Potential Lost || CEO || - 2
prompt: harry figures out why theo is being so friendly
word count: 6k
warnings: angst, jealously, harry's an asshole to everyone but yn
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-
Harry could have just as easily agreed to signing his entire estate away or promised up his firstborn child with the way he was nodding and humming along to the men who were speaking around him and at him.
He was good at acting like he knew what was going on even though he wasn’t actually listening to a single word of what was being said or what he was in fact nodding along to.
If anyone had stopped and asked him to repeat the last few minutes of conversation, he would have stuttered and floundered like a fucking idiot because from the moment he watched Theo make his way across the room and settle onto the barstool beside YN, Harry had not been able to pull his attention back to anything else around him.
He tries to focus, forcing himself to listen to the conversation in front of him as best as he could, to follow the numbers they were throwing out and the strategies being discussed but his attention keeps slipping, dragged back across the room no matter how many times he tried to redirect himself to the boring business men in front of him.
Harry tries to reason with himself, trying to get himself to be logical in this situation and understand it’s his emotions acting up because Theo is a candidate for an executive position and it is not only appropriate but a good move that he would introduce himself to YN.
She isn’t just Harry’s wife in this ballroom, she is the co-owner of the company, and even though she does not involve herself in the day-to-day of it, she still holds the same level of power and decision as he does which a lot of employees don’t consider at events like this.
From his perspective as the owner, the CEO, there is nothing wrong about what is going on across the room, absolutely nothing that has him needing to react like this, and Harry is fully aware of that but is struggling to find the ability to logic his way out of the situation.
Nothing, not a single thought in his head is enough to calm the irritation building under his skin because no matter how he frames it, no matter how many times he reminds himself that Theo is simply doing what any smart candidate would do, Harry can’t ignore it.
When he finally always himself to really look over, Theo seems more comfortable than Harry would like to see.
He is pulling out the barstool like he was invited to take it, right next to her, and flagging the bartender over, gesturing casually toward YN’s drink even though it is still nearly full, Harry watches as YN waves him off at the offer of a refill, and it seems more than a basic introduction of names at this point.
Harry’s hand tightens slightly around the glass he is holding, he shifts his weight from one foot to another, antsy in a way he never is.
Though he keeps his demeanor put together as always to the men who were talking without realizing how disengaged he was with them, his shoulders have gone more rigid, his jaw setting to the point where his molars start to grind.
Theo leans in as he speaks, his body moving toward her with a relax body language that tells him that he feels entirely too fucking comfortable in the space of the co-owner.
YN responds in a way that makes something in Harry’s chest pull tighter because she turns toward him, her shoulders loosening as her hand lifts to gesture while she talks, her expression open and friendly, he can see her tilt her head back and laugh.
It doesn’t allow him to come over and break it up because she doesn’t look uncomfortable, doesn’t look like she needs Harry to come over, and protect her from this man.
Harry notices all of it, the way she is interacting with Theo, the way the conversation is continuous, and what starts to bother him more than anything is that it seems like a normal conversation, not networking.
And that doesn’t fucking sit right with him, not when this is how she normally acts either because usually when any man approaches her, though she is kind, she struggles not to show how uncomfortable it will make her, especially if Harry isn’t by her side.
Harry has never struggled with jealousy before YN because there had never been a reason for him to.
As the women he had been with in the past had always been the ones pursuing him, wanting him, and he had never cared enough about any of them in return to be arsed about it, what they did outside of his presence, and there had never been any emotional attachment strong enough to make jealousy a necessary emotion for him.
He wouldn’t have cared if a woman he had slept with one night had shown up the next day with someone else because it had never been something that was important when there were no real feelings involved.
But now, as he stands there watching another man sit beside his wife and lean into her space like he has permission to do that, something unfamiliar begins to build in his chest, something uncomfortable and insistent that logic doesn’t get rid of.
The feeling twists together in a way he doesn’t fucking like, possessiveness was blurring with protectiveness and he cannot ignore the way it is making him feel as pushing it down isn’t working.
Harry had made a very intentional choice to keep their relationship as private as possible, to protect what they had from the constant scrutiny that followed him because of who he was and what he represented to a lot of people, he hadn’t wanted his relationship to be brought into that.
Hell, even bringing her into events like this had been something that he struggled with, he wanted her there, with him at all times but the idea of sharing her with anyone in this realm of his life felt wrong.
And now, watching someone else chat with her like this, in this setting, the fact that it’s this employee, it feels a little bit like he’s losing the sense of security or privacy.
He knew it was impossible to keep their relationship entirely out of the public eye, especially as who he was but Harry had always believed it could at least be someone maintained and kept on the down low.
But standing there now, he felt something uncomfortably close to a middle schooler watching his first girlfriend laugh with someone else, the reaction immature and irrational in a way he would normally have complete control over.
He wasn’t worried about YN.
Harry knew their relationship was fucking unshakeable.
And still, the feeling sat wrong with him.
Harry was not a controlling partner and he had never been the type of husband to try to tell her who she could or couldn’t speak to, he was never someone who would try to limit her interactions with other men or make rules about who she was allowed to engage with at events like this because he trusted her completely and because their relationship had never been affected by distrust or disloyalty.
It’s his own insecurities that he doesn't like to admit that he has.
At some point, he sees Theo roll up the sleeve of his dress shirt, showing off a tattoo along his forearm as he angles it toward YN, clearly explaining something about it, and YN leans in without hesitation to get a better glance at it.
A second later she throws her head back and laughs as she sits back in her chair, shaking her head as he replies which only makes her continue to shake her head at him.
Harry’s patience doesn’t just thin, it fucking disappears entirely, snapping in a way that leaves no room for him to think about it for another minute before he’s just doing something.
He finally stops pretending to listen to the men around him and simply walks away from the conversation mid-sentence, cutting someone off without so much as a glance and definitely not an apology.
It was the audacity of the situation.
The sheer fucking audacity of it.
That Theo thinks he can walk up to his wife and slide into her space like it is casual, like it is friendly, as if Harry does not hold his entire career in the palm of his fucking hand.
Theo acting like Harry couldn’t have him blacklisted from every serious position in this industry before the night is over if he wanted.
Harry knows that thought is unfair.
Who the fuck cares.
His jaw is tight as he moves, his stride confident, ignoring the people who attempt to grab his attention as he passes, hands reaching slightly as though they might stop him for a moment to chat but he’s moving to fast, voices starting to call out his name before quickly quietening back down when they realize he is not going to acknowledge them.
Harry does not spare any of them a glance.
He comes up directly behind YN’s barstool, close enough that his presence is felt as soon as he has arrived, his hand lifting without a moment of hesitation to rest at the nape of her neck, his fingers spreading there with deliberate touch as his thumb presses into the soft curve of her throat in a touch that is unmistakably possessive.
YN responds instinctively, her body easing back into him without thought, her head tilting slightly up to give him access as he leans down and presses a kiss to the apple of her cheek, his lips lingering for just a second longer than necessary, and she presses further into the touch too because she’s so unaware of where his mind is right now.
Harry lifts his head slowly, his gaze settling on Theo over her shoulder, narrowing slightly, his expression steady but his eyes sharp in a way that he hopes makes his unhappiness known.
“I hope I’m not interrupting something,” Harry says, trying his best to keep his tone casual and unassuming.
“No,” YN responds with a smile, her body still relaxed against him in a way that helps soothe him only slightly but this wasn’t about YN, the anger was solely directed towards Theo, “I didn’t know that this was your CFO candidate that you spoke so highly of.”
Harry immediately regrets ever saying anything positive about him.
His teeth pressing together for a brief second as his hand remains firm at the back of her neck, his thumb still moving slowly along her skin to make it seem like he’s just being an attentive husband to what she’s saying.
“You two know one another?” He replies without giving himself away but his shoulders were tense enough he knew they would ache when he laid down in bed that night.
Theo answers before YN can.
“YN was the first girlfriend to cheat on me,” He says easily, his eyes bright with amusement.
Harry’s attention is caught now, not in a positive way but he’s actually taken by surprise because it doesn’t make any sense.
It doesn't match with every little piece of information that Harry had come to learn about YN.
He and YN had always been up front and open with each other about their pasts, about the kind of relationships they had been in, and infidelity had never been part of that conversation because neither one of them had ever cheated.
That can only last for a moment though because YN rolls her eyes immediately, completely unbothered as she leans her head back slightly against Harry’s shoulder, her tone dismissive as she replies, “We were in fourth grade and you considered it cheating that I sat on the bus with Caleb Alder during a field trip.”
Theo laughs at that, clearly enjoying taking the piss far more than Harry is, and he adds on like it is a necessary justification for his accusation, “You also admitted to sharing your sweets with him.”
There is an ease between them.
And Harry doesn’t fucking like it.
“Theo and I dated in fourth grade,” YN explains, her tone evening out slightly as she shifts just enough to look up at Harry, “But we also dated from junior year in high school to sophomore year of university.”
Harry’s expression does not change on the outside but something in him tightens further, trying to make all the information he knows fit but it’s hard because he also feels slightly foggy right now.
“I thought that boyfriend’s name was Jacob,” Harry says, his tone still reasonable but struggling because Theo is not a name he recalls ever hearing from her before.
“He used to go by his middle name, which is Jacob,” YN explains, which does make sense why he didn’t remember it but also, YN didn’t talk about him very often either.
“I see,” Harry replies, his expression staying completely neutral, giving nothing away even though the irritation has settled deeper into his body instead of improving.
His hand is still firm at the back of YN’s neck as his thumb drags slowly along the curve of her throat.
Harry shifts slightly, his body turning more toward Theo now, ready to fully address him, he doesn’t need anymore backstory to know that he doesn’t like Theo talking to YN.
“You knew that YN was my wife, before the interview, correct?” He asks, his tone still undeniable calm but carrying a faint accusation beneath it that is impossible to miss if you could tell he was irate.
Theo laughs.
And that only makes it worse.
“I think everyone in the world knows you two are married,” Theo says, his tone light, missing the tension, “Your wedding was on the cover of every magazine in the world.”
He continues without hesitation, clearly comfortable in a way that feels entirely out of place to Harry, “No one believes me when I say my first girlfriend married a billionaire though.”
YN rolls her eyes at that but Harry can’t find the humor, doesn’t try to.
“You didn’t mention this in your interview,” Harry points out, losing the eveness as this interaction goes on.
“I didn’t want any special treatment because I know her,” Theo replies, his tone straightforward like it was a given that he would, that he assumes that would make Harry like him?
If YN were not standing right in front of him, if this conversation were happening anywhere else, he would have scoffed outright at that comment, at the fucking gall it took to think that knowing YN would somehow earn him a treatment like he was special, as though Harry’s based major business decisions off of personal relationships.
Fucking insultling.
He is already done with this interaction, done with Theo being in his wife’s space, done with the casualness of it all, the familiarity of it too, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep the irritation from seeping into his tone.
“Perhaps you should be spending this cocktail hour networking with the other executives in my company rather than socializing,” Harry says, his voice more scolding, more boss-like than easy, the suggestion clearly not just a suggestion at this point.
Theo’s expression shifts immediately.
The easy smile he had been wearing drops, replaced by something more cautious as he picks up on the change in Harry’s tone, the realization that he may have done something wrong even if he didn’t know what.
“Yeah, um—absolutely,” Theo replies, clearing his throat awkwardly as he reaches for his drink, his movements less sure now as he nods once, glancing briefly between them before stepping away from the bar.
“Go get ‘em, hot shot,” YN says lightly, completely missing the tension as she reaches out to squeeze his shoulder, her tone encouraging, “We’ll catch up later. Text me?”
“Sure,” Theo answers, though the smile he gives her is much more unsure than it had been moments ago and he gives Harry a brief nod before turning and slipping back into the crowd, disappearing.
“I hope he does well on his one-on-one interview. He’s really smart, great for the position—” YN begins, her tone genuine and happy but Harry cuts her off before she can finish, his hand sliding from the back of her neck to cup her jaw as he turns her face toward him and presses his lips firmly against hers.
It is a little possessive in the way he holds her there for that extra second and it catches her off guard enough that she lets out a soft gasp against his mouth before melting into it, her hand coming up to rest against his chest as she kisses him back like she forgets where they are.
Harry remembers, he just doens’t fucking care.
Harry keeps his hold steady at her jaw, his thumb brushing along her cheek as he pulls back just enough to look at her, his expression composed again because he didn’t want her to know that this was bothering him, didn’t want her to feel any ounce of responsibility for his emotions right now when it wasn’t her fault.
“Dorothy’s around here somewhere and I know you wanted to ask her about the pound cake recipe before they have us sit,” He murmurs, his tone softer now, sweeter because she didn’t deserve any harshness and he was just happy to have her back to himself.
YN blinks at him for a second, still slightly dazed from the kiss, her lips parted as she processes what he’s saying, and then her expression brightens almost immediately, the distraction working exactly the way he intended.
“Oh my god, yes,” She nearly squeal, her voice lighting up with excitement as she moves in her stool, “She gave me the recipe for the cake but not the icing!”
Harry lets out a chuckle at that as he slides his hand down to help her off the chair, his palm settling against the small of her back to keep her close and right in the crook of his side.
He knows he should be doing something else.
He knows there are people here waiting to speak to him, conversations he is expected to have, relationships he is meant to check-in on and maintain like the CEO that he is.
But right now, he finds it difficult to put any distance between himself and YN, he was feeling clingy in a way that usually wasn’t there, of course he always wanted to be around her but this felt a bit different.
They eventually find Dorothy near one of the side tables, already in conversation with a few of the administrative assistants, and YN immediately slips into the conversation with her contagious friendliness that pulls Harry along with her.
He stays beside her, nodding along as Dorothy launches into an explanation about measurements and butter ratios, the conversation so far away from anything he should realistically be focusing on tonight that it would almost be comical under different circumstances.
He can feel the frustration around him.
The subtle irritation from people waiting for his attention, the glances, the quiet attempts to catch his eye.
He ignores everyone else in the room.
-
Dinner just so happens to place Theo at their table, something that had been arranged earlier in the day to give the candidate better access to networking to see how they would do, almost a test run.
A decision Harry himself had approved when the board brought it to him without much thought at the time though he finds himself regretting it now that Theo is pulling out the chair across by them and sitting down.
Harry’s arm rests along the back of YN’s chair, his hand wide and heavy where it cups over the curve of her shoulder, his fingers slipping just slightly beneath the strap of her dress.
YN brightens when she sees Theo sit down, her reaction immediate and easy in a way that draws Harry’s attention to it again, and he doesn’t miss the way her posture shifts toward him just slightly as she greets him, her expression soft with fondness for a friend.
Theo seems to have completely moved past Harry’s earlier reaction to him, whether because he had written it off or because he has had enough to drink to eliminate whatever caution he should be feeling.
Harry cannot even fault Theo for not networking with the rest of the table, not when the other executives seated around them are more engaged in half-drunk conversations about golf courses and crypto trades than anything remotely related to the business.
The conversation between YN and Theo flows, moving from one topic to the next without effort as they try to catch up on years in only minutes.
They talk about old college friends, high school classmates, and memories that Harry wasn’t a part of.
He can’t quite pinpoint why it irritates him as much as it does when the conversation starts to move from surface-level into something more personal, something that shows at one point, Theo was very much a part of her life whether Harry wanted to admit that or not.
Theo puts his glass down after a sip, “How’s Rosemary? I miss her. I see her when I’m visiting home, and she always remembers me.”
YN’s expression softens immediately, the fondness for her grandmother obvious as it sinks into her features as she responds, “Of course she does. I think she had a crush on you too. I didn’t forget the times she pinched your bum when I wasn’t looking.”
Theo laughs at that, his cheeks coloring faintly as he shakes his head, clearly amused, “Yeah, she was a bit handsy.”
“She’s good, loving retirement,” YN continues, her voice soft as she speaks about it, her hand drifting to rest on Harry’s thigh beneath the table, her fingers squeezing lightly.
“Oh really? I thought she’d never be able to stop working. I’m happy to hear that,” Theo says and there is nothing wrong with the comment, nothing inappropriate in the conversation, and yet Harry still can’t stand listening to Theo ask her private questions.
“Well, she put up a bit of a fight but Harry was generous and paid off her house, built her a beautiful new one, and supports her so that she doesn’t have to work anymore,” YN adds, turning her head slightly to look at him as she says it, her expression so loving that it makes him forget about everything for a moment.
She is so fucking pretty.
And the realization hits him all over again, it hits him at least once a day if he’s being honest with himself, that he would do absolutely anything for her, that every reaction he is having right now, every ounce of irritation and possessiveness is based on that one undeniable fact.
He has never loved someone the way he loves YN.
“Wow, no wonder you married him,” Theo jokes, his tone light enough but then he adds, “Money does buy love, huh? Was my gift to her of a new kettle not good enough?”
It’s supposed to be a self-depreciating joke on Theo’s end but it ends up feeling a bit like a jab to Harry.
His nostrils flaring in reaction as his grip tightens around the glass in his hand, the muscle in his jaw starting to tense and twitch again as his leg begins to bounce once under the table, a restless, irritated movement he does not bother to control.
And Harry’s restraint finally slips.
He does not snap directly at Theo, that would give him away.
Instead, his irritation moves outward, across the entire table as he shifts, his arm tightening slightly around the back of YN’s chair as he leans forward just enough to get everyone’s attention at the table without raising his voice.
“I didn’t fucking invite you all here to bullshit,” Harry says, his tone cutting through the table conversation, the words landing heavy and harsh in a way that shuts everyone up who was blabbering about meaningless, non-work related things.
The men around the table straighten, conversations cutting off mid-sentence as they realize that Harry wasn’t happy with them.
Theo goes still, in surprise, he hadn’t been around Harry enough to know what he’s like.
His eyes widen slightly as he glances toward YN, and Harry notices that too, notices the instinctive look in her direction like he is seeking some kind of reaction of understanding at his behavior and his hand pressing more firmly against YN’s shoulder, pulling her further into his body.
“If you all come into tomorrow’s meeting with no good ideas and a hangover, I hope you’re fine with getting a percent or two cut off your next bonus,” Harry continues, his tone calm but sincere with something that was obviously threatening, because he can say it, because he will follow through if he needs to, and each one of them knows it.
He lifts his glass and takes a slow sip of his whiskey as if he has not just scared the shit out of the entire table.
YN’s lips turn down slightly, her fingers pressing into his thigh with her nails slightly, in warning, in a way that pulls his attention back to her as he turns his head to look at her properly.
“Harry,” She says, her tone quiet but laced with disapproval, and it hits him in a way nothing could.
Because he had tried.
He had made an effort to keep himself in check around her, to keep the meaner traits of his work tucked away, and the fact that he let it slip like that, that she saw it, that she is reacting to it, frustrates him more than anything Theo has said all night.
Harry would not take criticism from anyone else in this room.
He would not even entertain it but the moment YN looks at him like that, even just from the corner of her eye, guilt starts instantly eating a hole in his chest at the idea of letting her down.
“What?” He replies, his tone innocent as he shrugs slightly, attempting to brush it off as though it had been nothing more than a passing comment, “S’just a lil’ motivation.”
“Don’t have to be like that,” YN tells him, her voice lower now to make sure no one else hears but firm enough that he cannot ignore it.
“They should be networking until dinner’s served, s’etiquette,” Harry mutters in response, the justification coming out more defensive than he intends as he lifts his glass again and takes a longer drink, the burn of the whiskey doing nothing to ease his nerves.
-
The entrees are served not long after that interaction, which naturally means the energy at the table eases as conversations quiet down and people turn their attention to their plates.
Theo has her full attention again, launching into a story about hiking somewhere across Europe, something that sounds long and detailed and entirely fucking boring to Harry.
Yet YN is listening with genuine interest, nodding along, asking questions because that’s who she is, that’s what she’s like with everyone around her, and it’s not just for Theo.
Harry just listens in, barely adding feedback when YN’s phone vibrates softly inside her purse, the sound just loud enough for her to notice as she pauses mid-conversation.
“Hold on a second,” She says to Theo, reaching down to fish it out.
Harry glances over briefly before returning his attention to the man beside him, trying to stay present in the conversation, trying to keep himself distracted from himself, from his stupid fucking emotions that he couldn’t control.
A second later, YN nudges him lightly with her elbow.
He turns his head toward her, his gaze dropping to where she is holding her phone just out of sight of the rest of the table, angled so only he can see.
The screen lights up with a notification that is impossible to miss with all the obnoxious emojis that follow it.
‘Today is your day, mama! Get to the bedroom and get to work! Today is your peak ovulation!’
Harry’s eyes linger on it for a second, considering as his focus hones in on it.
They had not started tracking at first.
It had been something fun and spontaneous in the beginning, something they assumed would happen easily but after months of negative tests, after disappointments that start to hit YN particularly hard.
Her doctor had suggested they be more consistent, more intentional with trying, and YN had taken that seriously, tracking everything with a diligence that sometimes made Harry’s chest hurt even more when they got a pregnancy test.
They are still in that stage where it feels exciting even if there is a quiet pressure sitting underneath it now.
YN looks at him with a small smile, something sweet and hopeful in her expression, and despite everything else that’s been fucking with him tonight.
The irritation, the jealousy, the frustration, YN giving him that looking fucking just makes him melt like a fucking ice cream cone.
Harry exhales slowly through his nose, setting his fork down on the table as his hand slides briefly over YN’s thigh beneath the table.
The jealousy is still there, the possessiveness sitting tight in his chest, and on top of all of that, the truth is really simple, the fact that he wants her, that he always does, that the reminder on her phone only gives him reason to act in this moment even if he shouldn’t.
Harry leans slightly toward her, his voice low enough that it stays between them.
“Come with me for a moment,” He says, trying to stay unassuming even though she’s completely oblivious, “Want to introduce you to someone, real quick.”
YN looks at him, clearly confused by the sudden thought, her brows pulling together slightly as she glances between him and the table but she nods anyway, trusting him without question.
Harry stands first, his hand immediately finding her again as he helps her up from her chair.
YN stumbles half a step trying to keep up with his pace, her heels clicking quickly against the floor as she glances up at him, confusion written across her face as she lets out a soft laugh under her breath.
“Harry,” She murmurs, confusion just becoming stronger in the moment, “Who am I meeting?”
He doesn’t answer her.
Instead, his hand presses more firmly into her back, steering her around groups of people without slowing.
YN’s confusion deepens when they make it into the back hallway, her steps slowing as she looks around, her brows knitting together as she tries to make sense of where he’s taking her.
“Who am I meeting back here?” She asks again, a bit of amusement slipping into her tone now because she knows something isn’t right.
Harry finally answers her by reaching for the nearest door and pushing it open.
A single stall bathroom.
Perfect.
Before she can process it fully, he is crowding her inside, not even bothering to look around, the door shutting firmly behind them as he moves her back until she is pressed lightly against the countertop, his body moving into her space in a way that makes her breath hitch in surprise.
YN lets out a soft laugh, her hands coming up against his chest as she looks up at him, her eyes bright and somewhat entertained.
“Harry—” She starts, shaking her head slightly as she tries to piece it together, “What are you doing? We have ten minutes before you have to go on stage and give a speech.”
His hands grips at her waist, his gaze dropping to her mouth for a second before lifting back to her eyes, his hips pressing into hers as his hands start to gather her dress at her hips.
“You said it yourself,” He murmurs, his voice lower now, rougher around the edges, “We’ve got ten minutes to try to make a baby, yeah?”
YN’s lips part as she processes his words, another laugh slipping out as her grip on his suit jacket tightens, he doesn’t give a fuck that it wrinkles the fabric of the expesnive outfit.
“You’re insane,” She tells him even though there’s no resistance in it, and he can sense the excitement in her voice, “I didn’t mean we had to try now. You’re going to miss your speech.”
“Then you better come fast for me, my heart,” He says as he starts kicks her legs apart, ready to relieve the jealousy.
