Assistant to Mr. Whitmore

It hurts to see the love of your life marrying someone else. It hurts even more when that someone is your best friend.My life has always felt… different. Like I didn’t quite belong among the people around me. I know that probably doesn’t make sense, but it’s the truth. Everything I have, every opportunity, every comfort, it was given to me. I never felt like I earned any of it.You see, I’ve been fortunate, yes, but only because of my father. My father has spent his entire life serving the Whitmore family as their butler. Loyal, devoted, invisible. And in return for his loyalty, the Whitmore family showed me kindness. They got me into the same elite private school their children attended. I did manage to earn a scholarship early on, but let’s be honest, I only got through the doors because of Mr. Whitmore.At that school, I wasn’t bullied. I couldn’t be, not when I was remotely associated with Whitmore. But that didn’t mean I was accepted, either. Most of the time, I was just ignored

The day dragged on at an agonizingly slow pace. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to get anything right. My mind was elsewhere, and my work showed it. I was convinced I’d end the day with the scolding of a lifetime from Lucian, but somehow, miraculously, it never came.He was busier than usual, which may have been my saving grace. Still, I could feel the shift in the room every time I slipped up. Melissa and Steven had to gently correct me more than once during the meeting, especially when I fumbled the client’s name. I could barely look up, dreading the inevitable moment when Lucian would publicly call me out for being so off my game.But he didn’t.He didn’t say a word.He just stared.Leaning back in his chair, one fist resting lightly against his mouth, his eyes locked onto the screen as we reviewed the final draft of the presentation. Every time he pointed out an error, of which there were many, he followed it with a hard, unreadable look in my direction. Not quite a gl

The next day at work was intense.First thing in the morning, we made the necessary changes to the presentation and sent the revised draft to Lucian. Once he approved it, thankfully without much commentary, we got to work finalizing it. Between supervising the interns and juggling a call with the marketing team, my brain was already overloaded.Lucian is a perfectionist. He doesn’t just want results. He wants them his way. Unfortunately, our marketing team hasn’t quite cracked the code yet.I held my phone between my shoulder and ear as I skimmed through documents, pen tapping against my clipboard.“No, no, Mark, you’re not hearing me,” I said, cutting him off mid-pitch. “Lucian already said he doesn’t want anything flashy. His exact words were, ‘Subtle marketing genius. Not loud. Not desperate.’”I checked my watch. Just past one. Lucian usually had his post-lunch black coffee around this time. Without missing a beat, I headed to the break room while Mark kept talking.“But that’s exa

Once Noah left, silence settled over the office like a thick curtain. Lucian and I were alone. I wanted to ask if he was okay, if the burn still hurt, but before I could even open my mouth, he cut me off.“You need to leave, too,” he said curtly.There was no warmth in his voice, no space for conversation. Just a command, as cold and sharp as ever. And like always, I obeyed. Without a word, I placed the ointment on his desk and walked out, hoping that he’d actually use it.I don’t know what’s wrong with me today. I’ve worked under Lucian for two years. I’ve seen him angry, calm, stressed, unreadable. He’s always just been two things in my mind: Noah’s older brother and my boss. But today… he felt like something else. Someone else. And I couldn’t stop noticing him. His voice. The way his eyes lingered. The way he looked at me.How embarrassing, and honestly, humiliating, it would be if he ever found out the way I’ve been seeing him lately. Everyone around me has always found him attract

All the anger and need to assert control drained right out of me the moment I saw Lucian standing there, badminton racket in hand. He wore a white polo shirt and black shorts – an outfit I’d never seen him in before. The truth is, I’ve rarely seen Lucian outside of work, and when I have, it’s usually been at some formal event where he’s dressed to impress. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this casual. And I won’t lie, it suited him. He looked... different. Not the sharply dressed man in a tailored suit or the stiff, buttoned-up executive in slacks and a collared shirt. But even dressed down, he wasn’t any less intimidating. He still looked exactly like himself… rigid, composed, and completely no-nonsense.It’s strange how differently I feel around the two Whitmore brothers. From the very beginning, I’ve always been more casual, more at ease around Noah. His presence feels like a familiar blanket… soft, effortless. I never worry about how I speak or act around him. But Lucian? Lucian m