Monday came with its usual rhythm. Early light spilling across clean desks, shoes clicking through marble hallways, voices hushed with responsibility.
Lian was back at the estate offices.
Everything was back to normal.
Except she wasn't.
The skates were gone, the laughter was forgotten, and the cold silence from the ice rink still echoed somewhere inside her. She passed by Salim that morning near the entrance of the board wing. He didn't even glance at her. No nod. No look. Not even the faintest trace of recognition. It was like she didn't exist.
The professionalism was unbearable.
She stared at her reflection in the glass for a moment after he walked by. She was tired of being invisible.
In the workspace she shared with the interns, Chloe was buzzing with energy, bouncing between computer monitors and voice memos. "Guess what?" she whispered, plopping into the seat beside Lian. "I've been assigned to Salim Vance for the week. Me. Assigned."
Lian raised a brow. "Lucky you."
"More like blessed," Chloe giggled. "Honestly, he's even hotter when you're sitting across from him. So serious. So sharp. Those hands, though."
Lian pressed her lips together.
"Anyway," Chloe leaned closer. "How did you even get him to talk to you in the first place? He doesn't talk to anyone. Ever."
Lian blinked. "I didn't. We were just in the same place at the wrong time. That's all."
Chloe smirked. "You're not telling me something."
"I'm telling you to do your work," Salim's voice cut through the air. He stood by the door, sharp as ever, expression unreadable. "And close the door behind you next time."
Chloe scrambled up with a quick "Yes, sir," and disappeared into his office.
Lian stared at her screen, but the words blurred. Her fingers didn't move.
She hadn't told anyone. Not about how things were. Not about how she felt.
But maybe someone had noticed.
Red.
He passed her desk with his usual air of confidence, but paused when he saw her. She looked up, and he tilted his head.
"You look like your cat died."
"Don't like cats, never had one "she muttered.
"Good," Red said, sitting in the chair beside her. "Because I don't do funerals."
She almost smiled.
"What's going on with you and Salim?"
Lian stiffened. "Nothing."
"Sure. That's why you look like someone stole your soul. You like him?"
"He's my boss," she said quickly.
Red shrugged. "Doesn't change the facts."
Lian looked away. "He doesn't like me. He can't. I'm just the girl who sat in a hospital room and got too close."
Red rested his arms on the table. "Then maybe you should tell him. Instead of carrying it like a weight you can't drop."
Lian gave a bitter smile. "And what if he throws it back?"
Red stood. "Then you'll finally stop wondering."
---
That night, she lay on her bed, phone dim in her hand.
She wasn't crying. She wasn't smiling either.
Pierre had posted a photo him and some girl she didn't know. Her lips on his cheek, his arms around her waist.
She stared at it for a second, then tossed the phone aside.
Not surprised.
Not hurt.
Just numb.
And exhausted.
She hadn't been sleeping properly. Not since the rink. Not since Salim turned away. Not since her heart started asking questions she couldn't answer.
She sat up, pulled on a hoodie, and grabbed her access card.
---
The hallway was dim. Most of the staff had gone home. It was late.
But his office light was still on.
She hesitated outside the door for a full minute before knocking.
"Come in," his voice said, flat.
She opened the door slowly. He looked up from behind his desk, surprised.
"I didn't call for you. What are you doing here?"
Lian stepped inside. Her voice caught, but she forced it out. "I know I'm not supposed to be here. But I need to say something."
He didn't speak. Just looked at her.
So she went on.
"I know I'm just an intern. And I know you're my boss. But these past few days, you've been ignoring me. Not just professionally. Like I don't exist."
Her voice trembled.
"You used to talk to me. But now it's like you're trying to erase the fact that we ever... connected. And maybe I was wrong. Maybe I read too much into everything. Maybe I'm nothing to you. But..."
She looked down.
"I just wanted to tell you. That it hurts. That I feel like I messed up by caring. And I wish I didn't."
Still, he said nothing.
She smiled through the tears that were starting to sting. "You don't have to say anything. I get it. This was stupid."
He finally spoke. "Lian, I'm your boss."
Three words. That was all.
Lian's heart cracked.
He didn't even try to soften it. No explanation. No comfort. Just formality. Cold and clinical.
She nodded, slowly. "Right."
Tears slipped down her cheeks.
She turned on her heel, walked out past the other staff working late, and didn't stop until she was outside.
Ariel was by the elevators when he saw her.
"Lian? What happened?"
"Nothing," she whispered, brushing past.
She went to her room. She curled up on the bed. And she stayed there.
She didn't show up to work the next day.
Didn't answer calls.
Didn't reply to Chloe.
Didn't even check her messages from Ariel.
She just laid still, eyes open, wondering why the silence hurt more than rejection ever could.
And Salim?
He noticed.
He just didn't say anything.