Kael sat at his desk, holding a stack of documents in his hands, but for the past several minutes, he hadn't even tried to focus on their contents.
His fingers tapped rhythmically against the wooden surface, matching the beat of thoughts he couldn't shake from his head.
The numbers in the reports blurred into meaninglessness, the letters melted into a shapeless smear — and all he could see in his mind was her concentrated gaze, locked onto the computer screen.
Today, Auren was receiving one offer after another.
It had been only a few hours since she arrived at the office, yet her inbox already held more invitations than he had seen in months.
He'd seen her phone screen flash once or twice, knew — someone was trying to lure her away again.
Kael leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head and staring up at the ceiling.
He knew Auren was talented.
He'd seen how deeply she invested herself in work, noticed her quiet confidence, her relentless drive to be the best.
But for some reason, he had always assumed he was the only one who truly saw it.
Now it seemed like the whole world was catching on — and she finally had options. She could choose. She was becoming valuable in a way that threatened to make her untouchable.
His eyes drifted toward the door. Just a few steps away.
Her office was so close — and yet, Kael felt like she was already halfway gone.
Clenching his jaw, he snapped the folder shut and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Damn it…"
He had to do something.
And fast.
Running a hand down his face, he tried to dispel the fog of thought — but his eyes landed on another stack of documents, lying just a little farther down the desk.
Among them was one particular project — high-stakes, complex, requiring absolute dedication.
He'd been searching for the right person to handle it for weeks.
Kael sat up straight, fingers brushing the edge of the folder.
He knew this could work.
If Auren took this on, she wouldn't walk away so easily.
He'd seen how she came alive with challenges, how she thrived under pressure.
She wouldn't abandon something once she'd started — not if she felt it truly mattered.
A slight smirk touched his lips.
"Let's see, Laurent… just how ready are you for a change?" he murmured, opening the folder again.
Now he had a plan.
Kael reached for the call button and pressed it gently, speaking in a calm but firm tone:
"Auren, send in the head of the marketing department."
Only a few seconds passed before her voice came through the speaker:
"Yes, boss."
He lifted his finger from the button and glanced back down at the open folder.
All that was left was to plant the seed — and let them start wondering just who they were about to lose.
***
The marketing department manager, Mr. James, had been sitting across from Kael for some time now, holding the project folder in his hands.
His face bore a look of mild concentration as he carefully studied the documents.
"It's quite a large-scale project," he finally said, flipping another page. "We need to choose someone capable of handling that level of responsibility."
Kael, hands folded in front of him, gave a small nod.
"Exactly. And I want to hear your suggestions, Mr. James. Who would you trust with this?"
The manager paused for a moment, then glanced up with a slight smile.
"To be honest, I already have someone in mind. Auren Laurent."
Kael remained outwardly calm, but inwardly, he felt a flicker of satisfaction.
The idea had come from the manager himself.
"And why her?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.
"Her presentation the day before yesterday didn't just show that she's good — she was exceptional," Mr. James replied without hesitation. "She's confident, reacts quickly to unexpected situations, and knows how to deliver information effectively. Plus, she's still on probation. If she handles this project successfully, it would be a logical next step to make her position permanent."
Kael tapped his fingers slowly against the table, feigning contemplation.
"An interesting suggestion," he drawled. "But are you sure it's wise to rely on someone who might be planning to leave us?"
Mr. James's brows furrowed.
"She's leaving? I haven't heard anything about that."
Kael shrugged, as if it wasn't a big deal.
"Her inbox has been flooded with offers today — competitors, other companies. She might already be considering them."
Tension crept into Mr. James's features as he processed the information.
"That's… not good. We can't afford to lose her."
Kael allowed the smallest hint of a smile to touch his lips — and quickly erased it.
Mr. James looked visibly more serious now, mentally running through solutions. He'd already seen Auren's potential — and he knew losing her would hurt the company.
"If she's receiving offers, that means her market value has risen," he said at last, setting the folder aside. "I can't let the competition snatch her away."
Kael said nothing, quietly observing, waiting to see what move the manager would make next.
"I think I'll get in touch with HR," Mr. James continued, rising from his seat. "We need to evaluate her standing in the company and consider how to keep her here."
"Such as?" Kael asked lazily, arms crossed.
"Contract revision, salary increase, performance bonuses. Maybe even the possibility of a promotion after her probation period ends."
Kael nodded slowly, as if weighing the options.
"If it helps retain a valuable employee, go ahead."
Mr. James didn't hesitate. He gave a short nod and headed for the door.
"I'll take care of it. We can't afford to lose someone like her."
Kael watched him leave, the corners of his lips twitching faintly.
Everything was going according to plan.
Now, all that remained was to wait — and see how Auren would respond.
***
The calm work morning was quickly coming to an end. Auren had managed to go through part of the documents and was now sipping her cooling coffee while reading another email.
A sudden knock on the door distracted her from work. She looked up and saw two employees from the HR department standing at the entrance.
"Auren Laurent?" one of the women clarified, offering a slight smile.
"Yes, that's me. How can I help you?"
"We'd like to discuss a few details regarding your contract. Just a couple of minutes, if you don't mind?"
Auren nodded in surprise and gestured for them to sit.
"After your recent presentation, your name has become quite a topic among the management," the HR woman continued, placing a few documents in front of Auren. "We've been instructed to review the terms of your contract in order to offer you more promising prospects within the company."
Auren skimmed through the text quickly. It was all unexpected.
"You want me to stay?"
"Of course," the second employee interjected. "In fact, we're already considering your official transfer to the marketing department. Naturally, with a corresponding promotion."
Auren couldn't find the words right away.
"This… is quite unexpected."
"We understand, but we want you to know — you're a truly valuable employee, and the company is ready to provide the conditions that will help you grow."
Auren gripped the pen in her hand, her eyes thoughtfully scanning the papers. She felt torn between two decisions, but one thing was clear — she had a new choice.
She ran her fingertip along the edge of the page, weighing the offer.
"When exactly is the transfer planned?" she finally asked, lifting her gaze from the documents to the HR representatives.
The woman smiled gently and folded her hands on the table.
"We've already started looking for a new secretary for Director Dantes. As soon as we find a suitable candidate, you'll be able to fully transition to the marketing department."
Auren furrowed her brow slightly.
"So… it could happen at any moment?"
"Yes. It depends on how quickly we find a replacement," the second employee confirmed.
Auren lowered her gaze. The thought of leaving her current office, her workspace, her familiar comfort zone brought an odd feeling. She should be happy — this was a step forward, something she had always worked toward. And yet, unease crept in.
"You can take some time to think about it, but we want you to know — this is a great opportunity for you," the HR woman added with a kind smile.
Auren nodded, though she still felt a hint of doubt inside.
She exhaled and glanced quickly over the documents.
"I'll… think about it," she said in an even tone, closing the folder.
The HR representatives nodded in understanding.
"Of course, Miss Laurent. We look forward to your decision, but we do hope it will be a positive one," the woman said with a smile, rising from her seat.
"In any case, it's a wonderful opportunity," her colleague added.
Auren gave a polite nod, then watched them as they left the reception area. Once the door closed behind them, she slowly sank into her chair, her eyes resting on the folder with the transfer offer.
She should be happy. This was what she had been working toward… right?
Auren ran her hand over the folder's smooth cover, staring at it pensively. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for. A position in the marketing department, official recognition of her abilities, a chance to grow even further… Everything was falling into place.
Then why did she feel so strange inside?
She recalled that evening — how Kael had waited for her just to make sure she would get caught in the rain. How his voice had sounded in the dark office — confident, but with a hint of something… else. She remembered how he said he liked having her around. Back then, she took it as just a casual remark. But now…
She shook her head, brushing away those thoughts.
"Pull yourself together, Auren. It's just work. Just a logical step forward."
But the strange feeling didn't disappear. Instead of the excitement over her upcoming promotion, she was wrapped in anxiety. She had already gotten used to her place here. To this office. To those morning glances with Kael. Auren took a deep breath.
Objectively, the offer from the marketing department looked great. A solid position, stability, growth prospects. But if competing companies were so eager to get her, it meant they saw a potential that might go unnoticed here.
She had earned recognition, broken through imposed stereotypes. People no longer said she was hired just for her looks — now, they saw her intelligence. That meant she had a chance to rise even higher, to use this moment for her own growth.
But then why did she feel so pulled to stay?
It would've been easier if Kael had just said he wanted her in his company. Not just as an employee, but as a valuable specialist. But he stayed silent. Or… was he just waiting for her decision?
Auren shook her head again. She couldn't afford to make decisions based on emotions. She needed time. Time to think it all through carefully.
***
Auren set aside the last of the papers, her eyes scanning them one final time before she nodded in satisfaction. The work for today was done. All that remained was to deliver the documents to Kael.
She rose from her seat, carefully gathered the papers into a folder, and held them against her chest. It had been a long day, but despite her fatigue, a faint sense of accomplishment warmed her from within. She had completed the task — and that mattered.
Approaching Kael's office door, she lowered her gaze to the documents, double-checking everything one last time before knocking.
Auren was so focused on reviewing the report that the world around her seemed to disappear. She stepped forward without lifting her eyes — just as the door suddenly swung open. Kael, eyes on his phone, had taken a step toward her as well.
They collided.
The warm fabric of his shirt brushed her skin, and his strong arms instinctively rose, as if to catch her. Auren froze — her heart jolting not from fear but from something else, something faint and sharp and inexplicably real. Kael stilled too. Their eyes met for a brief second, charged with electric tension.
But before either of them could speak, Auren felt a strange tug near her ear. She tried to turn her head and realized — her delicate earring chain had caught on the button of his shirt collar.
"Shit…" Kael muttered, slipping his phone into his pocket and holding his breath.
Auren slowly raised her free hand, trying to untangle herself, but every slight movement risked either snapping the chain or tangling it more tightly into the fabric. She froze again, hyper-aware of his every breath against her skin.
"Don't move," his voice came low and slightly rough.
Kael's fingers reached toward her earring, barely brushing her skin. In that moment, Auren became acutely aware of her heartbeat — far too fast — and of the thick, charged air in the room.
He looked at her — frozen, caught off guard. The corners of his mouth twitched into the faintest smirk. He could've untangled the chain in seconds, but deliberately slowed his movements, savoring the moment.
"Looks like you enjoy finding creative ways to linger outside my office," he murmured, his voice teasing and low, his eyes glinting with mischief.
Auren narrowed her eyes, preparing to retort, but any movement might only make things worse. Kael, taking advantage of her silence, traced his fingers along the chain, his touch feather-light on her skin.
"Are you always this lucky?" he leaned in just slightly, his warm breath grazing her cheek. "Or does it only happen when I'm around?"
Auren pressed her lips together, determined to remain composed, but her body betrayed her, responding all too clearly to his closeness.
"Maybe it's not luck," she countered, keeping her voice steady. "Maybe it's just clumsiness."
Kael chuckled softly, finally freeing the chain — but he didn't pull away immediately. He lingered for just a heartbeat too long.
"Be careful, Auren," he whispered. "Next time, I might not be in such a hurry to let you go."
And just like that, he stepped back, as if nothing had happened, holding the door open for her — along with the sudden warmth that had bloomed inside her.
Auren, careful not to show even a hint of fluster, stepped forward and set the documents on his desk with a soft rustle.
"Your documentation, boss," she said in an overly formal tone, straightening her posture.
Kael stood in the doorway, arms crossed, studying her as if trying to solve a puzzle he couldn't quite define.
Auren met his gaze with her usual boldness, silently saying, "So what now?"
He didn't answer. Auren turned to leave. Kael remained unmoved, still blocking the way.
She paused, looked at him, but said nothing. He didn't budge.
Auren raised an eyebrow slightly, her lips twitching into the faintest, playful smirk. A daring thought flashed through her mind — what if she gave him a taste of his own medicine?
"Do you mind?" she asked, her tone calm and even, but her eyes danced with mischief.
Kael tilted his head, intrigued, still refusing to step aside.
Auren sighed as if considering her options, then slowly stepped forward — close, brushing sideways between him and the doorframe.
The space between them was far too tight — almost indecently so.
She moved slowly, her shoulder grazing his chest, her scent filling the air. Her hair slid softly across his arm — a nearly innocent touch that somehow burned.
She could've walked out faster. But she didn't. She let the moment stretch.
And just before she was out of reach, she turned her head, her lips curling into a barely-there smirk.
"Thank you, boss," she murmured.
Then she walked out, leaving Kael standing alone.
Auren didn't slow her pace. She headed straight for her desk, grabbed her bag, and slung it over her shoulder with practiced ease.
He watched her, still feeling the lingering heat of her presence, aware that whatever this was — this game — the fire had already caught, too strong now to easily extinguish.
Kael remained at the doorway, watching her with that unreadable expression.
Auren sensed his eyes on her and, just before she left the reception area, she paused for a beat. Without turning back — but knowing full well he could hear her — she tossed over her shoulder:
"Good night, boss. Try not to miss me too much."
There was a teasing lilt in her voice, and she knew he'd caught it.
Then she disappeared, leaving behind only the faint scent of her perfume and the echo of a game neither of them had agreed to play — and yet both had willingly joined.
Out in the hallway, Auren absentmindedly touched her face. She wasn't quite sure what had just happened. Her mind spun with strange questions:
Why am I acting like this around him?
If it had been anyone else — anyone at all — she would've drawn the line instantly, shut things down. But with Kael... she couldn't stop. In fact, it felt like she was looking for excuses to stoke the fire.
Do I like the way he looks at me? Or the way he plays back?
She exhaled quietly, trying to regain her composure. The whole day had been full of tension from offers by other companies, but somehow, this little moment — this game with him — was what had her heart racing most.
She remembered the way his fingers had lingered, deliberately slow as he untangled her earring. He could've done it faster. Much faster. But he didn't. And neither did she ask him to hurry.
You're playing, Kael. But why?
And why am I playing too?
***
Left alone in his office, Kael couldn't quite process what had just happened.
He ran his fingers along the collar of his shirt, as if trying to wipe away the lingering sensation of her nearness from his skin.
This wasn't like him. He knew it.
He had always been focused. Disciplined. His goals were clear — break free from the grip of his family and build an empire of his own. Everything else was secondary. Distractions had no place in his world.
And yet with Auren…
He was slipping into this game far too easily.
And it infuriated him.
Why her, of all people?
Yes, he remembered her from childhood. Yes, he once held a strange sort of fondness for the girl she had been. But that was the past. He was no longer that boy. It shouldn't mean anything now.
But when she looked at him with that spark of challenge in her eyes…
When her voice dripped with playful mockery…
He couldn't just ignore it.
Kael didn't allow himself to be careless. He didn't indulge in fleeting whims. He didn't play useless games.
So why was Auren the one exception?
Why her?
He needed to answer that. And fast — before this distraction turned into something he couldn't control.
***
Flashback
Kael used to love looking out the window of his room.
Not because the courtyard was beautiful — although from his height, the view was stunning: neatly trimmed flowerbeds, greenery climbing up the gazebo, a pale path winding into the garden.
But he never paid attention to those things.
His eyes always landed on something else.
On her.
Auren.
A fragile nine-year-old girl with dark hair and shining eyes, always busy with some household chore.
Sometimes sorting beans in a wooden bowl, sitting on the edge of the gazebo.
Sometimes carrying a basket somewhere.
Other times just sitting on the steps, turning the page of a thin, worn-out book.
Kael never knew whether she was helping the maids or her mother — but it felt like she was part of the courtyard itself.
An inseparable part of it. Like sunlight falling through leaves.
He watched her in secret.
Their daily routines, almost suspiciously, always aligned:
Just when he was drained from endless lessons and his mother's monotonous lectures, she would appear in the yard.
A small, living thing doing something simple — and because of that, impossibly captivating.
She never wore anything special — just sun-faded, washed-out dresses. But everything she wore seemed to come alive on her.
She never tried to be beautiful — and that made her even more so.
Sometimes, she didn't come out at all.
And on those days, Kael's room felt muffled.
Boredom sank into his skin like damp air.
He wouldn't even notice how long he'd been staring at the empty courtyard, just waiting.
He had never spoken to her.
His mother had strictly forbidden it.
Once, when he was only five, he had asked who the girl was — and had watched, confused and stunned, as her mother was harshly scolded right before his eyes.
He didn't understand the words, but the rage in his mother's voice was unforgettable.
Eight years had passed since.
And he'd known ever since — he wasn't allowed to get close.
Not because he would suffer the consequences.
Because she might.
But no one said anything about watching.
He saw her read.
She didn't have many books, but every time she turned a page, Kael felt something strange:
She read not because she had to — but because she wanted to.
Because in those pages, she found something the real world couldn't give her.
It fascinated Kael.
He hated books.
Not because they were bad — but because they were his prison.
His entire childhood had been a string of words: "Improve. Learn. Repeat."
His mother tracked his every step, tested his knowledge every evening.
His father was softer, but almost never there — work, trips, endless responsibilities.
At least Kael had his mind — sharp and fast.
He learned quickly.
Which meant he could finish early… and go back to watching the girl in the courtyard.
Now he is thirteen. She was nine.
She sat in her gazebo, her dress gently swaying in the breeze.
A book on her lap.
A bowl of rice beside her, from which she carefully picked out small stones and husks.
Kael watched her, unmoving.
And at that moment, he didn't feel tired.
He didn't hear his mother's voice or think of grammar rules.
He just watched.
And thought: how even the simplest things in her hands became something like magic.
In his world — where every step was planned, every day scheduled and examined — Auren existed outside of all that. Not like a rebel.
Not like someone trying to break free.
But like someone no one ever forced to be anything but herself.
She didn't resist. She didn't shout. And still, she was free.
That quiet kind of strength both scared and enchanted him.
He watched the way she carefully sorted the rice, how she touched the book's cover like it was alive. As if she knew something he didn't. As if simple things were enough for her to feel real.
And him?
He studied, read, memorized, and recited. He was smart. The perfect son. He could solve the hardest problems… But he had no idea how to simply be himself.
He didn't just look at Auren.
He looked through her — for something lost inside himself.
And maybe that was the danger.
He knew that if he stepped closer — even just once — the delicate system holding him together would collapse.
Something in him reached for her — timidly, unknowingly, almost painfully.
But he knew: one wrong step could take from her the little freedom she did have.
Even if it was just a shadow of freedom — the chance to sit in the gazebo with a book or quietly work without bothering anyone —
It was hers.
And he might be the one to destroy it.
Two more years passed.
Kael still looked out of his window.
But Auren came out less and less.
First every other day.
Then once a week.
Sometimes she didn't come at all. A day. Two. A week…
The garden began to fade.
Dust gathered on the gazebo.
It felt like she was slowly disappearing from the house.
As if even her shadow didn't want to brush against the presence of the masters.
As if she was deliberately, quietly… dissolving.
And something inside Kael clenched tighter.
He could feel it — something was pulling her away, and he couldn't stop it.
Maybe the house itself was squeezing her out like an unwanted guest.
Or maybe she was leaving on her own — into herself, into books, into distant, closed-off rooms.
And one day — it was him who left.
His mother had said, "You need to study. Abroad. Grow up."
So he left.
Obediently.
He promised himself he'd remember everything.
That he'd never forget how Auren sorted rice in the gazebo.
How she smiled faintly while reading.
How the wind tugged at her dress.
But time is cruel.
It doesn't just carry things away — it erases them.
Years later, when he returned, Auren was already gone.
Not in the gazebo. Not in the garden. Not in the house.
No one said where she went.
Someone once mentioned she had also gone abroad.
To study.
But unlike him — she never came back.
Not for holidays. Not for visits. Not even once.
Auren left — and she meant it.
As if the house had exhaled her like smoke out the window.
Without a trace.
She disappeared —
But in his memory, she remained.
Just the same: With a book. With rice. With eyes full of quiet, stubborn light.
End Flashback