The Public Front

“Do you know what time it is, Selene?”

Without letting her speak, Cassian moved closer to her desk.

“The entire advertising team has been trying to contact you since morning. The final design files for the website launch were supposed to go live forty-five minutes ago, but here I am, twenty minutes away from where I have a major meeting uptown because my marketing manager is panicking.”

He pulled his phone out, tapping the screen before tossing it flat onto her desk. “I called your office lines six times and your personal phone too Selene! If you are going to run a company, the least you can do is answer your phone.”

He jabbed a finger toward her. “You do not get to delay my work just because you wanted to focus on your new office today.”

As his voice rose louder in the quiet office, Selene’s heart thumped against her ribs, and instead  of looking at the phone he tossed to her, she stared past his broad shoulder straight to the large transparent windows of her office. 

Outside, Hannah and three other workers had completely stopped working to stare at them with wide eyes.

To the public, She and Cassian Vale were a powerful, happily married couple. A loud, screaming match on her first day would ruin everything.

Selene stood up quickly, ignoring Cassian entirely as she walked past him toward the window. With a sharp tug of the cord, she shut the blinds to block the outside view and lock the two of them in total privacy. Only then did she turn to face him.

“Lower your voice,” she said, looking right at him. “You have no right to come into my office and shout at me in front of my employees.”

“Then do your job,” Cassian snapped, though his voice dropped slightly.

Selene walked back to her desk and glanced down at her cell phone, which was sitting face-down right next to her laptop. Reaching out, she turned it over and tapped the screen.

The screen lit up with a long list of missed calls from Cassian and his marketing staff. At the very top, the small icon of a slashed bell showed that the phone was still set to total silence. 

She had turned the volume off two hours ago, wanting to drown out every single thought of him with work.

“My phone was on silent,” she said plainly. Opening her laptop, she typed rapidly to check the server logs. “And for your information, we are not delaying anything.  We just got our main servers fully operational a few hours ago, and because the design is large, they have been in the upload queue for the last twenty minutes.”

She turned the laptop around so he could see the screen, where a small blue progress bar was hovering at ninety-nine percent. A second later, a green checkmark popped up: Upload Complete.

“There,” Selene said, leaning back and crossing her arms. "The files are on your network, so your marketing manager can make the website live right now.”

Cassian stared at the screen, and though the anger in his face didn’t disappear, his excuse was gone. He picked his phone up to check it, likely reading a text that had just come through from his office, because he let out a short, frustrated breath before shoving the device into his trouser pocket.

“You should have anticipated the server lag,” he murmured, refusing to fully back down. “With a launch this big, we can't afford any mistakes.”

“And you should have known I wouldn’t sabotage a project,” Selene countered. “Now, you said you have a meeting uptown, and since everything’s been sorted, Cassian, you can leave now.”

Cassian didn't move immediately, standing in the center of her office as his eyes slowly swept over the space. He looked at the desk and the creative mood boards on the wall. This office was proof of her independence, and she could tell he wasn’t pleased.

Before he could say anything else, the office door clicked open. Hannah stood there, looking nervous as her eyes darted between Selene and Cassian.

“Um, sorry to interrupt, boss,” Hannah stammered, holding a tablet. “But the delivery team just finished installing the main company logo sign by the front entrance. They need you to sign off on the layout before they leave.”

Selene felt a wave of relief. “Of course. I'll come out right now.” She gave Cassian a pointed look. “My husband was just leaving anyway. I’ll walk him out.”

Cassian’s eyes darkened at the word husband, knowing exactly how fake it was in this moment. But he simply adjusted the cuffs of his suit jacket and gestured for her to lead the way.

They walked out of her office together, and the moment they stepped onto the main floor, the room fell quiet. Selene put a polite smile on her face, completely hiding how tense she felt. Cassian slowed his pace to walk right beside her, acting like a very supportive partner.

Her staff watched them pass, the previous tension completely forgotten as they admired the beautiful couple.

They reached the main doors of the agency, where the newly installed sign was mounted on the wall just outside. The boldly printed letters stood out flawlessly against the wall.

“It looks perfect, Hannah,” Selene said, signing the tablet her assistant handed her. 

“Great! I'll let the installers know.” Hannah smiled, taking the tablet and stepping back to give them space.

Selene turned to Cassian, ready to say goodbye now that they were at the exit. “Have a safe drive,” she said, her voice dripping with fake affection for anyone listening.

Cassian didn't answer with words. Instead, he took a step closer, completely invading her space.

Before Selene could process his movement, his large hand came up to her neck. He bent down, tilted his head, and pressed his lips directly against hers.

Selene froze, her eyes going wide against his closed ones. This wasn’t a fake, polite peck on the cheek for the cameras, but a deliberate kiss on the lips. In the five years of their strained marriage, he had never once kissed her like this.

He pulled away slowly, his dark eyes locked onto her shocked face as an unreadable look passed over his face before his expression went completely cold again.

“See you at home, El,” he murmured.

He turned on his heel, pushed open the glass doors, and walked out toward his waiting car, leaving Selene standing by the entrance as her lips tingled with the memory of his touch.