Chapter Six

Julian 

The whispers started even before Julian reached his temporary office.

Two assistants near the coffee station at the executive office hallway stopped talking the moment they saw him. One gave him an awkward smile before turning away. The other pretended to be very focused on her phone. 

He hated being the recipient of such attention. This wasn’t how he planned the first weeks of his six months contract to go. 

Julian took a deep breath and kept his expression neutral as he walked down the hallway. 

This is only temporary and it will fizzle out

He let that sentence wash away his doubts and fear. He just hadn’t expected the news to travel this faster.

“Julian, Hi” Sarah from marketing caught up to him as he neared his office. She offered a smile. 

Sarah was nice, he returned a tired smile and asked “is it so bad”?

Sarah glanced around before leaning in. “People are talking. Some are saying you had a private meeting with Mr. Cross the night before you started. Others are saying it’s just professional. But the photos… They're everywhere online. You okay?”

Julian nodded, keeping his voice steady. “It was a work meeting. Nothing more. I’m just here to do the job I was hired for” He shrugged, smiling.

Sarah studied him for a second, then gave his arm a quick, sympathetic squeeze. “You seem like a good guy. Just… This is the first time we’ve had this sought of impending drama and  Mr. Cross doesn’t tolerate drama.”

I know,” Julian replied quietly. “Thanks, Sarah.”

He continued to his office and closed the door behind him, letting out a slow breath. The walls felt thinner today. The rumors were already taking on a life of their own. He sat down at his desk, opened his laptop, and tried to lose himself in the revisions Ethan had requested. The protagonist’s internal struggle stared back at him from the screen, a powerful man terrified of exposure.

Julian worked steadily for the next two hours, refining dialogue and deepening emotional beats. Every time he wrote about the man’s fear of losing control, his mind drifted to Ethan’s commanding expression from yesterday. The way he had shut down any mention of what was really happening between them. He kept trying to focus on what was on his desk, but his mind kept drifting.

He thought about his tiny apartment in Hell’s Kitchen. The stack of unpaid bills that had seemed overwhelming just over a week ago. The eviction notice that had just been recently taped to his door. This contract was his lifeline. He could not afford to let rumors or lingering attraction derail it.

A ping  from his phone brought back his senses.

Julian pulled it out. It was a text from Maya, he opened it and of course it was a tweet with photos attached to it from that night.

He sighed. This was gonna be a long day after all.

Maya: Shit. You good? This isn’t gonna be like bad bad  right? Just a little “misunderstanding”? 

Julian smiled despite himself.

Julian:  Nothing to worry about. Just focusing on the work. Talk later.

He spent the next few hours buried in the manuscript. Every time he read what had written  about the powerful man’s fear of exposure, he felt a strange sensation.

It felt familiar, he knew why though but he didn’t want it to be true so he shook the strange feeling and continued working.

Around noon, he stepped out to grab coffee from the break room. A few employees were gathered near the windows, talking in hushed voices. When they saw him, the conversation died instantly.

One of them — a young editor whose name he didn’t even know gave him a sympathetic look. “Hey, man. Ignore the noise. We all know how these things get twisted.”

Julian nodded gratefully. “Appreciate it.

Lunch was a quiet affair at his desk, a sandwich from the café downstairs and coffee. He texted Maya between bites.

Julian: Rumors are in full swing. Everyone’s polite but curious. Keeping my head down and working.

Maya: You’re handling this better than I would. Call me if you need to vent. Or if you need me to anonymously troll the gossip sites.

Julian smiled at his phone. Maya had been his anchor through every failed project and financial low. Having her in his corner made the chaos feel slightly more manageable.

He returned to his office with his coffee and tried to lose himself in the work again. But the weight of the situation pressed on him. He was not ashamed of that night.  It had been consensual, intense, and private. But now it was public property, and he was the new guy caught in the crosshairs of a powerful man’s carefully guarded image.

By late afternoon, Lena stopped by his office.

“Mr. Cross would like to see the latest revisions by five,” she said, her expression carefully neutral. “And… he asked that all future sessions be held during regular business hours for now unless a deadline requires otherwise.”

Julian nodded. “Understood. I’ll send them over shortly.”

After Lena left, Julian leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. The message was clearEthan was putting distance between them. Professional walls were going up higher than ever.  No more late nights that could be misinterpreted. This was good, he thought. 

He spent the rest of the afternoon polishing the revision making sure every line was as strong as he could make it. When he finally emailed them to Ethan at 4:50 p.m., he kept the note brief and professional: “Latest revisions attached. Let me know if you need any changes.”

As he left the building that evening, the cool Manhattan air felt refreshing. He took the long way home, walking through the bustling streets of Midtown before heading toward Hell’s Kitchen. He stopped at a small bookstore he liked and browsed the shelves for a while, letting the smell of paper and ink calm him. He bought a used copy of a short story collection and carried it home like a small act of defiance against the chaos.

Back in his apartment, Julian changed into comfortable clothes, heated up a simple dinner, and sat by the window with his new book. For a few precious hours, he let himself be just Julian, not the writer caught in scandal, not the man who had slept with his boss.

He read a few stories, jotted down a few notes in his new notebook about a half-formed idea for a future project, and even did a short workout in the limited space of his living room. Push-ups, planks, and stretches,  small rituals that reminded him he still had control over something.

When he finally climbed into bed around midnight, sleep did not come easily. He lay there staring at the ceiling, thinking. In this safe space, he allowed his thoughts to drift towards his boss. Ethan’s cold, fierce expression during their conversation the day before. The way he had shut down any mention of the tension between them. The way those gray eyes had lingered just a second too long on his mouth during their last session.

Julian turned onto his side, pulling the blanket higher.

He is your boss. Nothing more. Survive the six months. Move on with your life.

Yet even as he repeated the words like a mantra, a small, stubborn part of him knew the situation was already more complicated than that. The attraction was there, subtle, inconvenient, and... a small part of him wanted it to be mutual. Ignoring it would not make it disappear.

He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the sound of traffic outside his window.

Tomorrow was another day. Another chance to prove he could handle this.