Chapter 3 Coffee and My Ex

Leah's POV

The office is already buzzing when I step into the building. Conversations overlap, voices low but excited, like something is about to happen or already has.

Apparently, Nathan’s son arrived early.

Half the office seems eager to catch a glimpse of him, curious to see just how much he looks like Nathan.

The other half is more interested in what happens next, watching the two of them in the same space, seeing how that dynamic actually plays out.

I keep my head down as I walk through the lobby, ignoring the energy as best as I can.

I step into the elevator and press the button for the thirteenth floor. By the time the doors slide open, I’m already composing myself, slipping quick into work mode.

I barely set my bag down when Nathan’s voice cuts through the desk intercom.

"Leah. Coffee for two, please. My office."

"Of course," I reply.

I make the drinks, his usual black and the other an iced Americano, set them on a small tray, and walk to his doors. I knock twice.

"Come in."

I push through, my eyes fixed on the tray, focused on not spilling anything. Once I reach Nathan’s desk and set the cups down successfully, I'm instantly relieved.

"Thank you," Nathan says from his seat.

"Of course," I smile as we make eye contact.

I’m just about to turn and leave when I glance to my right and catch sight of the man seated across from his desk.

My body freezes into instant shock.

Sitting there, watching me with an expression I know far too well…

Dominic.

My ex.

For a second, it feels like all the air is knocked out of my lungs, because seeing him here is the last thing I was prepared for.

"Leah?"

The moment he says my name, everything suddenly feels too real, and I stumble back, caught off guard.

But I’m not careful enough. I forget I just set his coffee down, and my arm knocks into it. I try to reach forward and catch it but the iced coffee tips, then spills straight into his lap.

Dominic shoots to his feet with a sharp inhale, the chair scraping loudly behind him as ice cubes scatter across the floor.

"You bitch!" he snaps, staring down at his soaked trousers, then back up at me.

“Oh my God, l'm so sorry.”

His eyes darken, “What the hell are you even doing here?”

My mouth opens but nothing comes out at first. My heart is pounding so loudly I can hear it in my ears.

“I— I…”

“Wait.” He squints at me, like he’s trying to make sense of it, then lets out a sharp, disbelieving laugh. “No way.”

He turns to Nathan.

“Dad… this can’t be the new hire, right?” He gestures toward me. “You’re not serious. She’s your PA?”

Nathan looks between us slowly, his expression is clearly that of confusion.

“Yes.”

The room goes silent for a second.

“Do you two know each other?” he asks.

Dominic lets out another laugh, this one darker.

“Oh, we know each other alright.” His eyes slide back to me, “She’s my ex from college. We ended things on bad terms.”

That was the understatement of the decade.

It ended as a nightmare.

We were together for almost two years back in college. I was twenty and convinced he was my future and Dominic was charming back then, funny and attentive when he wanted to be.

He kept his brown locks slightly messy, wore dark jeans and leather jackets and carried that effortless bad-boy confidence everywhere he went. He was the kind of guy who made you feel chosen.

But apparently, he made other girls feel chosen too.

I found out he had been cheating on me on my twenty-second birthday.

When I caught him, I was heartbroken but I didn’t cry. I simply drove to his apartment, keyed his car, and left without looking back.

He told everyone I was unhinged. I told everyone he was a cheater. We were both right.

And now here he was. In my boss's office, because of course he was.

I curse myself silently.

Harrington.

Dominic Harrington.

I'd heard the name a dozen times and never once connected it. Of course he was related to Nathan. But in my defense, there was nothing online linking Nathan to a son.

Also Dominic had always said, bitterly and often, that he and his father didn't have a relationship worth talking about.

“Dad, you should fire her.” He turns back to Nathan, “She's a psycho.”

Hearing that word hits a nerve instantly, and something sharp flares in my chest. He has no right to call me psycho after what he put me through.

“Hey don’t call me that,” I snap before I can stop myself.

His brows lift slightly, like he didn’t expect me to bite back.

“Or what?” he challenges. “What crazy thing are you going to do this time?”

“You cheated on me,” I fire back, my voice sharper now. “You're the real villain here.”

His expression hardens instantly. “And you acted like a psycho over it.”

“Okay. Enough.” Nathan's dominant voice cuts clean through the room. “The both of you.”

I quickly compose myself. I need to learn to control myself better because going back and forth with Dominic, right here in front of Nathan, is probably the least professional thing I could be doing.

However, Dominic doesn’t stop, in fact he looks like he's only getting started.

“No,” he says, shaking his head as he stares Nathan down. “She should not be here. Out of everyone you could’ve hired, you picked her?”

“Dominic.”

“I’m serious,” he continues, ignoring him now.

“She’s unstable and impulsive. She’s—”

“That’s enough.” Nathan rises to his feet and the energy immediately shifts.

Dominic goes quiet for half a second, more out of surprise than obedience.

“I said enough,” Nathan repeats, his voice lower now, edged with warning.

Dominic scoffs, dragging a hand through his hair. “So what, you’re defending her now?”

“I’m asking you to behave in my office.”

“Right.” Dominic lets out a bitter laugh. “Of course you are.” He steps back, shaking his head. “You always do this, Dad. You side with everyone but your own family.”

I can tell the words land heavier than they should because for a brief moment, something tense and unresolved hangs between them. It was obvious to me now that Dominic was right. It really looks like they don't have the best relationship.

Dominic looks back at me, “This isn’t over,” he says quietly. “You’re not working here. I’ll make sure of that.”

He grabs his jacket and storms out without another word.

The door shuts harder than necessary and silence fills the office.

I stand there, completely frozen, my pulse still racing, my hands slightly shaking.

Nathan exhales slowly and runs a hand over his jaw before walking back to his desk.

He presses the intercom. “Can we get someone up here to clean a spill in my office, please. Thank you."

He releases the button, then looks at me.

I’m still standing exactly where I was.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes,” I say quickly, even though my voice is not as confident as I want it to be. “I’m fine. I’m really sorry, that was completely unprofessional, I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine.”

He leans back slightly in his chair.

“I’m not firing you over spilled coffee.”

Relief washes through me, but the tension in my chest doesn’t fully disappear.

A quiet sound leaves him, almost a chuckle, like he’s still processing what just happened.

“What are the odds,” he murmurs, more to himself than to me. Then his gaze lifts. “So… you dated my son.”

“Sir, it was a long time ago,” I say quickly. “We haven’t been in contact since, I—”

“It’s alright.” He cuts in calmly. “You don’t have to explain yourself.”

I nod, pressing my lips together.

He studies me for a moment, something thoughtful in his expression.

“You’re really something, Ms. Elliot,” he says.

I blink, caught off guard. He leans back with amusement written all over his face. “First Gerald,” he adds. “Now this.”

He pauses then looks directly at me.

“Maybe you and I were meant to cross paths.”

His statement throws me off, a faint tension settling in my chest. I find myself staring back at him as heat rises uncontrollably in my belly.

What did he mean by that?

Just as quickly, he clears his throat and straightens.

“You may go. That will be all.”