Three weeks into the job and it still felt surreal. Today had been unusually smooth. Lena felt alert and focused, as though the office itself had slowed to match her concentration. Sitting across from Lucas, she watched him guide her through the details of a client presentation. He asked questions, corrected minor errors, and explained why certain strategies worked better than others. Every word had purpose, every gesture measured, yet she noticed a subtle patience in him, a side of him she hadn't expected.
She scribbled notes quickly, trying to keep up, but her eyes kept flicking to him. The way he shifted through charts, pointed at numbers, and spoke without raising his voice made the office feel smaller, calmer, somehow ordered. She wasn't just observing her boss; she was learning the way he influenced the room without demanding it, the way people responded naturally to him.
"By the way," he said, leaning back for a moment, "I need to plan something for my parents. Their anniversary is this weekend."
Lena blinked, pen hovering. "Oh? Are you going somewhere special?"
"Yes," he said calmly, "I'll be heading to New York. I want it to be meaningful. They have everything, so it has to feel personal."
Her chest constricted. New York. She had dreamed of it for years, imagined walking through the streets, visiting museums, standing beneath the skyline. The thought of the city made her pulse quicken. "New York," she said quietly, almost to herself. "I've always wanted to go there. When I thought of America, it was New York."
Lucas glanced at her briefly before returning to his folder. "It is a lively city. They enjoy it, and the timing works. I want it to be a weekend they remember."
She forced herself to speak. "For the gift, I suggest maybe a private dinner or a curated experience? Something exclusive, like a resort stay?"
He considered it for a moment. "That is appropriate. Thank you for the suggestion."
Just then, the secretary entered, holding a small stack of papers. "Sir, is that all for today?"
Lucas looked up. "Yes, that will be all. Actually, get me two tickets for the weekend to New York."
The secretary nodded and left. Lena froze. Two tickets. Her heart thudded in her chest, imagination racing ahead. She pictured quiet mornings in a New York apartment, coffee in hand, glimpses of the skyline. The thought of sharing that space with him made her pulse spike. She tried to focus on her notes, but her mind wouldn't stop.
After the office quieted again, Lucas handed her a smaller task: an overview of client engagement strategies for the following week. She hesitated, then asked, "Sir, could I turn this in tomorrow?"
He shook his head slightly. "No. I won't be in the office until next week. I'll be traveling this weekend."
Her curiosity overcame her hesitation. "Maybe… you could review it on the trip?"
He looked up, brows slightly drawn, clearly puzzled.
"I mean in New York," she added quickly. "For your parents' anniversary."
Lucas paused, then smiled faintly. "Oh. The ticket is for my fiancée."
Lena felt her chest tighten. The notebook in her hands grew suddenly heavy. All the excitement she had felt just moments ago vanished. She had imagined being there with him, even for a weekend, sharing glimpses of his world. That fantasy disappeared instantly.
A fiancée.
The word hit her harder than she expected. How had she missed that? She had looked everywhere, read everything she could find about him, and she had assumed he was single. She had thought… she had thought she had a chance.
Who was she? Why had Lena never heard of her? Questions crowded her mind, urgent and unrelenting. Beneath them was a sharper pain—the realization that she had let herself hope, let herself imagine something that could never exist.
Her fingers twisted the pen, trying to keep her hands busy. Her mind replayed the warmth she had felt when he mentioned New York, every small gesture now feeling like a tease, a reminder of how far her imagination had run ahead. She wanted to shrink into her chair, to vanish for a moment, but curiosity gnawed at her. How long had they been together? Did he mention her publicly?
She exhaled slowly, her heartbeat loud in her ears. The reality pressed down hard: she was Lena, the intern, watching a life she would never inhabit. The man she admired, the man who had stirred her heart, already belonged to someone else.