“I’m going to kiss you now,” I whispered, and Fiona nodded.

She closed her eyes, and I took a moment to admire her long lashes and the smoothness of her face. Just as I began to lean down slowly to kiss her, the door to the boardroom flew open, and Fiona and I moved away from each other like we’d been burnt.

I whipped my head around, ready to go off on the person who dared to interrupt the both of us, but instead of another staff member, I found my mom standing there.

She looked between me and Fiona, her eyes settling on the woman behind me. I knew my mom better than I would like to admit, and she was sharper than most when it came to such things. There was no denying that she knew what was going on before she interrupted.

I stepped forward to block her view of Fiona, who I was certain did not like the look Mom was sending her. Despite being Allison’s friend, Mom has never really liked her.

My mom’s attention returned back to me. “Is this how you run the company these days? Getting together with an employee?”

“Mom, what are you doing here?”

“I thought I would come over and see how you were doing, but you’re here kissing an employee when you have a reasonable girl waiting for you to come to your senses.”

“I’ll leave now,” Fiona said, and attempted to walk past the both of us with my mom standing in front of the door, unwilling to move to the side.

I took a hold of Fiona’s hand and pulled her back to me. When I said I was going to make things right, I meant it. If I had to start with my mom, I would do it. Not because I wanted to, but because I owe it to Fiona to defend her no matter how overwhelming I find dealing with my parents.

“She’s not just any employee; she’s Fiona. You need to stop pretending like you haven’t known her since she was a kid. And you need to stop treating her like that, especially since she’s the woman I love.”

Mom’s gaze stayed on me without blinking, as if waiting for me to take my words back. I squeezed Fiona’s hands without looking at her, wanting a way to tell her that I was with her.

Instead of saying something, my mom threw her head back and laughed. Loud. I winced at how loud her laughter was, and when she looked back at the both of us, she had tears in her eyes. Finally, after what felt like forever, she cleaned her eyes and cleared her throat.

“I don’t know what you’ve been feeding my son, but I suggest you give it a break now,” Mom said to Fiona, then turned to me, “the woman you love? Don’t make me laugh, Christian. What does that make Aurora?”

“I already told you I was done with her. I don’t love her.”

“You find that love for her because neither of you can be together. Think about Robust Technology for once in your life.”

Fiona tried to pull her hand away from mine, but I was determined to see this through. If not for her, then for myself. I had no idea why my parents were under the impression that I had to sacrifice myself to save the company. It was nice being the CEO of Robust Technology, but I didn’t even feel like the CEO with the way they were breathing down my neck.

“What has the company got to do with this?”

“That’s why you’re not going to make a good CEO. Everything you do is a reflection of the company, and you being with this girl-”

“You know her name. It’s Fiona.”

“Think of the company!” my Mom said again, and it dawned on me that this wasn’t an argument I could win just like that.

“I’m willing to step down as the CEO of Robust Technology if this will be a problem.”

“Christian,” Fiona said from behind me, but I kept my eyes on my Mom, who stood with eyes wide open and mouth slightly agape.

Chapter Seventeen

Fiona

There were a number of ways I imagined my confession to Christian would go, and ways I didn’t expect. For instance, I didn’t expect to blurt it out to him while we were in the office, much less after a meeting that I barely paid any attention to.

I also didn’t expect him to reciprocate the feeling. Okay, that part was a lie, I expected to be hugged and kissed and told that he felt that way about me, too, but having him say it in real life made me feel like I was being filmed for the camera. Something about why you shouldn’t fall in love with your boss, or the importance of not telling said boss when you do.

I expected him to laugh and tell me to snap out of it.

I did not, not even as a joke, expect his mother to show up, nor did I expect him to decide that being CEO wasn’t something he would like to embark on if he couldn’t be with me.

The truth was the entire situation had left me reeling.

His mother’s hardened eyes were fixed on him, challenging him. And Christian, for some reason, seemed determined to meet her head-on.

I pulled on his arm, willing him to snap back to his senses. I knew this woman, and while it was nice that he was standing up for me, and trying to pick my side, I didn’t want him to be at odds with his family. I didn’t want to be the reason he’d be on the outs with his family.

As if realizing that her son wasn’t going to back down from his decision to leave the position of CEO, Melissa turned her attention to me. Christian shifted again until he was standing between us, and all I had was the view of his back.

“I’m serious,” Christian said, his voice coming out firmer than any tone I’ve heard his voice take. He seemed to be standing straighter, his shoulders squared. My imagination could have never prepared me for something like this.

“You’re going to go against our entire family for her?” his mother asked, and the way she said ‘her’ like I wasn’t standing right there, like I wasn’t her daughter’s best friend, made me realize that she had no desire for me to join their family.

I wasn’t exactly brimming with joy to make her my mother-in-law. I shook my head mentally and snapped out of it. I was getting ahead of myself. Marriage didn’t even seem likely with what was unfolding before me.

“Her name is Fiona,” Christian said again, and I pulled on his arm to stop him from further destroying his relationship.

“I don’t care what her name is,” Melissa said again, “I care about your relationship with Aurora-”

“There is no relationship.”

“Not with that attitude, there isn’t. Listen, Christian, I understand you’re mad at Aurora; she broke your heart. Is that what this is about? But she’s back; is she not? Why don’t you leave this office romance for what it is and get back to your real life?”

“Office romance,” I muttered.

“I’m not going to get back together with Aurora, much less marry her.”

“The company-”

“You can give it to Aurora if you like her so much.”

Whatever words Melissa planned to say died in her throat, but she made sure to look at me with enough fury in her eyes for me to know that I’d messed up, and she wasn’t going to let it go easily.

She turned on her heels, and left the boardroom, making sure to bang the door loudly. I winced at the sound and took a step backward.

This was way worse than any adverse scenario I could have come up with in my head. My legs trembled, and I let myself fall into one of the seats, burying my head in my hands.

“Fiona.” Christian was by my side in an instant. His arms rested on my shoulders as he tried to coax me into lifting my head from my hands.

“I knew she didn’t like me, but I don’t think she would ever approve of me.”

“Don’t worry about that. I will do everything in my power to make sure that nothing happens to you. Fiona, listen,” Christian said and tried to pull my head from my hands. “Please, look at me.”