The entire floor buzzed from the moment Emily stepped out of the elevator.
Phones were ringing.
People were pacing.
Her inbox had already tripled by 9 a.m., and the printer had jammed twice before she could get through the final draft of the deal proposal.
It was the biggest deal the company had handled all quarter — some multi-million dollar merger Damian had been orchestrating with the precision of a military general. Emily had been helping coordinate meetings, printing contracts, forwarding encrypted files, and taking notes like her life depended on it.
And in a way, it felt like it did.
Because Damian wasn't just focused today — he was on fire.
Sharp. Efficient. Almost cold in his control.
But every now and then, as he rattled off dates and deadlines, she caught him glancing at her — brief flickers of something softer. Something quieter.
Like he hadn't forgotten the ride.
Or the hospital.
Or the way she'd looked at him when she said thank you and meant it with her whole heart.
But there was no time to dwell on it. Not with the deal deadline looming.
By noon, she hadn't eaten.
By three, she'd had two coffees and a granola bar.
And by the time five o'clock hit, her feet were aching, her eyes were burning, and she had just finished printing the final version of the signed agreement that would go down as one of the biggest wins of the quarter.
She exhaled and leaned back in her chair.
It was over.
The room was quieter now — most of the staff had already left or were beginning to wrap up. The adrenaline was fading, and in its place came the familiar wave of exhaustion. She pulled her hair loose from the clip, rubbed the back of her neck, and reached for her planner.
That's when she noticed him.
Damian was still in his office, blazer off, sleeves rolled up, his head bent slightly as he reviewed something on his tablet. The tension in his posture had eased a little. His usually impassive face looked… tired. Human.
She hesitated, then knocked lightly on the glass door before stepping in.
"Do you need anything before I go?"
He looked up, surprised — like he'd forgotten anyone else was still there.
Then something flickered in his eyes.
"No. You've done more than enough today," he said. "You handled everything flawlessly."
The compliment caught her off guard.
"Thank you," she said, her voice quieter than she meant it to be. "It was a long day."
He nodded. "You kept pace with every part of it."
There was a pause. A strange kind of silence that didn't feel awkward this time. It felt full — like something unsaid was lingering between them.
"You should head home," he added, standing now, one hand sliding into his pocket. "You look—"
He stopped.
Her brow lifted slightly. "I look...?"
His gaze dropped to her face, then her hair, then back up. "Tired," he finished, though his voice had softened. "But still sharp. Still... focused."
Emily's lips twitched. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"You should."
She turned to leave, but then hesitated again. "Today was... intense. But I liked working beside you like that. It felt... like we were on the same side."
Damian tilted his head, just slightly. "We are, Emily."
She didn't know what to say to that. But her chest tightened in a way she couldn't ignore.
As she stepped out of the office, she thought she heard him say her name one more time under his breath — low, like he wasn't ready to let it go.
But she didn't turn back.
Not this time.