The Anti-Pick-Me Boyfriend

Taken. Delete this number.

My boyfriend was working overtime when the text flashed across my screen.

I typed back a question mark.

Message Not Delivered.

My boyfriend has a girlfriend?

Then who am I?

Chapter 1

Hayes had been practically living at the office lately.

I felt a pang of sympathy for him. I packed a container of soupmy housekeepers specialtyand grabbed my keys, ready to play the supportive girlfriend.

Then my phone buzzed. A message from Hayes.

Taken. Delete this number.

I actually laughed. Look at him, I thought. That jerk actually has some boundaries.

Then the logic stuttered. Why did he send that to me?

My thumb hovered over the screen. I typed a single question mark and hit send.

Not Delivered.

The red error icon stared back at me, mocking and bright.

The air left my lungs.

He wasn't rejecting a stranger. He was rejecting me.

My boyfriend was dating. Someone else.

And I? I was blocked. Deleted. Erased.

The shock lasted exactly one second before the rage kicked in.

My temper has a hair-trigger. I didn't think. I smashed the call button.

I was ready to scream. I wasn't ready for her.

"Who is this?"

The voice was female. High-pitched. Cloying.

My grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles turned white.

Hayes? The man who treats personal space like a religion? The man who dodges handshakes?

There was a woman holding his phone.

"Where is Hayes?" My voice was ice. "Put him on."

A soft, condescending laugh floated through the speaker. "Oh, you're looking for Hayes? He's a little tied up right now. No time."

"Put. Him. On." I didn't ask. I roared.

"Listen, honey," the voice purred, turning venomous. "Have some self-respect. He has a girlfriend. Chasing him like this? Its pathetic. Its cheap."

Click.

The line went dead.

If I was angry before, I was nuclear now.

I spun on my heel and marched to my car. I slammed the door shut and revved the engine.

If that bastard thought he could cheat on me and let some trash talk down to me, he was about to learn a very expensive lesson.

Chapter 2

It was past nine. The corporate tower was a black monolith against the skyline, dead and silentexcept for the penthouse suite, which blazed with light.

The lobby was deserted, save for Bob at the security desk. He blinked, startled, as I strode in.

"Ms. Campbell? You're here to pick up Mr. Hayes?"

I didn't answer. I didn't stop. I hit the elevator button and watched the doors slide shut on his confused face.

The building was tomb-quiet, but as the elevator dinged on the top floor, the hum of voices bled into the hallway.

I didn't knock. I threw the office door open.

The accusation was locked and loaded on my tongue, ready to fireuntil it died.

The room was packed.

A dozen heads snapped toward the door. The air in the room instantly depressurized.

Under the weight of twenty staring eyes, my throat went dry. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to scan the room. My radar was flawless. I found the anomaly instantly.

Sitting in the corner, looking completely out of place yet entirely too comfortable, was Sierra.

She was draped in an oversized suit jackethis suit jacket. She looked at me, a smirk playing on her lips that didn't reach her dead eyes.

"Campbell?"

Hayes shot up from his chair at the head of the conference table. Shock registered on his face. He started toward me immediately.

He must have sensed the absolute zero temperature radiating off me because he quickened his pace, looking nervous.

But he wasn't fast enough.

The woman in the corner moved like a viper. Sierra surged forward, cutting across the room to intercept him. She planted herself squarely between us, a human barricade using her body to wall him off.

"Miss," she said, her voice dripping with sickly-sweet poison. "We are in the middle of a meeting. I hope you won't disturb us."

She gestured toward the door with a fake, polite smile. Get out.

I didn't even blink at her. To me, she was furniture.

I looked right over her head, locking eyes with the man standing behind her. "Do I need to leave, Hayes?"

"Of course not."

Hayes sidestepped Sierra with the agility of a running back, bypassing her completely to reach me. He reached for my hand, his fingers grazing mine.

I dodged his hand.

He flinched, physically recoiling at the rejection. His voice dropped to a careful whisper. "Campbell, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Finish your meeting," I said, my voice flat.

Hayes glanced back at the room full of watching employees. He didn't hesitate. He took my elbowgently this timeand steered me into the room, intent on seating me right next to him.

As we walked past Sierra, he didn't even look at her. He walked right through the space she was trying to occupy, as if she were a ghost.

Chapter 3

"Hayes, who is this?" Sierra asked, her voice dripping with feigned concern. "Is it really appropriate for her to just barge in? We are in the middle of a meeting, aren't we?"

Ignored by Hayes, her smile faltered, but she stepped forward, trying to physically block my path again.

Hayes stopped dead. He frowned, blinking at the woman as if noticing her existence for the very first time. "Sierra? Why are you still here?"

"Hayes, I Im keeping you company for the meeting," she stammered, the awkwardness radiating off her.

"Keeping me company?" Hayess brow furrowed, his irritation visible. "Even my Executive Assistant isn't required for tonights session. You are the assistants assistant. What are you doing in this room?"

So, she had been sitting in his office this whole time, and he hadn't even registered her presence?

The rest of the staff looked just as confused, glancing between their boss and the girl in the corner.

Sierras eyes shimmered, instantly wet and widea weaponized pout. "Hayes, I the rest of the building is empty. Its pitch black out there. I was scared, so so I just wanted to wait in here. Where it's safe. With you."

Hayes. Waiting for you. The intimacy she was trying to force was suffocating.

I didn't say a word. I just crossed my arms and shot a cool, side-eye glance at my boyfriend.

Hayes felt the weight of my gaze. He stiffened, his posture snapping to military attention.

"Campbell, listen to me. I have absolutely no relationship with her. My father forced me to find a spot for her in the company. That is the only reason she is in this building."

He didn't wait for my response. He turned on Sierra, his voice dropping to absolute zero.

"Sierra, you claimed you had no plans and offered to cover the EA shift tonight. That is the only reason you are here. Since you remain on the clock, focus on your actual duties. Do not loiter in spaces where you do not belong."

He waved a hand dismissively, signaling her to leave.

Sierra looked like shed been slapped. She stared at him, stunned that he hadnt saved her face in front of the entire team. After two seconds of stunned silence, indignation took over.

She jabbed a trembling finger in my direction. "What about her? Shes unauthorized personnel. Why does she get to stay?"

Hayes didn't bother explaining. He didn't even raise his voice. He just looked at her with cold indifference and delivered two words.

"Get out."

Sierras face drained of color. She turned and fled the office.

Chapter 4

"I didn't realize she was still in the room," Hayes muttered, pulling a chair out for me right next to his. His hand lingered on the small of my back.

I nodded, gesturing for him to get back to business.

The rest of the team didn't even blink at my sudden appearance. They just kept working.

When the meeting finally wrapped and the last employee filed out, I didn't waste a second. I pulled out my phone, opened the chat log, and slapped it down on the table in front of him.

"Explain."

My anger had cooled from a boil to a simmer, but my voice was still sub-zero.

Hayes looked at the screen. His pupils constricted.

He reached out, his grip firm on my shoulder. "Campbell, give me a minute. Im going to fix this. Now."

He turned and stormed out of the office. I followed close on his heels.

He zeroed in on Sierra instantly. He marched up to her, invading her personal space not with intimacy, but with menace. He held out a hand.

"Give me my phone."

The coldness in his voice seemed to physically strike her. She swayed slightly, acting like a fragile flower in a gale. Slowly, she fished his phone from her pocket. She held it out with both hands, offering it to him like a sacred relic.

Her eyes were wide, wet, and filled with a disgusting mix of victimhood and sticky, lingering attraction.

Hayes snatched the device from her hands.

He unlocked it and swiped immediately to the settings. His face went black.

I had never seen him look this murderous. Curious, I stepped up beside him and peered at the screen.

Wow.

The block list wasn't just me. It was a massacre.

I scrolled with my eyes. Female avatars. Names I recognized. CEOs. Project Leads. Strategic partners.

Every single woman he did business with had been blocked.

"Why the hell did you touch my phone?" Hayes demanded. "I left it on my desk to charge."

He was too furious to modulate his volume. His voice boomed across the open floor.

Department heads who were packing up for the night froze. Heads popped out of office doors, eyes widening at the scene.

Sierra flinched violently at the noise, shrinking into herself. Her expression shifted from shocked to pitifully misunderstood. "Hayes, I I was just trying to help you."

"Help me?" Hayes laughed, a harsh, jagged sound. "You're trying to bankrupt me."

He was vibrating with rage. The hand holding the phone was shaking.

I watched him, feeling a surge of protectiveness. I knew the blood and sweat hed poured into this company. He built this from the ground up. And in one evening, this delusional girl had potentially nuked relationships with half his network.

I stepped forward to calm him down, but my purse started vibrating.

My phone was ringing.

Chapter 5

Every single message was the same. Mutual friends and business associatespeople who had my number and were now blocked on hiswere asking what the hell was going on. They were asking if I had gone off the deep end and started policing his phone.

In the business world, nobody asks you directly if you're crazy. They ask, "Is everything alright?" but the subtext is always, "Are you a liability?"

I shot a glare at Sierra that could have peeled paint, then turned on Hayes. "Fix this. Immediately."

I walked away to a quiet corner to start the damage control. Thankfully, my family's reputation still carried weight. My reputation for sanity bought me the benefit of the doubt.

Combined with Hayes's solid track record in the industry, people were willing to listen.

"Stolen phone," I lied smoothly. "Unauthorized access."

They understood. But when I mentioned that I had been blocked too, the tone shifted. People started whispering warnings, telling me to keep an eye on Hayes and "whatever woman had his phone."

I managed to smooth over the ruffled feathers, but my own mood was darkening by the second. Hayes was backing me up now, sure, but he still hadn't given me a valid reason for why this disaster was happening in the first place.

I took a deep breath, forcing the anger down into a tight ball in my stomach, and walked back to the main lobby area.

I stopped dead.

Two uniformed officers were standing there. Officer Davis and his partner.

Hayes was speaking to them, his brow furrowed, his gestures sharp and angry.

Sierra was standing a few feet away, trembling violently. She looked at Hayes with a mixture of horror and disbelief. "Hayes you you called the cops on me?"

Her voice shook.

Hayes didn't even look at her. He kept talking to Officer Davis.

Realizing she was being ignored, Sierra pivoted to the police. She lunged forward, grabbing Officer Davis by the arm. "Officers, wait! We're friends! It was just a joke! We're really close, you can't arrest me for a prank!"

Officer Davis recoiled, stepping back to dislodge her grip. He looked at her like she was a hazardous material. "Ma'am, step back. Unauthorized access to a device and causing reputational damage isn't a 'joke.' Its a crime."

"We are not friends," Hayes cut in, his voice icy. "There is no 'prank.' She is an employee. Nothing more."

He turned fully to the officers. "I want a full investigation. Given the targeted nature of the contacts she deletedspecifically high-value clientsI suspect corporate sabotage."

Sabotage.

The word hung in the air like a guillotine blade.

Sierras face went paper-white. She bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes, trying to summon that fragile, damsel-in-distress look that usually worked so well. She gazed at Hayes, a silent plea for mercy wrapped in seduction.

But Hayes had already turned his back on her. He walked straight to me.

"Did you handle the calls?" he asked, his focus entirely on me.

That was the breaking point. Seeing his complete indifference, Sierra finally snapped.

Chapter 6

"Hayes, things are different now," Sierra whispered, her voice trembling. "Youre in a relationship. You need boundaries with other women. I was just trying to protect you."

A single, crystalline tear rolled down her cheek. It was a masterclass in fragility. Just enough to look heartbroken, not enough to ruin her makeup.

It was a perfect performance.

Too bad Hayes was too busy being furious to watch it.

"My contact list is none of your concern," Hayes snapped. "And you blocked my girlfriend first? You aren't helping me with boundaries; youre trying to sabotage my relationship. Are you trying to ensure I die alone?"

He wasn't done. He jabbed a finger at the screen, highlighting a blocked contact.

"CEO Cynthia? She is the same age as my mother. Did I need 'protection' from her, too?"

He stepped closer, looming over her. "I am your employer. You do what I assign. You do not touch what I don't. That is basic professional competence. Do you have none?"

Without waiting for an answer, he turned back to the police.

"Officer Davis, this device contains sensitive proprietary data. A probationary employee seizing it constitutes a security breach and potential theft of trade secrets. I want this treated as a corporate crime."

I stood there, blinking.

I had stormed in here ready to bust a cheating boyfriend. Instead, I walked into a masterclass on delusional obsession. I had expected a seductress; I found a pick-me girl with zero survival instincts.

And Hayes had called the cops. That effectively nuked any suspicion I had left.

My proximity to him seemed to be the trigger. Seeing me stand by his side, Sierra snapped.

She lunged past the officers, pointing a shaking finger right in my face. "What about her? Why does she get access? Why do you treat me like a stranger while you protect her?"

"Are you brain-dead?" Hayes looked at her with genuine disgust. "You really couldn't figure it out? She is the girlfriend. The contact name you blocked is literally 'Wife.' Stop playing these manipulative games."

Sierra recoiled as if hed struck her, shrinking behind Officer Davis. The reality was finally setting in.

The officers exchanged a glance. They had the picture now. But given the situation, they offered the standard protocol.

"Mr. Hayes, this is a civil dispute turning criminal. Would you prefer to settle this privately?"

"Absolutely not," Hayes said, his voice hard. "She sent a 'break-up' text to my future wife. She tried to destroy my personal life. I have zero tolerance for that."

Because Hayes refused to budge, the officers moved to escort her out.

Before they could cuff her, Sierra pulled the oversized suit jacket she was wearing tighter around her shoulders. She looked up at Hayes, eyes wide and pleading. "Hayes, it's freezing outside. Can I can I at least borrow this jacket?"

Hayes glanced at the garment. "It's not mine."

"Mine! That's mine!"

Florian, the Design Director, practically vaulted out of his adjacent office. Hed been eavesdropping the entire time.

"I tossed it on the chair by mistake," Florian said, rushing over. "Hand it over. I'm freezing, too."

Sierra froze. Her face contorted from tragic heroine to pure rage. She ripped the jacket off and hurled it at Florians chest.

She shot me one last look of pure, unadulterated hatred before Officer Davis escorted her out.

Chapter 7