Chapter 35- He is a good man

The atmosphere in the office had shifted.

Not in a way anyone could point out directly. There were no raised voices, no missed deadlines. But there was a certain weight in the air. Like something had been said without being spoken, and no one quite knew what to do with it.

William had kept to himself.

More than usual.

Meetings were shorter. Emails, precise. Instructions, crisp. He didn’t linger at Lily’s desk like he sometimes did. He didn’t ask for updates in person. Everything came through formal channels. All professional. All distant.

Clara noticed first.

"Is he... mad at you?" she whispered one afternoon, sliding into the chair beside Lily with a pastry in one hand and concern in her eyes.

Lily shook her head. "No. At least, I don’t think so."

But truthfully, she didn’t know.

She hadn’t spoken to William directly since their ride back from the legal department two days ago. And while nothing terrible had happened, something unspoken had settled between them like mist.

Ross, on the other hand, had grown more confident.

He’d started calling her more often for small decisions. Dropped by with snacks. Left notes on her desk with cheesy one-liners. Nothing intrusive, but certainly noticeable.

And Clara, ever the observer, had begun teasing her relentlessly.

"You know," she said over coffee, "if I didn’t know any better, I’d say our dear Mr. Ross has a thing for you."

Lily rolled her eyes. "He’s just friendly."

"He calls William 'Sir' with the stiffest voice I’ve ever heard and calls you 'ma’am' like he's flirting. That’s not just friendly."

Lily laughed but didn’t answer.

That Friday, a small company lunch was organized at a rooftop café. Nothing formal — just a casual get-together to celebrate the auction’s success and finally breathe.

Ross sat beside Lily.

He made her laugh. He pointed out oddly shaped clouds. He told her about a failed piano lesson in high school that ended with a broken key. He shared stories of Clara’s chaos from the PR world.

From across the table, William watched.

He sat two seats down, engaged in light conversation with someone from the finance team, but his gaze flicked toward Lily often. When Ross leaned a little too close. When Lily smiled a little too brightly.

He didn’t say anything.

But he saw.

After lunch, the team dispersed slowly. Clara went shopping. Two interns left for coffee. Lily lingered on the rooftop, admiring the city skyline.

Ross joined her a few minutes later.

"Beautiful view," he said, standing just a little too close.

"It is," she said, softly. "I love watching the sky shift colors."

He looked at her. "You're different. Not like the others."

She turned. "What does that mean?"

"I mean it in the best way. You actually listen. You care."

Lily shifted, unsure. "Thanks."

A silence settled between them, warm but uncertain.

Ross broke it. "Would you want to grab dinner this weekend? Just us."

She opened her mouth, hesitated. "I—I'll let you know."

He smiled gently. "Sure. No pressure."

Downstairs, as she walked back into the office, Lily bumped into William. Literally. She’d turned the corner too fast.

Her breath caught.

"Sorry," she said quickly.

William took a small step back. "No harm done."

She looked up at him. "You’ve been... quiet."

He nodded. "Work."

"Is that all it is?"

His gaze held hers. Intense. Silent.

"Shouldn’t it be?"

She didn't know how to respond to that.

He nodded once and stepped aside, letting her pass. But her heart stayed caught in her throat.

Because she knew.

Something had cracked.

Even if no one had said it out loud.

Later that evening, as Lily packed her bag, she noticed Nany sitting in the break room, flipping through a romance novel and sipping tea.

"Hey," Lily said, peeking in. "Working late?"

Nany smiled. "Just staying until Justin finishes reviewing the press release. He promised to walk me to the metro."

Lily paused at the name. "You and Justin?"

Nany's cheeks flushed. "We're... talking. He's kind. Makes me laugh. And he respects Mr. William more than anyone I know."

Lily smiled back, though a little uneasily. "He does seem like a good man."

Nany nodded. "He is. I can feel it."

As Lily walked out, her mind wandered.

She wasn't sure what it was — but something about tonight made her feel like the silence around them all was starting to break.