icy.

Braxton's jaw tightened, his eyes blazing with suppressed anger. "Maxine, are you done with this nonsense?"

"I'm not making drama, Mr. Payne. I'm here to resign," she said quietly.

His eyes darkened instantly. "Resign? Just to run away from me?"

"Yes," she admitted, staring off at anything but him.

"Isn't staying with me enough? Haven't I given you everything you ever wanted?" Braxton's generosity had never been up for debate—cars, a penthouse, more money than she could ever spend.

But none of that was what she actually wanted. "I want to get married. I want kids. Can you give me that?" Maxine held his gaze, clinging to a tiny, stupid flicker of hope.

If he just said yes, she'd stay without a second thought. Even if he was lying.

But Braxton just furrowed his brow. His gaze went complicated, unreadable, and he never answered her question.

"If you're dead set on leaving, go process your resignation." He turned and walked away, his stiff back giving away no hint of softness, no regret at all.

Maxine tilted her chin up, fighting to hold back the tears burning at the backs of her eyes. Still, they spilled over anyway, rolling hot and fast down her cheeks.

Once she pulled herself together, she headed back to the office. Before she could even turn the doorknob, she heard her coworkers gossiping inside.

"Did you hear Maxine's dad was saying she's Mr. Payne's mistress? Is that actually true?"

"Who wouldn't jump at that chance? Our CEO's hot as hell and loaded. But he's ice cold—why would he even look twice at Maxine?"

"Right? I heard her dad's a total gambling addict. There's no way Mr. Payne's into her. She probably started the rumor herself to climb the ladder. And didn't Mr. Payne just fire her anyway?"

When she pushed the door open, the room went dead silent. Everyone scattered under her gaze, hurrying back to their desks. Maxine packed her things quietly, every pair of eyes burning into her back as she got ready to leave.

To get away from all the reminders of her old mess, she'd arranged to crash at her friend Sue's place for a few days.

She was sitting in the back of a taxi when her phone rang. It was her mom. She answered fast. "Mom?" All that came through was static and chaotic yelling. Her stomach dropped. "Mom?"

Then her dad's sneering voice cut in. "Guess where I got your mom, Maxine?"

Her heart plummeted straight to her feet. "Where is she?"

"If you don't bring me the cash, I'm gonna sell her to that dive club down by the docks to entertain the drunks. She's old, but she can still pull in a few bucks," he laughed cruelly.

Maxine trembled with white-hot rage. "If you hurt her, I swear to God I'll make you pay!"

Her dad just cackled, not a hint of fear in his voice. "Bring the money if you don't want her to get hurt. You know where to find me."

Maxine clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms, barely holding back from screaming. "How much?"

"A million!" he demanded, no shame, no remorse.

"Where the hell am I supposed to get a million dollars?!" she cried out.

"Braxton's gotten plenty of use out of you, don't try to tell me you can't scrape it together. Figure it out. Be at the club by eight with the cash, or else…" The line went dead.

The flat dial tone buzzed in her ear as fresh tears welled in her eyes. She wracked her brain, desperate for any way to get that kind of money. Her own savings barely covered ten percent of it.

"We're here, miss," the taxi driver's voice pulled her out of her panic.

Maxine glanced out at the familiar neighborhood, Sue's worried text glowing on her screen. Her mind raced a mile a minute, and she made her choice. "Can you take me back to Payne Enterprises instead?"

Fifteen minutes later, Maxine stood outside the towering glass office building, her chest tight with a dozen conflicting emotions. Her phone buzzed. It was Braxton.

"Why are you standing at the front door?"

Could he see her? Maxine squinted into the glaring midday sun, scanning the windows for any sign of him, but found nothing. "I'll be up in a minute," she replied.

She endured the curious stares of other employees as she stepped into the private elevator for the top floor. When the doors opened, her footsteps echoed loud across the vast, empty floor. She walked straight to the CEO's office door, and met Braxton's intense gaze—he was leaning back against his desk, hands folded in front of him.

"Changed your mind?" His question was laced with teasing, utterly confident that he still held sway over her.

Maxine froze. She knew if she said the words, she'd be pulled right back into that familiar, suffocating abyss she'd been trying to escape. She took a deep breath, then faltered. "No. I… I forgot something. It's not even important. Sorry for bothering you, Mr. Payne. I'll go now."

Her mind was spinning with other options—she could call the cops about her mom, she could go confront her dad alone.

Surprise flickered across Braxton's face for half a second before he called out, "What about your father? You really just gonna pretend this doesn't exist and walk away?"

Maxine hesitated, her hard-won resolve starting to crack. Braxton saw his opening and pressed on, sure his argument would win her over. "You know he's just gonna keep coming back. The cops can't fix this for good. Stay with me. You'll have all the money you need, you'll have protection. I can take care of your father once and for all."

To Maxine, his words felt like a trap, one designed to keep her chained to him. But she also knew he was right about her dad's endless threats.

After a minute of tearing herself apart inside, she made her choice. "Mr. Payne… can we renew my contract for another year?"

One year to save up enough to get her mom away from him, to break free of her father's grip for good. And maybe… just maybe, to figure out what she actually felt for Braxton before she left forever.

Braxton's face softened, satisfaction settling over his features. He pressed the intercom button, and told his assistant, "Extend Maxine's contract by one year. Give her a fifty percent raise."

Maxine's eyes widened in shock.

"And I'll add an extra fifty grand for each… private meeting. That's enough incentive, right?" he added, a slow smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.