The Truth He Didn’t Tell

Keeping her distance wasn’t as easy as Rose thought it would be.

If anything, it made everything worse.

Because now, every interaction felt sharper.

Every word carried weight.

Every silence meant something.

By midday, she was already tired.

Not from the workload—

But from pretending.

Pretending she didn’t notice him.

Pretending she didn’t remember.

Pretending nothing had changed.

“Miss Rose.”

Her fingers stilled.

She looked up slowly.

Jason stood in front of her desk.

“Come with me,” he said.

“I’m busy.”

“No, you’re not.”

Her jaw tightened slightly.

But she stood anyway.

“Where?”

“Conference room.”

The room was empty when they entered.

The door shut behind them with a soft click.

And just like that—

The distance she had been trying to maintain disappeared.

Rose crossed her arms.

“What is it?”

Jason walked closer, his expression more serious than usual.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

“We’ve already talked about this.”

“No, we haven’t.”

“Yes, we have,” she said. “You’re engaged. I work for you. That’s all that matters.”

Jason held her gaze.

“It’s not that simple.”

Rose let out a quiet breath.

“It actually is.”

He stepped closer.

“Rose—”

“No,” she cut in. “You don’t get to act like there’s something more when there clearly shouldn’t be.”

“There is something more,” he said.

The words were low.

Serious.

And that made her pause.

Just for a second.

Then she shook her head.

“You’re engaged.”

Jason ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.

“It’s not what you think.”

Rose didn’t respond.

He continued.

“It’s an arrangement,” he said. “A business decision.”

Rose blinked.

“A business… engagement?”

“Yes.”

She frowned slightly.

“You’re planning to marry someone for business?”

Jason didn’t hesitate.

“Yes.”

The certainty in his voice unsettled her.

“That doesn’t make sense,” she said.

“It doesn’t have to,” he replied. “It works.”

Rose stared at him for a moment.

Part of her almost believed him.

And that was the problem.

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked quietly.

Jason didn’t answer immediately.

Then—

“Because you’re not as unaffected as you pretend to be.”

Her breath caught.

“That’s not true.”

“Then look at me and say it.”

Rose held his gaze.

One second.

Two.

Then she looked away.

Jason noticed.

Of course he did.

“This doesn’t change anything,” she said quickly. “You’re still engaged.”

He stepped closer.

“Does it?”

Her heart skipped.

But she forced herself to stay steady.

“Yes.”

Outside the room, Sophia paused.

She hadn’t meant to stop.

But she heard enough.

Arrangement.

Her expression remained calm.

But something in her eyes shifted.

Colder.

Sharper.

More deliberate.

Inside, Rose stepped back.

“I should go.”

Jason didn’t stop her this time.

But his gaze followed her.

“Rose.”

She paused.

But didn’t turn around.

Then she walked out.

Later that afternoon, Rose was at her desk when she felt it.

She looked up.

Sophia stood in front of her.

Perfectly composed.

“Rose,” she said with a polite smile.

Rose stood immediately. “Good afternoon.”

Sophia studied her briefly.

“You’re doing well here,” she said.

“Thank you.”

Sophia stepped slightly closer.

“I just hope nothing distracts you,” she added softly.

The words sounded kind.

But they weren’t.

Rose held her gaze.

“I understand.”

Sophia nodded.

“Good.”

Then she walked away.

Rose sat back down slowly.

Her chest felt tight.

This wasn’t just complicated anymore.

It was turning into something else.

Something she couldn’t ignore.

Across the office, Jason stood still.

Watching everything unfold.

And for the first time—

He realized things were starting to slip out of his control.