My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 31: At The Doorstep

The soft click of Katherine’s heels against the hallway tiles echoed faintly as she reached her apartment door, Felix a step behind. She tapped the passcode with her usual precision, and the panel beeped in response, unlocking with a gentle mechanical whirr. The door creaked open, warm light from inside spilling onto the cool corridor floor.

Katherine turned toward Felix, hand still on the doorknob. "Do you want to come in for a bit? Maybe some tea?" she offered with a tired but sincere smile.

Felix shook his head gently, his hands buried in the pockets of his slacks. "I better head home right away," he replied, voice soft but firm.

"Oh," Katherine murmured, a hint of surprise in her tone. "Well, thank you again... and goodnight."

Felix didn’t move, his gaze flickering briefly to the open doorway behind her. "Just go in first. I’ll leave once I know you’re safe inside."

Katherine blinked at him, caught off guard. "Felix," she chuckled, tilting her head, "nothing bad is going to happen in the three steps from the door to my couch."

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Still. Doesn’t hurt to make sure, right?"

She looked at him for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Goodnight, Felix."

"Goodnight, Katherine," he replied.

She stepped in, the door closing with a soft thud and the telltale click of the lock engaging.

Felix remained rooted where he stood.

The hallway was quiet now, almost unnaturally so. The dim wall sconce above him cast a gentle golden hue on the cream-colored walls, but Felix didn’t see them. He leaned forward slightly, resting his forehead against the wall just beside her door. A long sigh escaped him. His eyes fluttered closed, his jaw clenched.

What the hell was that back there?

He could still feel the ghost of the moment between them. The space where he’d leaned closer... the way her eyes widened, the way his pulse surged—and then he backed away like a coward.

Felix exhaled again, harsher this time, dragging a hand down his face like he could scrub the hesitation off of it. The wall was cool beneath his brow, a small mercy against the heat still radiating beneath his skin. His heart hadn’t quite slowed, even though the moment had passed.

He pulled back quickly now, realizing how odd he must look. The last thing he needed was a neighbor catching him lurking like some love-sick fool. He ran a hand through his hair and turned away, exhaling sharply before heading down the hall.

The elevator ride was silent, but Felix’s thoughts were anything but. As soon as he stepped out into the night air, he took a deep breath, the cool breeze a brief balm to the churn inside him. He unlocked his car and slipped in, the engine’s low hum breaking the silence of the parking lot.

It wasn’t a long drive, but it felt stretched by the weight of the evening. The city passed in quiet blurs of yellow light and dark shadows. Katherine’s laugh—nervous and forced at times tonight—played again in his mind. And that man... Leonard Ford.

Felix’s hands tightened around the wheel.

When he finally reached home, the quiet luxury of his townhouse greeted him. He stepped in, loosening his tie with one hand and closing the door with the other. The house felt colder than usual.

He walked straight to the study.

The room welcomed him with familiar darkness. He didn’t turn on the main light—just the small lamp on the side table. Its warm pool of amber glowed over the polished wood of his desk.

With a practiced hand, he reached for the scotch bottle on the shelf behind his desk and poured himself a generous measure into the waiting glass. The clink of glass against glass was the only sound in the room.

He sat heavily in the leather chair, glass in hand, and stared blankly at the bookshelves lining the far wall.

Leonard Ford.

The name tasted bitter in his mouth.

Of course he’d heard of the man. Founder of Ford Industries, heir to a reputable string of maritime investment portfolios. A ghost of the business world these days—rumors said he’d taken a long sabbatical, practically vanished from major corporate circles.

And now, here he was. At the same party. And unmistakably familiar with Katherine. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Felix took a slow sip of his scotch, the burn down his throat grounding him.

It wasn’t the fact that the two knew each other that unsettled him—it was the look in Katherine’s eyes. The way her body had gone stiff, her smile had faltered. There was history there. Heavy history.

He ran a hand over his face.

She hadn’t looked surprised that Leonard recognized her. In fact, it was Leonard who had seemed caught off guard, standing there like he hadn’t seen a ghost, but something close. Katherine had been tense, defensive even. She’d grabbed Felix’s hand with urgency—not habit, not affection. It was a plea.

Felix took another sip, slower this time.

He had his theories. He wasn’t stupid. But assumptions could be dangerous. He’d built a relationship with Katherine—years of proximity, trust, shared joys and sorrows, and silent, unspoken tenderness.

He wouldn’t throw that away for a moment of suspicion.

Still... he wouldn’t ignore it either.

Katherine wasn’t okay tonight. Her smile was wrong. Her laughter had edges.

And Felix had seen enough in his life to know what it meant when someone pretended not to bleed.

He leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling, his thumb running idle circles over the rim of the glass.

He would wait. Wait for her to speak, to tell him the story behind those careful eyes. He wouldn’t push.

But he would be ready.

For now, all he could do was keep the promise he’d made her many years ago:

That he would never let her suffer alone again.

The scotch sat untouched in his hand now. Somewhere in the distance, a clock ticked.

And Felix stared into the dim, thinking only of her.