The days following their conversation passed with an unusual tension neither Alex nor Yujiro acknowledged aloud.
Yet something had undeniably changed.
Yujiro no longer viewed Alexandria Bolivar as merely one of his most competent employees.
She was a mystery.
And Yujiro hated mysteries.
Especially the ones that occupied his thoughts during board meetings.
---
"Sir?"
Yujiro looked up from the report in front of him.
His assistant hesitated.
"The board members are waiting."
"...Right."
He closed the file.
Alex's neatly organized handwriting stared back at him from the finalized proposal.
Precise.
Efficient.
Reliable.
Much like the woman herself.
Yet behind that polished professionalism existed another version of Alexandria Bolivar.
A woman who laughed softly at phone calls.
A woman whose entire expression transformed when speaking about her son.
A woman who had looked ready to flee the moment he asked about the boy's father.
And for reasons he refused to examine too closely...
he wanted answers.
---
Meanwhile, Alex was reviewing documents at her desk when her phone vibrated.
Asha: Emergency.
Alex immediately sat upright.
Alex: What happened?
Three dots appeared.
Then—
Asha: Relax. Yuto just got into another argument with broccoli.
Alex nearly laughed out loud.
Alex: You almost gave me a heart attack.
Asha: He said and I quote: "Mama wouldn't make me eat this."
Alex: Lies. Slander.
Asha: Come save me after work.
Alex smiled.
For a moment, she forgot where she was.
Until—
"You smile at your phone often."
Her entire body stiffened.
Slowly, she looked up.
Yujiro stood beside her desk.
"Mr. Yujiro."
"You seem less intimidating when you smile."
Alex blinked.
"...Was that supposed to be a compliment?"
The corner of his mouth twitched.
"Take it however you'd like."
Before she could respond, he placed a folder on her desk.
"I'll need you in the conference room."
"Now?"
"Yes."
---
The meeting ended nearly two hours later.
By the time everyone had left, only Alex and Yujiro remained.
Alex gathered her papers.
"If that's all, I'll head back to my desk."
"Ms. Bolivar."
She paused.
"Yes?"
Yujiro regarded her carefully.
"You mentioned before that you're a single mother."
Alex's grip tightened around her files.
"...I did."
"Was it difficult?"
The question caught her off guard.
She had expected curiosity.
Judgment.
Not this.
"...Yes."
Yujiro remained silent.
Alex let out a breath.
"It was terrifying."
The admission came easier than expected.
"I had just graduated."
"I was trying to build a career."
"I had people questioning every decision I made."
"And then suddenly..."
She hesitated.
"...I wasn't responsible for just myself anymore."
Yujiro watched her.
"You raised him alone?"
Alex nodded.
"I wasn't completely alone."
"Asha helped."
"But yes."
She smiled softly.
"There were nights I didn't think I'd survive."
"Days I questioned whether I was enough."
"But then he'd smile at me..."
The exhaustion in her expression transformed into warmth.
"And somehow..."
"You figure it out."
Silence settled over the room.
Yujiro finally spoke.
"And his father?"
Alex immediately tensed.
The warmth disappeared.
"I don't think that's appropriate."
His gaze sharpened.
"It wasn't intentional."
"What wasn't?"
"The question."
Alex looked at him.
For the first time since she'd known him, Yujiro seemed almost uncomfortable.
"I'm not trying to offend you."
"Then stop asking."
"I don't understand."
Her patience snapped.
"You don't have to."
The words came out sharper than intended.
"I understand that you're curious."
"But my son's father isn't a discussion topic during office hours."
Yujiro's jaw tightened.
"I wasn't asking as your employer."
"Then what were you asking as?"
The question hung heavily between them.
Neither seemed to know the answer.
Eventually, Yujiro looked away first.
"...Forget it."
Alex released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"I'm sorry."
He glanced at her.
"You don't have to apologize."
"I know you're trying to understand."
She lowered her gaze.
"But some parts of my life..."
"They're complicated."
Yujiro studied her.
"...Complicated."
Alex gave a humorless smile.
"That's one way to put it."
---
That evening, Alex arrived home to find Yuto waiting by the door.
"Mama!"
He wrapped himself around her legs.
"You're late!"
"I know."
She kissed the top of his head.
"I'm sorry."
Yuto gasped dramatically.
"You always say that."
Asha laughed from the couch.
"He's becoming a little lawyer."
"I am not."
"You negotiate bedtime extensions."
"It's called compromise."
Alex couldn't stop laughing.
As Yuto dragged her toward the dining table, she felt the weight of the day ease from her shoulders.
Until—
"Mama?"
"Hmm?"
"Did Daddy like broccoli?"
Alex froze.
Asha looked away.
Yuto frowned thoughtfully.
"If I meet him someday..."
"Will he make me eat vegetables too?"
Alex crouched beside him.
Her throat tightened.
"I don't know."
"Do you think he'd like me?"
The innocence in his eyes nearly broke her.
Alex cupped his cheeks gently.
"Oh, sweetheart."
"You are impossible not to love."
Yuto smiled immediately.
"Okay."
Then he whispered conspiratorially,
"But if he likes broccoli..."
"I might have to think about it."
A laugh escaped her through the tears threatening to fall.
---
Across the city, Yujiro stood in his office overlooking the skyline.
Complicated.
The word echoed in his mind.
He remembered the way Alex's expression had changed.
The fear.
The protectiveness.
The sadness.
He had negotiated million-dollar contracts without hesitation.
Faced down executives twice his age.
Built an empire through logic and discipline.
Yet one woman had managed to leave him completely uncertain.
Who hurt you?
Who made you carry everything alone?
And why...
did the thought of another man walking away from Alexandria and her son fill him with anger he couldn't explain?
Unaware that the answers he sought weren't far away.
And that the truth, once revealed, would change everything he believed he understood.
— End of Chapter 7 —