The point of no return

Ethan Wen had built his life around control.

Rigid. Uncompromising. Absolute.

It was how he ruled his company. How he kept his image intact. How he had convinced himself that he was untouchable.

But now—

As he stood in his hotel suite, leaning inches away from Noah Reid, his control was hanging by a thread.

Noah wasn’t backing down.

He sat there, still as a predator waiting for the inevitable.

His gaze was steady. Calm. Unnervingly patient.

“You’re running out of options, sir,” Noah murmured.

Ethan’s fists clenched.

Because Noah was right.

He had two choices—

Walk away. Pretend this moment never happened. Continue suffocating under the weight of his own lies.

Or—

Destroy everything.

His reputation. His beliefs. Himself.

But the worst part?

He wasn’t sure if he cared anymore.

Ethan exhaled sharply, his breath unsteady. “You don’t know what you’re doing, Reid.”

Noah tilted his head. “Don’t I?”

His voice was too soft.

Too knowing.

And Ethan hated how easily it got under his skin.

“You think this is some game?” Ethan’s voice was dangerously low.

Noah’s lips curled into the faintest smirk. “I think you’re losing.”

Ethan’s pulse spiked.

Everything in him screamed to regain control. To remind Noah who was in charge.

But when Noah stood—slow, deliberate, unshaken—

Ethan didn’t move.

Didn’t stop him.

And when Noah stepped even closer—when their breath mingled in the charged air between them—Ethan’s restraint finally snapped.

He grabbed Noah’s wrist.

Not gently.

Not carefully.

But Noah didn’t flinch.

If anything—he expected it.

“Tell me to stop,” Ethan rasped.

Noah’s lips parted.

But he didn’t say a word.

Ethan’s grip tightened. “Tell me, Noah.”

A slow exhale. A heartbeat too long.

Then—

Noah leaned in, close enough that their foreheads nearly touched.

And whispered, “No.”

Sunday – 12:30 AM – The Aftermath

Ethan should have regretted it.

Should have panicked. Should have thrown up walls, denied everything, rebuilt the fortress of his self-imposed delusions.

But when he pulled away—

When he saw the way Noah looked at him—

There was no mockery.

No arrogance.

Only certainty.

And that terrified Ethan more than anything.

Because he was certain too.

And that certainty could ruin him.

He turned away, running a hand through his hair. “This was a mistake.”

Noah didn’t even blink.

“Then why did it feel real?”

Ethan exhaled sharply. “Because it wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Noah studied him. “You keep saying what’s ‘supposed’ to happen, but you don’t even believe it anymore.”

Ethan’s chest tightened.

Because Noah was right again.

And that scared him more than anything else ever had.

Monday – 8:00 AM – The Flight Home

Ethan didn’t speak the entire drive to the airport.

Noah didn’t push.

Not yet.

But as they boarded the private jet, the silence grew thick.

Ethan tried to focus on work. Emails. Contracts. Anything but the man seated across from him.

It didn’t work.

Because Noah was still watching him.

Like he was waiting for Ethan to crack.

And he almost did.

When Noah finally broke the silence, his voice was too calm.

“What now?”

Ethan’s fingers clenched around his pen. “Nothing changes.”

Noah hummed, as if amused. “That’s adorable.”

Ethan’s patience snapped. “Damn it, Reid—”

“You can’t ignore this,” Noah interrupted.

Ethan hated how steady his voice was.

“How do you know?” he bit out.

Noah leaned back, crossing his arms. “Because I know you, Ethan.”

Ethan’s stomach tightened.

Because that was the real problem.

Noah knew him.

Saw through him.

And for the first time in his life—Ethan had no defense.

No armor.

No escape.

Monday – 11:45 AM – Arrival at Wen Corp

By the time they landed, Ethan had made a decision.

He would bury this.

Lock it away.

Go back to the way things were.

But as he stepped into his office—

As Noah followed him in, closing the door behind them—

He knew it was already too late.

Noah didn’t speak.

Didn’t ask.

Didn’t push.

He simply looked at him—knowing, waiting, understanding.

And in that moment—

Ethan realized he’d already lost.

Because the moment he let Noah in—

There was no going back.

Not ever.

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