A month after the gala, Mira Verma was no longer just "the assistant who caught the CEO's eye." She was Mira Verma, Strategic Director for Outreach Innovation—a title that sat heavier than it looked in email signatures.
Her schedule was brutal. Mornings began with 7 a.m. calls to regional centers. Mid-days were spent drafting grant partnerships with educational nonprofits. Evenings often ended with presentations before the board or with project leads from across the country. And late nights? They were Leo's—though not in person.
They spoke every night. Not always romantically. Sometimes it was just him listening to her vent about bureaucratic chaos. Other times, it was Mira calming Leo's anger after a particularly condescending board meeting.
Yet the intimacy in their voices, the unspoken pull between them, remained constant.
But progress never comes without cost.
---
March 12th. 8:04 a.m.
The elevator was halfway to the 48th floor when Mira's phone buzzed in a violent storm of notifications.
SkySpire Scandal: CEO's Secret Romance with Former Assistant Leaked
Power Play or True Love? Cavendish Heir and Employee Romance Raises Eyebrows
A Cinderella Story or a PR Nightmare?
She froze.
Then clicked on one.
Attached were photos—grainy, clearly taken on a phone from a distance. One of Leo brushing a strand of hair from Mira's face at the gala. Another of their quiet moment on the balcony. And worst of all, a long-lens capture of them kissing goodnight outside her apartment.
The source of the leak was anonymous.
By the time the elevator doors opened, every person Mira passed looked up, phones in hand, conversations dying mid-word as she walked by.
Inside her office, she slammed the door shut.
A moment later, her intercom buzzed. "Leo is here."
She didn't wait. She opened the door just as he was about to knock.
"I'm sorry," he said immediately. "I never wanted this to happen."
"Who took those photos?"
"My guess? Someone from the Foundation's PR team. Maybe even someone on our own staff. The balcony… the car. They would've had access."
Mira exhaled hard. "This isn't just gossip anymore. This could ruin everything I've worked for."
"No," Leo said firmly. "We decide what this becomes. Not them."
---
Within an hour, a crisis PR team had been assembled in the top-floor boardroom. Half the board members were already calling for damage control. The other half questioned Mira's professionalism, despite her recent string of accolades.
Gloria Renwick, unsurprisingly, was the most vocal.
"She was promoted too quickly. Now we see why."
Leo sat forward. "She earned that promotion before anything personal ever happened."
Gloria's eyes gleamed. "Before? That's not what these photos suggest."
Mira sat silent until Leo turned to her.
"Do you want to leave the room?"
"No," Mira said. "I have nothing to be ashamed of."
She stood.
"I'm not here to defend myself. I'm here to remind you that the last three projects I spearheaded exceeded impact metrics by 31%. That I brought in over four million in new grant partnerships. That our education index jumped 12% in the last quarter. And that the only reason any of you know my name is because I earned it."
The room was still.
Then Malcolm Cavendish, at the head of the table, spoke for the first time.
"We've all seen the reports. The numbers don't lie. But neither do optics."
He turned to Leo. "You'll make a public statement. Something sterile. 'Private relationship, no conflict of interest.' Keep it vague. Then step back."
"And Mira?" Leo asked.
"She remains," Malcolm said. "On probation."
Mira blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You'll stay on as Strategic Director, but all public-facing duties are suspended for six weeks. No media appearances. No new leadership initiatives. Focus only on execution, not visibility."
Mira's nails dug into her palm. "So I do the work, but stay invisible."
"It's a compromise," Malcolm said.
"It's a punishment," Leo snapped. "For something that wouldn't even make headlines if her last name were Astor or Sinclair."
Gloria stood. "We have a reputation to protect."
"And what about her reputation?" Leo challenged. "You dragged her through this for existing."
Malcolm raised a hand. "Enough. This isn't personal. It's business."
---
Outside the boardroom, Mira stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring down at the glittering city below. A city that never looked so cold.
Leo joined her.
"You were incredible in there," he said.
"I feel like I just swallowed glass."
He hesitated. "We don't have to keep doing this, Mira."
Her heart stuttered. "What?"
"This... war. You're the one paying the price."
"Are you breaking up with me?"
"I'm trying to protect you."
She turned to him. "Then don't. Don't protect me. Stand with me. That's all I've ever asked."
He nodded, slowly. "Then we don't hide. No more whispered calls. No more stolen moments."
She gave a weary smile. "No more pretending you don't hum off-key Sinatra."
Leo laughed softly. "Fine. But only if you stop pretending to like green tea."
"Deal."
---
March 15th. Mira's Apartment
It had been a hellish week. Her inbox was a war zone. Reporters camped outside her building. Half the outreach team treated her like a symbol. The other half, like a scandal.
So when she finally sat on her tiny couch that Friday night, tea in hand and music playing low, she was startled when a soft knock echoed through the door.
It was her mother.
Dressed in a floral kurta, with worry lines etched deep into her forehead.
"Ma?" Mira blinked. "How did you get here?"
"I saw the news. I took the train. You think I'd just sit and watch while people throw mud at you?"
Mira froze. "So you're not... disappointed?"
Her mother scoffed. "They can take their headlines and shove them into the Hudson. I know who my daughter is."
Mira's eyes burned.
Her mother sat beside her. "Tell me everything."
And so she did.
Every twist. Every win. Every tear. Every moment she thought she wasn't good enough.
At the end, her mother hugged her tight.
"I didn't raise you to chase safety. I raised you to chase the truth. And your truth? It terrifies small people."
Mira laughed, wetly. "You always know what to say."
"I'm your mother. That's the job."
---
March 19th. SkySpire Tower
Leo held a press conference.
He stood behind the podium, wearing a suit like armor, his voice calm and unwavering.
"Yes, Mira Verma and I are in a relationship. It began long after her professional achievements stood on their own. She was not promoted because of me. If anything, she rose despite the scrutiny that came with being connected to me."
Reporters fired questions.
"Is this serious?"
"Will she return to public initiatives?"
"Are you considering stepping down?"
Leo looked straight into the cameras.
"I am not stepping down. I am not ashamed. And yes—it's serious."
---
One Week Later
Mira returned to work with her chin higher than ever.
The whispers didn't vanish, but they softened.
She still had battles ahead—meetings where she'd be talked over, projects that would be watched more closely than any of her peers.
But she also had something else.
A fire.
And Leo.
That night, she joined him on the rooftop terrace of the Cavendish penthouse. The skyline stretched endlessly before them.
"Are you ready for more?" he asked.
Mira looked out at the glittering chaos below. Then back at the man beside her.
"I was born ready."