The CEO's Twisted Deception

lence of Apex Innovations. Mark slid into the booth across from me, a concerned look on his face. He' d

d," he said, his voic

eak smile. "N

loe did that in a pub

y coffee. "She's not the

. "Not since Liam showed up. I saw it starting b

g out of my garage. I had sold my vintage guitar collection, a prized possession from my father, to afford the servers we

?" Mark asked, pullin

admitted. "Find a job,

aning forward. "Come work with me.

k, you're just getting started

ng well, better than anyone expected. But I'm a good engineer. You're a brillia

h that I hadn't felt in years. "I don't have any capital

We'll work out the details with the lawyers. 40

re had been intertwined with Chloe and Apex. The idea of a new p

. The space felt cold and empty, filled with expensive furniture she had picked

h from our first year together, long before Apex. We were at the beach, young an

ath, I tore it in half, then in quarters, until it was just a pile of colored confetti i

was in the passenger seat. She got out of the car, and he leaned over and gave her a long, deliber

that would have been shattered

ion a strange mix of annoyance and u

lk about, Chloe," I sa

t where I was supposed to give in, to smooth things over after she'd created t

ly answer," I

in that familiar, placating gesture she always

before she could make contact. The motion was insti

first time I had ever physically recoiled from her touch. In that small, sharp movement, she