The next morning at Sovereign began like any other.
Employees moved quickly through the glass doors, coffee cups in hand. Phones rang, keyboards clicked, and the low hum of conversation filled the office floor.
But inside Sebastian Wolfe's office, something felt… different.
Sebastian sat behind his desk, reviewing a stack of reports.
Or at least pretending to.
His eyes moved across the page, but he hadn't absorbed a single word.
Because Lillian was sitting across from him.
And now that he knew exactly how he felt about her, everything felt… complicated.
Dangerously complicated.
He cleared his throat.
"Miss Parker," he said in a perfectly controlled voice.
Lillian looked up from her laptop immediately.
"Yes, Mr. Wolfe?"
Sebastian gestured toward the document on his desk.
"Please review the financial projections for the smart-home interface deal."
"Of course."
Lillian stood, walked over, and placed the updated report on his desk.
Their fingers almost brushed as she set it down.
Both of them immediately pulled their hands back.
Sebastian leaned back in his chair.
Lillian stepped away slightly.
Silence settled between them.
A strange, stiff silence.
Because both of them were trying very hard to act normal.
Professional.
Completely unaffected.
Which only made everything more awkward.
Lillian returned to her desk.
Sebastian continued reading the report.
Neither looked at the other.
Outside the office, Chloe watched the scene unfold from her desk.
She narrowed her eyes.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
She leaned back in her chair, studying the glass office like a detective watching suspicious activity.
Inside, Sebastian spoke again.
"Miss Parker."
"Yes, Mr. Wolfe."
"Could you send the Henderson contract to legal?"
"Yes, Mr. Wolfe."
Chloe slowly lowered her coffee cup.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh no," she muttered.
She stood and walked toward the office door.
Inside, Lillian typed an email while Sebastian reviewed his tablet.
They looked like two coworkers who had never shared a moment of personal history.
Chloe stepped inside.
"Okay," she said immediately.
Both of them looked up.
"What's wrong?" Lillian asked.
Chloe pointed between them.
"This."
Sebastian frowned slightly.
"This what?"
"This weird, robotic, painfully professional nonsense."
Lillian blinked.
"We're working."
"No," Chloe said firmly.
"You're acting like two diplomats negotiating a peace treaty."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow.
"That's called professionalism."
Chloe crossed her arms.
"You two were literally alone together last night working late."
Neither of them said anything.
Chloe's eyes narrowed even more.
"Did something happen?"
"No," Lillian said quickly.
Sebastian didn't speak.
Chloe pointed dramatically.
"Something definitely happened."
Lillian sighed.
"Nothing happened."
Chloe looked between them again.
"You're both using last names."
"That's normal," Sebastian said calmly.
"No," Chloe replied.
"Yesterday you called her Lillian."
Sebastian paused.
Lillian noticed.
The tension returned instantly.
Before anyone could respond, a knock came from the office door.
One of the building's security staff stepped inside.
"Mr. Wolfe?"
Sebastian straightened.
"Yes?"
The guard looked serious.
"I just received a call from the police."
The room went quiet.
Lillian's stomach tightened.
"What happened?" Sebastian asked.
"Ethan Bennett was released on bail this morning."
The air in the office turned cold.
Lillian felt her pulse quicken.
Sebastian's expression darkened instantly.
"When?" he asked.
"About an hour ago."
Sebastian stood immediately.
His entire demeanor changed.
Cold.
Focused.
Dangerous.
"Thank you," he said to the guard.
"I'll handle it."
The guard nodded and left.
Silence filled the room.
Lillian folded her arms slightly.
"It's fine," she said.
Sebastian looked at her sharply.
"No, it isn't."
"Mr. Wolfe—."
"You're not walking anywhere alone."
Lillian blinked.
"I wasn't planning to."
"I'll have security escort you to your car every evening."
"That's not necessary."
"It is."
Chloe watched the exchange carefully.
Her expression slowly softened.
Because that tone in Sebastian's voice…
It wasn't CEO authority.
It was concern.
Real concern.
Lillian noticed it too.
Her voice became quieter.
"I can take care of myself."
Sebastian's eyes softened slightly.
"I know you can."
"But I'd rather not test that again."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The tension between them had shifted again.
Less awkward.
More protective.
Chloe suddenly clapped her hands.
"Okay! New plan."
Both of them looked at her.
"What plan?" Sebastian asked.
Chloe grabbed Lillian's arm and gently pulled her toward the door.
"The plan where you two stop pretending nothing is happening."
"Chloe," Lillian warned.
"Nope," Chloe said cheerfully.
"You like him."
Lillian turned red.
Sebastian blinked.
"And he clearly likes you."
Sebastian cleared his throat.
"That is an inappropriate workplace assumption."
Chloe grinned.
"Oh please."
She pointed between them again.
"You're both acting weird."
Sebastian returned to his desk.
"I have work to do."
"Of course you do," Chloe said.
"But you're also assigning security to protect her."
"That's logical."
"Sure."
Chloe turned to Lillian.
"And you're blushing."
"I am not."
Chloe smiled.
"This is going to be fun."
Sebastian rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Miss Jones."
"Yes, boss?"
"Please go back to your desk."
Chloe saluted dramatically.
"Yes, boss."
She walked toward the door, but before leaving she turned back.
"Oh, and Mr. Wolfe?"
He looked up.
"If Ethan comes anywhere near Lillian again, I assume you'll break another door down?"
Sebastian didn't even hesitate.
"Yes."
Chloe grinned.
"Good."
Then she left.
The office became quiet again.
Lillian slowly returned to her desk.
Sebastian sat behind his own.
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Then Lillian finally said softly,
"You didn't have to assign security."
Sebastian looked at her.
"Yes, I did."
Their eyes met.
And for a moment, the awkwardness faded.
Because the truth was simple.
No matter how professional they tried to act…
Neither of them could pretend they didn't care anymore.
And somewhere outside the glass walls of Sovereign…
Ethan Bennett was free again.
Which meant things were about to become even more complicated.