Melted by her Love

PART 4 :-Unmasking the Cold

It began one afternoon, weeks after their ongoing battle over the fate of her small business had started. Emme had barged into his office once again, armed with new evidence showing the community impact his company’s expansion would have. She expected the usual—cold stares, clipped words, and dismissals—but that day was different. As she spoke, something about the way Alex looked at her changed. His sharp, scrutinizing gaze softened for just a moment, and instead of his usual disinterest, there was a flicker of… hesitation.

Emme had been arguing her case, her voice impassioned as she outlined her proposal for a partnership between her business and his corporation. She was on the verge of throwing in a personal anecdote about her father’s years of work to keep the shop afloat when Alex’s eyes met hers. There was something there, something raw and unguarded, just for an instant.

“Ms. Carter,” he began, but his voice faltered. He cleared his throat, quickly masking whatever had just slipped through the cracks. “I’ve told you before, this is a matter of profitability. Sentiment has no place in—”

“You don’t mean that,” Emme cut in, unable to stop herself. She wasn’t sure what had compelled her to say it, but she felt it deep in her bones. “You don’t actually believe that people’s lives, their emotions, are irrelevant. You just pretend you do because it’s easier.”

Alex froze for a moment, his lips pressed into a thin line as he regarded her. The air between them was thick with tension, but this time it wasn’t the animosity that had marked their previous encounters. No, this time it was something else—something far more vulnerable. Emme could see it in his eyes, the brief flicker of something he quickly buried beneath his professional mask.

“You think you know me?” Alex’s voice was low, almost a whisper, but the sharpness of his words was gone. For the first time, it seemed like he wasn’t trying to dismiss her—he was asking a real question.

“I think there’s more to you than what you show the world,” Emme replied, her voice steady, though her heart was racing. She had never seen this side of him before, and a part of her was unsure whether to push further or back away. But she had never been one to retreat, not when something felt important. “I think you’re hiding something.”

For a long moment, Alex said nothing. His gaze fell to the floor, his hands gripping the edge of his desk as if he were trying to steady himself. Emme watched him closely, unsure what to expect. He had never shown vulnerability before—never allowed anyone to see anything other than the ruthless businessman he projected. But now, standing before her, there was a crack in his armor, and she couldn’t look away.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alex finally said, his voice rougher than before. He turned his back to her, walking toward the expansive windows that overlooked the city skyline. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, his posture tense as he stared out at the world beyond. “This conversation is over.”

But it wasn’t. Emme could feel it. There was something he wasn’t saying, something he didn’t want her to know, and yet, she could sense how close they were to unearthing it. She hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should push further, but in the end, her curiosity and compassion won out.

“It’s not just about business for you, is it?” she asked quietly, taking a step closer to him. “This need to stay detached, to shut everyone out… it’s not just because you want to be successful. It’s because you’re afraid of something. Of getting hurt. Or maybe of feeling anything at all.”

Alex stiffened, and for a second, Emme thought he might lash out, shut her down completely. But instead, he remained silent, his back still turned to her, as though he was weighing her words carefully. The tension in the room was palpable, and for the first time, Emme felt like she was standing on the edge of something deeply personal—something Alex had buried long ago.

“Stop it,” Alex said quietly, his voice tight. “You don’t know me. You don’t know what I’ve been through.”

Emme took another step forward, her heart pounding in her chest. She had never seen him like this, had never expected that the cold, ruthless man who had tried to destroy her business could be so vulnerable. But there he was, standing in front of her, his walls slowly crumbling.

“Then tell me,” she urged gently. “Let me understand.”

Alex let out a bitter chuckle, though there was no humor in it. He shook his head, still staring out the window. “You think you want to understand? You think knowing will make you feel better? It won’t, Emme. It will just make you see me for what I really am.”

“And what’s that?” Emme pressed, her voice soft but insistent. “What are you so afraid of me seeing?”

Alex turned around then, and the look in his eyes startled her. Gone was the cold indifference, the icy control. Instead, she saw a man who had been carrying the weight of something heavy, something painful, for far too long. His jaw was clenched, his hands balled into fists at his sides, but his eyes—his eyes told a different story. They were filled with a deep, hidden sadness, the kind that no amount of success or wealth could ever erase.

“I’ve made mistakes,” he said, his voice raw. “Mistakes that cost people—people I cared about—more than you could ever imagine.”

Emme’s breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t expected this. Not from him. She had always assumed Alex’s coldness was a product of his ambition, of his desire for power and control. But now, standing before him, she  realiz Ed  it was something far deeper—something born from guilt, from regret.

“What happened?” she asked softly, her heart aching for him despite herself.

Alex shook his head, his eyes clouded with memories. “It doesn’t matter,” he muttered, turning away from her again. “It’s in the past.”

But Emme couldn’t let it go. She couldn’t stand by and watch him shut down again, not after she had finally glimpsed the man behind the mask. “It matters, Alex,” she insisted, stepping closer. “It matters because it’s still affecting you. Whatever happened… you’re still carrying it with you.”

For a long moment, Alex didn’t say anything. The silence stretched between them, thick and heavy with unspoken pain. Emme wasn’t sure if he would ever open up to her, if he would ever let her see the truth behind his coldness. But just as she was about to give up, to turn and leave him to his solitude, Alex spoke again.

“I lost someone,” he said quietly, his voice barely more than a whisper. “Someone who meant everything to me. And it was my fault.”

Emme’s heart broke at the rawness in his voice. She didn’t know the details, didn’t know who he had lost or how, but she could feel the weight of his guilt, the way it had shaped him into the man he was now. Cold. Detached. Alone.

Without thinking, she reached out, placing a hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry, Alex,” she whispered. “But shutting yourself off from the world won’t bring them back.”

Alex didn’t move for a moment, his body tense beneath her touch. But slowly, almost imperceptibly, he relaxed. For the first time, he didn’t pull away. He didn’t shut down. He just stood there, allowing her to see him as he truly was—a man haunted by his past, by the mistakes that had cost him dearly.

In that moment, Emme realized that Alex’s coldness wasn’t who he truly was. It was a shield, a way to protect himself from feeling the pain he had buried for so long. And as she stood beside him, her hand still resting on his arm, she made a silent promise to herself. She would help him see that he didn’t have to face that pain alone. She would help him unmask the cold, even if it meant risking her own heart in the process.