“Well, put it back on the schedule,” I insist, grasping for compromise. “Tomorrow. The day after at the latest. Our window will close when the securityrotation changes, and we’ll have to start all over again.”
“No.” The single syllable drops between us. “Not until you’re at full capacity. That’s final.”
The fragile trust building between us shatters, destroying the fantasy that I was anything more than another asset in Rowan’s carefully managed world.
“You don’t get to decide for me.” I tremble with the effort to stay in control. “This isn’t only about the job. This is about Lena’s safety.”
“Which is why we’re not rushing in half-prepared.” Rowan steps closer, his height forcing me to tilt my head to maintain eye contact. “My responsibility is to ensure every operation succeeds. That includes protecting my people from unnecessary risks.”
“Your people.” The words sour in my mouth. “Is that what I am now? One of your people?”
His stare hardens. “When it comes to business, you’re my employee. I’m your boss. What happens with the job is my decision.”
The statement slaps through all my soft feelings toward him with stunning clarity. All this time, I’ve been fooling myself, believing in partnership, in equality, in mutual respect. But when push comes to shove, the truth emerges.
I work for him. I sleep in his bed. I eat his food. And at the end of the day, he calls the shots.
“I see,” I say flatly. “Thanks for the clarification.”
I turn and stride down the hall to Lena’s room, pushing open her door. “Pack your things, Lena. We’re leaving.”
Lena’s mouth drops open in shock. “What? Why?”
Surprise breaks through Rowan’s composed facade. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re overreacting.”
“Am I?” My lips curve without warmth. “You’re my boss. This is your home. We use your car. Everything belongs to you, including the decisions. I get it now.”
“That’s not what I meant.” His hand reaches for me, but I step back, maintaining distance.
“It’s exactly what you meant.” I leave Lena’s open door to stride back to the kitchen and grab a trash bag from under the sink. “You’ve made it crystal clear where we stand. Boss and employee. Not partners. Not equals.”
Rowan’s nostrils flare, his pheromones shifting toward aggression before he reins himself in. “You and Lena are safer here.”
“At what cost?” The question punches out of me, loaded with all the things I’ve swallowed down sincemoving into his space. “Safety isn’t worth the price of surrendering control of our lives.”
“Is that what you think I want?” He grips the countertop. “Control over you?”
“I think you want ownership without calling it ownership.” The accusation spills out, fueled by hurt I bury under anger. “You want me in your bed, wearing your Mark, following your orders, dependent on your generosity, until I have nowhere else to go.”
His jaw tightens, a muscle jumping beneath the skin. “What do you want, Ash? Have you ever asked yourself? Or have you spent your entire life running from anyone who might care about you?”
The question lands like a blow, and I have no answer that doesn’t expose the raw, frightened core of me. No response that doesn’t reveal how desperately I want what he offers, and how terrified I am to accept it.
So instead, I attack.
“I want a partner, not a handler. I want respect, not management.” The control I fight for slips, each sentence coming out louder than the last. “I want someone who views me as an equal, not a project to fix or an asset to deploy.”
“Is that what you think I’m doing?” Rowan’s face darkens. “Fixing you? Deploying you?”
“I think you’re trying to buy me,” I hiss, the words poisonous as they leave my lips. “With your money and your protection and your perfect fucking home. I think you want to own me without the inconvenience of my independence.”
Lena appears in the hallway, hugging her elbows. “What’s happening?”
“Get your things,” I repeat, not taking my attention off Rowan. “We’re leaving.”
Lena steps all the way into the kitchen, her new boots clicking on the tile floor. “But why? What’s going on?”
“We’re going back to our apartment. The window’s been fixed, so it’s time for us to go home,” I say in a tone that brooks no argument.
