I wake up in a way i hate slow, heavy, and too aware of my own thoughts.
Morning sunlight crawls across my ceiling, warm and soft, but my chest feels tight.
Last night won't leave me alone.
The sound i made.
The way my voice shook.
And the feeling...no, the certainty that Cyrus had been standing on the other side of my door, silent, listening, just… there.
Watching over me.
My stomach does a flip she refuses to name.
I push out of bed and get ready, muttering every few seconds like a person desperately trying to regain control:
"I don't like him."
"I don't."
"I definitely don't."
My reflection raises a judgmental eyebrow.
"Whatever," i tells herself.
I get dressed, pull my hair back, and grab my phone. A notification pulses on the screen:
BREAKFAST WITH CYRUS 8:00 AM
Oh, fantastic. A scheduled emotional crisis.
I walk down the hall slowly slow enough that my brain has time to overthink, sprint laps, and scream at the same time.
The dining room door is open a crack, and i see him before he sees me.
Cyrus.
Standing near the table.
Shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms.
Tie loose.
Hair slightly mussed, like he didn't sleep either.
My lungs forget their basic job.
He turns.
And the moment his eyes land on me, his expression softens in a way that absolutely should not make my knees feel like pudding.
"Sienna," he says quietly.
He always calls my name that way.
"Morning," i replies, except my voice cracks like a teenager seeing their crush, and i want to evaporate.
He walks toward her slow, deliberate, like he's giving her space but is still somehow drawn to her. He pulls out my chair.
I sit.
He sits beside me. Beside, it's not across like he wants to be close.
Close feels dangerous.
We begin eating, and silence stretches between us, but just like last night, it's not cold. It's warm. Charged. Thin as glass and twice as fragile.
After a moment, Cyrus speaks.
"You didn't sleep much."
I jump slightly. "How would you know?"
His eyes flick away for a heartbeat. A tell.
A confession without words.
He was outside her door.
My breath catches, and when i speak again, my voice is gentler.
"Did you… need something?"
Cyrus shifts. His jaw tightens not with irritation but with something far more human.
"I was checking on you," he says.
My heart kicks against my ribs.
"Oh."
"If that made you uncomfortable, I apologize."
The fact that he's apologizing Cyrus apologizing is almost more shocking than his presence outside her door.
I should tell him it was inappropriate.
That he doesn't need to watch her.
That i can handle myself.
Instead, i whisper, "I didn't mind."
His head turns instantly.
His eyes sharpen.
Something unspoken sparks to life between them.
"Sienna…" he murmurs her name more breath than sound.
My finger tightened around my fork.
If he keeps looking at her like that, I'm going to melt into the floor.
"You were upset," he says softly. "I could hear it."
The admission makes my throat close.
"I was… thinking too much," i admit.
"You don't have to do that alone."
My pulse stutters.
I opened my mouth before i even knew what i intended to say. But, the door to the dining room bursts open.
Damien storms in, pale and tense.
"Sir. Mrs Vale."
Cyrus rises before the sentence even finishes, a steel wall replacing the softness in his face.
"What happened?" His voice is a blade.
Damien hands him a tablet.
Cyrus scans the screen, and his expression darkens so viciously that the lights could flicker.
I stand too, heart racing.
"What is it?"
Damien looks at me, choosing his words carefully.
"it's Kai he has been trying to find out where Mrs Vale is. Right now, Sienna's parents are trying to take over her company."
The floor drops out from beneath her.
They didn't even bother to find out what happened to me well. What was I expecting.
Cyrus's voice becomes ice.
"I see"
Damien exhales.
He steps closer to me, his shoulder brushing mine, body angled protectively, like instinct is stronger than logic.
His voice, when he speaks, is low and lethal.
"Its okay."
I should argue.
Tell him I'm fine.
But i can still feel last night's presence.
The air that felt warm, like someone had just been standing outside my room.
The breath i thought she imagined.
And I'm suddenly, painfully grateful that Cyrus had been there even if he didn't knock.
"…Okay," she whispers.
Cyrus releases a breath he didn't realize he was holding quiet, shaky, betraying more emotion than he would ever intentionally show.
Damien continues, "There's something else."
"What?" Cyrus snaps.
Damien taps the tablet.
"A threat. From Kai"
My stomach twists.
"What did it say?" i ask.
Damien answers slowly.
"She can't hide from me."
A chill runs down my spine so violently i nearly step backwards.
But Cyrus's hand catches my wrist.
Firm. Steady. Anchor-like.
His voice is barely controlled:
"Deal with that bastard"
Damien nods and leaves immediately.
I stare at Cyrus's hand, holding mine.
Strong. Protective. Warm.
I whispers, "Cyrus…"
He doesn't let go.
"No one will touch you," he says, voice barely above a whisper, "and walk away unscathed. I promise you that."
My heart flips.
And for the first time, i didn't fight the feeling.
Not even a little.