Chapter 5: First Hurt

Remember: this just a fictional story, the place, time, person, and place are not true....enjoy reading

[Mark Pov]

The morning started like any other. I was eager to review the latest campaign updates with Vince, hoping that today, maybe, I could catch a glimpse of the soft side behind his icy facade.

But fate…or perhaps Vince himself…had other plans.

I approached his office with the folder in hand, prepared to discuss the project. When I knocked lightly and entered, the room felt unusually tense. Vince was standing by the window, arms crossed, staring out at the city. His jaw was tight.

“Good morning, I have the reports ready for you.” I said cautiously.

He didn’t look at me. “Leave them on the desk.”

I frowned. Something was off. His tone wasn’t cold it was sharper, clipped, almost…angry.

“Sir?” I asked. “Did I do something wrong?”

He finally turned, his eyes locking onto mine, and I felt a chill crawl up my spine. “You’ve done enough, Mark. Step back.”

“Step back?” My voice cracked slightly. “What do you mean? I’m just trying to”

“I said step back!” His voice raised, reverberating in the office. Papers trembled on the desk. His face was a mask of frustration, but behind it…something else flickered, something I couldn’t read.

I blinked. “I…don’t understand. Did I offend you?”

He shook his head sharply. “It’s not about offense. It’s about…this.” He gestured vaguely at the air between us. “I can’t… I can’t let anyone get close.”

My heart stopped. His words…they hurt. But worse, the tone so final, so guarded it felt like rejection.

“I…what?” I whispered, feeling my chest tighten.

“You heard me,” he said, softer now, almost inaudible. “I said I can’t. Not you. Not anyone. Leave me alone, Mark. Please.”

I staggered back slightly, the folder dropping to the floor with a soft thud.

“I…okay,” I whispered, but my voice was thick with pain. My hands trembled. “If that’s what you want…”

He looked away immediately, silent. I swallowed hard, the sting of rejection burning.

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[*Vince P**ov*]

I watched him. Bright, energetic, so full of life…so vulnerable. My chest tightened in a way I hated.

I couldn’t let him see the storm inside me. I couldn’t.

If I let Mark get close, I risked everything. The heartbreak, the pain, the memories I had worked so hard to bury. Love was dangerous. He would be hurt. I would be hurt.

And I couldn’t…not again.

So I pushed him away. Cold, sharp, distant.

“I can’t, Stay away. Don’t try to understand. Don’t try to reach me.” I said again, more gently now, but firm.

And just like that, I turned my back, retreating behind the walls I had spent years building.

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[Mark Pov]

I left the office without another word. My chest ached. My hands shook.

I tried to reason with myself: maybe he was stressed. Maybe it wasn’t personal. But deep down, I knew the truth he didn’t want me close. He didn’t want anyone close. But the way he had said it…so final, so cold…hurt more than I could bear.

All the small moments we had shared the first meeting, the late night discussions, the subtle glances they suddenly felt meaningless.

And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to stop caring.

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[Lia Pov]

I noticed Mark’s face when he came down for lunch—pale, tense, eyes avoiding everyone.

“Mark!, Hey…what happened? You look…off.” I called softly.

He forced a smile, weak and strained. “Nothing. Just…a rough morning.”

I frowned. I knew better. Vince Mondragon rarely interacted emotionally with anyone. And the way Mark looked…he’d been hurt. Deeply.

I decided to let him talk when he was ready, but I knew one thing: this was far from over. The tension between them…was building, ready to explode.

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[Vince Pov]

I couldn’t sit still. My office was suffocating. I had done it I had pushed him away, protected myself, and yet…why did my chest feel so heavy?

Mark Denoso had a way of burrowing into your mind. Into your thoughts. Even now, even when I forced myself to retreat, his smile, his laugh, his insistence on caring they haunted me.

I hated it. I hated him. And yet…part of me wanted to reach for him. To apologize. To explain. But I couldn’t.

I wouldn’t.

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[Mark Pov]

I wandered the halls, avoiding Vince’s office. Every time I passed it, a strange pull drew me in. But I couldn’t. Not after his words.

My hands fidgeted with the folder he had rejected. My chest felt tight, and my thoughts spiraled. Did I misread him? Was I foolish to think…he could ever care for someone?

And yet…even in the pain, a stubborn part of me refused to give up. Because even if he didn’t want me, I wanted him.

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[Lara Pov]

Watching from across the floor, I noticed the tension like a storm about to break. Vince Mondragon, usually untouchable, had done the unthinkable he had let his walls slip just enough to…hurt someone.

Mark’s reaction was subtle but unmistakable pain, confusion, longing.

This…this was going to get interesting. And messy.

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[Vince Pov] (Night)

The office was silent now. The city outside glittered, indifferent to the storm inside my chest.

I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes. Mark…he had come into my life like a wildfire, bright, unrelenting, dangerous. And today, I had pushed him away.

For his own good.

...But the truth was I hadn’t protected him. I had protected myself. And that realization…hurt more than anything....

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[*Mark P**ov*](Night)

I sat in my apartment, the folder unopened beside me. My thoughts kept drifting to Vince. His sharp words, his cold dismissal, the way he had pushed me away.

I wanted to hate him. I tried. I told myself he didn’t care. But even in the pain, I felt it my heart refusing to let go.

Somewhere deep down, I knew this was only the beginning.

Because hearts as cold as Vince Mondragon’s…sometimes broke in ways that made them ache the most.

...-------End of Chapter 5--------...

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