“I… I’m sorry,” she said quickly, standing abruptly and wiping her cheeks. “I’m fine. I’m okay. I’m-“
“You don’t look okay,” James said, voice neutral but quiet.
“I didn’t mean to-” Her words stumbled. “It’s just been a long week. I’m sorry, sir.”
She tried to straighten her blouse, her pride clashing with the tears. “I’ll be fine. I didn’t mean to make a scene.”
James looked at her, and for a moment, the stern assistant seemed to soften. “You didn’t make a scene.”
Maya managed a weak smile. “Thank you.”
James gave a single nod. “Take care of yourself, Ms. Thompson.”
And then he walked away.
Across the room, Paul watched it all unfold-watched her crumble, and knew he had no right to walk over now.
Not when his gesture-meant to be kind-had humiliated her.
Not when she looked like the world had just caved in.
He sank back into his chair, jaw tight with regret.
He’d wanted to make her smile.
Instead, he made her cry.
Back in the Executive Office
Damien was standing by the window when James returned.
“The file’s signed,” James reported, placing it on the desk. “Trina has it.”
Damien gave a terse nod.
James paused at the door.
“Oh,” he said casually, though the weight behind his words was anything but. “I also saw Ms. Thompson.”
That name-spoken aloud-was like a pin dropped in a silent room.
Damien didn’t turn. But his voice was colder. Sharper.
“What about her?”
James’s gaze flicked to the skyline before answering. “She was… upset. Alone. Near the recycle bin. Looked like she’d just thrown out the flowers. She was crying.”
A beat of silence stretched between them.
Damien didn’t ask for more. Didn’t react.
But James noticed the subtle shift-the way Damien’s hand, resting at his side, slowly curled into a fist.
Not rage.
Something quieter.
More dangerous.
James waited, as always, for the command.
But none came.
Only silence. And the city-cold, glittering-stretching out like a cage. But all he could see was her face.
“Keep an eye on her.”
Just that.
No explanation.
And James, as always, understood exactly what it meant.
Damien’s POV
The door clicked shut behind James, but the silence he left behind was anything but peaceful.
Damien stood unmoving at the window, hands tucked in the pockets of his tailored slacks, eyes locked on the city that sprawled beneath him like a kingdom he no longer recognized.
“She was crying.”
The words rang in his head louder than they should have. Sharper. Unwelcome.
He hadn’t asked for details. He didn’t need to.
He could already picture it-Maya curled beside the window, small and vulnerable, trying to pretend she wasn’t breaking. Trying to stay invisible.
A bitter breath hissed between his teeth.
This is exactly why personal entanglements didn’t belong in business.
It was a distraction. A liability. A crack in the glass wall he had built around himself and this company. And still-
Still.
He could feel the memory of her the last time he passed the PR floor. The way she refused to meet his eyes. The barely contained storm behind her silence. The scent of those damn flowers.
Paul Sanders.
The name stuck in his mind like a splinter.
He’d seen the type before. Harmless, perhaps. Well-meaning. But blind to consequence. Sending anonymous flowers to an intern barely four days into the company? Stupid. Disruptive. Reckless.
And Maya had paid the price.
Damien walked back to his desk, jaw tight, and tapped a few keys on his sleek, minimalist keyboard. Her employee profile came up on screen in seconds.
INTERNAL EMPLOYEE FILE – BLACKWOOD ENTERPRISES
Name: Maya Serene Thompson
Age: 25
Position: Internship – PR Division
Type: OJT/Temporary Assignment
Supervisor: Trina Brooks
Direct Executive Contact: Elle Rochefort
Internship Duration: 6 Months
Requirements: Completed
Performance Notes: On time. Compliant. Observant. Overqualified
Overqualified?
He frowned slightly at the last note, left by Elle.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.