Chapter 45 – The Space Between Us

Ding!

One by one, people exited the elevator calmly as they reached their floors. And once again, only Leonel and Jeslyn remained.

“I’ll be getting off soon. Please excuse me,” said Jeslyn, trying to pass—but Leonel didn’t move.

“What do you really want from me?” she asked, still cornered by the man’s tall frame.

“I just want to know—why do you keep changing your attitude toward me? Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

“Um… no.”

“Then what is it? Do you not think I’m special?” Leonel pressed closer.

“Leonel, there are CCTV cameras here. Don’t do anything reckless,” Jeslyn warned sharply.

“I don’t care,” he said, moving even closer, his face just inches from hers.

And at that moment, the elevator doors opened. Two employees stood in front of them, visibly shocked.

“S-Sorry!” they blurted out, quickly averting their eyes as the doors closed again.

Jeslyn pushed Leonel away with all the strength she had.

“Don’t do this! Everyone knows about your relationship with Jefran. I don’t want to be the subject of office gossip,” she snapped.

“They won’t gossip about you. I’m the one flirting with you,” Leonel replied casually.

“That doesn’t matter. They’ll still see me as the woman who tried to seduce her future brother-in-law. Please… control yourself when you’re at work,” she said firmly, clearly upset.

Leonel let out a heavy sigh. His eyes bore into hers with a mixture of frustration and restrained anger. His face was still close—but now, an invisible wall had risen between them, built from fear, doubt, and a truth neither of them could change.

“So… all of this is because of my status?” he muttered, his eyes narrowing as if trying to read through her carefully constructed mask.

Jeslyn looked down briefly, trying to calm her racing heart. “It’s not just that, Leonel. This whole situation… it’s too complicated.”

“You didn’t answer my question earlier.” His voice softened, but a cryptic edge remained. “Am I not special to you, Jeslyn?”

That question pierced Jeslyn like a blade straight to her most vulnerable place. She wanted to answer truthfully. But what if Leonel was involved in Victor’s death? What if this—everything—was a trap?

She took a deep breath and met his eyes. “You are special, Leonel. I just don’t know if that’s something I should be grateful for… or regret.”

Leonel went quiet. His eyes searched hers, as if trying to decipher the meaning behind her words.

Then—ding.

The elevator doors opened at her floor.

Without hesitation, Jeslyn stepped out. But before the doors closed, she turned back and said, “Please, Leonel. Don’t make this harder than it already is.”

And the doors slid shut.

Leonel remained inside, standing alone in the metal box that now felt unbearably small—stifled by unspoken feelings and truths unraveling piece by piece.

At exactly 9:00 AM, Jeslyn entered the main meeting room, documents neatly arranged in her hands. Her neutral-toned blazer matched the sleek, professional feel of the space, and her posture exuded confidence—though inside, she was anything but calm.

The room was already half full. Colleagues exchanged notes and powered up their laptops. Jeslyn took a seat near the far end of the table, offering a polite nod to a few coworkers before turning her attention to the presentation screen, still blank.

Moments later, the door opened again.

All heads turned.

Footsteps echoed in, steady and firm—followed by a distinct masculine cologne that instantly hit Jeslyn’s senses. Leonel.

Jeslyn froze in her seat.

He entered with quiet command, dressed in an impeccably tailored black suit. Beside him walked a foreign-looking man, exuding the aura of a seasoned international businessman. Likely the visiting client mentioned in the schedule. And just behind them was Edric, Leonel’s sharp-eyed assistant, tablet and files in hand.

Jeslyn straightened her posture automatically. Her heart pounded—not from nerves about the meeting, but because Leonel’s presence never failed to unravel her composure.

Their eyes met—just for a second. But that second was enough to steal her breath.

Leonel took his seat at the head of the table, composed and unreadable, as if nothing had happened between them in the elevator just minutes ago. But Jeslyn knew better. He was never as calm as he looked.

“Thank you all for being on time,” Leonel said smoothly, gesturing toward the client. “Today we’ll be reviewing our product development progress and addressing specific requests from our client.”

Jeslyn nodded slightly and redirected her focus to the presentation. She began jotting down key points, trying to drown out the weight of Leonel’s presence. But she could still feel his gaze flicker toward her, now and then—subtle, intense, undeniable.

The projector came to life, casting bright light onto the blank screen. The company logo appeared first, followed by the opening slide. Edric stepped forward, calm and articulate, remote in hand.

“Good morning, everyone. Thank you for attending today’s meeting. Let me start by presenting the initial progress on our product development and some strategic plans based on the current market analysis,” Edric began smoothly.

The first slide changed—showing a line graph tracking demand over the past three months.

“As you can see from this chart, the demand has shown a consistent increase, especially in the Southeast Asian region. This aligns with our forecast from the previous quarter,” he explained, glancing at the client, who nodded in approval.

The next slide displayed customer demographics.

“We’ve segmented our customers based on age, purchasing habits, and regional preferences. This allows us to implement more targeted marketing strategies.”

Several team members took notes—including Jeslyn. But when the fourth slide appeared, showing customer satisfaction analysis, Edric turned to her.

“Jeslyn, would you like to explain the customer feedback and our team’s response to their suggestions?”

Jeslyn lifted her head, stood confidently, and took the remote from Edric. Her voice was calm, fluent, and precise.

“Thank you, Edric. Based on the customer survey we conducted last month, we identified three major concerns: delivery speed, product variety, and after-sales service.” She clicked to the next slide, which showed a pie chart.

“To address these, our team collaborated with the logistics division to increase delivery speed by 20%, launched two new product variants last week, and trained our customer service reps with improved protocols.”

The client—Mr. Willie—nodded and smiled approvingly.

“Very clear. I appreciate the detailed response. It shows strong awareness and adaptability,” he said.

Jeslyn offered a modest nod and handed the remote back to Edric before returning to her seat.

***