51. Space

Damien's povSeventeen days. Seventeen silent days.I stared at the screen in front of me again, but all I could think about was her. Then David, my colleague, leaned into my office."Damien, do you have the Q4 projections ready?"His tie was loose around his neck, looking as tired as I felt."Yeah," I said, glancing up from my laptop, "I'll send them over in an hour.""Perfect, thanks."He left, and I went back to staring at the screen, the numbers blurring together.Seventeen days.That's how long it's been since Elena left for her trip, since I laid everything out and watched her walk away anyway.Seventeen days of radio silence except for one text on New Year's Eve.Elena: Happy New Year.I'd stared at that message for twenty minutes, my fingers hovering over the keyboard, wanting to say so much more than what I finally typed back.Me: Happy New Year to you too.I sounded safe and distant, exactly what she probably wanted.But it was killing me.I wanted to ask if she was okay, if

Last Updated : 2026-02-11

52. Halfway

Elena's POV I barely remembered deciding to leave my office."Ms. Sterling, I could've gone to get that for you."Patricia's voice stopped me the second I stepped off the elevator, the files clutched tight against my chest.I looked up, forcing a smile."It's fine, I grabbed them myself."She nodded, glancing at the papers in my arms, and I could see the question forming in her eyes but she didn't ask.I walked past her quickly and into my office, closing the door behind me.I set the files down on my desk and sank into my chair, my hands shaking slightly now that I saw Damien.Patricia hadn't stepped out, she didn't leave the office at all.I lied.I went down there because I wanted to see him. I couldn't stand the thought of being in the same building and not knowing if he was okay.And then I ran into him, literally ran into him, and he just smiled at me, that small, restrained smile that didn't reach his eyes.“Welcome back”, he said.Then he walked away. Just like that, no ques

Last Updated : 2026-02-12

53. It's never too late

Elena's POV Maya's words had been stuck in my head for three days now, playing on repeat every time I tried to focus on anything else.It was Friday now and I sat at my desk, staring at my computer screen, the quarterly reports blurring together into meaningless numbers.My fingers drummed against the desk, restless, anxious.I couldn't stop thinking about Damien. I tried to focus on the report on my screen, but I failed every single time, before I finally gave up.I opened my email and started typing before I could talk myself out of it.To: Damien BlackwellSubject: (blank)Can you come up to my office when you have a moment?I read it three times, my cursor hovering over the send button. It was simple and professional, nothing that would make him think I was asking him up here for anything more than work.But we both knew better.I hit send before I could delete it. Five minutes passed. Nothing. Ten minutes. Still nothing. I refreshed my inbox twice, checked my spam folder even t

Last Updated : 2026-02-14

54. The offer

Elena’s POV "You got my email."The words came out breathless, and I hated how small my voice sounded.I stood up quickly, my chair rolling back and hitting the window behind me. The desk was between us, a barrier that suddenly felt both necessary and ridiculous.The building was empty now, I could feel it in the way the lights had dimmed automatically as people left for the day.Patricia was gone, her desk dark when I'd glanced out earlier.It was just us.Damien didn't say anything, he just watched me with that steady gaze that made my skin feel tight.I grabbed a file from my desk, flipping it open even though I had no idea what was in it."I actually wanted to talk to you about the quarterly probation updates," I said, my words coming out too fast, "The meeting today went well, we clarified the committee structure and..."I trailed off, realizing I was rambling."Legal signed off on everything," I continued anyway, "So I thought maybe you should review the governance framework si

Last Updated : 2026-02-24

55. I love you

Elena’s POV The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Damien.The morning light was streaming through my bedroom window, soft and golden, and he looked so peaceful lying there sleeping beside me.I'd been awake for twenty minutes now, maybe longer, I wasn't sure.I was just watching him, studying the way his chest rose and fell, the way his hair was messy against my pillow, the small scar on his jaw I'd forgotten about.My finger moved again, tracing down his jaw, across his bottom lip."You're staring."His voice was rough with sleep, his eyes still closed, and a small smile appeared on his lips.I froze, my finger hovering just above his cheekbone where I'd been tracing the line of his face."I wasn't," I lied.He opened one eye, looking at me."Yes, you were."I felt my cheeks flush, and I went to pull my hand away but he caught it gently, pressing a kiss to my palm."Good morning," he murmured."Good morning."He pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me, and I let myse

Last Updated : 2026-02-26

56. The park

Elena's POV I adjusted the strap of my dress for the third time and stared at my reflection in my mirror.It was 6 p.m., and I’d already spent the last two hours getting ready… changing outfits three times before settling on a simple black dress that hit just above my knees.My hair was down in soft waves, my makeup subtle but polished.I heaved in a breath trying to ignore the huge butterflies in my tummy.“This is ridiculous. It's just a date,” I whispered, smoothing down my dress.But tonight felt different for some reason. Like this wasn’t just a date, but a turning point.I heard a knock on my door, making my heart jump.I grabbed my purse, took one last look at myself in the mirror, and exhaled slowly.You can do this.I walked to the door and pulled it open.Damien stood there in a dark suit, no tie, the top button of his shirt undone just enough to make it unfair. In one hand, he held a bouquet of white roses.For a second, neither of us spoke.His eyes moved slowly over me,

Last Updated : 2026-02-27