The office lights dimmed slightly as evening settled over the towering skyscraper. Workers from lower floors had already packed their bags and left, but the top floor remained alive with quiet, focused intensity. Jace never left early, and today was no exception.
Selena, however, felt like her body had reached its limit.
She had spent the entire day sorting files, preparing drafts, organizing reports, and constantly adjusting her work after Jace's subtle but sharp corrections. His expectations were impossibly high, and though she tried not to take it personally, every comment stung a little.
By the time the clock hit 7 p.m., her head was pounding.
She inhaled deeply, hoping the sensation would pass — but the room tilted slightly. She blinked. Her vision blurred at the edges.
Not now… please not now.
She tried to steady herself, placing a hand on the table, hoping Jace wouldn't notice.
But he noticed everything.
"Selena."
Jace's voice cut through the silence — sharp, controlled, but laced with something different today. Something almost… concerned.
She straightened, trying to act normal. "Y-yes?"
"Are you feeling well?"
"I'm fine," she lied quickly. "Just a little—"
Her words were cut short as a wave of dizziness washed over her, stronger this time. Her knees buckled for a moment, and she stumbled.
Before she hit the floor, a firm hand wrapped around her wrist.
Then another slid around her waist.
She gasped as she found herself pulled against a warm, solid chest — Jace's chest.
The moment froze.
His scent — clean, masculine, expensive — surrounded her. His heartbeat, steady and controlled, thudded against her cheek. His grip tightened instinctively, steadying her.
"Selena."
This time, his voice was low, almost breathless, and for the first time since she met him… she heard raw concern.
She swallowed, forcing her eyes open. "I'm… sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"Don't apologize." His jaw clenched. "You're dizzy. Sit."
He guided her gently — gently, something she didn't think he was capable of — to the sofa in the lounge corner. He lowered her carefully, his hand still at her waist until he was sure she wouldn't fall again.
Selena stared at him, stunned.
She had never seen this side of him. Not even close.
Jace crouched in front of her, loosening his tie slightly as he studied her face. His eyes softened for a second — just a second — and her breath hitched.
"You've been overworking," he murmured. "I pushed you too hard today."
Her chest tightened. Did he just admit that?
She smiled faintly despite the dizziness. "You? Admitting fault? I must really be dying."
His eyes flicked to hers sharply — but then, unexpectedly, he exhaled a soft, almost silent laugh. The corner of his lips lifted just a little.
It was the closest thing to a smile she had ever seen on him.
Their eyes locked.
For a moment, the world outside the glass walls disappeared — the city lights, the noise, everything. There was nothing but the two of them, breathing the same air, inches apart.
Jace's hand brushed a loose strand of hair from her face.
Her heart stopped.
"Selena…" he murmured, voice barely audible.
She didn't know what came over her — maybe exhaustion, maybe something deeper — but she leaned slightly closer, her breath brushing his.
The tension crackled between them, sharp and electric.
But just as quickly as it came, it vanished.
Jace blinked, and the warmth in his eyes froze over. He rose to his feet, jaw tightening, stepping back into the armor of coldness he always wore.
"Rest for a few minutes," he said flatly. "We leave soon."
The moment was gone — buried beneath the familiar ice in his voice.
But Selena knew what she felt.
And she knew Jace felt it too.
Even if he'd never admit it.