episode 3: behind the glass

Sean sat behind the polished oak desk, the afternoon sun catching the edges of his perfectly stacked files. His office was quiet, except for the hum of the city outside and the soft tapping of his fingers on the desktop. Deals, contracts, meetings—this was his world. Controlled. Precise. Predictable.

Yet, despite the routine, his mind kept drifting back to the café. The girl with the bright eyes, the restless energy, the impossible combination of youth and curiosity. Alicia Moreau. He had barely spoken to her, and yet…

He shook his head, trying to focus on the quarterly report in front of him, but the numbers blurred. She was too different from anyone he usually encountered. Too real. Too alive.

A soft sigh escaped him, unheard over the city noise. Time may have paused for her, but in his office, the world never stopped.

Then his assistant knocked softly. “Mr. Carter… there’s someone here to see you. She said it’s urgent.”

Sean raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

The assistant hesitated. “A student she come for an interview … she said her name is Alicia Moreau.”

He let out an annoyed sigh" she can come in"

Alicia stepped into the sleek office, her palms slightly sweaty, heart hammering. The sunlight reflected off the glass walls, turning the room into a glittering maze of authority and expectation. She had come for an interview—a personal assistant position—but standing here, facing Sean Carter, her nerves threatened to betray her.

Sean looked up from his desk, eyebrows lifting as he recognized her. The girl from the café—the one who had lingered in his mind longer than he cared to admit—was here, poised yet trembling with visible nerves.

“Ms. Moreau,” he said, voice calm, smooth, and faintly amused. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I… applied for the assistant position,” Alicia replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “I got your email.”

He gestured to the chair across from him. “Have a seat. Let’s see if you’re as capable as you are… memorable.”

As she lowered herself into the chair, avoiding his gaze, Sean couldn’t help but notice the slight quiver in her fingers, the way her eyes darted around the room, the nervous bite of her lip. He smiled inwardly, savoring the innocence and charm she carried unknowingly she looks like a little lamb afraid to be devoured by a lion.

A moment ago at the café she wasn't like this, she was acting all brave and playful, a part of him doesn't like the scared little bunny in front of him, but why doesn't he want her to be afraid of him?

Something unspoken passed between them—a spark of curiosity, a hint of amusement, and a tension neither dared name. Today, she wasn’t just a girl from a café; she was in his world, and Sean already knew it was going to be far more complicated than either of them expected a part of him scared of what destiny is cooking.

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