Desired by All and He Threw Away 57

i lean back against the desk folding my hands in my lap.the light catches the edge of his jaw outlining him in amber. ” and what about when survival isnt enough?” 

for the first time he stills. 

the question hangs between us so fragile and dangerous. 

his eyes meet mine and something shifts just barely but enough.the steel in his gaze flickers. I see it then: the exhaustion buried beneath the control. 

The faint tremor in his hands that he hides by clasping them together. The shadow of something that looks a lot like fear. 

for a heartbeat Aiden Kincaid the man who commands headlines one of the world’s top football player,a billionaire who bends rooms to his will looks almost human.. 

his throat works as he swallows his voice quieter when he finally speaks. “Then you fight harder.” 

he says it softly but it feels like a confession. 

i study him trying to read the spaces between his words.the lines of tension in his face the way his breath catches before he looks away.his phone lights up again vibrating against the desk. and the moment shatters. 

he picks it up without hesitation slipping the mask back on so seamlessly its like it never slipped at all. 

“Mr. Carson,” he says smoothly into the receiver pacing toward the window. “Yes, I’m sure you’ve seen the latest articles the scandal with Dylan and a minor. 

I’d reconsider any public affiliations with him until his legal team clarifies the situation. It’s about protecting your brand integrity.” 

his reflection glimmers faintly against the glass it is cold composed and distant. 

outside the city buzzes as cars weaving through streets like silver veins.somewhere down there people are laughing eating, living oblivious to the quiet war being waged in this room. 

i look at him like really look and I realize that every victory in his world demands a sacrifice.That the calm in his voice hides storms no one else sees. 

That beneath the armor of confidence, he’s built entirely out of scars and strategy. 

and yet i cant look away. 

when he finally ends the last call he doesnt speak. The silence between us is thick, stretching thin like glass. 

you will destroy him,” i say softly.it is not a question. 

he slips his phone into his pocket ‘eyes still fixed on the skyline. ” that is the point.” 

there is no triumph in his voice no satisfaction no gloating. Just quiet certainty. The kind that comes from knowing you’ve already paid the price for every win. 

1/2 

Chapter 57 

+25 Bonus 

Something about the word lands hard. 

the clock on the wall ticks faintly each sound echoing like a heartbeat.outside the last light of day bleeds into the horizon painting the glass towers in gold and shadow. 

Aiden moves closer his steps quiet against the marble floor.he stops just in front of me his expression unreadable again.but up close i see it the flicker of something haunted in his eyes. something that looks like he is already fighting ghosts no one else can see. 

i lower my voice. ” and what happens when there is nothing left to control?” 

he meets my gaze it is steady unflinching.for a long moment neither of us speaks. 

then his lips part and his voice comes out barely above a whisper. “Then you fight harder.” 

he turns away before i can respond walking back toward the desk the glow of the city spilling around him.the phone buzzes once more and he picks it up without hesitation diving back into the storm he refuses to escape. 

i sit there watching him this man made of edges and armor who treats emotion like a weakness and control like oxygen and i realize something unsettling. 

in his world victory doesnt bring peace.it only feeds the fire. 

and every battle he wins leaves another piece of him behind. 

the sun slips beneath the skyline and the room is swallowed in shadow.