CHAPTER 5:

ELARA'S POV:

“What happened to you yesterday? Why were you absent?” Clarie asked while wiping down the counter.

Curiosity and concern were written all over her face.

“I almost got hit by a car,” I replied quietly as I cleaned one of the tables. “But I wasn’t actually struck. I was just taken to the hospital.”

Clarie immediately stopped what she was doing.

“What did you say? You almost got hit by a car?” her eyes widened. “Are you okay now? Did you get hurt?”

I smiled, trying to calm her down. “I’m fine. I don’t have any injuries. I was just really shocked by what happened.”

But deep inside, I knew I wasn’t completely fine.

Not because of the accident.

Because seeing Rhett again had only made everything worse.

Ever since that day, he had occupied even more space in my thoughts. And no matter how much I tried to ignore it, my heart seemed determined to make things complicated.

“Thank goodness,” Clarie said, folding her arms. “So who almost got hit by you?”

Heat immediately rushed to my face. I could practically feel it spreading from my neck all the way to my ears. I was probably turning as red as a tomato.

“It was... uhm... Sir Rhett,” I admitted, stumbling over the words as I covered my mouth with one hand, hoping Clarie wouldn’t notice the smile threatening to appear.

“Really?!” she almost shouted. “Seriously? Every time you two meet, something happens. Didn’t he get angry? I heard he’s really grumpy.”

“He just told me I should pay more attention to where I’m going,” I said. “Maybe he’s already getting annoyed with me. Every time we see each other, there’s always some kind of problem.”

Clarie shook her head.

“Well, that sounds like him. He really is grumpy,” then she smiled mischievously. “But I’ll admit, he’s handsome.”

“He is,” I murmured.

Very handsome.

“But intimidating.”

— — —

Customers came and went throughout the day.

The weather was bright and pleasant, giving me plenty of time to think while preparing orders.

For the hundredth time, my eyes dropped to the gold card Rhett had given me the day before. I had been staring at it since morning.

I planned to return it later. What was I supposed to do with it, anyway? He had already paid all of my hospital expenses. I hadn’t asked him to, but he had done it anyway.

The real problem was figuring out how I was supposed to get inside his company and hand the card back to him.

Rhett Alaric wasn’t someone I could casually approach.

I was an ordinary barista.

He was the CEO of a major construction firm.

“Whatever happens, happens,” I whispered to myself, nodding my head.

Still, the thought of seeing him again was enough to make my stomach twist. And, fine, maybe it also made me a little excited.

Just a little. Okay, I admit! A lot.

To keep myself from overthinking, I buried myself in work. I greeted customers, prepared orders, smiled even when I was already tired, and tried to push away every thought of what might happen later.

Because tonight, I was going to face the man who somehow had the power to make my heart race with one look.

By the time I noticed the light outside beginning to fade, the bright sky had already turned gray. 

I checked the clock. It's already seven in the evening.

“Bye, guys! See you tomorrow!” I called cheerfully.

“Take care, Elara!” my co-workers replied almost in unison.

The moment I stepped outside the café, the cool evening breeze brushed against my skin.

Rhett’s gold card was still in my hand.

“You can do this, Elara,” I whispered to myself. “He’s still just a person. The only difference is that he’s rich.”

Very rich, but still a person. At least, I hoped so.

— — —

The moment I arrived in front of Alaric Construction & Design, I almost wanted to back out.

The building was massive. Its exterior was made almost entirely of glass, and even at night, several floors were still brightly lit. The security guards looked formal and alert, the kind of men who made you feel as though one wrong step could get you escorted out.

“Good evening, Ma’am. Do you have an appointment?” one of the guards asked.

“Ah... no,” I replied nervously. “I just need to return something to Sir Rhett Alaric. Is he still here?”

The guard checked the logbook before reaching for his radio. “Wait a moment, Ma’am.”

He spoke into the walkie-talkie.

“Sir, there’s a woman here looking for you.”

Then he turned back to me. “What’s your name, Ma’am?”

“Elara Raenor,” I said. “Please tell him I’m the woman he took to the hospital.”

The guard nodded and relayed the message. “Elara Raenor, sir. She said you helped her at the hospital.”

A few seconds passed.

For some reason, the silence made time feel painfully slow.

Then the guard nodded. “You may go in, Ma’am. Seventh floor. Use the elevator on the right.”

“Thank you.”

I walked toward the elevator, painfully aware of the curious glances from a few employees nearby.

They were probably wondering who I was.

I ignored them.

The moment the elevator doors closed, I took a deep breath.

The numbers lit up one after another.

One.

Two.

Three.

With every floor, my heartbeat seemed to climb along with the elevator.

“It’s fine, Elara,” I whispered to myself. “You’re just going to talk to him for a minute, return the card, and leave.”

The elevator chimed. Finally, I’m on the seventh floor.

The entire floor was quiet.

Only a few lights were still on, and at the far end of the hallway stood a door bearing the name:

Rhett Alaric — CEO

I bit the tip of my finger, then forced myself to inhale deeply before knocking at the door.

“Come in.”

His deep voice came from inside.

Cold and controlled.

I slowly turned the doorknob. The moment I stepped inside, I stopped.

Rhett was seated in a swivel chair behind his desk, leaning over a stack of documents.

He wasn’t wearing his coat.

Instead, he had on a white dress shirt with the first button slightly undone. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and a pen rested between the fingers of his right hand.

Even without saying anything, he had a presence that filled the room.

Cold. Intimidating. Mysterious.

He lifted his eyes toward me. The full force of his gaze landed on me.

“What brought you here, Miss?” he asked, his brows slightly furrowed.

“I... I just wanted to return the card you gave me yesterday, sir. I don’t need it.” then I swallowed hard.

He leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. “What are you doing over there? Come here.”

My knees almost betrayed me. Still, I walked toward him.

Every step felt louder than it should have in the silence of his office, as though the entire room could hear how violently my heart was beating.

When I reached his desk, Rhett raised one hand.

He wanted the card. Then one eyebrow lifted, as though he was already running out of patience.

I quickly pulled the card from my pocket and placed it in his hand.

“Thank you, sir. And I’m sorry again for the trouble,” I said. “But technically, what happened wasn’t entirely my fault. Maybe you were driving a little too fast.”

Rhett blinked.

For the briefest moment, one corner of his mouth moved.

I couldn’t tell whether he was amused or annoyed.

“How can you say that?” he asked.

His tone remained cold, but there was the faintest hint of amusement beneath it.

“I already said what I wanted to say, sir.” I forced a smile even though my nerves were screaming. “But it’s fine. You don’t have to explain. It’s over now.”

Rhett stared at me. For a long moment, he said nothing. His eyes remained fixed on mine, as though he were trying to read something there.

I shifted uncomfortably.

Finally, he spoke. “You may go now.”

His voice was emotionless.

“I’m a busy person, and I don’t want to waste my time.”

The words hit harder than I expected. Something sharp seemed to prick my chest. I couldn’t tell whether it was embarrassment or disappointment.

Maybe both.

“Okay, sir. Sorry again.”

I turned away quickly and walked toward the door. 

The moment I stepped into the hallway, I closed it gently behind me and leaned against it.

My heart was still pounding.

“Okay, Elara,” I whispered. “You can breathe now.”

I tried to calm myself down but it didn’t work. No matter what I did, I couldn’t forget the coldness in Rhett’s voice.

Or the way he had looked at me.

As though there had been something he wanted to say, but chose not to. And for reasons I couldn’t understand, that only made me want to see him again.