Once the Forgotten Wife, Now His Biggest Regret

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Working for your ex is not for the weak

"We do?" The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

My mind started to run wild, imagining all the worst possible scenarios. Was he going to fire me on my first day? Did he regret hiring me already?

"Yes, we do," his deep voice snapped me back to reality. He didn’t say another word, only turned around and headed straight for his office.

I rose from my seat, silently trailing behind him as my heart thudded in my chest.

Neither of us said a word until the door to his office was clicked shut behind us. I watched as he plopped down into his sleek black leather seat while I stood by his desk. frёewebnoѵēl.com

"Are you going to fire me?" I blurted out and instantly started regretting being so rash. I slapped myself mentally as I watched his dark eyes light up.

"Fire you?" He echoed after me, amusement lacing his voice. "Oh, don’t worry. You’re here to stay. Unless..."

"No, no unless," I interrupted, and a low chuckle slipped past his lips. Remembering the reason why I was standing here, I continued to speak. "Is there something you need my help with?"

He jutted his chin towards the stack of files sitting at the side of his desk. "Need your help looking through these files and summarising them in a deck for me. We will be meeting a very important client tomorrow."

We?

"Yes, we," he confirmed. I must have said it out loud.

I glanced at the pile, groaning internally. "Of course, I will get it done right away," I said, stepping forward to grab everything.

"Oh, and..." his voice forced me to stop in my tracks. "Get me some coffee too, would you?"

"I’m an executive assistant, not your personal servant," I told him through gritted teeth as our gazes connected.

"Do you want this job or not, Mrs Smith?"

He was trying to get on my nerves, maybe out of revenge. Now that I was working under him, it was clear he had the upper hand.

I glared at him, fury burning within me. But I pushed it aside and swallowed my pride. I needed this job, and he must have known somehow.

"I’ll be right back with your coffee," I said, forcing my lips into a smile.

"No su—"

"I know what to do," I found myself saying. Of course, after seven years, I still remembered how he liked his coffee. No sugar, no milk, double shot, like a psycho.

I made a beeline for my desk, dumping all the files down before heading to the pantry to make my ex his morning coffee, because apparently that was part of my job scope.

It didn’t take long before I returned to his office with a cup of piping hot double-shot espresso. "Here you go."

He glanced down at the coffee that was now on his desk before taking a sip.

"Is there anything else you need?" I asked when he didn’t say anything.

He lifted his eyes to meet mine. "That will be all. Don’t forget the files."

"I know what to do," I retorted, forcing my lips into a tight smile as I left.

I spent the next few hours reviewing the huge stack of documents that was dumped on me. Each graph, data, and unnecessarily long paragraphs of words were giving me a bigger headache.

By the time I was done, the sun was already starting to set, and the once bright blue sky was painted in hues of red and orange. Though my body was aching, and my eyes burned from staring at the endless spreadsheets and reports all day, at least I was finally done with work today.

I pushed myself out of the chair I had been stuck in for the longest time and grabbed the complete deck. It was only when I stood up that a wave of dizziness hit me like a flying brick. I shook my head, gently rubbing my temples for a bit before making my way over to Rhy’s office.

My hand hovered over the door for a split second before I finally knocked. "Rhys, it’s—"

I had yet to finish my sentence when his voice came from the other side of the door. "Come in."

I pushed the door open to see Rhys sitting behind his desk. He barely looked up from this laptop, still furiously typing something with a tiny frown etched between his brows. "Done already?"

I placed the file on his desk. "Yes. You can look through it, and let me know if there’s anything you need me to work on."

He reached for it, flipping through the pages with surprising speed while I stood there awkwardly, waiting for criticism.

A minute passed.

Then another.

Finally, he closed the file and leaned back against his chair.

"Not bad."

I blinked. Not bad? Coming from him, that was practically a standing ovation.

"Thank you," I muttered carefully.

His dark gaze lingered on me for a second too long before shifting toward the large windows behind me. The sunset cast golden streaks across his office, softening his usually sharp features.

For a brief moment, he didn’t look like the cold, insufferable CEO I remembered. He looked like him, the man I once loved.

I quickly looked away, mentally chiding myself for even letting my mind wander so far. I was hopeless. This was my ex we’re talking about, the ex that I probably cheated on.

"So," he said casually, interlocking his fingers together. "Dinner."

My head snapped back toward him as my eyes grew wide. "Excuse me?"

"Dinner with the client tomorrow night," he clarified smoothly, though the corner of his lips twitched like he enjoyed watching me panic. "You’ll be accompanying me."

I let out a breath. "Right. The client."

"Disappointed?"

"No."

"That sounded a little too fast."

I crossed my arms defensively, tilting my chin up slightly as if to prove a point. "Why would I be disappointed about not having dinner with my boss?"

"Why not? You don’t miss me?"

"I..." I do, actually. "I’m not answering that."

A low chuckle escaped him. God, I hated that sound. Because once upon a time, it used to make my stomach flutter. Now it just annoyed me, mostly.

A lazy smirk played on his lips. "I’ll take that as a yes then."

I spent the next few seconds gaping at him before I finally pressed my lips together and cleared my throat. "If that’s all, I’d like to head home."

"Sure, I’ll see you tomorrow."

"See you," I mumbled under my breath. But the second I turned and took the first step, I felt my knees buckle under my weight, and the floor swayed beneath me.

My vision blurred as darkness slowly began to swallow me. The last thing I heard was a distant, muffled voice, like I was underwater. Someone was shouting my name.

"Evelyn!"