Lena walked into the gleaming lobby of Elliot Stone’s company, her nerves dancing in her chest. She had dreamed of working in this prestigious office, but the reality was much more intimidating than she had expected. She had hoped to meet a mentor—someone warm, approachable, perhaps even kind. But then, she saw him.
Elliot Stone stood at the head of the conference table, his dark eyes scanning through financial reports. His sharp features were unreadable, and the air around him felt icy—almost like he didn’t belong here, in the warm, bustling environment of the office. As their eyes met, Lena felt a shiver run down her spine. It wasn’t from fear but from something else—something inexplicable.
“Lena, isn’t it?” he said, his voice low, like the rumble of thunder before a storm. His eyes lingered on her for a fraction of a second too long. "I don’t have time for introductions. You’ll report directly to me. Keep it professional."
There was no smile, no attempt to ease the tension. Just a cold command.
“Understood,” Lena said, her voice steady, despite the flutter in her stomach. She wasn’t sure why, but she wanted to see past the mask he wore. To understand the man hidden beneath the icy facade.
The days that followed were filled with cold exchanges. Lena found herself running errands for Elliot, delivering reports, and trying to make herself useful, but his responses were always clipped. He never looked her in the eye for more than a second. He wasn’t rude, but there was an impenetrable wall between them.
At lunch, he ate alone in his office, never bothering to invite anyone to join him. Lena would sometimes see him through the glass windows, sitting in his chair, his jaw set, his brow furrowed. It was as if nothing and no one could reach him.
Still, Lena couldn’t shake the pull she felt toward him. There was something about the way he carried himself—something behind the coldness that intrigued her. And though it seemed impossible, she couldn’t stop trying to break through that wall.
One rainy evening, Lena found herself staying late at the office, the heavy sound of raindrops against the window the only noise in the otherwise silent room. She looked up from her desk to see Elliot standing in the doorway of her office, his dark suit soaked from the storm outside.
For a brief moment, he seemed out of place—like the cold man was out of his element in the warmth of the office.
“I forgot my umbrella,” he said, his voice more resigned than annoyed.
Lena stood up, her heart beating a little faster. Without thinking, she grabbed her own umbrella and held it out toward him. “Here,” she said softly, “You can use mine.”
Elliot hesitated, his eyes meeting hers in a brief moment of vulnerability. Then, he took the umbrella, his fingers brushing against hers in a fleeting touch.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice quieter now. His usual icy exterior was slipping, just slightly. “I’ll return it tomorrow.”
Lena smiled, but there was something more in the moment—a connection, however brief.
The next day, Lena found herself sitting in his office, organizing some files. She glanced up to find him staring out the window, his gaze distant, lost in thought. For the first time, she saw something other than coldness in his expression—there was something fragile, something human.
“You don’t have to keep all that to yourself, you know,” she said quietly, unsure of what made her speak the words. “Whatever it is… it doesn’t have to be handled alone.”
Elliot didn’t turn to face her right away, but she saw the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw clenched. Finally, he spoke, his voice quieter than usual. “It’s easier this way. People leave. Disappoint.”
Lena didn’t know how to respond, but something in her heart shifted. “Not everyone does,” she said, her voice gentle. “Sometimes, you just have to let them in.”
Elliot’s gaze flickered to her then, his expression unreadable. “I don’t let anyone in,” he said, his voice steady, though there was something almost apologetic in it.
The wall between them hadn’t crumbled, but for a moment, it had wavered.
