CHAPTER 10 — EMOTIONAL VULNERABILITY
The office was bathed in the soft glow of the late afternoon sun, the light spilling through the tall glass windows and reflecting off the polished floors. Most of the staff had gone home, leaving the office eerily quiet, save for the occasional rustle of papers or the hum of the air conditioner. Aria sat at her desk, attempting to focus on the Henderson project, but every word on the screen seemed to blur into nothingness.
Her mind wasn't on the numbers. It wasn't on the deadlines. It was on him.
Lucien Velasco.
She tried to convince herself that it was just attraction a natural, fleeting response to working closely with someone so commanding, so undeniably magnetic. But she couldn't ignore the way her heart raced when he leaned over to explain a detail, the subtle warmth of his hand brushing hers, the quiet intensity of his gaze when he studied her face. Every glance, every movement sent a jolt through her.
She had tried to resist. She had tried to tell herself that he was forbidden, untouchable, a man she could never allow herself to fall for. HR's warning echoed in her mind like a chant she couldn't shake: Keep your distance. Stay professional. Avoid distractions.
And yet, resisting him was becoming impossible.
Later that day, she was summoned to his office to review some sensitive contracts. She entered, hands slightly trembling, her chest tight with anticipation and apprehension. Lucien was already there, seated behind his massive mahogany desk, fingers steepled under his chin. His gray eyes flicked up, briefly softening as they met hers.
"Sit," he said, voice calm but commanding, leaving no room for refusal.
Aria obeyed, smoothing her skirt nervously. The air between them was thick, charged with an invisible current that made her skin tingle.
"You've been… distracted," he began, leaning back slightly. His gaze lingered on her longer than necessary, sharp and penetrating, but softened at the edges. "I need to understand why."
Aria swallowed hard. Her mind raced, searching for a plausible excuse. I'm just tired. I've been working too much. It's the stress.
Instead, she found herself speaking words she hadn't intended. "I… I guess I've been thinking too much about… work, sir." Her voice faltered, betraying her uncertainty.
Lucien's lips curved just slightly a ghost of a smile but his eyes remained serious. "It's more than work, isn't it?"
Her breath caught. How could he know? She hadn't spoken aloud, hadn't given anything away. And yet, he seemed to see through her carefully constructed composure.
"I… I don't know what you mean," she whispered, trying to meet his gaze but finding it almost impossible.
His gray eyes softened, and for the first time, Aria saw a glimpse of vulnerability behind the stoic facade a flicker of something human. "Aria," he said gently, his voice almost a whisper, "you're not just distracted. You're conflicted. You're trying to navigate this… situation with me, aren't you?"
Her chest tightened, and she nodded slowly, unable to deny the truth. "Yes… sir," she admitted softly. "I'm trying. But it's… difficult."
Lucien leaned back in his chair, studying her as if deciding how much to reveal. Then, unexpectedly, he spoke of something he had never shared with anyone. "I've… lost people before," he said quietly, his tone uncharacteristically fragile. "Someone close. Someone I trusted completely. And I failed them."
Aria's heart lurched. She had never heard him speak like this not of vulnerability, not of weakness. It was as if the walls around him had briefly cracked, revealing a side of Lucien that only he knew.
"I…" he paused, running a hand through his hair, "I won't let that happen again. I can't. And yet… I find myself drawn to you, despite every rule, every warning. It's… complicated."
Aria's chest ached. Every word he spoke resonated deep inside her, stirring emotions she hadn't dared to acknowledge. She realized that his vulnerability mirrored her own the same conflict, the same forbidden attraction, the same unspoken desire.
"I… feel the same, sir," she admitted, voice trembling. "I shouldn't. I know I shouldn't. But I… I can't help it."
The office fell into silence, the hum of the air conditioner and the faint click of the clock filling the space between them. They were two people trapped in a web of rules, desire, and unspoken emotions. Yet in that quiet, Aria felt a connection, a fragile, dangerous intimacy she had never known before.
Lucien's gaze softened, and he leaned slightly forward, close enough that the air between them was thick with tension. "Then we are… in the same storm," he murmured, his voice low, almost a confession. "And storms are dangerous. But they're… also exhilarating."
Aria's hands trembled in her lap. The words hung between them, a forbidden acknowledgment of what neither could fully act on but both felt deeply.
When she finally left his office, her mind and body were on fire with conflicting emotions: longing, fear, excitement, and a profound sense of connection. She returned to her desk, heart racing, realizing something terrifying and undeniable: the attraction between them wasn't going away. It was growing stronger, more dangerous, and impossible to ignore.
He's forbidden. He's dangerous. And yet… I can't stop thinking about him, she whispered to herself.
And in that moment, she knew the storm had truly begun.