Chapter 15

Elena’s POV

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

I looked up from my laptop to find Jonathan standing in the doorway of the bedroom, already dressed in one of his perfectly tailored suits, his expression hovering somewhere between concerned and exasperated.

“I’m fine,” I said for what had to be the hundredth time in the past five days. “Completely fine. I am already back to normal. No more pain, meaning I’m in a perfect condition to continue tormenting you.”

“You said that yesterday.”

“And it was true yesterday too.”

He studied me for a moment longer, like he was trying to determine if I was lying, then nodded. “We’re meeting the project team in an hour. Are you ready?”

“Almost.” I closed my laptop and stood, smoothing down the blazer I’d paired with tailored pants. I arranged my hair in a ponytail smoothing down the braids. “I just need to grab my files.”

“I’ll wait in the car.”

He walked out the door before I could respond, and I let out a long breath.

It has been five days since that night in the thunderstorm, and Jonathan was still treating me like I am dying or like I’m a doll, he literally asked if I was okay at every moment. Making sure I ate. Checking in every few hours like I was a child who needed constant supervision.

It should have annoyed me. In fact I am actually waiting for it to annoy me but instead…

Instead, I found myself liking it. Does that make me weird?

Well not like I actually enjoyed him hovering over me like a grim reaper, it's the way he seemed genuinely concerned about my wellbeing, not just whether I could perform my job effectively. The way he’d look at me sometimes, like he was seeing a person instead of just an employee.

Daniel had never been like that. He’d barely acknowledged my period existed unless it inconvenienced him somehow. And if I mentioned pain or discomfort, he’d brush it off with a “you’ll be fine” or “everyone deals with it, it’s not that big of a deal.”

But Jonathan…

Jonathan had driven through a storm to get me supplies. He also made sure I rested. Had rearranged the meeting schedule so I wouldn’t have to push myself too hard.

I grabbed my files and headed down to the car, pushing those thoughts aside.

This wasn’t about Jonathan caring for me as a person. I have to remind myself that Jonathan is Daniel's father and the apple never falls far from the tree. I'm reading too much into his kindness because I haven’t had anyone care so much about me.

Put it together Elera I said palming my slim cheeks. Time to get to work.

The project site was huge, it was sprawling complex of buildings that would eventually house the new tech facility we were helping to develop. Right now it was mostly concrete and steel frameworks, but I could see the potential.

Jonathan and I walked toward the main office trailer, where we were supposed to meet the rest of the team.

“Remember,” he said as we walked towards them. “Lisa is leading the local team. She’s sharp, and experienced, and doesn’t tolerate incompetence. But she’s fair.”

“Got it,” I said. “Anything else I should know?”

He hesitated for just a moment. “We go way back in our university days. And I haven’t seen her in probably fifteen years.”

Something in his tone made me glance at him, but his face looked as blank as always.

We stepped into the trailer, and immediately I heard a bright sunny voice laughing really hard behind us.

“Jonathan Hart! I cannot believe you’re actually here!”

A woman appeared from around the corner, and I felt something tighten in my chest.

She was stunning. Tall, with long dark hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail, sharp cheekbones, and the kind of confidence that filled a room. She wore a hard hat and work boots, but somehow made them look elegant.

And the way she was looking at Jonathan…

“Lisa,” he said, and there was genuine warmth in his voice, something I’d rarely heard from him. “It’s been too long.”

“Fifteen years,” she said, walking over and pulling him into a hug that lasted just a beat longer than normal. “You look exactly the same. How is that fair?”

“Good genes,” he said, and she laughed.

They stood there talking, catching up, trading stories about mutual friends and shared memories, and I just… stood there.

Watching.

Jonathan was different when he was with her. He looked way more relaxed. And worse he was smiling more than I’d ever seen him smile. His whole demeanor had shifted, like he suddenly turned to Barney the dinosaurs.

And Lisa…

Lisa was touchy. Her hand was on his arm when she laughed. Leaning in close when she talked. It was just too suspicious. It felt like they had a history or something.

I pushed that thought away immediately, annoyed with myself for even thinking about it.

“Oh!” Lisa suddenly seemed to remember I existed. She turned toward me, her smile dimming just slightly. “And you must be…?”

“Elena Rivers,” Jonathan said before I could introduce myself. “My Personal Manager.”

“Personal Manager,” Lisa repeated, her eyes flicking over me “How nice.”

She didn’t extend her hand. Didn’t ask me anything about myself. Just gave me a polite smile that didn’t reach her eyes before turning back to Jonathan.

“We should get started,” she said. “I have the preliminary plans ready to review.”

The meeting was excruciating.

Not because of the work…the project was fascinating, the plans solid, the timeline was aggressive but doable.

But because Lisa spent the entire time acting like I wasn’t there.

She directed every question to Jonathan. Laughed at his comments. Leaned across the table to point at documents, her hand brushing his more than once.

And when I did speak up…to clarify a timeline issue or suggest a modification to the budget allocation…she’d glance at me with this look that was just barely polite.

“That’s an… interesting perspective,” she said after I pointed out a potential bottleneck in the supply chain. “But I think we’ll stick with the original plan.”

“The original plan has a three-week gap that could delay the entire project,” I said evenly.

“We’ve accounted for that,” she said, not even looking at the document I was referencing.

“Have you?” I opened my laptop and pulled up the spreadsheet I’d been working on. “Because according to these numbers…”

“Elena’s right,” Jonathan said, his voice cutting through the tension. “There’s a gap. We need to address it.”

Lisa’s smile tightened. “Of course. If you think it’s necessary.”

The rest of the meeting continued in the same vein…Lisa deferring to Jonathan, dismissing me, and generally acting like I was an inconvenient accessory he’d brought along for no reason.

By the time we finally wrapped up, I was seething with anger.

I was quiet throughout the drive back to the hotel.

I stared out the window and my phone anywhere that isn’t him, with my jaw tight, trying to calm the irrational anger bubbling up inside me.

“Elena?”

I rolled my eyes, not bothering to answer him.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong, or are we just going to sit here and continue acting like this?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” I said, still not looking at him.

“You’ve been glaring at your phone for the past ten minutes.”

“I’m not glaring.”

“You’re definitely glaring.”

I finally turned to face him, and whatever expression I had on my face made him raise an eyebrow.

“What?” I snapped.

“You tell me,” he said. “You were fine this morning, and now you look like you want to throw something. What happened?”

“Nothing happened.”

“Elena.”

“I said nothing happened,” I repeated, my voice sharper than I intended. “Can we just drop it?”

He studied me for a long moment, then turned back to the window.

The rest of the drive passed in tense silence, and I hated it. I hated that I was being childish and moody. And I hated that I was bothered in the first place.

Because how could I explain it?

Your old friend made me feel invisible, and I didn’t like the way she looked at you, and I definitely didn’t like the way you smiled at her like she was the most fascinating person in the room.

I couldn’t say that.

Because saying that would mean admitting something I wasn’t ready to admit.

Not to him.

And definitely not to myself.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​