Chapter 2 A Hunting Ghost

• Noah’s P.O.V.
• Shame. Disgust. Embarrassment.
• Each emotion crashed through me in waves, suffocating, relentless, unbearable. I wished the ground would swallow itself whole, dragging me along with it, anything to escape the intensity of humiliation coursing through my veins.
• Three days.
• For three agonizing days, I had avoided every possible contact with him. Ignored his calls. Dodged his glances. Made myself scarce. At the same time, I was dealing with everything—the lingering resentment, the mess of emotions tangled inside of me.
• No, it wasn’t just resentment. It was him.
• I rubbed my temples, my fingers pressing hard against the ache that had become a constant companion. What the hell have I gotten myself into? My guilty conscience was one thing, but the bigger problem? Him.
• Fuck.
• The sudden voice startled me, making me jerk upright.
• “Noah.”
• A sharp laugh followed, one I recognized all too well.
• “Easy, peasy, boy. At this rate, you’re gonna die from all that constant jerking if care isn’t taken.”
• Alex.
• A new wave of frustration built up inside me. I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to keep my irritation in check. “What do you want now, Alexander?” My tone was clipped, leaving no room for his usual taunts.
• Not that it would stop him.
• Alex smirked, tilting his head as if considering his next words carefully. “You know what, Noah…” he trailed off, trying to get my attention. I wasn’t interested. “That’s just my piece of advice. You’ve been acting all strange lately.”
• I scoffed. No shit.
• “Why are you here?” I cut him off before he could say anything else.
• His expression shifted, and for a split second, I felt a pang of guilt. But I quickly reminded myself that I wasn’t in the mood for any heart-to-heart moments. I was just trying to protect my mental sanity.
• He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “The CEO, Mr. Hayes, wants to see you in his office. Immediately.”
• My world stopped.
• The air seemed to thin, and suddenly, my office felt too small, too suffocating.
• I knew this moment would come. After three days of avoiding him—ignoring him—not acknowledging his presence, despite the fact that he was my boss and despite the fact that we worked in the same goddamn building, it was bound to happen.
• I barely registered whatever else Alex was saying. His words felt distant, drowned out by the roaring in my head. Beads of sweat formed at my temples, my mind racing with possibilities.
• I shouldn’t have lied.
• Now, I was acting like a coward.
• Just like him.
• A loud slam jolted me back to reality. The door.
• Alex had already left.
• My feet felt like lead as I dragged myself towards his office. When I finally reached the entrance, I paused, inhaling deeply, steeling myself.
• I exhaled. Then, with the last shred of courage I could muster, I pushed the door open.
• And there he was.
• The devil himself.
• Sitting calmly in his chair, acting as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn’t shattered me from the inside out.
• Bastard.
• My throat felt dry. “G-Good morning, Mr. Hayes.” The words tasted bitter on my tongue.
• He barely glanced up. “Morning, Reed.”
• Reed.
• Not Noah. Not even a damn acknowledgment of our history. Just Reed.
• I swallowed the lump in my throat. Fine. Two can play this game.
• “You called for me?” My voice came out more even than I expected as I stepped further inside, closing the door behind me.
• “Yes, I did.”
• This time, he finally looked up, setting his laptop aside. Those green eyes. They locked onto mine, pinning me in place.
• I looked away.
• “I have some work for you,” he continued. “And I believe you’re the most capable person for the job.”
• His hand gestured toward a tower of documents stacked neatly on his desk. My eyes widened.
• What the actual fuck?
• I hesitated before picking up one of the files. Disbelief washed over me as I scanned through the content.
• “Mr. Hayes, this is not my specialty.” My voice was firm, controlled. “In fact, this belongs to the Linguistics department. I have no involvement with this whatsoever.”
• He smirked, and my stomach twisted.
• “Yes, Noah,” he said, his tone unwavering. “I’m well aware of that. I know exactly what department you work in.”
• His fingers tapped against the desk, slow, calculated.
• “But I want you to handle this.”
• I stiffened.
• “I realized you’re very good at it.” His words hit me like a slap. No room for discussion. No explanation.
• Just do it.
• Anger simmered beneath my skin. I wasn’t in Linguistics. I was the Chief Financial Officer—the CFO. And yet, here he was, dumping this workload on me like I was some disposable intern.
• I cleared my throat, forcing my voice to remain steady. “Sir, I know you may not be aware, given that you’re the new CEO here, but there’s a system in place for these things. Every department has a specific role, and a CFO handling Linguistics work is not how things are done.”
• I was holding back. Barely.
• His eyes darkened. “Are you telling me I don’t know how to do my job, Noah?”
• A chill ran down my spine.
• I clenched my fists, resisting the urge to throw the damn paperwork at his face. Is that what this was? A punishment? Was he deliberately making my life miserable?
• “No, sir.” My voice was low. Tense. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me break.
• I reached for the stack of documents, sighing at the sheer weight of it.
• “And, Noah,” he called out just as I turned to leave.
• I stopped.
• “I want it delivered in the next 24 hours.”
• My heart dropped.
• “What?” I turned back in disbelief, certain I had misheard him.
• He leaned back in his chair, completely unfazed. “You heard me, Noah Reed. 24 hours.”
• I stared at him, stunned. My grip on the files tightened. If I had calculated correctly, this work—this ridiculous mountain of paperwork—would take three people at least three days to complete.
• And he wanted me to finish it in a day?
• What kind of sick game was this?
• Something inside me snapped.
• “Do you enjoy this?” I hissed, dropping the files onto the floor with a thud. “Do you get some twisted satisfaction from making my life miserable?”
• He said nothing, but I saw it—the slight twitch in his jaw, the way his fingers curled into a fist before he forced them to relax.
• Gotcha.
• I stepped closer, my voice a whisper. “First, you acted like I didn’t exist. Like nothing ever happened. And now this?” My gaze locked onto his. “Tell me, Liam—” I spat his name, watching the flicker of emotion in his eyes, “—is humiliating me your new favorite pastime?”
• He clenched his jaw, but before he could speak, the door swung open.
• I turned, and the moment I saw her, my blood ran cold.
• Veronica.
• “Hi, baby,” she purred, completely ignoring my presence as she strutted past me.
• And then, right in front of me, she kissed him on the cheek.
• My entire body went rigid.
• I stared at them, my mind struggling to process what I was seeing.
• No. No.
• What the fuck was happening?
• “W-what is this?” My voice was barely above a whisper, but it was enough to break the moment.
• They both turned to look at me.
• And suddenly, I wished I had never come into this room.