The company floor was already buzzing when Rielle stepped out of the car. Her dark glasses were perched on her nose, with her hair tied in a knot that looked too careless to be unintentional.
Her headache still whispered behind her eyes. The warmth of the coffee Jace brought had long faded, but its presence lingered in her system. Her body moved on instinct now, and her red lips set in a faint line that dared anyone to look twice.
She didn't want to be here, but she came anyway. Telling Xander she wanted to end all of what she had always wanted for a simple life would be stupidity from her end.
The elevator opened directly to her floor, after she inserted her fingerprint. She stepped out, ignoring the junior associate who almost dropped his tablet bowing. The office always fell into an uneasy hush when she walked in. Like everyone was waiting to see who'd be the first to annoy her.
Her employees acted like they were walking around an egg shell around her. She walked past the receptionist's desk, barely slowing.
"Rielle."
She paused and caused under her breath when she recognised that voice. She escaped him last night, and hoped to do the same today.
Liam stood just by the conference door, holding a folder in one hand and a quiet restraint in his gaze. There was something unsure in the way he stood, like he wasn't sure if he had the right to speak to her at all.
Rielle turned slowly, brows raised, quite unreadable.
Liam stepped closer. "I noticed you weren't in your office earlier. I thought maybe—"
"I overslept."
The lie was clean.
He looked down at the folder. "I reviewed the Carrow report. There's a discrepancy in the—"
"I know," she said. "I left it there on purpose."
Liam paused. "Why?"
"To see if anyone would notice."
A heartbeat. 'So testing us if we'd notice who you are isn't enough. You decided to bring the game into your office,' he thought.
He didn't speak right away. She could tell he was studying her again. Like he was still trying to solve something no one had asked him to.
And then he did something strange. Liam lifted a hand. Not to touch her, but offering something.
He offered her a small white box.
Rielle blinked. "What's this?"
"Cookies," Liam said, barely meeting her eyes. "I... remembered you liked the ones from Marchesi. I passed by this morning."
She stared at the box. Then at him.
The world slowed for a second. Liam was definitely testing the waters hard, to see how long she'd remain standing before she confesses.
He didn't look confident. He looked like someone who didn't know if he was crossing a line. His voice held no flirtation. Just a quiet hope.
Rielle took the box. Those cookies were her favorite, when she was still Lina. She always came to the office every morning with a box.
So he noticed! She said nothing, and fixed a deep gaze at the box. She swallowed hard, wondering what would happen if she resists this temptation.
Jace cleared his throat. He was leaning against the far wall like a shadow that refused to disappear. His jacket was undone, his sleeves pushed up, with arms crossed as he watched the entire exchange unfold.
His jaw ticked once. Rielle didn't look at him. She barely stared away from the window all through the ride here.
Rielle walked into her office with the box in her hand and shut the door behind her. Her eyes burned, and she refused to let anyone see her that way.
Questions of what ifs began to swirl all over her head, as she wondered if she would have been happier, if only she fought beside Liam a little longer.
And Liam?
Liam stood frozen for a moment, his lips parted like he wanted to ask if he'd made a mistake.
He didn't go in. He turned away slowly, slipping the folder beneath his arm as if the entire moment meant nothing. But his knuckles were white around the spine.
Jace pushed off the wall.
The soft thud of his shoes echoed in the hall as he closed the space between them in a slow and measured manner. Not threatening. Not friendly either.
Liam didn't look surprised. He seemed like he had been waiting for this pest who followed her around to approach him one of these days.
"You're persistent," Jace said, voice mild. Almost amused.
He never liked Liam, but he never hated him either. They run around in the same business circle, so the feeling was mutual.
Liam looked up, his mouth curving into something between a smirk and a wince. "You'd know."
Jace studied him. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Liam shrugged. "My job."
Jace was 192 cm, and Liam was a few inches taller so he decided to use his height as an intimidation, by standing at full length.
Jace's eyes dropped to the box still cradled in Rielle's office, visible through the frosted glass. "That wasn't work."
Liam nodded, and replied in a voice smoothly laced with mockery. "You're right. It wasn't. It was memory."
Jace tilted his head. "So you know Rielle from somewhere else?"
Liam's eyes flicked to him. "I remember enough." He chuckled, wondering how the so-called fiancé of Lina couldn't recognize her.
The hallway stretched long and empty around them, but the weight in the air made it feel smaller.
Jace felt insulted for some reason, while Liam looked like he was ready to add more salt to whatever injury he felt from his words.
Jace's jaw shifted slightly. "She's not your answer."
"And she's not yours to protect." He retorted. Then added, quietly, "Not anymore."
Jace inhaled through his nose, slow and cold. "You're building the truth out of what you want to believe about knowing her."
Liam met his gaze. "And you're clinging to what she lets you see." He checked his wristwatch. "Now if you'll excuse me, her lunch time would be up in a few hours. I'll love to fix it myself,"