Owned by the CEO

Behind the Glass

♥ Chloe ♥

The list was absurd. Pick up his dry cleaning. Unpack his grocery delivery. Pay his housekeeper. I stared at the email on my phone as I stood outside Jethro Jotham’s penthouse, my thumb hovered over the screen like it might change if I blinked enough times. This wasn’t work. These were errands. Chores. The kind of thing you assigned to a housekeeper or a younger sibling, not your personal assistant. Right? But Jethro wasn’t here to argue with. He was in North Rynfield, charming mountain investors and pretending not to notice the world orbiting him like gravity. He had left me in Velmora City with this ridiculous list, as though I had nothing better to do than fluff his pillows and polish his perfect life. And yet I was here. I exhaled and pressed my thumb to the biometric scanner. It blinked green, and the heavy black door clicked open. The moment I stepped inside, my breath caught in my throat. His penthouse wasn’t what I expected. It wasn’t cold or clinical like his office. It was breathtaking. A double-height ceiling with glass walls that opened onto a sweeping view of Velmora’s coastline. Warm, golden light spilled across smooth marble floors. Soft rugs. Shelves stacked with books and curiosities. A grand piano in the corner. It looked like a dream. But what surprised me most wasn’t the design, it was the evidence of life scattered everywhere. A jacket flung carelessly over the back of the cream leather couch. A pair of worn slippers by the front door. A kitchen that was clearly used. Photo frames clustered along a sideboard, filled with faces I didn’t recognize.

“Hmm,” I hummed as I looked around. For someone so controlled, so composed, Jethro Jotham lived like a man who let down his armor the second he walked through these doors. My eyes caught on a large photo hanging above the piano. A family portrait, by the look of it. Jethro was there, years younger, his hair slightly longer, standing stiffly between a man and a woman who were probably his parents. Beside him, a much younger girl smiled brightly at the camera. His sister? I found myself stepping closer, studying his face in the photo. There was something about it, something guarded even then, like he didn’t quite belong in the frame.

“You are staring at him like he is a museum exhibit,” the voice startled me so badly that I almost dropped my phone. I turned sharply to see an older woman standing in the archway that led to the kitchen. She wore a neat apron over a floral blouse and had her graying hair tied back in a loose bun. Warm brown eyes crinkled with amusement.

“Oh…I didn’t hear you,” I said, as I pressed a hand to my chest.

“I could tell,” she remarked with a soft chuckle. “You must be Miss Samuel,”

“Yes. Chloe,”

“I’m Lee-Ann. Housekeeper, cook, occasional therapist. Been with Jethro for over ten years now,”

“I was just—” I gestured lamely at the photo. “He left me a list. I didn’t mean to snoop,” her eyes sparkled as she walked further into the room.

“Ah, yes. The famous list. Dry cleaning, groceries, and paying me, wasn’t it?” she asked, and heat crept into my cheeks.

“He…yes,” I admitted. Lee-Ann laughed outright, a warm, rich sound.

“That man. He is too clever for his own good. You didn’t need to come all the way here, darling. The groceries are already unpacked. The dry cleaning is hanging in his wardrobe. And I have already been paid,” I stared at her in surprise.

“Wait…what?”

“It seems to me he sent you here on a little adventure,” she said as she raised her brows knowingly. “Testing you, maybe. Seeing if you would follow through. It certainly isn’t the first time he has done something like this,” I wanted to groan or sink into the floor. Instead, I tried for composure.

“That’s…great to know,”

“You look horrified,”

“I feel horrified,” I admitted. Lee-Ann chuckled again and motioned toward the kitchen.

“Come. Let me make you some tea before you run off,”

“I don’t want to impose—”

“You are not imposing,” she cut me off. “You are keeping me company. And trust me, you will need a cup of tea if you are working for that man,” I hesitated for a moment, but then I slowly nodded.

“Ok, thank you,” I said as I followed her into the kitchen. The kitchen was just as beautiful as the rest of the apartment, with white marble counters, copper fixtures, and a faint scent of lemons in the air. Lee-Ann moved with practiced ease, filling the kettle and plucking mugs from a cabinet. “You have been with him a long time,” I said cautiously.

“Ten years,” she confirmed. “Since he first moved into this place. He was only twenty-four then. Brilliant, but…” she shook her head fondly. “A troubled young man. Family issues, the weight of an empire on his shoulders. Sometimes I wonder how he didn’t break under it all,” a moment later, she handed me a teacup. I shook my head when she offered milk and sugar. I took a small sip and glanced over at her.

“He doesn’t seem like the type to break,” I remarked.

“No, he hides it well. Too well,” Lee-Ann leaned against the counter and gave me a knowing look. “But he is still human, Chloe. He feels things more deeply than people realize. That is why he is so guarded,”

“Guarded,” I repeated softly. “Do you think he is…happy?” I then asked. She hummed thoughtfully.

“I think he is content. But no. I wouldn’t say he is happy. Not really. That man needs someone to knock down all those walls he has built,” my stomach tightened inexplicably.

“Maybe he already has someone,” I said carefully.

“Juliette?” Lee-Ann smirked. “She is not the one. Trust me on that,” Juliette. The name pulled at something in my chest. I hadn’t thought much about her before. Not until now. Maybe I should. Maybe I should know more about the man I worked for. The man who kept catching me off guard, who left lists of chores as tests, who lived in a penthouse full of shadows and warmth. Lee-Ann’s voice softened. “Don’t let him scare you off, Chloe. Underneath all that ice, he is worth knowing,” I didn’t know what to say to that.

“Thank you again for the tea,” I said as I set the teacup aside. I had barely drunk from it, but I suddenly needed to get out of this place. His place. His home. It was a bit much. A bit overwhelming.

“Of course, I am sure I will see you again,” she said as she walked with me to the door. I waved goodbye as I left the penthouse. And as I stepped back into the cool Velmora air, one thought had taken root in my mind. I needed to know more about Jethro Jotham. And I was going to find out.

♥ ♥ ♥