chapter 4: After Hours

The office was eerily quiet as I organized the last batch of files on my desk. Everyone else had left hours ago, leaving just me and Mr. Rodriguez-Alex-on the entire floor. My hands trembled slightly as I gathered the quarterly reports he’d asked me to review. Even the cleaning staff had finished their rounds, leaving behind the faint scent of lemon polish that did nothing to calm my nerves.

The wall clock read 9:45 PM. Through the glass walls of his office, I could see him focused on his laptop screen, his jaw tense in concentration. The warm glow of his desk lamp cast shadows that accentuated his sharp features. I caught myself staring at the way his sleeve was rolled up to his elbow, revealing tanned forearms as he typed.

“Sonia?” His voice carried through the intercom. “Could you bring those reports in now?”

I took a deep breath, smoothing down my pencil skirt. “Coming, Mr. Alex Rodriguez.”

The moment I stepped into his office, the air felt different—charged somehow. He looked up, and the intensity in his dark eyes made my heart skip. The city lights of Manhattan sparkled behind him like a constellation of earthbound stars.

“Please, I think we’re well past ‘Mr. Rodriguez’ at this point.” He gestured to the chair across from his desk. “Especially at this hour.”

I settled into the leather chair, painfully aware of how alone we were. The usual sounds of ringing phones and clicking heels had been replaced by a heavy silence. “Here are the reports you wanted, Alex.” His name felt intimate on my tongue.

“Thank you.” Our fingers brushed as he took the files, and I swore I felt a spark. “You didn’t have to stay this late.”

“You said it was urgent.”

“It is.” He stood up, walking around to lean against the front of his desk, much closer to me now. “But that’s not the only reason I asked you to stay.”

My pulse quickened. “Oh?”

“I’ve noticed something, Sonia.”

His voice was soft but certain. “The way you avoid being alone with me. The way you leave rooms when I enter them. Are you afraid of me?”

“No!” The word came out too quickly. I forced myself to meet his gaze. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Then what are you afraid of?”

The question hung in the air between us. I gripped the armrests of my chair, trying to anchor myself. Outside, a distant siren wailed, the sound muffled by the thick windows. “This isn’t… appropriate.”

“What isn’t? Having an honest conversation with someone you work with?”

“You know that’s not what this is.”

He ran a hand through his dark hair, and I caught myself following the movement. “Then tell me what this is, Sonia. Because I’m finding it increasingly difficult to focus when you’re around.”

My chest tightened. “Alex, I—”

“Do you know what I thought when you walked into that board meeting last week? Wearing that blue dress that matches your eyes?” He took a step closer. “I couldn’t remember a single word of my presentation. Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

“We can’t,” I whispered, even as my body betrayed me by leaning slightly toward him. “You’re my boss.”

“Is that the only reason?”

The question hit too close to home. Of course, it wasn’t the only reason. There was my messy past, my fear of opening up again, the walls I’d built so carefully.

“I should go.” I stood up abruptly, but he caught my wrist gently.

“Sonia, wait.” His touch sent shivers up my arm. “I know you feel this, too. I see it in the way you look at me when you think I’m not watching. In the way you bite your lip when you’re nervous, like you’re doing right now.”

My breath caught in my throat.

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“But I want to.” His thumb traced small circles on my wrist. “Let me know you, Sonia. All of you—not just the perfectly professional assistant who never puts a toe out of line.”

For a moment, I let myself imagine it. Let myself feel the full force of what had been building between us for months. His proximity was intoxicating, and I could smell his cologne—something expensive and subtle that made me want to lean in closer.

The city lights twinkled beyond his office windows, creating an almost dreamlike atmosphere. It would be so easy to give in to let down my guard just this once. To forget about all the reasons this was a terrible idea.

“Alex…” My voice was barely audible. “We both know this could ruin everything.”

“Or it could be everything.” He stepped closer, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from his body. “Sometimes the biggest risks bring the greatest rewards.”

Instead of responding, I pulled my hand away. “We have to maintain professional boundaries.” My voice shook slightly. “Whatever this is… we can’t.”

“Can’t?” He stepped back, but his eyes never left mine. “Or won’t?”

Before I could answer, his phone buzzed loudly on the desk. The spell broke, and reality came rushing back. He glanced at the screen, his expression darkening.

“We’ll have to continue this discussion another time,” he said, his tone shifting to something more urgent. “There’s an emergency with the Shanghai merger.”

I nodded, grateful for the interruption yet somehow disappointed. As I turned to leave, he called out one last time.

“Sonia?”

I paused at the doorway, not turning around. “Yes?”

“This conversation isn’t over. And sooner or later, you’re going to have to stop running.”

My heart raced as I walked back to my desk, gathering my things with trembling hands. I could still feel the ghost of his touch on my wrist, still smell his cologne.

As the elevator doors began to close, my phone buzzed in my hand. I glanced down,expecting a late-night email only to see a message from an unknown number.

You can try to fight it, Sonia. But secrets have a way of coming out. And yours?

They won't stay buried for long.

The elevator doors slide shut, trapping me in silence suddenly too heavy .

I wasn't just fighting my feelings for Alex.

I was running from something far more dangerous.