u/GeneralNo2546

Chapter 1

Today was the new CEO's very first day. Trailing behind my manager, Allan Caster, I headed toward the CEO's office with a project update.

My cubemate had been raving all morning about how gorgeous the new boss was. I'd just smiled and brushed it off. As far as I was concerned, I'd already met the most handsome man in the world.

Allan knocked on the door, and a deep voice called out from inside.

"Come in."

I followed Allan in, who immediately got down to business with the man sitting behind the desk.

The CEO's tone was flat, but something about his voice struck a familiar chord. I just couldn't place it.

When Allan wrapped up his briefing, it was my turn.

I stepped up, then lifted my gaze, ready to start my presentation.

My eyes fell on the CEO's handsome face, and the words died in my throat.

I had spent every waking hour staring at that exact face for two solid months.

His skin had lost the sickly pallor I remembered.

Now, he stared right back at me, his deep-set eyes completely devoid of emotion, as if I were a total stranger.

Allan noticed my hesitation and cleared his throat, urging me on.

I hurriedly started my prepared speech.

Our new CEO just watched me with a neutral expression, his long fingers tapping a steady rhythm against the wood as he listened.

When I finally finished, he didn't say a word. He merely gave a curt nod.

Even after I followed Allan out of the office, my heart was hammering against my ribs.

I never thought I'd see him again. I had only just learned his name from the shiny plaque on his desk.

Jacob Chantrell.

I could still hear the sound of his heavy breathing right next to my ear from all those late nights, five years ago.

Out in the hallway, I made a beeline for the women's room.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, taking in my flushed, nerve-wracked cheeks.

I headed to the breakroom to grab some ice water and cool off. The second I walked in, I caught my coworkers gossiping.

"The new CEO is gorgeous. I wonder if he's married."

"Yeah. I've finally found the perfect face claim for those billionaire executives in my romance novels."

One of them turned to me excitedly. "Hey, Serena, you just saw him, right? Isn't he handsome?"

I managed a weak, nervous smile. "Yeah… he is."

The second the words left my mouth, the women scrambled to their feet and scurried away.

A loud, pointed cough sounded from behind me. I spun around to find a large group of people standing right there.

The company's board of directors was passing through the hallway that led straight to the main conference room.

Jacob stood at the front, accompanied by his assistant.

Standing next to him, Richard Beckford, a young board member, teased, "You've clearly still got it, man. Even the prettiest woman in the company was singing your praises."

Jacob fixed those dark eyes on me, remaining silent, and kept walking.

The rest of the group trailed after him right past me.

For the rest of the morning, I couldn't focus. My mind kept replaying what had happened five years ago.

For two whole months, I had spent almost every single day by Jacob's side.

It was his mother who hired me. I desperately needed cash for my own mother's surgery at the time.

I was still in college, and the medical bills were astronomical.

So, when his mother made her offer, I hesitated for exactly three seconds before agreeing.

But the moment I actually laid eyes on Jacob, I realized I hadn't needed to hesitate at all.

Chapter 2

Jacob was incredibly sick back then.

Pale and propped up in bed, he stubbornly refused to rest, keeping his eyes glued to the laptop screen in front of him.

His mother, Macey Chantrell, had a single, ruthless goal—she wanted an heir.

With Jacob's chances of recovery looking grim, she was dead set against letting outsiders inherit what was rightfully his.

On my very first night in the house, Macey slipped something into his food.

Later that evening, he was in so much pain, clinging tightly to his neck. I just endured it.

In those moments in the dark, he didn't feel like a sick man at all.

When he woke up the next morning and realized I was in bed beside him, he lost it.

Macey just stood there, terrifyingly calm. "Jay, if you won't do it for yourself, think of your grandmother and me," she said. "If you die, we'll have no one to rely on. Do you honestly think the rest of the family is going to pay her medical bills?"

Jacob clenched his fists, then slowly let them uncurl. He just sat there on the bed in total silence.

By the time I was sent back to his room that night, he seemed resigned to his fate.

Throughout the night, even during something so intimate, his expression stayed completely detached.

It was only at the very end, when he buried his face in the crook of my neck and gasped for air, that he actually felt human.

Two months later, I finally got pregnant.

I didn't think my body could have survived the physical toll for much longer.

I strongly suspected he was channeling all his anger and frustration into me during those nights.

Soon after, Jacob went overseas for treatment. Under Macey's strict, suffocating supervision, I delivered a healthy baby.

Because they took the child away the second it was born, I never stopped wondering about them. Was it a boy or a girl? Did they look like me?

---

Chapter 3

Lost in those distracted thoughts all morning, I fell way behind at work and got stuck at the office late.

I scrambled to finish up my tasks and finally headed out at 8 p.m.

But the second I stepped into the elevator, I locked eyes with the only two people inside—a man and a young child.

It was Jacob, looking like he'd just gotten off work. A little boy stood next to him.

Aside from his large eyes, the kid was a carbon copy of his father.

Dressed in neat little overalls with perfectly combed hair, his delicate face was locked in a dead-serious expression.

I froze. A split second later, panic kicked in. I scurried into the back corner of the elevator and averted my eyes.

Even so, I could feel Jacob's gaze burning into the back of my head until the doors finally slid open on the ground floor.

I bolted out of the building as fast as I could.

While I was standing by the road waiting for my ride, a luxury car sped past.

Through the window, I caught a fleeting glimpse of the kid's profile.

That was my baby. I had a son.

A weird, confusing wave of emotion washed over me.

When I got home, I took a shower, my mind still racing from the encounter.

Then came a knock at the door. I peeked through the peephole and saw Jacob's stern face.

A sudden wave of anxiety crashed over me. Was he here to warn me to stay away from his son? Or did he want something else?

I hesitated before opening the door, only to find the little boy standing right there beside him.

The kid looked up at me, his wide eyes brimming with curiosity.

Jacob watched me closely, his dark eyes narrowed.

Then it hit me—I was only wearing a thin slip. The shock of seeing the kid had completely made me forget to change.

I quickly grabbed a coat off the rack by the door and pulled it tight around myself. I opened my mouth to say something, but Jacob cut me off.

Frowning with obvious impatience, he said, "There. That's your mother. You didn't just appear out of thin air."

I stood there, absolutely stunned.