The Billionaire Recluse & The girl who stayed.

Jasper Monroe.

~Jasper~

I stood at the window, overlooking the park below.

Life moved fast out there.

Too fast.

Mothers pushed prams along winding paths, business men rushed past with briefcases clutched like lifelines, teenagers sped through on bikes—likely late for school, chasing time like it was something that could actually be caught.

It almost amused me.

The urgency. The chaos.

The constant need to be somewhere.

I felt none of it.

I never had to rush.

I never had to leave.

Why would I... when everything I needed was right here?

Silence.

Control.

Peace.

My jaw tightened as footsteps echoed down the hallway, followed by a knock on my office door.

Annoyance flickered instantly.

Everyone knew better.

"Come in," I said, already knowing who it was. "Lilly."

She stepped inside, hesitant—hovering near the door like she was debating turning back around.

Nervous.

That alone was enough to irritate me.

I turned slightly, fixing her with a look.

"Well?" I said flatly. "You'll give yourself an aneurysm standing there. Speak."

She swallowed, shifting her weight.

"Sir... I'm turning sixty-five tomorrow."

I said nothing.

"I'll be retiring next month."

Silence fell between us.

Heavy.

Unwelcome.

"And I'll need to find you a new personal assistant."

There it was.

The words lingered in the air like something irreversible.

I didn't react.

Didn't move.

Didn't allow even the slightest crack to show.

But inside—

Something shifted.

Lilly had been with me for forty years.

Forty.

She wasn't just part of the business.

She was... constant.

Since my mother's death, she had filled a space no one else ever had. Quietly. Without expectation. Without overstepping.

She understood me.

Understood my need for distance.

For control.

For solitude.

And now...

She was leaving.

Just like everyone eventually does.

I gave a single, controlled nod.

"Very well," I said calmly. "Find a replacement."

Her shoulders dropped slightly, like she'd expected resistance.