Chapter 15

Claire's POV I'm not sure how long I cried, but eventually, a soft knock at my bedroom door pulled me back to reality. "Claire?" Jennifer's voice was thick with concern. "I heard you come in. Are you okay?" I couldn't find the words to answer, but my silence was answer enough. The door opened slowly, and Jennifer's silhouette appeared in the dim light from the hallway. One look at my tear-streaked face was all she needed. "Oh, honey," she whispered, crossing the room and sitting beside me on the bed. "What happened?" The whole story spilled out between hiccupping sobs—the confrontation with Nicole, Theo's heroic intervention, the charged atmosphere in the car, and finally, my humiliating attempt at seduction and his rejection. "So you were naked," Jennifer clarified, eyes wide, "and he still turned you down?" I nodded miserably, fresh tears threatening. "Maybe he's... you know," she made a vague gesture with her hand, "lacking in that department? Some men get weird about it." Despite everything, a watery laugh escaped me. "No, that's definitely not the problem." The memory of his obvious arousal pressed against his tailored pants was vivid enough to make me blush even now. "Trust me, there was plenty of evidence to the contrary." Jennifer frowned, thoughtful. "A powerful Alpha like that? You're probably right." She squeezed my hand. "Maybe you should just move on, find someone else. There are plenty of guys who'd kill to have you pay attention to them, I mean, look at you." The suggestion should have made sense. There was no logical reason to fixate on Theo Valmont—a man significantly older than me, my boss, my ex's father, someone who had explicitly rejected my advances. Yet the thought of pursuing anyone else left me cold. "I don't want anyone else," I admitted quietly. Jennifer sighed but didn't argue. Instead, she held me until I finally drifted into an exhausted sleep. Morning arrived with brutal clarity, the memory of last night's humiliation even sharper in the harsh light of day. I stared at the ceiling, contemplating calling in sick. How could I possibly face Theo after what had transpired between us? After I had literally thrown myself at him only to be rejected? The very thought made me want to crawl into a hole and never emerge. But my father's medical bills wouldn't pay themselves, and this job was the only thing standing between him and inadequate care. With leaden limbs, I forced myself out of bed and into the shower. Each step of my morning routine felt like moving through molasses—brushing my teeth, applying minimal makeup to hide my puffy eyes, selecting the most conservative outfit in my closet. A suit of armor couldn't have made me feel protected enough for this confrontation. Jennifer was already gone for her early shift, leaving a note on the kitchen counter: "Call me if you need an emergency exit strategy. Love, J" The VM Group building loomed before me like a fortress of glass and steel. My hand trembled slightly as I swiped my access card, the weight of dread growing heavier with each floor the elevator climbed. When the doors opened onto the executive level, I took a deep breath and straightened my spine. Professional. Detached. I could do this. What I wasn't prepared for was Theo's absolute normalcy. He was already at his desk when I arrived, impeccably dressed in a charcoal suit, silver hair perfectly styled. When he glanced up at my entrance, his expression revealed nothing—no embarrassment, no awkwardness, not even a flicker of recognition that anything unusual had transpired between us. "Good morning, Ms. White," he said, his tone pleasant but detached. "There's a stack of contracts on your desk that need to be reviewed and filed by noon. And I'll need you to reschedule my 2 PM with the Lunaris Group." I stood frozen, uncertain how to respond to this... nothingness. Had I imagined the entire incident? The heat in his eyes, the unmistakable evidence of his desire, the internal struggle that had played across his features? "Ms. White?" he prompted, one eyebrow raised slightly at my silence. "Is there a problem?" "No, sir," I managed, the formality a shield. "I'll get right on it." Throughout the morning, the pattern continued. Theo was the epitome of professional courtesy—polite, efficient, completely unfazed. He dictated letters, took calls, reviewed documents, all without a single hint that less than twelve hours ago, he had seen me naked and vulnerable on a bathroom floor. His calm demeanor made my own inner turmoil feel even more unbearable. Each time he approached my desk with a new task, his scent enveloped me, triggering vivid memories of the previous night. Yet he remained unaffected, unbothered, while I struggled to maintain my composure. By noon, the pressure in my chest had grown unbearable. I couldn't do this—couldn't pretend that nothing had happened, couldn't bear his perfect composure while I was falling apart inside. I knocked tentatively on his office door. "Enter," his deep voice called. I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. "Mr. Valmont, I'm not feeling well. I'd like to request a leave of absence for the remainder of the day." Theo looked up from his computer, his brow furrowing slightly. For the first time that day, something like genuine emotion crossed his features—concern. "Are you ill?" he asked, rising from his chair to move closer to me. "You do look pale." The concern in his voice, the first crack in his perfect professional façade, was my undoing. All the frustration, humiliation, and hurt that had been building since last night erupted. "Why are you doing this?" I demanded, my voice cracking and stepping back. "How can you just sit there acting like nothing happened?" Surprise registered in his gray eyes. "Ms. White—" "Stop calling me that!" I snapped. "You called me Claire when you saw me naked. You can use my name now." A muscle in his jaw twitched—the first sign that his perfect control might not be as complete as it appeared. "I thought it would be easier for both of us if we maintained professional boundaries." "Easier for you, maybe," I said bitterly. "You get to retreat behind your titles and policies while I... I can't even think straight when you're near me." He remained silent, watching me with an unreadable expression. "If you don't have feelings for me, fine," I continued, unable to stop now that the dam had broken. "But then stay within the boundaries of boss and employee. Don't save me from bullies, don't give me your jacket, don't look at me the way you did in that hotel room—like you wanted to devour me whole but were forcing yourself not to, don't care so much. It's not fair to give me hope and then snatch it away." His eyes darkened at my words, something dangerous flickering in their depths. "Is that what you think I'm doing? Giving you false hope?" "What else should I think?" I countered. "One minute you're practically undressing me with your eyes, the next you're Mr. Professional, acting like nothing ever happened between us." Theo took a step toward me, then visibly restrained himself, hands flexing at his sides. "What happened last night w..," he said, his voice low and controlled. The finality in his tone was like a slap. "Was a mistake? Perfectly clear, sir," I replied, ice replacing the fire in my veins. "Now if you'll excuse me, I still don't feel well. I'll be taking that leave of absence." Without waiting for his response, I turned and strode from his office, head high despite the burning in my eyes. I grabbed my purse from my desk and headed for the elevator, fighting to maintain my composure until I was safely away from prying eyes. Only when the elevator doors closed did I allow myself to exhale, slumping against the wall. What had I done? I'd just yelled at my boss—the Alpha of the most powerful pack, the man who controlled my livelihood. He could fire me with a word, ensure I never worked anywhere decent again. In a moment of emotional weakness, I might have just destroyed everything I'd been fighting for. By the time I reached the ground floor, my phone was already buzzing with a text from Jennifer. *"Emergency drinks intervention? Just got off shift. Say the word."* Relief washed through me. Right now, a dark club and strong drinks sounded like exactly what I needed. *"Yes. Please. The usual place?"* Her response came instantly: *"Meet you there in 30. First round's on me."* As I stepped outside, I tried to push thoughts of Theo from my mind. Maybe Jennifer was right—maybe I did need to move on, find someone else, someone uncomplicated. Someone who wasn't my boss, wasn't twice my age, wasn't my ex's father. But deep down, I knew that tonight, no matter how many drinks I had or how loud the music was, I would still be seeing steel-gray eyes and feeling the phantom touch of hands that had refused to claim me.