OWNED BY THE COLD CEO

Lena's pov

I sat at the edge of the massive dining table, surrounded by strangers in fancy clothes, pretending to smile like I belonged. My hands were clenched in my lap, nails digging into my palm.

I didn't belong here anymore.

Adrian, my husband, stood a few feet away, holding a champagne glass and laughing at something a tall woman in red just whispered to him. She was Maya, Adrian's ex and she also bullied me in highschool.

She touched his arm.

He didn't pull away.

My stomach twisted.

They looked good together, he was in his black suit, while she was in a tight dress that showed off her curves and the slight bump in her belly.

She was pregnant and I wasn't.

That truth burned more than anything else in the room.

This was supposed to be Adrian's celebration party. The board had finally named him CEO of his father's company. He was the golden boy now. Powerful, admired and wanted by all women.

And I was invisible.

A soft clink echoed through the room as someone tapped their glass.

Adrian stepped forward. "Thank you all for being here. I feel honored to lead the Huntley Corporation into the future."

Cheers filled the air. He waited for them to settle, then smiled again but bigger this time.

"But I have one more announcement," he said. "Something even more important to me than this new title."

He reached out his hand.

The woman in red walked up to him, smiling wide.

"This is Maya," Adrian said. "And she's carrying my child."

The room went silent. Then gasps followed with soft claps. A few shocked faces turned to look at me.

I didn't move.

I couldn't.

My heart had stopped beating the moment he said her name.

Adrian glanced at me, just a flicker of a look and then turned back to Maya.

"We're starting a family," he said. "And I'm finally going to be a father."

A soft murmur went around the room. Congratulations and a louder clap this time.

I wanted to scream.

Instead, I stood up, legs shaking under me. I tried to walk away calmly, but my heels wobbled on the marble floor.

He didn't even tell me in private.

He humiliated me in front of everyone.

After everything I did for him.

After all the times I stayed up late helping him prep for meetings. After the nights I cried in the bathroom over another failed pregnancy test. After the surgeries, he treatments and the blames.

He replaced me.

Just like that.

Outside, the air was cold against my skin. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying not to cry. But the tears came anyway.

I blinked up at the stars. They were bright, quiet, far away from this mess.

And just like that, the memory hit me.

That day in the bathroom.

The test.

Just one pink line.

Another month of failure.

I had stood there frozen, staring at it like maybe it would change if I waited long enough.

Then the door burst open. Adrian.

"What is this?" he snapped, grabbing the test from my hand.

I couldn't speak.

His face twisted with anger. "Again? Negative again? Lena, how many times are you going to disappoint me?"

"I'm trying," I whispered. "I'm doing everything I can."

"Trying isn't enough!" he shouted. "Do you know how this makes me look? I'm a Huntley, and I can't even get an heir because my wife is broken!"

His words cut deeper than any slap.

Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall, not in front of him.

"I didn't ask for this," I said quietly.

"No, but you signed up for it. You think love is enough in this world? I need a son, Lena. A future, a legacy and you've given me nothing!"

He threw the test strip on the floor and stormed out.

I had dropped to my knees, staring at the shattered plastic, wondering when it had all gone so wrong.

---

A tear rolled down my cheek now as I stood in the garden, arms wrapped around myself. That memory still echoed louder than the party inside.

That moment told me everything I needed to know.

Adrian didn't love me not anymore.

He wanted something I couldn't give him.

And now he had found someone who could.

"Aw, still crying?" a familiar voice said behind me.

I turned.

Maya stood in the doorway, arms crossed, a cruel smile on her face.

"I always knew you weren't good enough for him," she said. "He needs a real woman, one who can give him what he wants."

"I'm still his wife," I said, my voice barely holding.

"For now," she replied. "But not for long. Trust me."

I looked at her. She had everything I didn't. Confidence, a child on the way and now, Adrian's heart.

She stepped closer and whispered, "You lost, Lena. Just accept it."

Then she walked back into the party, leaving me alone in the dark.

And for the first time, I finally realized, I was truly alone.

Lena's POV

The sun hadn't fully risen yet. Only a soft, dull light slipped through the dusty curtains in my room. I turned and stared at the empty side of the bed. He wasn't there again.

In the first year of our marriage, Adrian and I used to sleep in the master bedroom together but things changed. After our first year anniversary, he told me he needed space. "I just need privacy," he had said like it was nothing. So, I moved to the guest room. Since then, he only came to me when he wanted something, then he left like nothing happened.

I lay there, staring up at the ceiling, feeling empty. My heart was tired, heavy from everything and my thoughts....God, they never stopped. They kept circling around the same pain.

A few weeks after that dinner party, Adrian brought Maya, his mistress into our home.

"I need to take care of the mother of my child," he told me, not even looking ashamed. "She shouldn't stay alone in that small apartment." Just like that, like I didn't matter.

I cried so much that night. But crying didn't change anything.

Day by day, I watched him treat her with the care and love I once begged for. He made space for her in this house, in his life. And I... I just watched from the side, like a stranger.

Eventually, I dragged myself out of bed and went to the kitchen, the only place that still felt like mine.

I cooked breakfast like I always did. I even made his coffee, just the way he liked it. Part of me knew it wouldn't change anything, but I still wanted everything to be perfect, just in case.

But Adrian's love was long gone. No meal, no coffee, no effort could bring it back.

Soon, Maya walked into the dining room. She didn't even greet me. "I want a cup of tea!" she announced, loud and proud like a queen demanding service.

Adrian was coming down the stairs and jumped right in. "Didn't you hear her, Lena? She said she needs tea."

His tone was sharp and cruel. Since she moved in, he barely hid his disrespect. He would talk down to me, especially in front of her.

I gripped my nightgown tightly, holding in my anger. I wanted to scream. But I didn't. I made the tea and brought it to her with trembling hands.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he said to Maya and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. My chest tightened. That gentle touch he hadn't given me that in months.

We sat for breakfast, no one really spoke. Just the clink of cutlery filled the air. I moved my food around the plate, I had no appetite.

Then, out of nowhere, Maya let out a loud scream.

"Ahhh! My stomach! It hurts!" she cried, grabbing at her side.

Adrian jumped up, panic in his eyes. "Maya? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I don't know... I feel sick" she groaned.

I froze, my heart started racing. What's going on?

He rushed to her side, then turned to me sharply. "Lena, what did you put in the food?"

"N-Nothing," I said, still confused.

"We're going to the hospital," he snapped. Then barked, "Call an ambulance. Now!"

With shaking hands, I picked up the phone and dialed.

The ambulance came and rushed her to the emergency room. Adrian stayed by her side, pacing back and forth, worry written all over his face.

After what felt like forever, the doctor finally came to speak with us.

"She and the baby are stable for now," he said. "But we'll need to run more tests to figure out what caused the pain."

Adrian nodded. But instead of being relieved, he looked furious.

Then he turned to me.

"What did you do, Lena?" His voice was cold.

I stepped back, stunned. "What? Nothing! I didn't do anything!"

"Don't lie to me!" he yelled, making everyone in the hallway turn. "She ate your food and immediately got sick. You've been jealous of her since the day you found out she's pregnant!"

"No, Adrian! I swear, I didn't do anything," I pleaded, my eyes filling with tears. "You have to believe me."

He shook his head, disgusted. "Maya is giving me something you never could, a child. That kills you, doesn't it?"

I flinched. His words cut deeper than any wound. I've struggled with infertility for years and now he used it like a weapon.

"Was this your way of getting rid of my baby?!" he shouted. "You tried to kill her!"

"No! Adrian, please-"

But he wasn't listening. He turned and walked away. I ran after him, desperate.

"This is over, Lena" he said coldly. "I want a divorce."

I stopped in my tracks. "What?"

He pulled out papers from his coat. "They're ready, just sign them. You're getting nothing, because you gave nothing. Now get out of my life."

My hands trembled as I held the papers. I could barely breathe.

"Please, Adrian," I whispered. "Please don't do this."

He didn't say another word. He just walked out.

Back at home, I tried to pack my things but I couldn't. I just sat on the bed, staring at the divorce papers. I hadn't signed them yet. A part of me still hoped he'd change his mind. Maybe if I apologized to Maya, she'd forgive me and convince him.

I heard the door, they were back.

I went downstairs. Adrian saw me and frowned.

"What are you still doing here?"

"I just wanted to ask how Maya's doing," I said quietly.

Maya stood beside him with a fake smile. "I'm fine, Lena, so is the baby."

Then she turned to Adrian and said sweetly, "Can you please take my bag upstairs? I'm tired."

He nodded and went up.

The moment he was gone, Maya turned to me, her smile gone.

"Didn't I tell you I'll have him throw you out? Next time, don't test me."

My heart sank. "So this was your plan?" I asked, barely holding back tears.

"Of course," she said with a cruel grin. "It wasn't even hard and you know he'll never believe you."

She leaned close and raised my chin, forcing me to meet her gaze. "You're pitiful, Lena. Look at yourself, do yourself a favor, sign the damn papers and disappear."

Lena's pov

Kate's voice echoed through her spacious bedroom apartment.

"Wait... what do you mean Adrian did what?"

I sank deeper into the fluffy duvet, trying to disappear. "You remember Maya? The one who used to torment me back in high school?" I paused, the bitterness on my tongue unmistakable. "Turns out she's not just Adrian's ex... she's pregnant with his baby."

Kate's eyes widened, mascara smudged with disbelief. "No way, that girl? The same one who stomped on his heart before vanishing like a puff of smoke?"

I nodded, lips pressed together to stop the sting behind my eyes. Kate had been my rock since college. She was blunt, fearless, and beautiful in that effortless, leggy, blonde kind of way. She could've passed for a model if she hadn't hated following rules.

"I'm going to kill him," she growled, hands clenched into fists. "Rich CEO or not, he doesn't get a free pass."

I gave a weak smile. "Too bad murder's illegal."

"So what now?" she asked, crossing her arms. "You just... what? Work under him and pretend this never happened?"

"I doubt that'll be a problem much longer," I muttered. "He hasn't fired me yet, but it's only a matter of time. Maybe I'll finally be able to afford a new apartment with the severance."

Adrian had given me the role of Associate Marketing Director at the Huntley Corporation. It wasn't charity, I had qualifications but being around him every day had been torture. Work was the only thing keeping my sanity stitched together.

Kate clapped her hands like she'd just discovered the cure for heartbreak. "Okay, enough brooding. We're going out tonight."

"What?"

"We're going to dress like goddesses, drink like pirates, and maybe, just maybe let a tall, dark stranger ruin us in the best way."

I groaned. "Kate..."

"Nope! You need a reset and I've got two VIP passes to Velvet Inferno, the hottest club in L.A. It's time."

---

A few hours later, I stood outside the glowing doors of Velvet Inferno, heels biting into the pavement, dress hugging every curve I'd forgotten I had.

Inside, the place pulsed with energy, electric blue lights, intoxicating music, and the dizzying mix of perfume and desire in the air.

"You want to be boring or badass?" Kate shouted over the bass as we slid into plush bar stools.

I reached for a tequila shot before she could tease me. One, then two. "Badass," I said with a smirk.

"That's my girl."

Kate was off within minutes, dragging a stranger into the crowd. I stayed at the bar, watching the neon swirl in my glass.

"Your usual, sir?"

The bartender's voice caught my attention, but it was the voice that replied that made me freeze.

"Yeah," the man said, voice rich and deep like sin.

I turned.

He was tall, dressed in a crisp shirt with the top buttons undone, revealing abs like carved marble. Midnight-black hair, a chiseled jawline but it was his eyes that hooked me, icy blue with flecks of gold and green, eyes that had seen too much and felt too little.

"You're staring," he said, tone unreadable.

"Am I?" I blurted, alcohol already stripping away my filter. "Sorry... you're just... wow."

A small, knowing tilt of his lips. "You like what you see?"

"I didn't say that," I lied.

He leaned closer, the scent of leather and something smoky clinging to him. "But your eyes did."

The tension cracked like lightning. He sipped his drink, gaze never leaving mine. "Follow me."

I hesitated... then stood.

---

The green Lamborghini purred like a wild beast as we reached it. He opened the door for me with a flick of the wrist.

Inside, the heat between us exploded.

His mouth found mine, hot, urgent, desperate. My hands tangled in his hair as he pressed me against the leather seat.

"Tell me to stop," he rasped, but I didn't, I couldn't.

The night blurred into a fever dream, his touch, my moans, his name I didn't even know.

---

Morning sunlight stabbed through kate's bathroom blinds like judgment.

I blinked at the mirror, wincing. My hair was a mess, my lipstick gone, and hickies painted down my neck like bruised roses.

"Damn!" Kate shrieked, barging in behind me. "Girl, did you get hit by a truck or just blessed by a Greek god?"

I laughed, weakly. "Somewhere in between."

Reality returned fast. I opened my phone to find an email from Adrian's secretary.

Subject: Termination of Employment.

Just like that. No meeting, no explanation. He couldn't even look me in the eyes.

Still, I had one last hope, a job interview scheduled Next week.

---

The upper week, the day of the interview.

I dressed with care, every thread of my blazer a kind of armor. I needed this, a fresh start.

The building was sleek, modern, intimidating. As I approached the front desk, a girl barely glanced up from her laptop.

"Yes?" she said coldly.

"I have an interview for the marketing Director position."

"Top floor. Left."

I bit my tongue, nodded, and took the elevator up. My hands trembled slightly as I adjusted my skirt and took a breath. No turning back now.

At the top, was only one office. I knocked.

"Come in," said a voice cold and commanding.

I stepped inside... and my world spun.

Those eyes. Those same damn blue-and-gold eyes.

Sitting behind the desk, was the man from the club.