Broken Trust

The days slipped by, and somewhere between the long nights and shared silences, something inside Seraphine began to shift.

It was subtle, like how she no longer glared when Quinn gave her instructions. How she stayed a little longer after office hours just to help her finalize presentations. How her sharp tongue softened when she spoke about her dreams for the company.

She wasn’t the arrogant girl she remembered from university. That girl was impulsive, bitter, hungry to prove herself.

This Quinn was different.

Confident, yes. But also patient. Driven. Kind in small, quiet ways.

One evening, Quinn returned from a client meeting, soaked from unexpected rain. Seraphine met her at the door with a dry towel and a mug of hot tea.

She looked at Seraphine, puzzled. “Is this part of your assistant duties now?”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. I just don’t want water stains on the floor.”

She chuckled and took the towel, but before stepping into his office, she paused. “Thank you, Seraphine. Really.”

The sincerity in her voice caught Seraphine off guard.

Later that night, as she sat across from Quinn reviewing sales reports, Seraphine realized she wasn’t just respecting her now.

She was… noticing her.

The way her eyes crinkled when she laughed.

How Quinn voice dropped when she was serious.

The way she remembered Seraphine favorite kind of tea.

And worse, how her heart skipped when their hands brushed over the same paper.

It was terrifying.

The following afternoon, Quinn was called into a last-minute meeting across town. In her rush, she forgot her laptop charger and asked Seraphine to find it in her office and send it through Jason.

She’d never snooped around before, but the drawer didn’t seem locked. She opened it to search quickly.

But instead of a charger, she found something else.

A file folder, thick, old, and labeled with one word in bold letters:

"MIRA."

She froze.

Mira was her younger sister.

A sister she hadn’t spoken to in three years.

Hands trembling, Seraphine opened the folder.

Inside were hospital records, photos… and an old student file from their university.

Her heart stopped.

It was Mira’s withdrawal form with a note scribbled at the bottom.

"Filed by Q. Alveron."

Quinn.

A deep chill ran through her. She flipped through more documents, therapy notes, letters to the dean, even a police report.

The name Quinn appeared again and again.

She had been involved in Mira’s case. She’d filed the official report that led to her expulsion. Her disappearance from school. Her breakdown.

Seraphine’s breath caught in her throat.

She remembered that year vividly... Mira spiraling after being accused of cheating on a thesis project. Accused by someone anonymous.

Accusations that led to her public disgrace.

To her hospitalization.

To her leaving the country.

Seraphine had always believed the system failed her sister. She never knew who started it.

Now she did.

Quinn.

The woman she had just started to trust.

The woman she had started... God help her to fall for.

That night, she didn’t sleep.

Her thoughts were a tornado, ripping through everything.

Had she known who Mira was?

Did she recognize her all this time?

Was this some sick joke? Revenge? Or something else entirely?

By morning, Seraphine was a storm in heels.

She marched into the office early, slammed the door to Quinn’s office behind her, and threw the file on her desk.

She looked up, startled. “Seraphine...”

“You knew,” she hissed. “You knew about Mira. And you didn’t say a word.”

She stared at the file. Then slowly nodded.

“I didn’t know at first,” she said. “Not until your first week here. I found her photo again while cleaning out old reports. And I realized.”

“You filed the report against her,” she snapped. “You got her expelled. She almost... she almost died because of what happened. Do you know that?”

Her expression darkened with guilt. “I didn’t know it would go that far. I was just a student rep. I didn’t even write the accusation. I was pressured into filing the paperwork. I didn’t know she was your sister until much later.”

Seraphine’s voice cracked. “And you didn’t think to tell me?”

“I was ashamed,” she admitted. “And afraid. Afraid you’d hate me. Afraid it would ruin everything we were starting to rebuild.”

Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall.

“It has ruined everything,” she whispered. “I was starting to trust you. I...”

She stopped herself before the word love escaped her lips.

She stepped forward. “Seraphine, I never wanted to hurt her. Or you. I tried to reach out to her. She never answered. I made mistakes, yes but... I’ve changed. You’ve seen it.”

She shook her head. “You’re still the same girl who ruined my sister’s life.”

“No,” she said, voice firm. “I’m not. And if you give me a chance, I’ll prove it.”

For a long moment, she just stood there.

Then, without a word, she turned and walked out of Quinn's office.

The door clicked shut behind her.

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