Chapter <b>81 </b>


    Zac kept telling himself that Liz couldn’t possibly mean it when she said she wanted to break up. Buttely, her behavior had been so unusual that he couldn’t shake the feeling she might slip away from him at any moment.


    The more he thought about it, the darker his expression became.


    When Xena walked in, she found him staring nkly at the file in front of him. She bit her lip, her expression conflicted. Ever since he and Liz had split, she had noticed how often he seemed lost in thought like this.


    On paper, she should have been happy. In front of friends and colleagues, Zac had more or less acknowledged their rtionship. But instead of feeling secure, she only felt more on edge.


    She could tell that he was no longer as passionate toward her as he once had been. And whenever Liz was around, his eyes always found her. It was something Xena could not stand.


    She didn’t just want to be with him. She wanted to be the only woman he looked at.


    “Mr. Lincoln, these are the documents you need to sign today.”


    Zac blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. His brows furrowed. “Why didn’t you knock beforeing in?”


    Her face went pale. “I did knock. Maybe you were just distracted and didn’t hear me.”


    Annoyance shed in his eyes. “From now on, if I don’t say e in,‘ don’t walk in on your own.”


    Hurt flickered across her face. She spoke with a touch of defiance. “You used to say I didn’t have to knock–that I coulde in anytime.”


    His patience was already thin, and the moment she brought up the past, his gaze turned cold.


    “That was then. This is now. Everyone in thepany knows we’re together. If you keep walking in without knocking, what do you think people will say?”


    Xena stared at him in disbelief. “So other people’s opinions matter more to you than how I feel? And I told you–I did knock. If you don’t believe me check the security footage.”


    She lifted her chin, her eyes full of stubbornness.


    In the past, when Zac saw her like this, his heart would soften. Now he only thought she was being unreasonable.


    If any other secretary spoke to him this way, he would have fired them immediately.


    Xena only dared to talk to him like this because she was counting on his affection for her.


    “Xena<b>, </b>this is a workce, not our home,” he said atly. “I expect you to keep your job and our personal life separate.”


    “I told you I knocked. <b>If </b>you don’t believe me, fine.”


    Without another word, she turned and walked out.


    Zac’s expression darkened as he watched her leave,


    Liz never wasted time on petty arguments like this. She was always professional, and theparison made his mood even worse. He tossed the file onto his desk, grabbed his jacket<b>, </b>and walked out.


    Just outside, Xena sat at her desk, crying into herputer screen as if she had been wronged beyond reason.


    Back when they had been sneaking around, she had been endlessly sweet, never talking back, always agreeable.


    Now, he thought, this was exactly why a woman should not be spoiled. Give her too much and her temper only grows.


    He did not bother tofort her. Acting as if he had not even seen her, he strode toward the elevators.


    Xena stared after him in disbelief. He had misunderstood her, and now he was just walking away?


    She drew in a deep breath, forced down her anger, and slipped into the stairwell. Pulling out her phone, she dialed Victoria.


    “Ms. Harris,” she said coolly, “I have already done my part. You got what you wanted. When do you n to deal with Liz?”


    Victoria’s lowugh came through the line. “Ms. Spencer, don’t worry. It won’t be long before Liz’s reputation ispletely ruined.”


    Xena lowered her gaze. “I hope you keep your word


    C