BURSTED

“You’re not as good at hiding things as you think. Not from me.” Maya said

I was tired of being grilled by her.  “I’m not hiding anything.”

She moved closer to me,  her gaze unwavering. “You know, i can tell that something is going on. I know it for a fact . But now... now I’m curious. Very curious. I want to know exactly what is going on”

I swallowed hard, fighting the impulse to spill. “What do you want from me, Maya? There’s more than enough space on my couch for you to sit. Why are you in my face.”

She shifte back, her gaze not leaving mine. “I want you to spill. We’re best friends and we don’t hide things from each other. You’re not as innocent as you want us to believe.” She teased 

It was a joke supposed to make my smile but it only brought a flashback of when I encountered Lucas on the hallway. 

“. You’re not as innocent as you want everyone to believe, Sophia. You’ve already shown me you’re capable of things.Things I can’t forget .” He had said.

I shook myself out of that thought.

“Stop it Maya.,” I said sharply, but I could hear the hesitation in my voice. “I really have nothing to say..”

She leaned back against his desk, studying me, amusement playing on his lips. “I’ll be plain. Are you dating the boss, Lucas?.”

“No I’m not. Now what will you like to eat?” I stood up and headed to the kitchen.

***

“Can you please, let me get done with this presentation? Every time I come here, you distract me. My immediate boss’s are beginning to gain interest in what this presentation really is.” I said to Lucas in his office.

“Mm-hmm… get started.” He urged me.

I began.

The door to his office opened then, cutting through the tension. I spun around. It was his assistant, Michelle, I think—her eyes wide with a mix of nervousness and something else I couldn’t quite place.

“Mr. Thane, I need to speak with you,” Michelle said, voice shaking.

Lucas didn’t seem the least bit fazed. He nodded. “Go ahead, then.”

Clara hesitated before walking closer. She glanced at me, her gaze lingering for a moment too long. “It’s about the investors.” She said, still looking at me. I knew she was trying to confirm with him if she should speak whrn I’m in the room.

“I’m listening.” Lucas said casually 

“I just got a report to give you,” she placed a file on his desk. About five big clients We’ve... we’ve been losing them. It seems they’re going to ‘Legallie..’”

“By ‘Legallie, you mean the small online legal consulting business that Sharon & Donald founded?” He asked. I could see the vein at the side of his head throbbing.

I felt a pang of frustration. Was I going to return to his office again for this presentation. 

And what kind of world did he live in? Was it was always on the verge of collapse?

Lucas turned to me, “You can find your way out, Sophia. I need to take care of this.”

And just like that, he had dismissed me and  was back to business. He gestured for Michelle to explain further.

And just like that I disappeared into the background .

***

Later that night, I lay in bed thinking and trying to understand the feeling I was feeling inside. My thoughts were racing—about Lucas especially, also about the magic, and how everything had changed since the night of the magic.

The sound of my phone vibrating snapped me out of my thoughts. I pulled it out, seeing a message from Lucas:

Sorry about today, we’ll talk tomorrow .. You know where.

I didn’t reply. I didn’t want to. I stared at the message for what felt like an eternity. 

My fingers hovered over the screen. I should reply, right? But what could I even say? Saying yes would mean I’m succumbing to his power play and if I said No, then I will be denying the fact that I had developed feelings for him admits all this drama.

So I did nothing. I didn’t reply. I simply let the message be.

***

The next day, I walked into the office, I tried to ignore the whispers as I walked past the other employees. The way their eyes followed me—more sharply than before—made my skin crawl. Everyone was talking about me now. Everyone.

The ugly duckling had transformed into the... whatever I was now. Lucas’s obsession, his latest conquest. The once overworked  woman who everyone suddenly feared to overburden anymore.

I found my desk, sitting down with a sigh. Although I felt exhausted , there was this little thing excitement simmering underneath my skin. I loved this change in a way.

“Ms. Morales?”

I looked up, and there stood Michelle, her posture stiff, eyes guarded.

“Lucas is expecting you in his office,” she said, her tone formal. But I was more taken aback by the fact that she used his first name. Does he make everyone address him that way. For a moment I thought I was special.

“Do not waste his time.” She said, words coated in her usual cold professionalism. I could see the way her eyes lingered on me.

“I know,” I said simply. “I’ll go now.”

She didn’t respond, but there was an unspoken question in the way she looked at me. The tension between us was palpable. 

I walked toward Lucas’s office, my heels clicking against the floor, each step bringing me closer to whatever game he had in mind today. The door was open, and I could hear him speaking inside, but I couldn’t make out the words.

When I entered, he was standing by the window, his back to me. The office felt cold as usual. He didn’t look up immediately, and for a moment, I just stood there, watching him. 

Finally, he turned, a slow smile spreading across his face as he met my gaze. “You came,” he said, as if he didn’t expect me to come.

“You asked me to,” I replied, my voice steady.

James stepped closer, his eyes dark, studying me. “I did,” he said, pausing just a few feet away from me. “But you didn’t reply to my message.”

“I wasn’t sure what to say,” I shot back, trying to keep the edge of defiance in my voice.

He leaned in a little closer, his lips barely brushing my ear as he whispered, “We are a little thought today. Are we?”

I felt a shiver run through me, 

“Sit down,” he commanded, pointing to the chair across from his desk.

I blinked, the command settling in my chest. I could refuse, but I knew it wouldn’t end well. So I sat, reluctantly,.

Lucas paced in front of me, his fingers tapping rhythmically against his leg. “I’ve been thinking about you. Day in day out, you’re all that’s on my mind,” he said, his voice low, almost seductive. “About how Mysterious you are and how…” he trailed off. . “You’re an impulsive lass, aren’t you?”

I clenched my jaw,. “What are you talking about?”

Lucas stopped in front of me, towering over me. “The magic, Sophia. The very weird thing you did... 

My breath caught in my throat. He knew. He fucking knew.

I opened my mouth to deny it, but the words wouldn’t come.