Chapter 15: The Silence Between Glances.
Morning unfolded like it always did - Measured, routine, predictable.
But Kaia wasn’t.
She stepped into the office with her usual grace, but the lightness that normally followed her seemed absent. Her hair fell softly over her shoulders, her bag resting neatly by her desk. Every movement was proper..
Controlled.
Adrian noticed.
He had been pretending to review a file, though his attention had been fixed on the elevator doors long before they opened.
And when they did -
his eyes found her instantly.
She didn’t look at him.
That was the first difference.
Usually, even if brief, there was a glance. A flicker, something unspoken.
Today she walked straight to her desk.
He observed the way she arranged her things- precise, almost mechanical. No small smile. No quiet hum under her breath. Just silence.
Ten minutes later, he walked over. “Good morning, Kaia.”
She looked up quickly. “Good morning, sir.”
Sir.
It sounded distant.
He rested a hand lightly against the edge of her desk. “How’s your day going so far?”
It’s okay.
A simple answer. Calm, measured.
He tilted his head slightly.“Just okay?”
She offered a small smile. “Yes, everything’s fine.”
Everything’s fine.
He studied her for a moment - the slight tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers rested too still against the table, her thumb unconsciously over the tiny mole below her middle fingernail.
He knew that look
But he didn’t push.
“Alright,” he said gently. “If you need anything - let me know.”
She nodded. “I will.”
He lingered half a second longer than necesaary.
From across the office, someone from his team leaned toward another and whispererd,” Boss is on observation duty today.”
Adrian ignored them.
Because he wasn’t trying to solve anything. He was simply trying to understand why her silence felt heavier than usual.
And for reasons he hadn’t yet admitted to himself, he wanted to be the reason it softened.
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