My Ex Boyfriend Is My New Company CEO

The relentless buzzing from Hadley Marshall's bag broke the peaceful rhythm of her walk home. Pulling out her phone, she answered distractedly while still moving, "Hello... Emir? I... I don't think I can come to work anymore... I just..."

Without realizing it, Hadley had stepped onto the crosswalk, completely unaware of the traffic light change.

"Watch out!" A firm grip yanked her back abruptly.

Startled, Hadley shrieked, her eyes wide as she watched a truck zoom past, barely slowing. The shock left her motionless, and her phone slipped from her hand, plunking directly into the gutter at her feet.

Coleson Reynolds steadied Hadley, who was leaning heavily against him. With a teasing smile, he quipped, "What, are my arms so comfy that you don’t want to stand up straight?"

The voice snapped Hadley back to reality. She faced Coleson's mocking grin, fury bubbling up as she quickly straightened herself, pushing him away. "Don't be so smug, and keep your distance."

Coleson shrugged, maintaining his casual air.

"Oh no, my phone!" Hadley crouched down, staring helplessly into the gutter.

Watching her, Coleson chuckled softly, "You won't spot it that way. It's probably gone by now."

Exasperated, Hadley glanced up to find the last person she wanted to see. "Meeting you is just bad luck. I bought that phone with last month's paycheck."

Coleson raised an eyebrow, incredulous, "You're being unreasonable. Without me, you'd have been flattened by that truck."

Hadley stood up, stomping her foot. She knew she was in the wrong but couldn't bring herself to admit it. Turning, she continued her walk home.

"Hey!" Coleson caught her arm, stopping her.

Hadley turned around, irritated. "What now? Looking for a 'thank you'?"

Coleson released her, maintaining eye contact. "A thank you wouldn't be out of place. And just so you know, your job is in that direction." He pointed toward the office building.

Hadley glanced at the building Coleson indicated, then checked her watch. "I'm already late anyway. Perfect excuse for you to fire me."

Coleson was taken aback for a moment, then smirked. "Is that why you were so out of it, afraid I’d fire you?"

Taking a deep breath to calm down, Hadley responded icily, "You’re holding a grudge because I embarrassed you at that restaurant the other day, and yesterday at the event you were clearly targeting me. Just fire me already. Why pretend?"

Coleson, surprised by her directness, laughed. She was something else. Despite everything, he couldn't help but admire her boldness. "Alright, I'll admit I did target you at the event. Let's call it even. At the company, as long as you don't do anything worthy of firing, it’s not my concern. Besides, I’m not interested in micromanaging."

Hadley was taken aback, cautiously asking, "So, we’re even? And you’re not firing me?"

"I’m not one to repeat myself," Coleson said, nodding at her company badge. "And since you're wearing that badge, remember to keep up with your work. Oh, and employee tardiness? I wonder how HR deals with that."

"I’m heading to work now." Hadley hurried past Coleson, making her way towards the entrance of the building. Pausing briefly, she turned back and flashed him a quick smile, "Thanks, by the way."

Watching Hadley disappear into the building, Coleson blinked, pulling a small, shining silver earring from his pocket. It was what drunken Hadley had slipped him the previous night. He looked at it quietly; Hadley was indeed striking, especially with that brief smile that brought a hint of spring. The thought amused him; it was unusual for him to linger on such reflections.

Arriving at the office, Hadley noticed her colleagues giving her sidelong glances. She understood it wasn't just because of her behavior at the event last night, but also because of Emir's injuries incurred while assisting her. Despite the whispers, Hadley ignored their looks, though the sight of Emir's bruised cheek made her feel deeply guilty.

Emir was in the break room making coffee when Hadley hurried over to take the cup from him. "Let me, Emir."

He simply smiled, "Thanks."

Hadley handed him the coffee, unable to meet his eyes. "You’re saying thank you to me? I should be the one hiding in shame."

Emir blew on his coffee and led her to a small table. "If it’s about last night, don’t worry about it. You didn’t hit me. Just a misunderstanding."

Hadley sat beside him, pulling out a lotion her mom had slipped into her bag. "This remedy works wonders. My mom used to apply it whenever I got hurt as a kid. Your bruise should heal quickly with it."

Emir looked at the lotion curiously. "Is it really that effective? This little bruise doesn’t bother me."

"Even minor injuries need attention to heal faster." Hadley insisted, squeezing some lotion onto her fingers. "I’ll apply it now, see for yourself. Lean in."

Before Emir could react, Hadley's delicate fingers were already gently applying the lotion to his cheek. The touch was cool and soothing, and he found himself quietly admiring her: clear bright eyes, porcelain skin, softly curling hair draped over her shoulders.

"Hey, hey, this is a workplace, what’s going on here?" Coleson's voice broke the peaceful moment as he strode in, hands in pockets, irritation in his tone.

Hadley withdrew her hand, ignoring him, and gave Emir the lotion with a smile. "Reapply it in a couple of hours, the swelling should be gone by tomorrow."

Emir nodded, rising to leave, with Hadley following.

"What, ignoring me?" Coleson exclaimed, surprised.

Hadley and Emir kept walking, not looking back.

"Hadley, stop!"

Only when Coleson called her by name did Hadley halt. She turned, "Were you talking to me? All that 'hey' earlier sounded like you were talking to yourself."

Emir stifled a laugh, continuing out of the break room.

"Hadley, are you trying to tick me off?" Coleson stared at her in disbelief.

"I wouldn’t dare, Mr. Reynolds. What do you need?"

"Why were you and Emir looking so cozy?" Realizing his question seemed inappropriate, he quickly added, "You do know that such behavior affects your professional image?"

Hadley found his words absurd. "He was hurt; I was just helping with the lotion. If you have nothing else to add, I need to get back to work."

"Wait, I'll go first." Coleson didn’t want to linger alone. As he moved to the door, he paused, "Oh, and bring me a coffee."

Once Coleson was out of sight, Hadley mimed kicking and punching him, whispering through gritted teeth, "Coffee’s right there. Can’t be bothered to get it yourself, huh? Think you're all that because you're the boss? Just a big kid."

Despite her reluctance, Hadley knew he was still the boss. She placed the coffee on Coleson's polished desk. "Here’s your coffee, Mr. Reynolds."

Without waiting for him to respond, she turned to leave.

"Hadley, hold on."

She spun back around, "What now?"

Coleson pulled a small silver hoop earring from his pocket, handing it to her with a smirk. "This is yours."

Seeing the earring brought back flashes of her drunken antics at the party. Embarrassed, she took it. "Thanks."

"You and Emir... what's going on there?"

"Uh?" Hadley was caught off guard by the question.

Coleson glanced out the window, mulling over why he’d asked such a direct question. He quickly covered up, "I just don't want to see anyone using personal relationships to act inappropriately at work."

Hadley simmered with annoyance. "You’re overthinking it. Emir and I are just colleagues."

Coleson’s lips curled into a satisfied smile, a hint of smugness washing over his features. He straightened and pulled a new phone from his drawer. After dialing a few numbers, he tossed it to her. "Here."

She caught it, surprised. "What for?"

"Your phone fell into the gutter, remember? Use this one."

With the new phone in her hands, Hadley asked, slightly confused, "You're paying for this?"

"Consider it that way. My number’s already in there, call me if you feel lonely." Coleson leaned forward, offering a charming smile. "Actually, Hadley, you’re quite pretty. You’re interested in me, huh? Last night was a ploy, right?"

Stunned by his arrogance, Hadley stared at him incredulously.

Coleson, oblivious to her disbelief, relaxed back into his chair, enjoying his own conclusion. "Ordinary beauties don’t catch my eye. So, you must have planned to stand out. Even our meeting at the restaurant was a setup, yes?"

With no response from Hadley, Coleson peered over his desk. She had quietly left the room.

Back at her desk, Hadley tried to shake off Coleson’s words, focusing on her work.

"Hey, Hadley, you sure are busy at work. Between work and charming the bosses, you must be exhausted."

Hadley looked up to see Gwen with an exasperated expression. "I am busy, so please don’t disturb me."

Gwen sneered, "As if I want to see you? Your phone kept ringing while you were off with the boss."

Gwen tossed a file onto Hadley’s desk. "A client from Seattle is flying in this afternoon to discuss designs with Emir. Here’s their itinerary, go pick them up."

Hadley skimmed the file, her tone softening slightly, "Got it."

Gwen left with a dismissive flip of her hair.

Before noon hit, Gwen, unusually polite, reminded Hadley about the importance of the client from Seattle, insisting she should be early.

The client’s flight was due at 2 PM. Not one to be easily bossed around, Hadley took her time before heading to the airport, arriving an hour early.

Sipping a drink, Hadley people-watched to pass the time. She hoped to run into Eloise but realized her new phone only had Coleson’s number. Seeing his name on her contact list, she chewed her straw in frustration, wondering why he seemed to be everywhere.

At 2 PM, Hadley stood at the arrival gate with her sign, but as each passenger disembarked, none were her client.

Perplexed, Hadley approached the information desk and was informed another flight from Seattle would arrive at 3:30 PM.

Reflecting on the situation, she realized the client must have missed their flight. Deciding to wait it out, she settled in for the hour.

Back in the office, the air conditioner hummed softly. Emir was engrossed in the monthly report on his screen, noting the clock ticking past 3:30 PM.

His phone rang, and after a brief conversation, he hurriedly donned his jacket and rushed out of the office.