Her World

The black sedan stopped outside the building, and before the driver could even get out, Cassian had already opened the door himself. He crossed the lobby, acknowledging the security guard with a curt nod before stepping into the elevator.

12.

The doors slid shut, and a few seconds later, they opened again.

The reception area was busy. Phones ringing almost nonstop while two employees hurried past carrying presentation boards, and neatly labeled boxes.

The receptionist looked up. "Good afternoon, Mr. Vale."

"Good afternoon."

She started to rise from her chair. "I'll let Mrs. Selene know you're here."

"There's no need."

She nodded and sat back down as Cassian continued walking into an office carrying on around him. Someone rolled a clothing rack toward one of the meeting rooms, while another employee balanced three coffee cups while trying not to drop a folder tucked beneath one arm.

"...the interview backdrop should stay near the entrance."

"No, the lighting won't work there."

"We'll test both."

Cassian kept walking, the voices growing louder the closer he got until a sudden burst of laughter made him slow down. It sounded like the kind of laughter that came from people who had forgotten they were at work.

Cassian stopped just outside the open studio.

The room was larger than he remembered, every table covered with mock-ups, fabric swatches, printed layouts, and lighting plans for the gallery launch. Selene stood in the middle of it all with a black marker in one hand.

"...move this one here," she said.

One of the team members shifted a display stand, but after looking at it for a moment, she shook her head. "No."

The stand was moved back, and another employee pointed at one of the printed layouts. "If guests enter from this side, they'll miss the first piece."

Selene studied it for a few seconds. "You're right." She uncapped the marker and drew a quick line across the board. "We'll change that."

Nobody questioned the change, but nobody rushed to agree with her either.

"What about the interview area?" someone asked.

"It stays," Selene answered. "But shorten the interview slots. I don't want the press keeping Mr. Sterling away from his own exhibition."

Hannah looked up from her tablet. "I'll let the media team know."

"Thank you."

A young employee carrying two coffee cups stopped beside Selene. "You forgot this."

Selene blinked. "I did?"

"You've been asking for coffee all morning."

They all laughed as she accepted the cup with a small smile. "I've been exposed."

"You have," Hannah replied. "You'll still forget to drink it."

"I probably will."

More laughter followed, but Selene took one sip anyway before setting the cup down beside the nearest table.

The discussion picked up again almost immediately while Cassian watched without moving. Nobody waited for permission to speak, and ideas came from every direction.

Sometimes Selene agreed, sometimes she didn't, but when she rejected an idea, nobody looked embarrassed. When someone corrected her, she listened, and one time, she even changed her mind.

"Let's do it your way."

The employee smiled. "I think it'll work better."

"So do I."

Cassian's eyes stayed on her. He had seen Selene negotiate million-dollar contracts, sit across from investors without flinching, and stand in a boardroom full of lawyers refusing to back down.

But he had never seen this. She wasn't trying to impress anyone or prove anything, she simply belonged here. And somehow, that was the version of Selene he knew the least.

The conversation continued for another minute until someone near the entrance turned around and his smile disappeared. "Mr. Vale."

The room fell quiet instantly, the conversations dying. The employee holding a stack of paper froze, and someone else quietly lowered the music playing from a speaker in the corner.

Selene looked over her shoulder, and their eyes met. For a second, neither of them spoke, before she capped the marker in her hand.

"Cassian," she said, her voice calm. "What brings you here?"

"I was nearby."

She held his gaze for a moment, neither of them believing that.

Before she could answer, one of the junior staff members hurried past with a stack of presentation boards, not seeing Cassian until the last second. "Oh…" He stopped so suddenly that one of the boards slipped from his hands. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Vale."

Before it hit the floor, Cassian caught it and handed it back.

The young man accepted it with both hands. "Thank you, sir."

He walked away much more carefully than before, and Cassian watched him go. Only a minute ago, the same room had been full of overlapping conversations, but now everyone seemed to be waiting for him… waiting to see whether they should keep talking or leave.

His eyes moved back to Selene, who noticed it too. Without saying anything, she looked around the room. "Why did everyone stop?"

When nobody answered, a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Come on," she said, clapping her hands once. "We're losing daylight."

The room slowly came back to life. Conversations returned, someone laughed again, and the music was turned back up.

Cassian stood where he was, watching it happen. Nobody had needed his permission to be silent, and nobody needed Selene's permission to start smiling again.

Selene waited until everyone was busy again before walking over. She stopped in front of him. "Did you need something?"

Cassian looked at her for a second. He had come all this way, but now he realized he didn't actually have a reason. Falling back on business, he asked, "How are preparations?"

"Great..On schedule," she answered easily.

He glanced around the room. "No problems?"

"Nothing we can't handle."

A second passed, and she noticed he was still standing there. "Was there anything else?"

Before he could answer, Hannah appeared beside them. "Boss, the lighting company is on the phone."

Selene turned. "Tell them I'll call back in five minutes." Turning back to Cassian, she said, "Sorry."

He gave a small nod. "It's fine."

"I know you didn't come all the way here just to ask if we're on schedule."

Cassian didn't answer, because she wasn't wrong. For a second, he almost told her the truth; that he came because someone said she looked happier, and he wanted to see it for himself.

Instead, he said, "I'll see you at home."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Selene watched him leave out of sheer confusion. Cassian had always had a purpose, but today, he had come without one.

Cassian got into the car, and the driver asked, "Back to office, sir?"

Cassian looked back at the twelfth-floor windows. Somewhere behind them, Selene was probably already working again, as though he had never been there.

He looked away. "Drive."

As the sedan pulled out of the parking lot, Selene stood inside Vellum where he had left her for another second, until Hannah called out, "Boss?"

Selene blinked. "I'm coming."