Melted by her Love

PART 9:- Emme's Struggle to hide her feeling

After the boardroom meeting, Emme Carter couldn’t shake the whirlwind of emotions that had settled in her chest. Alex’s unexpected admission had left her reeling. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her—those were his exact words. Words she never thought she’d hear from a man like Alex Blackwood, who seemed more machine than human, driven by corporate dominance and an almost obsessive desire for control.

She had seen it in his eyes, though, the moment he let his guard down. For a brief second, Alex was vulnerable. It was a crack in his icy facade, and Emme had witnessed something raw and real beneath the hardened exterior. But then, just as quickly, he had shut it down. The walls he had been hiding behind for so long slammed back into place, leaving her standing there, confused and conflicted.

Now, days after that encounter, Emme found herself torn between two powerful forces: the feelings she was beginning to have for Alex and the overwhelming reality that his corporation was still the biggest threat to her business.

Emme sat in her small office, staring at the piles of paperwork in front of her. Her business, her dream, was hanging by a thread. The negotiations with Alex’s company had been brutal, and despite his moment of vulnerability, there was no guarantee that things would go her way. His company had the power to crush hers, to erase everything she had worked so hard to build. And yet… she couldn’t get him out of her head.

Her fingers ran through her hair as she let out a sigh, feeling the weight of the world pressing down on her shoulders. Her business had always been her number one priority. It had taken years of hard work, countless sleepless nights, and an endless supply of determination to get it off the ground. It was more than just a job to her; it was her identity, her purpose. Losing it would mean losing a part of herself.

And yet, every time she thought of Alex, her heart fluttered in a way that made no sense. He was everything she had always been warned about: cold, ruthless, and willing to destroy anything or anyone that stood in the way of his success. But then, there were those brief moments—the ones where he had let her see behind the mask—where she felt something entirely different.

The dinner they had shared had changed something between them. In that intimate setting, Alex had revealed a side of himself that she doubted anyone else had ever seen. He had listened to her, truly listened, and for the first time, Emme felt like she wasn’t just another business adversary to him. But the next day, he was back to his cold, distant self, and Emme was left questioning whether it had all been a fleeting moment of weakness on his part.

Emme stood up from her desk and walked over to the window, gazing out at the city beyond. The streets were bustling with life, the sound of traffic and people filling the air. Somewhere out there, Alex was probably sitting in his high-rise office, meticulously planning his next business move. She wondered if he ever thought about her, if that vulnerability he had shown still lingered in his mind the way it lingered in hers.

She hated that she was even thinking about him in this way. How could she be falling for someone who was responsible for threatening everything she had built? It made no sense. Emme was not a woman who let her emotions cloud her judgment, but there was something about Alex that defied logic. He wasn’t just another heartless CEO. There was more to him, and that was what made this so complicated.

Her phone buzzed on the desk, pulling her from her thoughts. She walked back over and glanced at the screen, her heart skipping a beat when she saw Alex’s name flash across the display. It was a simple message, one that she could have easily ignored if it hadn’t come from him.

“Can we talk? Dinner again tonight?”

Emme stared at the message for a long moment, her heart waging a war with her mind. Part of her wanted to say no, to shut him out completely. After all, what good could come from getting closer to a man whose company was actively trying to shut hers down? But another part of her—a quieter, more vulnerable part—wanted to say yes. She wanted to see him again, to understand why he had opened up to her that night and what it all meant.

She hesitated for what felt like an eternity before typing a reply.

“Okay. 7 PM?”

The response came almost immediately.

“I’ll pick you up.”

Emme’s hands were shaking as she set the phone down. She was walking a dangerous line, one where her heart and her business were at odds. How could she possibly reconcile the two? She couldn’t afford to let herself get distracted, especially not by someone like Alex. But at the same time, she couldn’t deny that there was something between them. Something she wasn’t sure she could ignore any longer.

The hours leading up to their dinner felt like a blur. Emme tried to focus on her work, but her mind kept drifting back to Alex. The memory of their last dinner together played over and over in her mind, the way he had looked at her, the way he had admitted he couldn’t stop thinking about her. She had seen the cracks in his walls, and now she was curious—what lay beyond them?

By the time 7 PM rolled around, Emme was a bundle of nerves. She had chosen a simple dress, not too formal but not too casual, something that reflected the middle ground she was trying to navigate. When Alex arrived to pick her up, he looked as composed as ever, his suit perfectly tailored, his expression unreadable. But there was something in his eyes when he saw her—something softer, more human.

As they drove to the restaurant, the conversation was light, almost cautious. Neither of them mentioned the business deal hanging over their heads, but it was there, unspoken, like a shadow looming in the background. They both knew what was at stake, yet for the moment, they were pretending it didn’t exist.

Once they were seated, the tension between them became more palpable. Emme could feel it—the pull, the attraction, the weight of everything they weren’t saying. Alex ordered a bottle of wine, and as they sipped their drinks, the conversation slowly began to shift from small talk to something more personal.

“I’ve been thinking about our last dinner,” Alex said after a pause, his voice low. “About what I said.”

Emme’s heart raced. “So have I.”

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes never leaving hers. “I’m not used to this,” he admitted. “Letting someone in. It’s not… part of my world.”

Emme swallowed hard, feeling the gravity of his words. “I’m not sure what to make of it either, Alex. I’m not blind to what your company could do to mine. I know the reality of the situation.”

Alex’s expression hardened for a moment, and Emme could see the internal battle he was waging. “I don’t want to hurt you, Emme. I never wanted that.”

“Then why are we here?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “What are we doing?”

Alex was silent for a long time, his eyes searching hers for an answer he couldn’t find. “I don’t know,” he finally said. “But I can’t stop thinking about you. And I don’t know how to make this work—how to separate what I feel from what I have to do.”

Emme felt her heart break a little at his words. She was starting to care for him, truly care, but his business was still a threat to everything she had built. Could she trust him? Could she allow herself to fall for someone who had the power to destroy her dreams?

“I don’t know either,” she replied honestly. “But I can’t lose my business, Alex. It’s everything to me.”

“I know,” he said, his voice tight with frustration. “And I don’t want to be the reason you lose it.”

The conversation hung heavy in the air, the complexity of their situation becoming more apparent with every word. Emme was torn between her growing feelings for Alex and the harsh reality of the world they lived in. She didn’t want to choose between her heart and her business, but it was becoming clear that she might have to.

As they finished their meal and left the restaurant, Emme’s mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. She had seen a different side of Alex tonight—one that made her want to believe that there was hope for something more between them. But as they parted ways, she couldn’t shake the fear that this was a losing battle.

The crack in Alex’s defenses had widened, but it wasn’t enough. Not yet. And Emme wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep fighting for both her heart and her business without losing one—or both—in the process.

CHAPTER 10.....