“But please?—”
“Nothing will happen to you or your family,” I stated matter-of-factly, although I had no business being so certain. Except, deep down, I knew Kian was a fair man. Once I explained it to him, he’d see reason and all would be okay.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I have to go.” I ended the call just as Kian appeared at the doorway of the living room.
He was shrugging off his jacket, his expression hard. I wanted to talk rationally like two adults, but anger and the adrenaline pumping through my veins took over.
“How could you do this?”
“I do many things,” he answered, his voice cool. “You’ll have to elaborate.”
He casually crossed the room, his expensive loafers squeaking against the floor while my pulse thundered in my ears.
“I just got off the phone with Mr. Hoti,” I said, his presence overwhelming me.
Kian’s eyes froze over, something heavy sliding into place behind them. “Did you now?”
“Yes, and he’s terrified.”
“Good.”
The word hit me like a slap.
“How can you say that?” My voice rose with each word. I should have known better than to let anger take over, but I had bigger concerns. “He’s worried about his family, begging me to come back, and all you have to say is ‘good’? What the hell, Kian?”
“He upset you.” He closed the distance between us. “And his family is safe from me.”
“But not him?” I shot back. “You are being unreasonable, Kian.”
Silence dropped between us, thick and suffocating.
“He should have thought things through before he did something so stupid,” Kian said flatly.
“That’s the problem,” I said. “He didn’t do anything stupid. If I were in his position, I would have done the same exact thing.”
His jaw tightened. “No one gets to fire you.”
“It was a mutual decision,” I said, my voice cracking despite myself. I loved working there, and this brief taste made my longing for my old job even worse. “Yes, I’m upset, but with myself more than anything.”
That stopped him, and our gazes locked before he asked in a resigned tone, “What good is my power if I can’t protect you?”
I took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled before I answered. “I know you can do a lot of good with your influence and thisimport-exportbusiness. Like your donation to the hospital.” He thought Ididn’t know, but everyone had been whispering about it in awe. “What I don’t know is whether I can have a boyfriend who threatens anyone who upsets me.”
The air around us stilled, and for a moment, I thought Kian stopped breathing. “Boyfriend?”
My brows furrowed. “That’s what you took from all that?”
“Sophie.”
Hesitancy slid down my spine.
“Well, yes, I think of you as my boyfriend. Aren’t we… dating?” I asked slowly, suddenly unsure whether I mistook all the signs.
He remained silent, each second making me feel like a greater fool, so I changed subjects.
“Call the hospital,” I said, holding up my phone. “Right now.”
