🖤
Cassy told herself it was just a coincidence. The food. The note. The timing. All of it. Caleb Garcia didn't do "kindness." At least, that's what everyone said. So she treated it like nothing unusual. Even as she finished every bite of the sandwich he definitely didn't leave. Even as her heart disagreed.
—
By midday, the office was busier than usual. Investors were coming in. Assistants rushed through hallways. Phones rang nonstop.
And Cassy— She was at the center of it all.
"Miss Williams, Mr. Garcia needs the updated contract now!"
"I'm on it!" Cassy called back, already typing.
"Also, he wants the revised budget breakdown!"
"Already sent!"
Adrian passed by and whistled. "You're surviving better than I expected."
Cassy gave him a tired smile. "Barely surviving counts, right?"
"It counts," he laughed. "In this place, it definitely counts."
—
Meanwhile, inside his office, Caleb was reviewing the investor presentation. But his attention kept drifting. To the door. To the clock. To the fact that Cassy hadn't come in for the past fifteen minutes.
He frowned slightly. "Where is she?" he asked suddenly.
Adrian, standing nearby, blinked. "Who?"
Caleb's gaze sharpened. "…My secretary."
Adrian smirked knowingly. "She's organizing your meeting files in the conference room."
Caleb didn't respond. But he stood up anyway.
—
The conference room was quiet when he entered. Cassy was inside alone, arranging documents across the long glass table. Her hair was slightly messy from running around. Her sleeves were rolled up. Focused. Careful. Human.
She didn't notice him at first. "File A goes here… budget comparison there…" she murmured to herself.
Caleb stopped at the door. Watching. Something in his chest tightened. He didn't understand it. Didn't want to. But it was there.
—
"You're disorganized."
Cassy jolted slightly. She turned quickly. "Oh—Mr. Garcia." She straightened immediately. "I was just finishing up—"
"You should delegate," he interrupted.
Cassy blinked. "I can handle it."
"I didn't ask if you could," he said flatly. "I said you should delegate."
A pause. Then Cassy smiled softly. "I like doing things properly."
Caleb studied her. That sentence again. Properly. Like everything mattered. Like she mattered.
He stepped closer without realizing it. The distance between them shrank. Cassy noticed. Her heartbeat didn't stay still.
Neither did his gaze. "Why do you push yourself like this?" he asked suddenly. It wasn't cold this time. Not sharp. Just… quieter.
Cassy hesitated. Then answered honestly. "Because someone depends on me."
Caleb's expression shifted slightly. "Family?"
She nodded. "Yes." A small silence followed.
Then— "I see," he said. But he didn't step away. Neither did she.
The room suddenly felt smaller. Too quiet. Too close.
Cassy cleared her throat softly. "I should finish the rest of the files."
Caleb didn't move. "…Finish them," he finally said.
She nodded. But as she turned away— Her fingers brushed the edge of the table.
And his hand— Almost instinctively— Moved closer. Not touching. But close enough to feel. Too close for comfort.
—
Caleb noticed it first. He stepped back immediately. His expression hardened again. "Don't slow down the preparation," he said coldly.
Cassy blinked. "I won't." She went back to work.
And just like that— The moment disappeared. But not completely. Because something had already shifted. Something neither of them could name.
—
Later that night, Caleb stood alone in his office again. The city lights stretched endlessly outside the window. But his thoughts weren't there. They were with her. With the way she stood too close without fear. With the way she didn't flinch. With the way she stayed.
He exhaled slowly. "This shouldn't matter," he muttered.
But it already did.
And that was the problem.