Maya Sterling 의 작품

NORA POVI watch Jayden disappear into the hallway without looking back.Until now, I’d believed keeping my life separate from work depended entirely on me. I was wrong.Now I’m depending on someone else to protect it too, and that’s far more dangerous.The file he left sits untouched on my desk.Finance projections. A perfectly reasonable excuse to walk over.I try to focus on work, but Jayden’s warning won’t stop coming back.If Davis starts asking him questions, I won’t be able to control what comes out.When the office finally settles into silence, I walk into the hallway and call Lucy. She answers almost immediately.“Hello, Lucy.”“Hey, Nora.”She tries to sound calm, but I can hear the strain in her voice.I hold my phone a little tighter.“What happened?”She doesn’t answer right away.I hear a door close somewhere in the background, then voices I can’t quite make out.She lets out a shaky breath.“Mum’s condition has gotten worse.”My heart drops.“What do you mean?”“I took

NORA POVI leave the conference room, but the interrogation is still in my head.My feet keep getting heavier as I walk to my desk. The questions Davis asked keep ringing like a bell as I walk down the hallway.The three years, the family, how long have you known Jayden?None of those questions scare me as much as the way he looked after my phone lit up.He didn’t see the notification, not properly, but he saw me, my reaction, and that makes it worse.I slowly sit on my chair and force my breathing to calm down before anyone notices anything unusual.Around me, the office activities go on as if nothing happened. Phones ring, keyboards clack, and low conversations fill the room.Everything looks normal.I unlock my phone under the desk.Three missed reminders from Bright Stars Preschool.One message from Lucy.“Call me when you’re free.”My stomach drops.Lucy will never ask me to call unless something is wrong.Someone passes before I open the message. I look toward the executive corr

NORA POVThe question hangs between us.Neither of us moves.Davis Rowan remains seated at the head of the conference table, one hand resting beside the open file.Waiting.Watching.Like he already knows silence can reveal more than questions ever could.The room suddenly feels much smaller than it did a few minutes ago.Slowly, I lower myself back into the chair.The silence stretches between us.Not awkward.Intentional.Davis is the first to break it.“The three years.”I keep my expression neutral.“Sir?”His voice remains even.Controlled.“Your answer was incomplete.”I fold my hands in my lap, forcing myself to stay calm.“Because the details aren’t relevant to my work.”A brief silence follows.“That’s your opinion.”I hold his gaze.“It’s also true.”Something flickers across his face.Not annoyance.Not amusement.Something harder to read.Most people look away first when Davis Rowan stares at them. I’ve noticed that.I don’t.Maybe because life taught me long ago that look

NORA POVEvery step toward Conference Room Three feels heavier than the last.My heels click against the polished floor, sounding far louder than they should. Each step feels too steady, too deliberate, like it’s announcing every mistake I’ve ever made.The closed doors of Conference Room Three wait ahead of me, and every instinct tells me I’m walking into trouble. I don’t need to look beside me to know Jayden is there. I can hear his footsteps, and that’s already a problem.People notice. Of course they do. The new employee walking beside the CEO’s cousin is exactly the kind of thing that attracts attention.“You’re doing it again,” Jayden says.“I don’t know what you mean.”He smiles.“When you’re nervous, you stop looking at people.”I tighten my grip on the folder.Some habits never change.Before I can respond, the conference room doors open.Davis is already inside, waiting.The room falls silent the moment we step in.I don’t miss the way his gaze flicks briefly to Jayden, the

NORA POVI turn the phone over in my hand.It shouldn’t matter. It’s only two words… a professional message, nothing more.But somehow, it feels like more.Maybe because I just found out Jayden is a Rowan.Maybe because Davis Rowan doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who sends unnecessary messages.Or maybe because everything around me is changing too fast.With a quiet sigh, I lock my phone and force myself to focus on the documents spread across my desk.Numbers. Schedules. Project timelines.Things that feel normal. Things that feel safe. I try to lose myself in the work, but every few minutes, my eyes drift back to the Orion assignment file.To the three names.Davis Rowan.Nora Edward.Jayden Rowan.The sight of them makes something tighten inside me.The afternoon crawls by.Every sound seems sharper than usual, and every conversation feels distant, as though it’s happening around me instead of with me.Then the atmosphere on the executive floor shifts.Not dramatically. Just

NORA POV I don’t feel rested when I wake up.I barely sleep. My mind never really let go of yesterday.Davis Rowan’s voice still lingers in my head.Calm.Controlled.Like everything around him already has its place.Even people.And now I’m part of that structure.Not outside it anymore.Inside it.The thought follows me all the way to Rowan & Co.The executive floor feels different the moment I step off the elevator.Quieter.More controlled.Everyone seems to know where they should be and what they should be doing.My desk is waiting for me when I arrive.It isn’t tucked away in a corner.It sits in the middle of the executive coordination section, surrounded by assistants and coordinators who work where everyone can see them.I stop beside my desk for a moment. So this is where I’ll be working.Visible.Every day.“You’re early.”I look up to see Clara walking toward me.“I couldn’t sleep properly.”She studies me for a moment, like she knows there’s more behind my answer.Then