The city woke slowly, the soft orange glow of sunrise spilling through the glass walls of Aurora Group. Alina Ross sat at her desk, coffee in hand, notebook open, but her mind wasn't on the numbers. It was on him. Adrian Vale.
She hated that.
Sophie noticed immediately, leaning against the doorway with her usual mischievous grin. "You've been staring at that spreadsheet for five minutes and haven't written a word."
"I'm… thinking," Alina replied, voice clipped, though the tremor betrayed her.
"Thinking about work?" Sophie raised a brow.
"No." Alina hissed under her breath. "Of course not."
"Uh-huh," Sophie said, stepping closer. "Then why do your fingers keep tapping like you're about to type his name instead of the quarterly projections?"
Alina groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I will… kill you later."
"You love me too much to try," Sophie replied cheerfully, sliding a fresh cup of coffee toward her.
---
The Morning Briefing
By 9:30 a.m., the joint project team had gathered for a strategy session. Alina and Adrian, as usual, ended up at opposite ends of the long conference table, each flanked by their assistant. Liam smirked knowingly at Sophie.
The air was thick with tension. Alina adjusted her pen, pretending to take notes, but every subtle glance from Adrian made her pulse quicken. He, of course, looked completely nonchalant — perfectly composed — but she knew better.
"You've been quiet this morning, Ms. Ross," Adrian said smoothly, voice calm, measured. His gaze lingered for just a moment too long.
"I am… not quiet," she snapped, straightening her posture.
"Of course not," he said lightly, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Sophie leaned over, whispering, "It's working. You're flustered."
Alina pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're impossible."
"And that's why you love me," Sophie said with a wink before slipping out of the room.
---
Project Challenges
The morning stretched into hours of discussions. Aurora and Vale teams clashed over budgets, timelines, and client expectations. Every time Alina made a suggestion, Adrian countered — calmly, almost casually, but with razor-sharp precision.
When she corrected a minor error in his proposal, Adrian paused, glanced at her, and said softly, "Well done. You caught that before it became a problem."
Her chest tightened. "Of course I did," she replied, though her voice sounded weaker than she intended.
He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Yes, but… you could have ignored it. Most people would have."
Alina clenched her jaw. "I don't ignore mistakes."
"And yet," he said, voice low, "you sometimes ignore me."
Her eyes narrowed. "I… don't."
He smiled faintly, almost unreadable, but it sent a strange warmth through her chest.
---
Coffee Break — Another Brush
The mid-morning lull brought a much-needed coffee break. Alina walked to the counter, reaching for her latte at the exact same moment Adrian did.
Their fingers brushed. She yanked back, heart hammering.
"Careful," he said lightly. "We wouldn't want another… accident."
"I am careful," she snapped, though her cheeks burned.
He leaned slightly closer, just enough to make her notice the faint scent of cedar and espresso. "Is that so?"
"Yes," she muttered, looking anywhere but at him.
Sophie appeared beside her, grinning. "Do I need to start timing how long it takes for you to melt every time he's near?"
Alina groaned, shoving her coffee cup toward her lips. "Out. Now."
Sophie chuckled and disappeared. Liam, who had been watching from the other side of the room, smirked. "I told you — they're hopeless."
---
The Hallway Encounter
Later that afternoon, Alina carried a stack of contracts down the long glass hallway when she collided—accidentally, of course—with Adrian. Papers tumbled across the floor.
"Ms. Ross," he said, bending down to help her, hands brushing hers again as they gathered the documents.
"Watch it," she muttered, but her voice faltered.
He straightened, holding a single file between them. "You're tense," he observed lightly.
"I'm not tense," she said, though the way her hands trembled said otherwise.
"Sure," he said, a faint smirk on his lips. "It's… interesting. The way you're so focused yet distracted."
Her pulse raced. "I am focused," she insisted, though her fingers lingered near his as if for a fleeting second longer than necessary.
---
Internal Thoughts
Back at her desk, Alina couldn't stop thinking about every brush of hands, every fleeting glance, every soft tone of his voice. She hated it. And yet… she couldn't stop.
Adrian, in his office across town, ran his hands through his hair, recalling the same moments. Every flustered frown, every sharp retort from her, made him want to push boundaries — gently, subtly, just enough to see her reaction.
Neither of them admitted it yet. They wouldn't. But the tension between them had shifted. It was no longer just professional rivalry — it was charged with something unspoken.
---
Evening Collaboration
By evening, both teams remained to finalize the next presentation. Alina and Adrian were again left alone in the boardroom.
"You're here late," she remarked, trying to sound indifferent.
"Making sure you don't overdo it," he replied smoothly.
"I don't need watching," she said, voice low.
"You never do," he said softly, "but I like seeing it anyway."
Her chest tightened. That… that wasn't supposed to affect her. She tried to focus on the reports, but the air between them was electric.
They worked in silence, passing papers, sharing screens, the smallest touch — a brush of hands, the angle of a shoulder — sending waves through both of them.
---
A Small Confession
At some point, Adrian said quietly, "You've changed since the retreat. Sharper. More unpredictable."
"I don't know what you mean," she replied, though her heartbeat betrayed her.
"You're… different. Alive," he murmured.
She swallowed. "Thank you?"
"Don't thank me," he said softly. "Just notice it."
Silence fell. And in that silence, a shared acknowledgment hung between them — unspoken, impossible to ignore.
---
The Night Ends
Finally, the office emptied. The city lights flickered across the glass walls. Alina packed her bag, trying to steady her racing heart.
"Goodnight, Alina," Adrian said quietly at the door.
"Goodnight, Adrian," she whispered back.
She didn't realize until she reached her car that her palms were clammy.
Across town, Adrian leaned back in his chair, staring at the documents he wasn't reading. His thoughts drifted to her — to the way she had touched his hand, the sharp edge in her voice, the flutter in her chest he had seen from across the room.
Enemies? Maybe.
Not enemies? Definitely.
Lovers? Not yet.
But something had changed. And neither of them could deny it.