The tension returned on a Tuesday.
It started with a meeting.
Lila walked into Conference Room 12C expecting a routine strategy session. What she got was a war zone. The room was packed—legal, finance, PR, and at the head of the table, Luca Elion in a navy suit that looked like it had been tailored by angels and pressed by sin.
He didn't look up when she entered.
"Take a seat, Miss Grace," he said, eyes on his tablet.
She sat.
Marcus leaned over and whispered, "Brace yourself."
Luca cleared his throat. "We've got a situation. A leak. Someone from our internal team shared confidential merger details with a third party. It's already hit the press."
Murmurs rippled through the room.
Luca's eyes finally met Lila's. "And the leak came from legal."
Lila's stomach dropped.
"I've already spoken to compliance," he continued. "They're narrowing it down. But in the meantime, we're restructuring access. Effective immediately, all merger-related files will be restricted to a core team of three."
He clicked a button. Names appeared on the screen.
Luca Elion.
Marcus Hale.
And not Lila Grace.
Instead, a junior associate's name blinked in bold.
Lila's jaw clenched. "You're sidelining me?"
"I'm protecting the company," Luca said coolly.
"You're punishing me."
"I'm making a call. That's what leaders do."
Lila stood. "Then make a better one."
The room went silent.
Luca stood too. "If you have a problem with my leadership, Miss Grace, you're welcome to take it up with HR."
"I'd rather take it up with your conscience—if you still have one."
Marcus coughed into his coffee. Someone dropped a pen.
Luca's voice was ice. "Meeting adjourned."
That night, Lila stormed into her apartment, heels in hand, hair wild, eyes blazing.
Pearl looked up from the couch. "Uh-oh. Who do I have to fight?"
"Luca," Lila snapped. "Again."
Amara peeked out from the kitchen. "What'd he do now?"
"He cut me from the merger team. Replaced me with a junior. In front of everyone."
Pearl gasped. "Oh, he did not."
"He did. And then had the nerve to say it was 'a leadership decision.'"
Amara crossed her arms. "You want me to slash his tires?"
Lila laughed despite herself. "Tempting."
Pearl handed her a glass of wine. "You know what this means, right?"
"What?"
"You're in his head. Rent-free. And he doesn't know what to do with it."
Lila sighed. "I don't want to be in his head. I want to be in that boardroom."
"Then fight," Amara said. "Show him what happens when you underestimate a Grace sister."
The next morning, Lila arrived at the office early. She didn't go to her desk. She went straight to Celeste Elion's office.
Celeste looked up from her laptop. "Lila. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I need your advice."
Celeste gestured to the chair. "Sit."
Lila did. "Luca cut me from the merger team. I think it's personal."
Celeste's expression didn't change. "And what do you want me to do?"
"Nothing. I just... needed someone to know."
Celeste nodded slowly. "You're not wrong. It is personal. But not in the way you think."
Lila frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means my son is many things. Brilliant. Strategic. Stubborn. But when he's scared, he pushes people away. Especially the ones who matter."
Lila blinked. "I don't matter to him."
Celeste smiled. "You do. That's the problem."
Later that day, Lila found a note on her desk.
Conference Room 7A. 6 PM. Come alone. — L.E.
She almost crumpled it. Almost.
But curiosity won.
At 6 PM, she walked into 7A. Luca was there, alone, sleeves rolled, tie loosened.
"You wanted to see me?" she asked.
He looked up. "I owe you an explanation."
"You owe me a promotion."
He smirked. "Fair."
She crossed her arms. "So?"
"I cut you from the team because I panicked. You're too good. Too sharp. And I didn't want to admit that I needed you."
She blinked. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
"Probably."
"You're scared of me?"
"I'm scared of what you make me feel."
Silence.
Then she laughed. "You're ridiculous."
"And you're irresistible."
She rolled her eyes. "Don't flirt with me. I'm still mad."
"Then let me make it up to you."
"How?"
"Dinner. My treat. No work talk. Just... us."
She hesitated. "I'll think about it."
He smiled. "That's all I ask."
As she walked out, she didn't look back.
But her smile said everything.
And Luca? He finally exhaled.
Because for the first time in weeks, he hadn't lost her.
Not yet.
....
Lila didn't say yes.
But she didn't say no either.
So when a sleek black car pulled up outside her apartment Friday evening, she was already dressed.
Not for him.
For herself.
A deep green wrap dress that made her skin glow, heels that clicked with purpose, and a clutch that held nothing but her phone, lip gloss, and a whole lot of boundaries.
The driver opened the door without a word. She slid in.
The restaurant was tucked into a quiet corner of the city—no paparazzi, no flashing lights. Just soft jazz, low lighting, and a table in the back where Luca Elion sat waiting, looking like sin in a suit.
He stood when she approached. "You came."
"I was hungry," she said, sliding into the seat.
He smirked. "Of course."
They ordered. Wine. Sea bass for her. Steak for him. The silence between them wasn't awkward—it was charged.
"So," he said, swirling his glass. "No work talk."
"Right."
"Then tell me something I don't know."
She raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"Anything. Surprise me."
She thought for a moment. "I once got suspended in high school for punching a boy who said my hair looked like a bird's nest."
Luca blinked. Then laughed. "You punched him?"
"Right in the jaw. He cried."
"I'm both terrified and impressed."
"Good."
He leaned in. "My turn?"
"Go ahead."
"I once ran away from boarding school for a weekend. Took a train to Paris. Spent two days eating croissants and pretending to be someone else."
She stared. "You're kidding."
"Nope. Got caught. My father nearly disowned me."
She tilted her head. "Why'd you do it?"
He shrugged. "I wanted to feel free."
Their eyes met.
And for a moment, the world fell away.
Then the waiter arrived with dessert, and the spell broke.
---
Back at her apartment, Pearl and Amara were watching a rom-com and eating popcorn when Lila walked in.
They both paused the movie.
"Well?" Pearl asked.
Lila kicked off her heels. "It was... weird."
"Weird how?" Amara asked.
"We didn't argue. We talked. Like actual humans."
Pearl gasped. "Did he smile?"
"Worse. He laughed."
Amara narrowed her eyes. "Did you laugh?"
Lila hesitated. "Maybe."
Pearl threw a pillow. "You're falling for him."
"I am not."
"You are so falling for him."
Lila groaned. "I need a shower."
As she disappeared down the hall, Amara turned to Pearl. "Should we be worried?"
Pearl nodded. "Absolutely."
---
The next morning, Lila arrived at work to find a bouquet of white tulips on her desk.
No note.
Just a single card with her name in Luca's handwriting.
She stared at them for a long time.
Then picked them up and walked straight to his office.
He looked up as she entered. "Morning."
She held out the flowers. "What is this?"
"A thank you."
"For what?"
"For dinner. For not throwing your wine in my face. For... not hating me."
She set the flowers down. "I don't hate you."
He smiled. "Progress."
"But I don't trust you either."
"Fair."
She turned to leave.
"Oh, and Lila?"
She paused.
"You're back on the merger team. Effective immediately."
She blinked. "Why?"
"Because you're the best. And because I was wrong. Again."
She stared at him. "You're getting good at that."
"I'm getting good at you."
She rolled her eyes. "Don't push it."
He grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it."
As she walked out, she didn't smile.
But her heart did.
And that was the problem.
Because this wasn't supposed to be a love story.
It was supposed to be war.
And yet, somehow, it was starting to feel like both.
---