Days passed.
But the tension didn't.
If anything—
it only grew heavier.
More present.
More impossible to ignore.
Adrian felt it in every quiet moment.
In every report he read but couldn't fully process.
In every decision that felt… incomplete without her perspective.
His eyes kept drifting—unconsciously—to the space where she used to stand.
The place she occupied so naturally.
The silence without her wasn't peaceful.
It was empty.
Unsettling.
Wrong.
"…This is inefficient," he muttered under his breath, more to himself than anyone else.
Because this—
this distance—
wasn't working.
Not for him.
Not for her.
Not for anything.
Which is why—
that evening—
he made a decision.
"Lina."
She turned immediately.
"…Sir?"
"Stay for a moment."
Her heart skipped.
Not from fear.
But from something else.
Something fragile.
"…Okay," she said quietly.
The office was already emptying.
Lights dimmed.
Voices faded.
Until it was just the two of them.
Standing across from each other in a space that suddenly felt too small—
and too important.
Adrian stepped closer.
Not rushed.
Not hesitant.
But not quite certain either.
For once—
he didn't carry his usual composure like armor.
Instead—
there was something different.
Something more human.
"…There's something I need to say."
Lina's chest tightened.
She didn't interrupt.
Didn't move.
Just… waited.
Her hands clasped lightly in front of her, steady on the outside—
but not on the inside.
"I—"
Ring.
The sound cut through the room.
Sharp.
Unexpected.
Interrupting everything.
Adrian's brows drew together.
He glanced at his phone.
Ignored it.
"I need to—"
Ring.
Again.
More insistent.
More urgent.
Lina shifted slightly, a quiet tension settling in her posture.
"…You should answer it," she said softly.
Adrian hesitated.
For a moment—
he considered ignoring it completely.
But something about the persistence—
the repetition—
felt wrong.
Like something important was waiting.
He answered.
"…What is it?"
A pause.
Then—
everything changed.
His expression shifted instantly.
Sharply.
Focused.
Alert.
"I'll be there."
The call ended.
Silence returned—but not the same kind as before.
This one—
felt heavy.
Urgent.
Incomplete.
Lina's heart dropped slightly.
"…What happened?"
Adrian looked at her.
Really looked at her.
And for a split second—
something in his expression softened.
But it was quickly replaced by urgency.
"…Go home."
Her brows furrowed.
"Sir—"
"That's an order."
His voice was firm.
Not harsh.
But absolute.
There was no room for argument.
No space for anything else.
And just like that—
the moment they had just built—
the moment that had almost turned into something real—
was gone.
Lina stood there for a second longer.
Searching his face.
Looking for something.
Anything.
But he had already turned.
Already stepping away.
And just like that—
she was left behind again.
But this time—
it didn't just feel like distance.
It felt like something unfinished.
Something important.
Something that—no matter how much she tried—
she couldn't ignore anymore.