The next day the office was buzzing with the usual morning chaos.
Phones rang, keyboards clicked, and the hum of voices filled the open-plan space.
Sebastian Wolfe sat behind his large desk, staring at the mountain of documents in front of him.
He typed mechanically, eyes flicking to the clock now and then.
His mind, however, wasn't on work.
It was on her.
Lillian.
The memory of yesterday —the way she had looked at him in his bedroom, so close, so vulnerable—kept replaying in his mind.
He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to shake it off, but the tension lingered.
The office door opened suddenly.
He looked up.
And froze.
Lillian Parker.
Standing in the doorway, perfectly poised, professional as ever, but with a faint nervousness lingering in her posture.
His chest tightened.
She smiled faintly, hesitating before taking a step inside.
"Mr. Wolfe," she said softly.
Sebastian stood immediately. He cleared his throat, trying to sound neutral, professional.
"Miss Parker," he said, his voice steady, though his heart was racing.
"I… I'd like to come back," Lillian continued, her hands folded neatly in front of her.
"I want to work for you again."
Sebastian's lips twitched into a rare, warm smile.
"Good," he said. "I want you back. Only you."
Her cheeks warmed slightly. She nodded, though she couldn't quite meet his eyes.
"Thank you," she murmured.
Sebastian gestured toward the chair across from his desk.
"Sit."
She obeyed, though each step felt heavier than usual.
The office felt smaller now, tighter, every space between them charged with unspoken tension.
Neither of them spoke for a long moment.
Sebastian opened a document on his laptop, pretending to focus.
Lillian set her bag down and opened hers, pulling out her notebook and pen.
They worked. Professional. Efficient.
But the air was heavy.
Every so often, their eyes met. Quick glances. Fleeting.
Neither knew what to do.
Neither spoke about the near-kiss from yesterday .
But it hung between them like a shadow, impossible to ignore.
Chloe, sitting at her desk a few meters away, noticed immediately.
She leaned back, studying them like a hawk.
Oh. Oh yes.
The tension was palpable.
She tilted her head, sipping her coffee, watching every subtle gesture—the way Lillian's fingers lingered over her keyboard, the way Sebastian's eyes flicked to her before he forced himself to focus on a spreadsheet.
Chloe smirked. This was… entertaining. Very entertaining.
Lillian fidgeted slightly, flipping pages in her notebook, trying to act normal.
Sebastian cleared his throat, tension in his shoulders.
"Miss Parker," he said carefully.
"Are you… settled in? Ready to begin?"
"Yes," she replied softly, voice a little too quiet.
Her hands trembled slightly, betraying her attempt at composure.
"Good," he said, glancing at his screen but noticing how she avoided his gaze.
Silence settled again. Heavy.
They worked for nearly an hour.
Sebastian tried to focus on contracts and emails, but his mind kept wandering.
He remembered her in his bedroom, the warmth of her body, the way her eyes had searched his.
He shook his head. Focus. Work. Professional.
Lillian, meanwhile, tried to ignore him. She typed notes, organized files, and answered emails.
But her mind was racing too.
She kept remembering the moment they had almost… but hadn't.
The tension between them was confusing.
Familiar. Electric.
She avoided looking at him directly, but she noticed every small detail: the bruise on his forehead fading slightly, the dark circles under his eyes, the way his fingers tapped the edge of his desk.
Chloe noticed all of it, of course. She couldn't help it.
Her smile widened as she whispered to herself, "Yep. Definitely still sparks."
Eventually, Chloe leaned back in her chair and observed silently, letting the awkwardness settle between them.
It was… strangely intimate.
Sebastian finally broke the silence.
"Miss Parker," he said, his voice low.
"I need you to handle the Henderson project again."
"Yes, Mr. Wolfe," Lillian replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
She moved to her workstation, setting up her laptop and organizing the files.
Sebastian watched her out of the corner of his eye, his chest tightening slightly.
He wanted to say something. Something more than just work.
But the professional veneer held.
Hours passed.
They spoke only in clipped sentences, professional tones, work-related topics.
Yet every word carried a tension, a weight that neither could ignore.
At one point, Sebastian noticed her glancing at him.
She looked away immediately.
His jaw tightened. He leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled.
This was… different.
Awkward. Electric. Dangerous.
Finally, Chloe, sensing the tension was unbearable, decided to leave them be.
She rose from her desk, stretched, and whispered, "I'm going to grab lunch. Try not to combust, you two."
Neither moved. Neither spoke.
Chloe smirked, shaking her head. She knew she'd just left a powder keg between them.
Lillian exhaled softly at Chloe's departure.
She felt the weight of Sebastian's gaze, even across the office floor.
Sebastian's eyes softened as he watched her set up her workspace.
"I…" he began, then stopped.
He cleared his throat and typed furiously instead, trying to force himself to focus.
Lillian's fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Her mind screamed at her to say something. Anything.
But she didn't.
The tension remained.
Lunch came and went.
Still, neither spoke about yesterday .
Neither dared.
Yet everything had changed.
The professional distance they had once maintained no longer existed.
It was replaced by something… unspoken.
Something fragile and dangerous.
By the end of the day, Lillian had completed the Henderson project notes and emailed them to Sebastian.
He glanced at the email, fingers pausing over the keyboard.
He wanted to write something.
Something personal.
But he didn't. Not here. Not in front of the staff.
Instead, he simply clicked "mark as read" and leaned back in his chair.
Lillian packed her things, her movements precise, calm, professional.
But her heart was racing.
Sebastian watched her silently, not looking away.
Every step she took toward the door, he noticed.
Every slight glance she made in his direction, he noticed.
She finally stopped at the doorway, turning to face him.
"Mr. Wolfe," she said softly. "I'll see you tomorrow."
He nodded, words failing him.
"Yes," he said finally.
She left the office quietly.
Sebastian exhaled, long and slow.
He rubbed his forehead, the ache returning slightly.
But it wasn't the headache that troubled him.
It was her absence.
Chloe returned shortly afterward, sipping her coffee.
"You okay?" she asked, leaning casually against the doorway.
Sebastian looked at her, expression unreadable.
"Yes," he said finally, though his tone was quieter than usual.
Chloe smirked.
"Hmm. Sure. You're really calm for a man who just let Lillian Parker walk out of his office without… well, you know."
Sebastian's jaw tightened.
"I'm fine," he said, voice clipped.
Chloe grinned knowingly.
"Uh-huh. Whatever you say, boss."
She left him alone again.
Sebastian leaned back, fingers interlaced on the desk.
The office was quiet now.
Professional. Efficient.
But inside, the storm raged.
They had returned.
She was back at Sovereign.
And the tension, the unspoken feelings, the almost… everything, lingered in the air.
Neither of them knew what the next day would bring.
But both of them knew one thing with certainty: nothing between them would ever be the same.