Jane pov
Tuesday Morning – Zayn's Office
I stood outside his door for a full five seconds before knocking.
Five seconds.
Three deep breaths.
One mental pep talk i barely believed in.
You're fine. It's just Zayn. It's Tuesday. He'll be... normal.
I knocked, and his voice called out from inside — sharp, precise, as always.
"Come in."
i entered.
Zayn didn't look up.
He was already at his desk, fingers moving over the keyboard like they were trying to outrun whatever storm brewed in that tightly wound mind of his. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, cufflinks sitting in a neat pile beside a folder labeled Levinson Proposal.
"You're three minutes late," he said, still typing.
I checked her watch.
"I'm... actually two minutes early."
He stopped. Just for a breath.
Then resumed typing. "Next time, be five minutes early."
Of course, I thought, biting back a sigh.
Zayn Logic.
I walked forward, placing the reports on his desk carefully, half-expecting him to glance at them and then launch into one of his long, cutting critiques.
But he didn't.
He just took them in silence. A flicker of his eyes — unreadable as always — then a pause, fingers resting on the keyboard.
"Everything... alright?" i asked quietly.
His brows twitched. Almost like he was surprised i spoke.
Then — calmly, coolly — "Why wouldn't it be?"
I hesitated. "Yesterday was... intense."
He leaned back in his chair, jaw tight.
"Intensity is part of the job, Miss Williams. If you want cozy and light-hearted, perhaps the gentleman who calls you at night is more your pace."
i blinked.
"What—?"
He waved it off with a dismissive flick of his hand. "Nothing. Let's stay focused."
But the damage was done.
my heart skipped. my cheeks warmed. And suddenly the room felt smaller.
He knew. Somehow, he knew.
Levi.
The only person who'd made me laugh last night. The only person who made me feel... light.
And Zayn had just brought him up. Not directly. Not even with a name.
But the implication was there.
I looked at him, trying to read beyond the hard lines and cold tone.
Something was off.
He hadn't insulted my coffee this morning. He hadn't raised his voice. He hadn't been kind, no — Zayn Anderson didn't do kind — but he hadn't been cruel either.
Just... restrained. Irritated. Like a man fighting with something invisible and losing.
I shifted her weight.
"I can redo the Levinson charts if you want—"
"They're fine," he cut in. "Surprisingly."
A backhanded compliment.
Progress.
"Okay," i whispered, gathering my courage. "Then I'll—go."
I turned to leave.
But just as my hand touched the door, his voice came again — low, controlled.
"For the record… who you talk to outside this office is your business."
I froze. Just for a second.
"Thank you... for clarifying," I said without turning.
And then I walked out — heart pounding, mind spinning.
Because Zayn Anderson could pretend all he wanted.
But that slip?
That hint of something more?
i felt it.
And it scared me more than anything.
Zayn's POV – "The Slip"
The door clicked shut behind her, and for a long moment, i didn't move.
my fingers hovered above the keyboard, perfectly still, yet my chest burned like someone had lit a slow fire behind my ribs.
Stupid.
Reckless.
Weak.
I pushed back in my chair, jaw locked tight, and stared blankly at the reports she brought in — flawless, clean, on time.
Of course they were.
She'd improved.
Despite the stuttering. Despite the way she clutched her notepad like a shield. Despite the way i made her flinch the first week like a damn monster in a suit.
And yet…
"If you want cozy and light-hearted, perhaps the gentleman who calls you at night is more your pace."
I clenched his fists.
Why had he said that? Why did that slip out?
I hadn't meant to. Hadn't planned it. It had just… surfaced.
Because the image of her — relaxed, laughing, voice soft through a late-night call — had burned into my brain the moment i overheard it. i hadn't even meant to overhear. Just stepped into the hallway at the wrong time and heard her say "You're ridiculous, Levi," with a warmth in her voice she'd never once used on him.
Levi.
That was the name.
The guy who helped her the first day. i remembered. Of course i remembered. i remembered everything.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, furious at myself.
This wasn't me. i didn't care who my employees spoke to. i didn't care about nervous secretaries with wide eyes and bruised pride.
I didn't care.
Except...
i did.
And that terrified me more than I would ever admit aloud.
Not because i wanted to. But because something in her — the way she fought to hold herself together, the way her voice wobbled but she still stood tall — got to him.
And now, she thought i was just being cruel again. Maybe she even hated him.
That should have pleased me. Clean boundaries. No distractions.
But instead, it made my stomach twist.
i stood abruptly, pacing once behind the desk before stopping to stare out the window of my office — towering over the city, untouchable.
Or at least, i used to be.
I told myself it doesn't matter. She was just another employee. A fleeting irritation.
But the lie tasted bitter.
Because Jane Williams had crept under my skin like a splinter i couldn't remove.
And Levi?
He'd better not make her laugh again