The afternoon sunlight streamed through the office windows, casting golden light across the desk. I tried to focus on the reports in front of me, but every glance toward the door made my heart flutter.
Alexander had been unusually quiet today, observing from a distance, his expression unreadable. I couldn't tell if he was angry, bored, or… something else. Something that made my chest tighten.
When he finally approached, I nearly dropped my pen. He leaned against the edge of my desk, arms crossed, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
"You've been distracted all day, Emilia," he said.
I blinked, trying to hide my racing heart. "I… I have a lot to do," I stammered.
"Sure," he murmured, tilting his head. "A lot to do, and yet your thoughts keep drifting elsewhere. Care to share what—or who—is occupying them?"
I flushed. I knew he wasn't joking. That teasing tone, that sharp gaze… it was designed to pierce through every careful wall I'd built around my feelings.
Before I could answer, Lucas's voice echoed from the hallway. "Emilia, can I talk to you for a moment?"
I froze. Alexander's jaw tightened. He didn't move, but his presence felt like a shield, protective and territorial.
"I—I can't," I said quickly, trying to hide the way my heart pounded.
Alexander's smirk softened into something almost imperceptible. "Good. Stay here," he said quietly, and for a moment, the world seemed to shrink to just the two of us.
My breath caught. I wanted to protest, to step away, but I couldn't. The closeness, the unspoken tension, the warmth radiating from him—it was intoxicating.
Then he leaned just slightly closer, his voice low enough to brush my ear.
"I don't like anyone else near you, Emilia. Not even him."
Heat rushed to my cheeks. I wanted to laugh, deny it, or perhaps confess… but I swallowed the words. The line between contract and heart was blurring faster than I could control.
And I knew, without a doubt, that the next step in this contract marriage wasn't about rules anymore—it was about feelings neither of us were ready to admit.