The office felt colder than it usually did that afternoon, the hum of computers and quiet typing hanging in the air like background music. Lia had expected Leo to act as he normally did: aloof, with his icy walls in place. She hadn't expected this.
A knock on her cubicle wall startled her.
"Carter," Leo's voice called softly.
She looked up, surprised to find him leaning slightly against the frame of her workspace, arms crossed but a faint softness in his sharp eyes.
"I thought you might need this," he said, holding a small cup of coffee, still steaming.
Lia blinked. "For me?"
He nodded, his expression unreadable but sincere. "You've been working nonstop. And… for someone new, you've handled pressure better than most of my staff."
Her fingers brushed the cup as she took it, the warmth seeping into her hands and, somehow, her chest. "Thank you," she said quietly, unsure how to respond to this unexpected gesture.
Leo leaned against the cubicle frame, watching her. "I know the rules I set are strict," he said, "but that doesn't mean I don't notice effort… or talent."
Lia felt a flutter of something she couldn't name—pride? relief? or the dangerous pull of something more personal.
"You don't have to say this," she whispered, almost afraid to let herself feel it.
"I know," he said, turning to leave. But then, he paused, his gaze lingering on her. "Just… keep doing what you're doing. That's all I ask—for now."
When the door clicked shut behind him, Lia stared at the coffee cup in her hands, heart racing.
Unexpected kindness.
From Leo Grant.
A man she was supposed to keep at arm's length.
And yet, somehow, she realized keeping her distance was getting more difficult with each passing day.