Chapter 23

Elena’s POV

The project was wrapping up faster than expected, and I couldn’t decide if that was a relief or a tragedy.

In another week, maybe two, we’d be done. The construction was ahead of schedule, the investors were happy, and everything was falling into place exactly as it should.

I should have been relieved. Excited, even. This meant we could finally leave and go to Singapore, get back to DC, and I could put some real distance between myself and whatever this complicated mess with Jonathan had become.

But instead, I just felt tired.

Tired of the drama. Tired of Lisa’s barely concealed hostility and the way she looked at me like I was an inconvenient obstacle, fuck hwr by the way.

And I was even more tired of pretending I didn’t care that Jonathan had gone from hovering over me constantly to treating me like just another employee whose name he barely remembered.

I told myself it was fine. That this was what I wanted, what I’d demanded.

But it didn’t feel fine. It felt like I was slowly suffocating.

“This isn’t what we agreed on,” I said, staring at the electrical panel in front of me.

My voice came out sharper than I intended, frustration bleeding through despite my attempts to stay professional. I was hot, tired, and I’d been dealing with this contractor’s incompetence for three days straight.

The contractor…a man named Wei who’d been difficult from day one…crossed his arms over his chest, his face always had that annoying smug expression that seemed dismissive. It always made my blood boil.

“This is what the specifications called for,” he said, his tone condescending.

“No, it’s not.” I pulled out my tablet with hands that were shaking slightly from anger, opening the file and scrolling to the relevant section. My heart was pounding, adrenaline flooding my system. “The specifications clearly state that the backup generator needs to be hardwired to the main circuit board, not running through a secondary junction box. This setup won’t pass inspection.”

“It’ll pass.”

The casual dismissal made something snap inside me.

“It won’t,” I said firmly, stepping closer and holding the tablet up so he could see the screen. My jaw was so tight it hurt. “And even if it did, it’s a safety hazard. If the main power fails, the backup won’t kick in fast enough. You need to redo this.”

Wei’s face reddened, his eyes narrowing. “I’ve been doing electrical work for twenty years. I don’t need some girl who reads spreadsheets telling me how to do my job.”

The words hit me like a blow, and I felt heat flood my face…partly from embarrassment, and the other part to put it lightly was just part rage.

“Then maybe you should start doing it correctly,” I shot back, my voice rising despite my efforts to stay calm. My hands were clenched into fists at my sides. “Because this is wrong, and I’m not signing off on it.”

“You don’t have the authority to…”

“Actually, she does.”

Jonathan’s voice cut through the argument like a blade, and I felt my entire body go rigid.

I turned to find him standing in the doorway, his expression cold and unyielding in a way that would have terrified me if it had been directed at me instead of Wei.

My heart leaped into my throat. How long had he been standing there? Had he heard everything?

“Mr. Hart, I was just explaining to Miss Rivers…” Wei started, his voice suddenly much less confident.

“I heard what you were explaining,” Jonathan interrupted, his tone ice-cold. He walked further into the room, and I could feel the tension radiating off him in waves. “And she’s right. This doesn’t meet specifications. You have forty-eight hours to fix it, or we’ll find someone who can.”

Wei’s mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. “But…”

“Forty-eight hours,” Jonathan repeated, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Then he turned and walked away without another word.

Without even looking at me. I stood frozen, staring after him.

“Guess you win,” Wei muttered, shooting me a dirty look before stalking off.

But it didn’t feel like winning.

It felt like losing something I’d never actually had in the first place.

I stood there alone in the empty room, my hands trembling, my vision blurring with tears I absolutely would not let fall.

This was what I wanted, right?

So why did it hurt so much?

Three days later, the project was officially complete.

The final inspection had passed, the investors had signed off, and Lisa’s team had handed over all the documentation. It was done.

We should have been celebrating.

Instead, I felt numb.

We gathered in one of the conference rooms for a small celebration. It was nothing much, just champagne and wine and a few congratulatory speeches from the investors.

I stood near the back of the room, holding a glass of wine I hadn’t touched, my stomach too knotted to even think about drinking anything. I watched as Lisa hovered near Jonathan.

She poured wine into his glass, laughing at something he said to much.

I looked away, my jaw clenching, forcing myself to focus on anything else. Anything but them.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Mr. Ethan said, raising his glass, and I forced myself to pay attention. “Before we conclude, I’d like to extend an invitation. The annual Singapore Business Gala is being held this Saturday at the Grand Marina. It’s one of the premier networking events in the region, and we’d be honored if you would attend as our guests.”

He walked over and handed Jonathan an elegant envelope. “Mr. Hart, Miss Rivers…your invitation.”

Then he turned and handed a separate envelope to Lisa. “And of course, Miss Lisa, you’re invited as well.”

My heart sank.

Jonathan accepted the envelope with a polite nod. “Thank you. We’d be happy to attend.”

Lisa smiled, tucking her invitation into her purse with a satisfied look that made me want to throw my wine glass at her. “I’m looking forward to it.”

I took the envelope when it was passed to me, murmuring a thank you that sounded hollow even to my own ears.

Perfect. Just perfect.

I left the celebration early, my head was pounding so badly.

I took a cab back to the hotel while Jonathan stayed behind to finalize some last-minute details with the investors.

Or at least that’s what I told myself he was doing.

More likely he was with Lisa.

When I got back to the suite, there was a package waiting for me outside the door.

It was large, and flat, wrapped in expensive-looking paper with a silver ribbon.

My heart started beating faster, and I hated myself for the hope that suddenly bloomed in my chest.

I picked it up…it was heavier than I expected…and carried it inside, my hands trembling slightly as I set it on the bed.

I stared at it for a long moment before carefully unwrapping it, my breath catching in my throat.

Inside was a dress.

Not just any dress. A gown,of deep emerald green silk that caught the light when I lifted it from the box, shimmering like water. It was elegant, sophisticated, with a fitted bodice that would hug every curve and a skirt that would flow like liquid when I walked.

It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

My throat tightened, and I had to blink rapidly against the sudden burn of tears.

Tucked inside the box was a small card, the handwriting unmistakably Jonathan’s…strong, confident strokes in black ink.

For Saturday. So you can look the part. …J

I stood there holding the dress, the silk cool and smooth against my fingers, staring at the note until the words blurred together.

He’d picked this out. For me.

Despite everything, and the way I’d pushed him away and told him to leave me alone.

He’d still thought of me.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, the dress pooling in my lap, and let out a shaky breath that turned into a sob I couldn’t hold back.

My chest felt like it was cracking open, all the emotions I’d been holding back for weeks suddenly flooding through the cracks.

“Damn it, Jonathan,” I whispered to the empty room, my voice breaking.

A tear slid down my cheek, then another, and I didn’t bother wiping them away.

Because no matter how hard I tried to keep him at arm’s length, no matter how many walls I built or how much distance I demanded, he kept finding ways to slip past my defenses.

And I was running out of reasons to keep pushing him away.

Actually, I was running out of reasons to keep lying to myself.

Because the truth was, I didn’t want to push him away.

I wanted him here, in this room, close enough to touch him.

And that terrified me more than anything else.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​