POV- Catriona
The executive floor had emptied hours ago.
Only a few lights remained on, casting long reflections across the polished marble corridor outside Shawn Reid's office.
The boardroom battle had ended in our favor.
The Zurich acquisition was secured.
Charles Laurent had been forced to retreat—for now.
But the tension from the meeting hadn't disappeared.
It had followed us here.
I stood in Shawn's office reviewing the final legal confirmation documents while he poured two glasses of whiskey from the cabinet behind his desk.
The quiet between us felt different tonight.
Charged.
Not with conflict.
With something far more dangerous.
He walked over and placed one glass beside me.
"You earned this," he said.
I lifted the glass slightly but didn't drink yet.
"Winning the vote wasn't easy."
"No," he agreed.
"But you made it possible."
I set the glass down.
"You let Charles challenge me in front of the entire board."
Shawn didn't deny it.
"Yes."
I crossed my arms slightly.
"You could have stopped him."
"Yes."
"And you didn't."
His gaze met mine steadily.
"Because if I had defended you, it would have validated his implication."
The logic was flawless.
Infuriatingly flawless.
"You wanted the board to see me handle it myself."
"Yes."
"And if I had failed?"
His voice dropped.
"You wouldn't have."
The certainty in his tone made my pulse quicken.
The room fell quiet again.
Outside the windows, the city lights shimmered across the skyline.
Inside the office, the distance between us felt smaller with every passing second.
"You're very calm tonight," I said.
"I usually am."
"That's not what I meant."
His eyebrow lifted slightly.
"No?"
I stepped a little closer.
"The board meeting didn't seem to affect you."
"It did."
"How?"
His eyes darkened slightly.
"You."
The word landed softly.
But it changed the entire atmosphere of the room.
"You were watching me," I said slowly.
"Yes."
"Evaluating my legal argument?"
"Partly."
The way he said it made my pulse jump.
"And the other part?"
Shawn set his glass on the desk.
Then he walked toward me.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Each step closing the space between us.
"You stood in front of an entire board of directors today," he said quietly.
"And dismantled a challenge designed to undermine both of us."
I held my ground.
"That's what lawyers do."
His gaze moved across my face.
"No," he said softly.
"That's what you do."
He stopped a few inches away.
Close enough that I could feel the warmth of him.
My heart beat faster, but I refused to step back.
"Do you know what the board saw today?" he asked.
"A legal defense."
"No."
His voice lowered.
"They saw someone powerful."
The word lingered between us.
"And powerful people attract attention."
"I'm aware."
"Are you?"
His hand moved slightly, brushing against the edge of the desk beside me.
Not touching me.
But close.
Very close.
"You're playing a dangerous game, Catriona."
"Am I?"
"Yes."
"With Charles?"
"With me."
The statement caught me off guard.
I tilted my head slightly.
"You think I'm manipulating you?"
"No."
"Then what?"
His eyes held mine.
"I think you understand exactly how much control you have in this room."
The tension between us tightened.
"And you're testing it."
I took a slow breath.
"You're the CEO."
"Yes."
"You're the one with control."
Shawn's expression changed slightly.
"Is that what you believe?"
His hand lifted then.
Lightly.
Slowly.
His fingers brushed against my wrist.
The contact was barely there.
But it sent a sharp pulse of heat through me.
"You're not intimidated by power," he said quietly.
"You never have been."
My voice lowered.
"And you are?"
His thumb moved slightly against my wrist.
"No."
"But I respect it."
The room felt smaller now.
Quieter.
Every breath seemed louder.
"You're dangerous," he murmured.
"Because I won a boardroom argument?"
"Because you make me forget that I'm supposed to remain in control."
My heart skipped.
That admission from a man like Shawn Reid meant something.
Something real.
"Maybe you're not as controlled as you think," I said softly.
Something flickered in his eyes then.
A shift.
Subtle.
But undeniable.
His hand moved from my wrist to the edge of my jaw.
Gentle.
Yet deliberate.
"You shouldn't say things like that," he said quietly.
"Why?"
"Because you might discover exactly how much control I'm capable of losing."
My pulse jumped again.
But I didn't step away.
Instead I met his gaze directly.
"Are you warning me?"
"No."
His voice dropped even lower.
"I'm giving you a choice."
The air between us felt electric now.
"What kind of choice?"
His thumb brushed lightly along my jaw.
"A very simple one."
My breath slowed.
"And what happens if I make the wrong one?"
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Then we'll both stop pretending that tonight is just another strategy meeting."
The silence stretched.
The city lights flickered behind him.
And suddenly I realized something.
The real battle between us had never been about corporate power.
It had always been about restraint.
And tonight—
Restraint was becoming very difficult to maintain.