Chapter Twenty-Nine
Xia
Four months later,CyberCo Tech Enterprises, New Orleans...
The elevator doors slid open with a quiet ding, and the moment Xia stepped into the sleek, glass-walled lobby of CyberCo Tech Enterprises, the air shifted.It was the same electric charge she’d felt the first time she’d walked into this building—back when she was here for an interview, back when she had nothing to offer, except her limited bartender experience, a sharp tongue, and a chip on her shoulder.
Back when she’d first noticed him.Rex Oliver, the man who had saved her, broken her, and fought for her, before pushing her away.
Not this time.
Vee, Rex’s razor-sharp PA, looked up from her desk, her expression immediately tightening the second she recognized Xia.
“I want to see Mr.Oliver, please,” Xia said in a sickeningly sweet voice.Her fingers tightened around the strap of her coat.
Vee’s eyes narrowed.“I’m sorry, Ms.Foster—if memory serves?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”Xia shifted her weight but kept her expression neutral, well aware that the woman knew exactly who she was.
“I’m afraid Mr.Oliver is very busy, and since you don’t have an appointment—”
Xia didn’t let her finish.She bolted.Vee squeaked, jumping up from her chair and charging after her.“Stop!You can’t just—”
“Watch me!”Xia was already at Rex’s office door.She flung it open with enough force to slam it against the wall.Rex was on the phone, his back to her, talking in a low and commanding voice—the one that always made her tremble.He paused mid-sentence.His shoulders tensed before he slowly turned in his chair.
His eyes locked onto hers.The low growl sounded like heaven when he said darkly, “I’ll have to phone you back, Max.”
God, he looked good.
Not perfect—he’d lost weight, his face was leaner, his skin paler than usual, and he had the faintest shadows under his eyes.But he was alive.Recovered and here.More importantly, he was hers.She was done with his bullshit.
Vee skidded to a stop behind her, breathless.“I’m so sorry, Rex, she just—”
“I don’t care that I don’t have an appointment,” Xia said, her voice sweet as cyanide.Her gaze remained locked on Rex.“He’ll fucking see me.One way or another.”
Vee blinked.
Rex didn’t move.Didn’t blink.He just sat there, coiled in his chair like a predator savoring the scent of blood before the first bite.His gaze dragged over her—not a glance, not a look, but a possession, slow and deliberate, as though he was peeling her apart layer by layer just to see what was hidden beneath.
Xia knew what he saw.She had prepared herself for this very moment.The makeup wasn’t just flawless—it was a mask, sharp enough to cut, dark enough to swallow light.Her hair wasn’t just shiny; it was a weapon, a dark river spilling down her back.And her body—oh, her body—no longer the hollowed-out ghost of what he had seen in the hospital, but full again, soft and rounded in the right places, dangerous in the others—all wrapped in a black coat like a present.She was a siren, a storm, a fucking omen, and she knew it.
Vee’s protests died against the door as Xia slammed it shut, the lock clicking like a gun cocking.
Look your fill, Rex Oliver.Her eyes dared him as she turned to face him.Silence wrapped around her.
Rex leaned back, his fingers tapping once against the armrest.“What are you doing here, Xia?”Not a question.A statement.A warning.She smirked and slowly unbuttoned her coat.His eyes narrowed.“I believe I told you to go to Hawaii.”
