The room was quiet after Sebastian's words.
I should have gotten there sooner.
Lillian stood beside the bed, still processing what he had said. The sincerity in his voice had caught her completely off guard.
Sebastian Wolfe didn't blame himself for things.
He didn't apologize.
Yet he had just done both.
For a moment neither of them spoke. The morning light filled the room, casting soft shadows across the walls.
Sebastian finally leaned back slightly in the armchair, his hand briefly pressing against his temple.
Lillian noticed immediately.
"You're still dizzy," she said.
"It will pass," he replied quietly.
But the tension in his jaw suggested otherwise.
A few seconds passed.
Then Sebastian looked up at her again.
"There's something else I need to say."
Lillian hesitated before meeting his gaze.
"What is it?"
Sebastian exhaled slowly.
"At Sovereign… that day in the hallway."
Her chest tightened slightly. Of course she remembered that day. The humiliation. The anger. The moment that had pushed her to resign.
"I shouldn't have spoken to you like that," he continued.
The words came slower now, as if each one required effort.
"I let my temper get the better of me."
Lillian blinked in surprise.
Sebastian Wolfe was apologizing.
Not just casually either. He meant it.
"I said things I shouldn't have said," he continued. "And I shouldn't have humiliated you in front of everyone."
Lillian looked down slightly, absorbing his words.
"You didn't just humiliate me," she said softly. "You pushed me away."
Sebastian's expression tightened.
"I know."
Silence filled the room again.
Then he said something that made her look up immediately.
"Will you come back?"
Lillian frowned slightly. "Come back where?"
"To Sovereign."
Her eyes widened slightly.
Sebastian continued before she could respond.
"As my secretary."
The words sounded simple.
But the way he said them carried something deeper.
"I don't want anyone else in that position," he said quietly.
Lillian stared at him.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly what I said," Sebastian replied.
He leaned forward slightly, ignoring the faint dizziness creeping into his head.
"I won't replace you."
"Mr. Wolfe—."
"I want my secretary back."
His voice softened slightly.
"I want you back."
The words hung heavily in the air.
Lillian felt warmth rise to her cheeks before she could stop it.
She quickly looked away, trying to hide the blush spreading across her face.
Of all the things she expected this morning…
This wasn't one of them.
"You're asking me to come back after everything that happened?" she asked quietly.
"Yes."
"And you think that's enough?"
"No."
Sebastian held her gaze steadily.
"But it's the truth."
Lillian crossed her arms slightly, trying to steady her thoughts.
She had loved working at Sovereign.
She had loved organizing Sebastian's chaotic schedule.
She had loved the challenge of keeping up with him.
But she had also loved…
She cut the thought off before finishing it.
"I'll think about it," she said finally.
Sebastian nodded slowly.
"That's all I'm asking."
For a moment the tension between them eased slightly.
But then Sebastian shifted in the chair.
A sharp wave of dizziness hit him harder this time.
The room tilted suddenly.
He grabbed the armrest of the chair.
Lillian noticed immediately.
"Mr. Wolfe?"
"I'm fine," he muttered.
But when he tried to stand, the floor seemed to move beneath him.
His vision blurred.
He barely made it halfway up before his balance faltered.
"Mr. Wolfe!"
Lillian rushed forward just in time to catch him.
His weight leaned heavily against her as he struggled to stay upright.
His head throbbed painfully.
"You're not fine," she said firmly.
"It's just a little dizziness."
"You almost fell over!"
Sebastian tried to straighten himself, but the motion only made the spinning worse.
Lillian guided him carefully toward the bed.
"Sit down."
"I don't need—."
"Yes, you do."
Her tone left no room for argument.
For once, Sebastian didn't fight her.
He sat down slowly on the edge of the bed.
Lillian placed a hand against his forehead.
He was warm.
Too warm.
"You have a fever," she said.
"It's nothing."
"You fought someone last night with a head injury and you're recovering from surgery," she said sharply. "That is not nothing."
She pushed him gently backward until he was lying down on the bed.
"Stay there."
Sebastian looked mildly annoyed but didn't move.
His head still felt heavy.
Lillian quickly went to the bathroom and returned with a glass of water and medication.
"Sit up."
He did slowly.
She handed him the pills.
"What is this?"
"Pain medication."
"I don't need—."
"Take them."
Her voice carried the same firmness he had used with her countless times.
Sebastian studied her for a second.
Then he took them.
After he drank the water, Lillian adjusted the pillow behind his head.
"You need rest," she said.
"I have work."
"No you don't."
"Yes, I do."
"You almost collapsed ten seconds ago," she pointed out.
Sebastian opened his mouth to argue.
Then closed it again.
Lillian sat down on the armchair beside the bed.
The same chair he had spent the night in watching over her.
Now their roles had reversed.
Sebastian's eyelids felt heavy.
The medication was starting to take effect.
Lillian watched him carefully.
"You really should have gone to a hospital," she said quietly.
"I had more important things to worry about."
Her chest tightened slightly at the meaning behind that.
A few minutes passed.
Sebastian's breathing slowly deepened as exhaustion finally began to take over.
Lillian thought he had fallen asleep.
Then he spoke quietly.
"Miss Parker."
She looked up immediately.
"Yes?"
His eyes were half-closed now, his voice softer than she had ever heard it.
"Don't leave."
Her breath caught.
For a moment she thought she had misheard him.
But his expression was calm.
Almost vulnerable.
She wasn't even sure he realized what he had said.
"I'm not going anywhere," she said quietly.
He didn't respond.
Within seconds, Sebastian Wolfe had finally fallen asleep.
Lillian sat beside the bed in silence.
The powerful, intimidating CEO who ruled Sovereign Technologies without hesitation was now lying quietly beneath the blankets, injured and exhausted.
She looked at the bandage on his forehead.
Then at his sleeping face.
Lillian stayed where she was, silently watching over him.
The man who had spent the entire night protecting her was now the one who needed someone to stay.