My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 21: No Focus

She sat behind her desk, posture neat, hands carefully flipping through folders, straightening papers that didn’t need straightening. Everything on her desk was in perfect order, as always. A planner laid open, her pen aligned with the margin, a bottle of water untouched at the corner.

It was a miracle she’d made it to the office at all.

The drive had passed in a blur, each red light and turn navigated on muscle memory alone. Her hands had gripped the steering wheel tightly, fingers locked, knuckles pale. Traffic passed, horns honked, radio static murmured in the background, but none of it reached her. Her mind was buzzing—loud, unruly, and unkind.

Leonard. Leonard. Leonard.

The name echoed like an unwanted chant. No matter how many times she tried to shift her focus—to the car in front of her, to the memo she’d meant to review, to the song lyrics playing faintly from a passing vehicle—her thoughts kept snapping back to him.

Why now? After all this time, after all the walls she built, why did one glimpse of him pull everything apart?

Her heart had pounded the whole way to the office, as if her body knew something she didn’t. As if it feared the possibility of something resurfacing. Of old wounds cracking open like they’d never healed at all.

It was infuriating.

She wasn’t supposed to think about him anymore. She had made peace with that Chapter. Or at least, she had pretended to—successfully, even. Enough to get out of bed, smile through meetings, laugh with colleagues. Enough to survive.

And yet here she was. Desk pristine. Smile ready. Performance intact—almost.

And yet, her mind was anything but organized. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The image of Leonard standing by the kindergarten gate replayed again and again in her head. Like a scene caught on loop, it clung to her thoughts with stubborn weight. The tilt of his head. The gentle way he ruffled the little boy’s hair. That child—was he really Leonard’s? A son with Miranda? Her stomach twisted at the idea, and her fingers faltered over a file.

Had Leonard truly moved on and built a new life so easily? Had he slipped into fatherhood as if everything they had meant nothing? As if the mess he left behind could be replaced with someone else’s smile?

Her jaw tensed, and she sat back slightly, exhaling through her nose.

But if that boy was his, why had there been no news? No announcement? Leonard Ford didn’t exactly live in the shadows—not professionally, anyway. A man like him with a son would make headlines, wouldn’t he?

Katherine shook her head, scolding herself. She wouldn’t know. Not anymore.

She had built a system of avoidance so elaborate it could rival a fortress. If Leonard appeared on the news, she changed the channel. If his name cropped up on an article, she skipped the page. Magazines featuring his image were swiftly thrown into the bin without a second glance. She’d even blocked his name from popping up in any online search engines on her phone. Complete blackout.

So why now—why today—was her mind betraying her?

"Katherine."

She jumped.

Her head whipped toward the doorway where Felix stood, eyebrows raised.

"Sorry, what?"

"I’ve been calling your name for almost a full minute," he said, stepping into her office. "You in love or something? Daydreaming about me, perhaps?" He gave a teasing smirk, folding his arms.

Katherine blinked, then forced out a soft, awkward laugh. "God, no. Sorry. I was just... distracted."

Felix’s expression softened a little, though his smirk lingered. "Meeting starts in five. Thought I’d come collect you before you drift off again."

She stood quickly, smoothing the front of her blouse and grabbing her tablet. "Thanks. Let’s go."

They walked side by side down the corridor. The clicking of shoes against the floor echoed between the glass walls. The company logo etched in frosted glass passed in a blur as Katherine tried to focus her thoughts on anything but Leonard. It didn’t work.

Inside the meeting room, the team had already gathered. A large screen lit up at the front, charts and graphs lining the agenda. Katherine took her seat, nodded politely at the others, and opened her notes.

But her mind wandered again.

She heard her name faintly—once, twice—and then sharper, "Katherine."

Her head jerked up. Felix was looking at her again, eyes narrowing in concern.

A few of the team members exchanged glances.

Katherine cleared her throat. "Sorry. Yes?"

Felix didn’t call her out in front of everyone. Instead, he gently redirected the discussion, and the meeting resumed. But the damage was done. Her face burned with embarrassment, her focus scattered like pages in the wind.

When the meeting finally ended, the others filed out, chatting in low murmurs. Katherine stayed seated for a moment, quietly gathering her materials, painfully aware of Felix still beside her.

He didn’t speak until the door shut behind the last person.

"You okay?" he asked, voice quieter now. "You’ve been... off today."

Katherine tried to brush it off with a smile. "I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?"

Felix leaned back in his chair, studying her. "You know you can talk to me, right? About anything. Doesn’t have to be work."

Her hands paused over her tablet. She looked at him, really looked this time—his kind eyes, the way he tilted his head slightly when he was concerned.

She nodded. "Yeah. I know."

Then she stood, gripping her folder like a lifeline.

"I’ll see you at lunch," she said quickly, and walked out of the room.

As she moved through the hallway, her heels sharp on the floor, her thoughts spiraled again.

Could she really talk to Felix about Leonard? Could she bring up the man she had so carefully erased from every corner of her life? No. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

Because the truth was, she had never even told Felix about Leonard.

Not his name. Not their story. Not the devastation he left behind.

And that silence said more than words ever could.