CH 9

HER POV~

NEXT MORNING

I wasn’t nervous. Not exactly.

But as I stepped into the office, coffee in hand, I couldn’t shake off the tension from last night. I had said something I shouldn’t have, and judging by the way Lucian had shut down after that, I knew I had hit a nerve.

Still, an apology wouldn’t kill me.

I walked straight to his office, knocking twice before stepping in. Lucian was already at his desk, buried in files, as if the world outside didn’t exist.

"Morning," I said, placing his coffee down.

He didn’t even look up. "Did I ask for that?"

I rolled my eyes. "No. But I’m being nice, so just take it."

Silence.

I sighed, shifting on my feet. "Look, about last night—"

"Drop it," he cut in, flipping a page without a glance.

I bit my lip. Yeah, no, that wasn’t happening.

"I shouldn’t have brought up your ex-wife like that," I continued anyway. "It was out of line. I was just—"

"Busy running your mouth?" He finally looked at me, his eyes cold and unreadable. "I’m aware."

Ouch.

I forced a tight smile. "I was going to say I was just being an idiot, but sure, let’s go with that."

Lucian leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Are you done?"

"Nope." I grabbed the edge of his desk, leaning slightly forward. "Because I actually mean it. I’m sorry."

He stared at me for a second before shaking his head. "I don’t need your apologies, Eleanor. I need you to do your job."

I groaned. "Wow, you really have perfected the art of deflection, haven’t you?"

Lucian ignored me, reaching for another file.

Fine. If he wanted to act like this, then so be it.

I straightened up, grabbing my own stack of documents. "You know, it wouldn’t kill you to accept an apology like a normal person."

"Good thing I’m not normal," he muttered.

I scoffed. "Yeah, no kidding."

With that, I turned on my heel and walked out.

AT LUNCHTIME

At lunchtime, instead of heading to the cafeteria, I marched straight to his office.

His male secretary barely had time to react before I pushed open the door.

Yes he has two secretaries because he refused to fire his previous one.

Well he left after seeing me.

Lucian was seated at his desk, flipping through documents, his expression set in its usual cold indifference.

He glanced up, eyes narrowing. "I don’t recall inviting you in."

I shut the door behind me. "Yeah, well, I don’t recall asking for permission."

His jaw tightened. "Eleanor—"

"I’m not here to waste your time," I cut in, stepping forward. "I’m here because I need you to listen."

Lucian exhaled sharply, dropping his pen on the desk. "I told you to drop it."

"And I told you I won’t." I crossed my arms. "Why is it so hard for you to just accept an apology?"

"Because it doesn’t change anything," he snapped, standing up.

His sudden movement startled me, but I held my ground.

"It doesn’t erase what you said," he continued, his voice cold, controlled. "It doesn’t take back the fact that you threw something in my face that you had no right to touch."

"I know that," I argued. "But I didn’t mean it the way it came out. I—"

"You what?" He let out a bitter laugh. "You were just joking? Just messing around, like you always do?"

I swallowed, suddenly feeling small under his piercing gaze. "I didn’t mean to hurt you."

"You didn’t hurt me," he shot back instantly, but the way his hands clenched into fists told another story.

I let out a frustrated sigh. "Then why are you so angry?"

Lucian turned away, running a hand through his hair. "Because I don’t need you digging into my past, Eleanor. I don’t need you poking at wounds that aren’t yours to touch."

I blinked, taken aback. "I wasn’t trying to poke at anything—"

"Then what were you trying to do?" He whirled around to face me again. "Tell me, Eleanor, why do you care so damn much?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it.

Why did I care?

I shouldn’t. Not really.

But I did.

I cared that he was so closed off, that he carried this much anger and refused to let anyone in. I cared that, despite all his harsh words and cold demeanor, there was something beneath it all—something broken.

But I couldn’t say that.

Not now.

So instead, I lifted my chin and said, "Because you may be my boss, but you’re also human. And whether you like it or not, I care about people."

Lucian stared at me, his expression unreadable.

Then, after what felt like an eternity, he scoffed. "You shouldn’t."

With that, he grabbed his coat and strode past me, brushing against my shoulder as he left the office.

Leaving me standing there, heart pounding, with no idea what had just happened.

AUTHOR'S POV~

Lucian didn’t stop walking until he was out of the office, his fists clenched at his sides. His entire body was rigid, his jaw tight enough to crack. Eleanor had no idea what she was doing—what she was provoking.

"Whether you like it or not, I care about people."

Her words replayed in his mind, over and over, like a sick joke.

Care?

He scoffed bitterly.

He had seen what so-called care led to—lies, betrayal, and an exit door slammed in his face. People swore they cared until things got difficult. Then they left.

Just like she had.

Eleanor was no different.

She was just another naive woman who thought she could fix something that wasn’t broken—who thought she could reach a part of him that no longer existed.

He should have shut her down the moment she stepped into his life. Should have never let her get comfortable enough to think she could talk to him like that.

This was exactly why he kept people at a distance.

Eleanor was a mistake. A distraction.

And if she didn’t get that now, he’d make her understand.

IN THE EVENING

The sun had started to set, casting an amber glow over the towering skyline as Eleanor stepped out of the office building. The day had dragged on, heavy and tense, after the heated argument with Lucian.

She wasn’t the type to back down, but something about the way he had looked at her today—like she was nothing but an inconvenience, a mistake—left an ache in her chest that she couldn’t shake off.

Fine. If he wanted to act like she didn’t matter, so be it.

Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag as she walked toward the waiting car. She had no idea how much longer she could tolerate this, working for a man who seemed hell-bent on shutting her out at every turn.

Just as she reached for the car door, her phone buzzed in her hand.

A message.

From him.

Lucian: Come to the penthouse. Now.

Her brows furrowed.

What now?

She sighed, debating whether to just ignore him. After everything today, she wasn’t sure she was in the mood for another round of verbal sparring.

But… this was different.

He had never asked her to come to his penthouse before.

And despite every rational part of her telling her to leave it alone, she knew she wouldn’t.

Because no matter how much she fought it, she wanted to know what was going on in that infuriating mind of his.

Taking a deep breath, she slid into the car and told the driver her destination.