Craving My Ruthless Ceo novel Chapter 170

Chapter 170

Anna’s POV

I’d been in this exact spot since Zoe dragged me out of bed this morning, forced me into the shower, and couch with a stack of old rom-coms I had no interest in watching. That was hours ago. I hadn’t moved sine for tissues.

“I’ll get it? Zoe called from the kit hen when the doorbell rang

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I pulled the blanket tighter around myself and stared blankly at the TV screen. The star lead was laughing at something, but I couldn’t hear it over the ringing in my ears.

“Anna” Zoe’s squeal made me flinch. Oh my God, oh my God, look what just arrived”

I glanced up. She was carrying the most extravagant bouquet I’d ever seen white roses and peonies, wrapped with a fancy gold ribbon.

Behind her, a delivery man wheeled in a second arrangement, equally massive.

“There’s more!” Zoe practically bounced. “And look, chocolates! The super expensive kind!”

She turned to me, eyes wide. “Anna, who the hell is sending you this stuff?”

I rolled my eyes in annoyance. I already knew.

She set everything on the coffee table, the flowers, a velvet box of artisan chocolates, and a small wrapped box that looked suspiciously like jewelry.

Attached to the largest bouquet was an envelope with my name written in elegant script.

“Open it!” Zoe thrust the card at me.

My hands shook as I pulled out the card.

Anna,

I need you to understand, I was trying to protect you. You deserve more than I can give you. You deserve someone who can offer you everything.”

I’m sorry for making that choice for you. But it needed to be done

Roman Blackwood.

I crumpled the card and threw it across the room.

Typical.” I spat. “He thinks some overpriced flowers and fancy chocolates can fix everything. Thought he could just buy his way out of humiliating me.”

Zoe had already retrieved the card, smoothing it out. Her eyes scanned the words and widened. “Wait. Roman? As in Roman Blackwood?” She whipped around to face me. “Your CEO? Oh my God, Anna!”

I leaned back into the couch cushions and pulled a pillow over my face.

“No, no, no” Zoe yanked the pillow away. “You don’t get to hide. I’ve been gone on PR duties for weeks, and I come back to find you’ve already started sleeping with your boss?”

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Chapter 170

“We’re not sleeping together. I mumbled. It’s more like a disaster that almost happened”

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“What?” Zoe dropped onto the couch beside me, the card still clutched in her hand. “Anna, you got back from the lam looking like someone died. You’ve been moody all day, you won’t talk to me, you called in sick to work, ever, and now your CEO is sending you enough flowers to open a florist shop What the hell happened?”

I stared at the bouquets, too perfect, and the chocolates in their velvet box. It was obvious Roman was try his way back into my life.

“Anna” Zoe’s voice softeneil Talk to me.”

The words tumbled out before I could stop them. “We almost had sex”

Zoe’s mouth fell open. “You what?

“You heard me in the middle of it, I told Roman I was a virgin,” I repeated, my voice breaking “And he he pulled away.”

“Wait, wait, wait Zoe held up both hands. “Back up. Start from the beginning. When did this happen? How did you go from professional assistant to almost having sex with Roman Blackwood?”

I told her about the past few weeks, how Roman suddenly started pursuing me after that steamy moment between us. After the gala, we went back to the office.. and one thing led to another.

I left out the part where he caught me touching myself on his desk. That was too embarrassing even for Zoe

“He was inside me, Zoe.” Heat shot through me just thinking about it. The memory of him filling me, stretching me, even just that little bit. “Not completely, but he was there. And it hurt and I told him the truth and then he just stopped.”

“Oh, honey.” Zoe pulled me into her arms, and I let myself cry against her shoulder.

The sting of his rejection hit me all over again and I let out an embarrassed sound against her shoulder.

“He said I deserved better.” Anger flared in my chest. “That my first time should be special, with someone who could give me more than he could. As if it was his decision to make.”

“What an ass.” Zoe gritted out. “What rules is he talking about? You’re both consenting adults!”

“That’s what I said!” I pulled back, wiping my eyes roughly. “But he kept going on about how he couldn’t be what I needed. how I deserved someone who could commit to me.”

Zoe reached for the chocolate box, popped it open, and examined the selection. “Okay, but…”

She selected a truffle and bit into it. “Shit, these are good. Okay, but… I kind of told you so.”

1 glared at her.

“No, hear me out.” She talked around the chocolate, then swallowed it. “Anna, you’re beautiful. You’re smart, funny, talented. Any man would be lucky to have you. Screw him.”

“But I don’t want any man, I whispered. “I wanted him.”

“I know” She sighed, setting the chocolate box aside to pull me back into her arms. “I know you did.”

We sat like that for a long moment, her hand rubbing circles on my back while I tried not to crash out again.

“You know, Zoe pulled back to look at me, on second thought maybe this is actually for the best”

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I stared at her in disbelief, pulling away completely. “Are you serious right now?

Just listen” She grabbed my hand before I could retreat. “You’ve told me yourself that Roman is emotio That he’s married to his work, that he keeps everyone at arm’s length. Maybe he stopped becaus

you what you deserve. Maybe he didn’t want to start something he couldn’t finish.”

“It wasn’t his decision to make.” I said firmly, anger rising in my chest. It wasn’t his place to

deserve. That was my choice. My body My virginity to give to whoever I wanted

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“You’re right. Zoe agreed quickly. But look at it this way, at least your first time is important to you. You’re hos girl who can have casual sex and walk away unscathed You’re all heart, Anna. You feel everything deeply. Maybe now you can find someone who can actually love you the way you deserve to be loved”

“Screw love, I snapped, surprising both of us. You know what hurts? The rejection. The humiliation. The fact that he made me feel like I was too much and not enough all at once.

“I know it hurts…”

“Do you” I turned to face her fully. “Because it sounds like you’re defending him right now,

Tm not!” Zoe’s eyes widened. I’m never on his side, you know that. But…” She grabbed another chocolate, popped it in her mouth, then continued, “I actually think he might be a better man than I thought. Most guys would’ve just taken what you were offering and not looked back. At least Roman stopped to think about what it meant.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but she held up a hand.

“Roman’s still your boss, you can’t hide in my apartment forever. You can’t stay away from work indefinitely. This is exactly why you don’t get entangled with your boss.”

“What if I resign?” The words came out before I’d fully thought them through. “What if I just… quit? I never want to see his face again. I hate him.”

“Anna” Zoe’s voice took on that patient tone she used when I was being dramatic. “I understand you’re hurt. I understand you feel humiliated. But you have to go back to work. You have to hold your head up and show him that he didn’t break

you

“I can L

“Yes, you can. And you will.” She grabbed my shoulders. “You need this job and the money. You’re not going to throw away your career because of one night, no matter how badly it ended.”

I groaned and buried my face in a pillow, screaming into it.

My phone buzzed somewhere beneath the blankets.

“Don’t, I mumbled into the pillow.

It buzzed again. And again.

“It might be him,” Zoe reached for the pile of blankets. “Trying to fix things. You should at least look.”

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