She hadn't anticipated that the office would seem so strangely quiet that morning. People looked at her, some smiling, some whispering, but no one said anything directly to her. She shrugged it off—Grant Enterprises was always weird.
She had just sat down at her desk when, five minutes later, a small envelope appeared beside her keyboard.
No name. No handwriting.
Just a sleek black envelope.
Her heart skipped. She opened it gingerly.
Conference Room 14B.
10 minutes.
Leo?
Why would he—?
Before she was able to overthink, her phone buzzed with a calendar alert that she didn't remember setting.
MANDATORY BRIEFING – 14B – ATT
Her pulse quickened.
Lia walked down the hall, expecting spreadsheets, scolding, or some other onerous task.
She did not expect what she saw when she opened the door.
The lights were dimmed.
On the table sat a small cake: simple, elegant.
A single candle flickering.
And Leo Grant, standing beside it, hands in his pockets like he wasn't sure this was such a good idea.
Lia's eyes went wide with surprise as she blinked. "What… what is this?"
Leo cleared his throat. "It's your birthday, isn't it?"
"How did you know?"
"I make it my business to know everything about my employees," he said quickly—too quickly.
Then, softer: "Especially the important ones."
Her chest warmed.
"You didn't have to do this," she whispered.
"I know," he replied. "But I wanted to."
She stepped closer. Softly, the candlelight danced in his eyes, and for a moment, he seemed almost… gentle.
"Make a wish," he said.
Lia hesitated, having a thousand wishes, a thousand fears.
But when she blew out the candle, she knew exactly what she wanted—this really scared her. Leo's voice was low. "What did you wish for?" She met his gaze. "Something I shouldn't." His breath caught, barely, but she noticed. Unwanted feelings were becoming impossible to hide.