two opposing forces pulling at each other, each moment stretching the thin thread of control between them. His presence, once so easy to ignore, now

ething deeper, something dangerous. But that was exactly why she had to keep her distance. She couldn't afford to get involved. She ha

rts, Cassian seemed determined

distance, Cassian appeared in her office doorway once again. His expression was unreadable, but Seraphina co

ere was an edge to it, a firmness that to

one they had days ago, where secrets were hinted at and walls were pushed higher. But she ha

eached the front of the desk, he stopped, his hands resting against the wood, leaning in just a

on," he said, his voice lower now, the w

, but his probing questions were like a constant reminder of her tangled

with frustration. "I've told you, my father has nothing to d

ere was no humor in it. "You can tell me that all you wan

ords, his gaze-they made her feel as if she were being laid bare, as though e

he insisted, though the trem

you to tell me everything," he said softly, his voice almost a whisper. "But I

gainst him, but the truth was, she didn't know how to fight this. The attraction, the tension-it w

is conversation is over," she said firmly, standing up and walking toward the win

e seemed to stretch on, unbearable and thick, like the calm bef

ets," he said, his words heavy with meaning.

surprise, and for a fleeting second, she saw something in his eyes-a flicker of the man beneath th

e replied, though the words

filling the room, undeniable and overwhelming. "I think you do," he said sim

g behind him with a soft click. Seraphina remained standing t

t things were changing between them. Something was shift

ways present in the peripheral of her life. Every time she turned around, he was there, watching, waiting.

ning everything. She had been so sure of her position, so confident i

ew some important documents for an upcoming presentation. It was a routine request, one

their voices. They discussed the logistics, the projections, the numbers. But undern

same screen. His presence felt so close, so impossible to ignore. Seraphina could feel

e said, her voice a little too breathy

d, his tone deceptively casual, though there

y from the desk to put some distance between

ost as though he was reluctant to break the s

ack still to him.

now, more intense. "I

small, the air thick with tension. Seraphina's pulse quickened,

. She felt it-the pull, the undeniable chemistry between them. I

es dark, unreadable. "You're not as

ning as she fought to maintain control. But

ed, almost to herself, though

ftly, his voice filled wit

rumble. She had always believed she was in control-of her career, her life, her choices. But

held hers, his eyes dark with something d

, Seraphina," he said, his voice steady

iraling. She had always known that her attraction to him was a danger

passed, she wondered just how