HIS SECRET ADDICTION

Alex's POV

I lasted four hours at my desk before Maya dragged me into an empty office.

"You're an idiot," she said, slamming the door.

"Good morning to you too."

"Don't. You just signed away your relationship to protect a man who doesn't need protecting." She crossed her arms. "Did he ask you to take the transfer?"

"No."

"Did he want you to?"

"Of course not."

"Then why did you do it?"

I slumped into a chair. "Because someone had to make the rational decision. Damien would've thrown away his entire company for me."

"And that's bad because?"

"Because we've known each other for three weeks, Maya. Three weeks of real interaction. You don't destroy your life for three weeks."

"You're still doing that thing where you pretend this started three weeks ago." She sat across from me. "You talked to him for three months before you met. You knew him, Alex. Maybe not his name, but you knew him."

"That was different. That was fantasy."

"Was it? Because from where I'm sitting, you fell for him before you knew he was rich, before you knew he was your boss, before any of the complicated stuff. That's not fantasy. That's as real as it gets."

My phone buzzed. Damien: "Can we talk?"

I turned the phone face down.

"You're not even going to respond?" Maya asked.

"What's the point? I'm leaving in two weeks."

"The point is you're in love with him and you're running away because you're scared."

"I'm not-" I stopped. "I'm not in love with him."

"Really? Then why do you look like someone died?"

"Because my career just imploded, Maya. Because I'm being forced to move across the country. Because everything is falling apart."

"Your career is fine. You got a promotion and a transfer to New York. Most people would kill for that." She leaned forward. "You're upset because you're leaving him, and you're too stubborn to admit it matters."

Another text from Damien: "Please. Five minutes."

Then another: "I have a solution."

"He says he has a solution," I said.

"Then talk to him."

"There is no solution. HR was clear-it's the transfer or we both lose our jobs."

"Maybe he found a loophole."

"There is no loophole, Maya. This isn't a movie."

My phone rang. Damien calling.

"Answer it," Maya said.

"No."

"Fine. Then I will." She grabbed my phone and answered. "Hey, Damien. Yeah, he's here being stubborn. Uh-huh. Yep, that sounds like him. Sure, I'll tell him." She hung up. "He's coming here."

"What? No. Maya-"

"Too late. He's already in the elevator."

"I can't see him right now."

"Why not?"

"Because-" I couldn't find the words. Because seeing him would make this harder. Because I was barely holding it together as it was. Because if he looked at me the way he had in his apartment, I'd change my mind about everything.

"Because you're scared you'll realize you're making a mistake," Maya finished.

The door opened. Damien stood there in a full suit, looking like the CEO he was, but his eyes were desperate.

"Can we have the room?" he asked Maya.

She looked at me. I nodded.

"Five minutes," she said to Damien. "And if you hurt him, I'll destroy you. CEO or not."

"Noted."

She left. Damien closed the door and leaned against it.

"I quit," he said.

I blinked. "What?"

"I submitted my resignation an hour ago. Effective immediately."

"You did what?"

"Jennifer tried to reject it, but I own forty percent of the company. They can't stop me from resigning." He pulled out papers from his jacket. "I'm out. Which means there's no conflict of interest. You can stay, keep the campaign, keep your job."

I stared at him. "You quit your company."

"Yes."

"Your grandmother's company. Your brother's legacy."

"Yes."

"Are you insane?"

"Probably." He moved closer. "But I'm not losing you over corporate policy."

"Damien, you can't just-this is your entire life."

"No, it's my job. There's a difference." He sat down next to me. "My grandmother has six months, maybe less. Owen's been dead for two years. The company will survive without me. But I won't survive losing you."

My throat tightened. "You barely know me."

"I know you better than anyone I've ever met. I know you overthink everything. I know you're terrified of being vulnerable. I know you take your coffee black because you grew up poor and couldn't afford cream and sugar, and now it's just habit. I know you bite your thumbnail when you're nervous. I know you're brilliant and stubborn and completely infuriating." He took my hand. "And I know I'm in love with you."

"You said you liked me."

"I lied. I didn't want to scare you off." His thumb traced my knuckles. "But I'm done lying. I love you, Alex. I've loved you since you told me about your mom at three in the morning, before I knew your face or your name. And I'm not letting corporate policy or distance or fear take that away."

"This is crazy."

"I know."

"You'll regret it."

"I won't."

"Your grandmother will never forgive you."

"She'll understand." He pulled me closer. "My father spent his whole life building an empire and died alone in an office. Owen did the same thing. I'm not making that mistake. I'm choosing the person, not the position."

I wanted to argue, to list all the reasons this was a terrible decision. But I couldn't speak past the lump in my throat.

"Say something," Damien said quietly.

"I love you too," I whispered. "I've been trying not to, but I do."

He kissed me then, soft and desperate and perfect.

My phone buzzed. Maya: "HR wants to see both of you. Now."

We pulled apart.

"Round two," Damien said.

"You know they're not going to just let you quit."

"Probably not." He stood, offering his hand. "But they can't force me to stay either."

We walked to HR together. Jennifer and Marcus were waiting, along with someone I didn't recognize-an older woman in an expensive suit.

"Mr. Cross," the woman said. "I'm Catherine Walsh, board representative. We received your resignation."

"And?" Damien said.

"And we're rejecting it. Your contract has a six-month notice period for executive departures. You can't just walk away."

"Watch me."

"If you violate your contract, you forfeit your shares. All of them." Catherine slid papers across the table. "Forty percent of the company, gone. Is Mr. Parker worth forty million dollars?"

Damien didn't hesitate. "Yes."

I grabbed his arm. "Damien, wait-"

"We have a counteroffer," Catherine continued. "You stay as CEO. Mr. Parker takes the New York position as planned. After one year, if the relationship is still ongoing, we'll reconsider the arrangement. If you can maintain professionalism for twelve months, we'll bring Mr. Parker back to Austin with no conflicts."

"One year?" I said.

"It's a test," Marcus explained. "Prove the relationship is serious, prove you can maintain professional boundaries, and we'll accommodate it."

Damien looked at me. "Your choice."

"My choice?"

"I already told you what I want. I want you, here, now. But if you need the year to be sure, if you need the distance to figure out if this is real, I'll wait."

"You'd really forfeit forty million dollars?"

"Without question."

Catherine cleared her throat. "Mr. Parker, we're also prepared to offer you a significant raise with the New York position. Twenty percent increase, full relocation package, and a guarantee that your current project stays with you remotely. You'd still lead the Vertex campaign, just from New York."

That was more money than I'd ever imagined making. And I'd still have the campaign, still have my career trajectory intact.

"What happens if we don't make it the full year?" I asked.

"Then Mr. Cross remains CEO, you remain in New York, and everyone moves on professionally," Jennifer said.

"And if we do make it?"

"Then we bring you back, reassign reporting structures, and accommodate the relationship within policy guidelines."

It was a test. They were testing whether we were serious or just caught up in the excitement of something forbidden.

"I need to think about it," I said.

"You have until tomorrow," Catherine said. "After that, Mr. Cross's resignation stands, and he forfeits his shares."

We left the conference room in silence.

"What are you thinking?" Damien asked when we were alone.

"I'm thinking this is insane. All of it."

"Agreed."

"I'm thinking one year is a long time."

"It is."

"I'm thinking long distance never works."

"Statistically, no."

"But I'm also thinking-" I turned to face him. "I'm thinking maybe it's worth trying. Maybe we're worth trying."

He pulled me into an empty office and kissed me hard.

"Is that a yes to New York?" he asked.

"It's a yes to one year. A yes to seeing if this is real." I kissed him back. "And then, if we make it, you're never letting me go."

"Deal," he said. "Best deal I've ever made."

My phone buzzed. Maya: "Well? Do I need to start looking for jobs in New York or what?"

I smiled and typed back: "Start looking. But just for visits. I'm coming back in a year."

"Confident," Damien said, reading over my shoulder.

"You told them I was worth forty million dollars. Least I can do is prove you right."

He laughed, and for the first time since that HR meeting, I felt like maybe we'd actually survive this.

One year. We could do one year.

We had to.