/Leo/
Watching Jake leave my car with that flustered, dazed expression… it did something to me. His cheeks were still warm, painted a soft shade of pink, and he wouldn't even glance in my direction. He looked like he was trying to hold his dignity together with invisible threads—and I shouldn't have smiled, but I did.
That damn piece of egg on the corner of his lips—it had been torturing me the whole ride. I waited, expected his fingers to move up and swipe it away, expected him to notice. But no, he just sat there, quiet and still, hands on his lap like a student waiting for judgment.
So I reached for him. I touched his lips. Not because of the egg, not really. I could've handed him a napkin. But no. I wanted to feel them again, to see that blush bloom across his face because of me.
God, I'm becoming pathetic.
I watched him disappear into the elevator, cheeks still burning, and I couldn't stop replaying the look in his eyes—part shock, part want, part "what the hell is happening." That kind of look? It stays with you.
I shook my head, trying to pull myself out of whatever haze I was trapped in, and closed the car door with a sharp click.
As I made my way to the other elevator, my phone buzzed. A message.
Dad.
Of course.
I didn't open it. I didn't need to. I could already hear his voice in my head—cold, clipped, commanding. Always something to fix. Always something to become. Never time to feel.
The elevator opened to my office floor. I stepped out.
And that's when I felt them.
Eyes.
Everywhere.
Gazes like needles pressing into my skin. Some wide with curiosity. Others narrow with scrutiny. They weren't admiring. They were analyzing.
Not because I'm the new boss.
For the first time in a long time, I felt something tighten in my chest. Not guilt. Not fear.
I opened the door to my workspace, expecting silence and solitude, but nope—clearly, the universe had other plans.
"Fancy seeing you in the morning today," I said, tossing my bag onto the desk with an exaggerated sigh. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your dramatic early arrival?"
Raven turned around, a smug grin plastered on his face. "Just came to check on you."
I scoffed. "So now you care about me? That's cute. Almost believable." I leaned against the desk, crossing my arms. "Alright, spill. What's your real business here, oh noble knight?"
He rolled his eyes. "I dropped off a friend nearby, figured I'd swing by and check on my emotionally unstable buddy—you—after last night's whole 'damsel in distress' episode."
"No concern in your voice, just pure mockery. As always." I glared. "So… who's the poor soul you dragged here this morning?"
A devilish grin curled at my lips. "Wait. Don't tell me. I know that unlucky person."
"You really don't appreciate acts of service, do you?" Raven shot back, hands in his pockets like he owned the place. Then he dropped the bomb with a straight face:
"Actually—have you ever even been in a relationship?"
The audacity.
"Did you check your phone yet?" Raven asked, his tone suddenly more grounded.
"I don't have as much free time as you," I shot back, still not expecting whatever storm he was about to drop.
"I'm serious, Leo."
The change in his voice made me freeze mid-sarcasm. That wasn't his usual teasing tone. It had weight. Something had happened.
"Okay, stop dancing around it. What is it?" I asked, already feeling the tension wrap around my gut like a vice.
He pulled out his phone, tapped furiously, then turned the screen toward me.
Bright light.
A blurry video.
A familiar moment.
I snatched the phone from his hand, my breath caught halfway in my chest. I stared at the footage. Then I grabbed my own phone, hoping—praying—this was a mistake. A deepfake. A prank.
It wasn't.
The footage from last night—that kiss. Me pulling Jake close, brushing my lips against his, sealing our fake relationship in front of a crowd… now exposed to the entire internet.
"Where did this come from?" I asked, my voice thinner than I liked.
"CCTV, most likely," Raven replied, his voice matching the gravity of the moment. "Low-res, but clear enough. Someone must've leaked it."
My chest tightened—not for myself. I could handle stares, whispers, judgment. I'd lived through worse. But Jake?
He wasn't used to this. And unlike me, he didn't choose this spotlight.
"What are you going to do now?" Raven asked quietly as I handed his phone back.
I swallowed hard, my mind already racing, already picturing Jake seeing this, feeling this. "I don't know," I admitted. "But right now? I'm just worried about Jake."