Chapter 2
The next morning, sunlight slipped through the cracks in the curtains, drawing golden lines across the room. When I woke up, Owen was already gone.
The faint scent of his body still hung in the air, reminding me that last night was no dream. I rubbed my sore temples and got dressed.
Looking in the mirror, I saw tired eyes—and a blush I couldn't quite explain coloring my cheeks.
When I went downstairs, Owen was already sitting at the dining table, suit immaculate, not a hair out of place. He was flipping through a document, his icy profile looking even more untouchable in the morning light.
The table was set with breakfast—fried eggs, bacon, milk, and a fruit salad, including my favorite.
He glanced up, his eyes sweeping over me—back to that usual icy distance, as if the wild, passionate man from last night had never existed and I'd just dreamed it all up.
"Breakfast," he said, cool and clipped, before dropping his gaze back to the documents.
[Ahhh! Mr. Reed's gone full iceberg mode again! I live for this duality!]
[Claire, you adorable fool, didn't you see he made your favorite fruit salad just for you?]
[Owen really knows how to keep you on your toes! Stoic CEO by day, possessive maniac by night—how is Claire supposed to survive this emotional rollercoaster?]
[Isn't this the classic "post-sex cold shoulder"? Claire, go ask him if he loves you!]
[He's head over heels for you, but he'll never say it out loud!]
He had cold and abstinent practically engraved in his bones. Last night's craziness felt like it never even happened.
I pulled out a chair and sat down, quietly eating my breakfast. Meanwhile, the live chat was blowing up.
[Mr. Reed's totally sneaking glances at Claire! Is he checking out her fruit salad or what?]
[He's totally into her, but acts like he doesn't care—classic tsundere behavior!]
[Claire, you clueless girl, just look up and see how he is looking at you!]
I glanced up at Owen, and he happened to look up at the same moment. Our eyes met across the room. There was no emotion in his gaze. My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly looked away.
"What's on your schedule today?" Owen suddenly asked, his voice calm and unreadable.
"I'm heading to the studio. I need to finish the design draft for the new game," I replied honestly.
He just gave a noncommittal "Mm," and let the conversation drop.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief. Thank goodness he didn't bring up last night.
After breakfast, I got ready to head out. Owen was already up, grabbing his coat and heading out to work.
"The driver's waiting for you downstairs," he said, not even glancing back.
"Okay, thanks, Mr. Reed," I replied politely.
He paused for a split second, but didn't look back. He just walked straight out of the apartment.
[Thanks, Mr. Reed?]
[Mr. Reed's obviously annoyed! Did you see how he sped up as he left?]
[This is classic clueless heroine energy—always pushing the hero right to the edge of losing his temper!]
[After everything last night, she's still being all formal with him? Seriously?]
[Ahhh, I just want to see Mr. Reed totally lose it! Claire, go stir up some drama for him!]
I took the car to the studio. As a game designer, my daily grind was all about code, art, and planning. Lately, our studio was working on an Eastern fantasy MMORPG, and I was in charge of designing one of the key characters and writing part of the storyline.
As soon as I walked into the office, my bestie and coworker, Sophie Lane, came running over, all gossipy. "Claire, how's it going with Mr. Reed lately? I saw in the tabloids that he was spotted having dinner with some actress again."
My heart gave a little jolt, but I kept my face cool. "Contract marriage, remember? He's free to do whatever he wants."
Sophie made a face. "Every time he gets photographed, his eyes are pure ice, and he doesn't even interact with that actress. But when you're around him, he's still cold, but somehow... it's different."
[Sophie sees right through it! Only Claire really understands what Mr. Reed's eyes are saying!]
[Claire, you silly girl, Mr. Reed's totally putting on an act just for you, and for everyone else too!]
[Ahhh, I can sense a love triangle showdown coming!]
[The rival's about to make her entrance! Mr. Reed's jealousy meter is about to explode!]
[Claire: My husband's a total iceberg. Mr. Reed: My wife's such an adorable ditz.]
I just smiled and kept quiet. To me, Owen always had that stoic, aloof CEO vibe. Last night's wild side? Probably just a guy being a guy in the moment—nothing emotional, just pure instinct.
Just then, my phone buzzed with a message from the work group chat. I opened it and saw it was from Leo Carter.
[Claire, the new test server's about to go live. Wanna play together? I'll carry you!]
Leo Carter was the rising star in esports and the official face of our studio's game. He was super outgoing, insanely skilled at games, always hyping up the group chat, and constantly hitting me up to game together.
[The puppy's online! Mr. Reed's jealousy meter is about to blow!]
[Come on! Claire, just say yes already! I wanna see Mr. Reed go full jealous villain!]
[Leo's got serious moves! Inviting her to game together—he's basically trying to steal Claire right under Mr. Reed's nose!]
[Claire, you oblivious cinnamon roll, go give him a little sugar!]
[Mr. Reed: That's my fish in my tank—how dare you try to snatch her?]
I looked at Leo's message, thinking this was the perfect excuse to test out the new version's data anyway. I replied: [Sure, see you tonight.]
At that exact moment, I had no clue that miles away, in Owen's office at Reed Corporation, his phone screen lit up, showing our chat log with Leo. His assistant stood nearby, looking terrified, barely daring to breathe.