Chapter two

**LUCY'S POV**

I had barely taken my eyes off Brian when he turned back to the shipment. He continued working as though I wasn't standing there. That should have been enough to make me leave.

Instead, I remained where I was for another few seconds, watching him lift another carton and carry it toward the warehouse.

He didn't look back. I finally forced myself to turn away. Why was I acting like this? I had come to Davidson Industries to see my father. I needed to get upstairs and stop standing around like a teenager with a crush.

Yet the moment I entered the building, Brian's image followed me. I headed toward the elevator. The receptionist greeted me, but I only managed a distracted nod. The elevator doors opened. I stepped inside and pressed the button for the executive floor. As the doors closed, I caught my reflection in the mirror.

My hair was neat. My clothes were perfectly arranged. My face looked calm. Nothing about my appearance revealed how distracted I was. I looked away from the mirror. Brian was only a sales employee. So why couldn't I stop thinking about him?

The elevator stopped. I stepped out and walked down the executive corridor. My phone vibrated. I pulled it from my bag.

A message from my father appeared on the screen: Lucy, we have dinner with the Vances today. Are you still at the cemetery?

My expression changed. The Vances. Of course. My father had already chosen the Vance family's son as the man he wanted me to marry. He was wealthy, respectable, and exactly the kind of man Arthur believed was suitable for his daughter. But I didn't love him. I never had. I put the phone away.

I didn't want to think about the dinner. Especially not after what had been on my mind all morning. Brian.

I continued down the corridor. Employees greeted me as I passed. “Good morning, Miss Davidson.” “Good morning.” I answered automatically.

My thoughts remained downstairs. I didn't know exactly when my feelings for Brian had changed. At first, he had been just another employee. Then I started noticing him. He never tried to impress me because of my father's wealth.

He didn't flatter me or treat me differently from everyone else. He simply did his job. And somehow, that made him stand out more than anyone else.

I reached the corner. My phone vibrated again. I pulled it out. Another message from Arthur: Don't be late for dinner. I sighed.

I put the phone back into my bag and continued walking. I was so distracted that I didn't notice the slight unevenness in the walkway. My heel caught. My body lurched forward.

“Ah—”

The package in my hand slipped. I reached for it, but I was already losing my balance. I braced myself for the fall. It never came. An arm caught me from behind. Firm.

“Miss Lucy!”

My heart stopped. I knew that voice. Brian. I slowly turned. He was standing behind me, one hand supporting my arm while the other steadied her.

“Are you alright?”

For a second, I could only stare at him. He was close. Much closer than he had been downstairs. I could see the concern in his eyes. But there was nothing else. No awkwardness. No hesitation. No sign that he was affected by having his arms around me. Just concern.

Brian helped me regain my balance and immediately released me. “Please be careful.”

I swallowed. “I’m fine.”

Brian glanced at the package on the floor, picked it up, and handed it to me.

“Here.”

“Thank you.”

He nodded. “I have to get back to work.”

And just like that, he walked away. I watched him disappear around the corner. Again. He hadn't stayed. He hadn't asked why I was distracted. He hadn't looked back. He hadn't even seemed to realize what that moment had done to me.

I stared at the package in my hands. A strange ache settled in my chest. He really didn't notice me. Not the way I noticed him. I had spent weeks trying to hide how much I thought about him, while he seemed completely unaware that anything was happening.

A tear slipped down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away.

“No.” I took a breath. “This isn't me.”

I had never cried over a man. Especially not over a sales employee. But Brian had somehow become the one person capable of unsettling me without even trying. I looked in the direction he had gone.

“Does he really not notice me?” The question escaped before I could stop it. There was no answer. Only the distant sound of workers moving through the building.

I closed my eyes briefly. I knew I needed to stop. My father would never accept Brian. Arthur had already planned my future. He had chosen the Vance heir as the man I was expected to marry. A sales employee didn't fit into that future.

If Arthur discovered that I had developed feelings for Brian, he wouldn't simply tell me to forget him. He could make Brian lose his job. He could make sure Brian stayed far away from me. The thought made my chest tighten. I couldn't let that happen. Not because I knew what I wanted yet. But because I knew one thing clearly. I didn't want my father deciding what I felt.

I wiped the last trace of tears from my face and straightened my shoulders. I looked toward the executive office at the end of the corridor. That was where I was supposed to be. Not standing here thinking about Brian.

I started walking. My steps were steady now. But my thoughts weren't. Brian had barely noticed me. I had spent so much time trying not to let him see what I felt that I had never stopped to consider the possibility that he might not see anything at all. That realization hurt. And somehow, it made me want his attention even more.

I stopped outside Arthur's office. I took a deep breath. Whatever was happening between me and Brian existed only in my head.

For now, that was where it would stay. I reached for the door handle. Then one final thought crossed my mind: Will he ever notice me, or will I be the only one who feels this way?

I pushed the door open and stepped inside.