“Why would I want that?”
“Because your stupid comments make me think you’re asking for it.”
His deep chuckle is the last thing I hear before another all-too-familiar voice slices through the room.
“So, this is what you get up to all day at work, huh?”
Chris and I both snap our heads towards the door at the same time. My ex-wife stands there, a hand on her hip, one eyebrow arched in question, looking every bit as elegant and composed as always.
Without waiting for an invitation, she saunters into my office like she owns the place and gracefully plants herself onto the leather sofa, making herself right at home.
Chris, suddenly looking uncomfortable from all the tension Elena dragged in with her, quickly rises to his feet. “I should probably go see if Travis is actually working or just hitting on Gemma again.”As he leans in close, his voice drops so only I can hear. “Good luck with dragon lady over there,” he whispers, giving my ex a curt nod. Then he bolts out of my office like his arse is on fire. If there’s one woman in this entire universe who terrifies Chris, it’s my ex-wife.
Once he’s out the door, it’s just me and Elena alone in the room. One look at her face: tight-lipped, eyes sharp, and ready for battle, I already know it’s going to be a long and exhausting night.
“Didn’t I tell you never to bother me at work?” I hiss at her.
She scoffs, brushing an invisible speck of lint from the sleeve of her coat. “I wanted to discuss something important, but clearly there’s something wrong with your phone.”
“Oh, my phone is perfectly fine. I’ve just been ignoring you.”
“Well, that’s not very nice of you, Jason. What are we, ten?” she chides.
Before I can respond, she stands and walks over to me, perching herself on the edge of my desk, so close her leg brushes against my thigh. I roll my eyes and push my chair back, putting as much space between us as possible.
“What’s so important you couldn’t wait until I finished work to tell me?”
“I wanted to talk to you about Jake’s sixth birthday party that’s in a few weeks,” she says, slowly unbuttoning her coat to reveal a tight, short red dress that clings to her petite frame and shows off her long, lean legs.
If this was a few years ago, that one move alone would’ve had her bent over my desk in seconds. Back then, just the sight of her was enough to drive me wild. She was always hard to resist, impossible to control myself around.
But now, after everything that’s happened between us, and everything I’ve experienced with Mila, all I feel towards Elena is cold, unwavering resentment. That intense spark she used to ignite in me is long gone. No desire, no lust, not even the faintest flicker of heat remains. When I look at my ex-wife, there’s not a trace of attraction left. Just emptiness.
I fix her with a bored look and power my computer screen back on, forcing myself to focus on anything but her. “What about his birthday? I thought we already agreed it’d be at my place.”
“Oh, it still is. My concern is about who’ll be on the guestlist.”
“Andwho, exactly, are you concerned about?” I raise an eyebrow, waiting for her to say the name we both know she’s hinting at.
She clears her throat, and from the corner of my eye, I catch her adjusting the hem of her dress. I don’t look up or pay her any attention. Instead, I just keep typing out this month’s staff meeting agenda, like she’s not even in the room.
“Look, Jase,” she begins, “I didn’t want to bring this up while you’re still at work, but since you’ve been ignoring all my calls and texts, I need to remind you of your moral obligation to our son, especially if you’re planning to bring your newgirlfriendto the party.”
She pauses, waiting for me to argue, but when I don’t she presses on. “I just want you to think about how it’s going to look to everyone, seeing you all touchy-feely with Jake’s young babysitter.”
I stop typing and lean back on my chair, angling myself so I’m now facing her. “If you’re implying that I can’t control myself around Mila while at my own son’s birthday party, then you obviously don’t know me at all. I have never acted irresponsibly or inappropriately around Jake, and I’m not about to start now. Mila is a respectable woman and would never do anything to embarrass our family. So you don’t have to worry about a thing. We’ll both be on our best behaviour.”
Elena leans in and places a hand on my knee, and the contact makes my skin crawl. “I didn’t mean anything ill by it,” she says sweetly. ‘I’m just looking out for our son, making sure there aren’t any awkward surprises on his big day. I just want everything to go smoothly. You understand that, right?”
I nod once, then calmly peel her hand off my knee. She leans back, her expression unreadable—stone-cold and composed, like always.
“I understand perfectly. Which is why Mila and I will keep our relationship tightly under wraps on the day. But make no mistake, Elena, when people eventually find out we’re together, I won’t be hiding it.”
I rise to my feet and step closer to her, forcing her to tilt her head to meet my gaze.
“And just so we’re clear, I wouldn’t underestimate how others will react to Mila and me. Because given my history with you, I have a feeling most people will berelievedI finally got it right this time. Now, if there’s nothing else, I’d like to kindly ask you to leave. I have some work to do.”
Her lips part, and for a moment there I know I’ve hit a nerve. But, true to form, she recovers quickly—spine straightening,chin lifting, every inch the picture of elegance and grace, even with her wounded pride. She snatches her purse from the sofa and storms out of my office in a flurry of clicking heels and dramatic huffs, not sparing me so much as a glance.
