CHAPTER 7 — A CONFLICTED HEART
The office was quiet that evening, the hum of the air conditioner the only sound accompanying Aria's frantic typing. She had been buried in reports all day, but her mind refused to focus. Every word on the screen blurred into meaningless symbols as her thoughts drifted inevitably, inevitably to Lucien.
She told herself it was nothing. A fleeting attraction, a natural reaction to working closely with someone so commanding. Yet, she could no longer ignore the way her heart raced every time he leaned closer, every time their hands brushed while passing documents. Even the simple act of meeting his gaze left her breathless, her stomach fluttering in a way she hadn't experienced before.
It's wrong, she whispered under her breath. It's forbidden.
But her body and mind had already betrayed her.
Earlier that morning, she had delivered a stack of files to his office, only to find him standing by the window, the city lights reflecting in his gray eyes, sharp and intense. He had glanced at her with that piercing stare, his lips twitching as if he wanted to speak, but restrained himself.
And later, during a meeting, she caught him watching her over the top of his papers, just for a moment, before returning to business as usual. That brief flicker of attention had sent a jolt through her chest, leaving her trembling inside.
Now, as she tried to focus on the Henderson files, she felt the same heat rising in her chest. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, suddenly clumsy, and she bit her lip, frustrated with herself.
Her phone buzzed on the desk. A message from her best friend: Are you okay? You seem… distracted.
Aria typed back, forcing a calmness she didn't feel: I'm fine. Just tired.
Tired. The word felt like a lie. She wasn't tired. She was exhausted in a way that went beyond physical fatigue. Her emotions were tangled, a confusing mix of longing and fear, desire and guilt.
And then, she remembered the HR warning: Keep your distance. Stay professional.
Professional. The word echoed in her mind, reminding her that Lucien was forbidden. That he was off limits, untouchable, a storm she shouldn't stand in front of. And yet… the pull toward him was irresistible.
She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, imagining the brief moments of closeness they had shared the accidental touches, the soft tones of his voice when he corrected her work, the way he had subtly praised her performance, though never directly. Every small gesture had been magnified in her mind, leaving her heart pounding and her thoughts in turmoil.
I can't let this happen, she told herself firmly. I can't fall for him. Not for a man like Lucien Velasco.
But the truth was undeniable: she already had.
And somewhere deep inside, she knew it wasn't just a passing fancy. Lucien wasn't like anyone else she had ever met. His presence dominated the room, commanding attention, yet there were moments when she caught glimpses of something more vulnerability, a flicker of softness, a rare trace of something human beneath the icy perfection.
Her pulse quickened at the thought. She shouldn't want it, shouldn't crave it. And yet, she did. Every glance, every word, every small, controlled movement from him drew her in further.
Sighing, Aria leaned forward and returned to her work, fingers trembling slightly as she typed. She tried to push the thoughts aside, tried to convince herself that professionalism was the only path. But as she glanced toward Lucien's office dark, silent, and impossibly tempting she knew the truth.
He was a storm, dangerous and forbidden, and she was standing right in the middle of it.
And the more she tried to resist, the deeper she fell.