My Arrogant Boss Showed Up Drunk at My Door—Then Whispered, “I Need You”

Part 2: Cameron kept staring at the kittens like they had personally offended his bloodline.

“They’re judging me,” he muttered.

Audrey folded her arms, trying very hard to remember this man had once made three executives cry before lunch.

“They’re cartoon cats, Mr. Hayes.”

“Cameron,” he said, voice suddenly softer.

She froze.

At the office, everyone called him Mr. Hayes unless they had a death wish.

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, dragging both hands through his already ruined hair.

“I didn’t know where else to go.”

That sentence changed the room.

Audrey’s embarrassment slipped slightly beneath concern.

She went to the kitchen, filled a glass with water, and placed it on the coffee table.

“Drink this.”

He obeyed without argument, which was more alarming than the drunkenness.

“What happened?”

Cameron laughed once, bitter and low.

“My father happened. The board happened. My engagement happened.”

Audrey blinked.

“Your what?”

He looked up at her through bloodshot eyes.

“Exactly.”

The word landed between them like broken glass.

Audrey sat slowly in the armchair across from him, keeping distance because something about his loosened tie, wounded expression, and dangerous beauty made distance feel necessary.

“You’re engaged?”

“Apparently. Announced tonight at a charity dinner before I could object.”

“That’s insane.”

“That’s my family.”

For the first time since she had known him, Cameron Hayes looked less like a ruthless CEO and more like a man trapped inside a life built by other people.

Then he reached into his coat and pulled out a folded document.

His fingers shook as he handed it to her.

Audrey unfolded it carefully.

A contract.

Not a business proposal.

A marriage agreement.

Her eyes skimmed the names, the clauses, the merger benefits, the public timeline.

Then she saw a paragraph highlighted in yellow.

Personal assistant Audrey Bennett has been identified as a reputational liability due to observed emotional influence over Cameron Hayes.

Her stomach dropped.

“What does this mean?”

Cameron’s jaw tightened.