Chapter One The first thing I noticed about Eli was the way he looked at me like I had already disappointed him.Not angry.Not curious.Just… closed.I hated him for that.We met on a Tuesday that felt too quiet, the kind of day where nothing dramatic happens but everything somehow changes anyway. He stood across the room, arms folded, posture calm in a way that made my chest tighten.People like that scared me.People who looked like they had nothing to prove.I had learned early that the loud ones were easy. You knew where you stood with them. But the quiet ones? They watched. They waited. They saw too much.“So,” he said finally, his voice even, almost gentle. “You’re the one everyone keeps talking about.”I lifted my chin. “And you must be the one who thinks he’s better than everyone.”His mouth twitched—not a smile. Something else. Something restrained.“I don’t think about you at all,” he replied.The words landed softly. That was the worst part.I should have laughed. Should have shrugged it off. Instead, something sharp twisted in my chest, old and familiar.Good.I decided right then.I didn’t like him either.What I didn’t know—what I couldn’t have known—was that this man would become the quiet place my heart would run to when everything else fell apart.Or that one day, his presence would feel like healing.But back then?Back then, he was just the enemy.And enemies weren’t supposed to matter.Chapter TwoThe office smelled like coffee that had been reheated too many times and ambition that hadn’t slept enough.I was already at my desk when Eli walked in.I didn’t look up.Didn’t need to.Some people change the temperature of a room when they enter. He didn’t do it loudly. He did it subtly—like a shift you only notice after it’s already happened.“Morning,” someone said to him.“Morning,” he replied.Same calm voice. Same steadiness. Like nothing rattled him.I typed harder than necessary, the keys clacking under my fingers. I hated that he worked here now. Hated that he was part of my routine. Hated that fate—or HR—had decided proximity was a good idea.“Aira,” my manager called. “You’ll be working with Eli on the new project.”I looked up so fast my neck protested.He looked at me at the same time.For a second, something passed between us. Recognition. Resignation. Maybe annoyance.“Is that a problem?” my manager asked.“No,” Eli said smoothly, before I could speak. “Not at all.”Of course he would say that. Calm. Mature. Reasonable.I swallowed. “Same here.”Liar.The meeting room was too small. The glass walls made it worse—like we were on display, two people pretending they weren’t uncomfortable sitting this close.He spread the files neatly between us. I noticed, against my will, that he always made space. Never crowded. Never invaded.“Your report from last quarter was impressive,” he said, eyes on the page, not on me.“Don’t flatter me,” I replied. “It won’t work.”He finally looked up then. Really looked.“I’m not trying to win anything,” he said quietly. “Just trying to work.”That irritated me more than hostility ever could.“People always say that,” I snapped. “Right before they prove otherwise.”Silence settled between us.Then, softer, he asked, “Who hurt you?”I stiffened.That wasn’t part of the script. We were supposed to exchange sharp remarks and professional distance—not questions that reached too close to old scars.“That’s none of your business,” I said.He nodded. “You’re right.”No argument. No defense. Just acceptance.It threw me off balance.Because the truth—the part I never said out loud—was that I didn’t hate Eli because he was arrogant or cold.I hated him because he reminded me of a time when I believed people stayed.When I believed work could be safe.When I believed love didn’t leave without explanation.And something about him felt… steady.Steady things don’t survive people like me.As we stood to leave, our hands brushed accidentally.Electric. Brief. Unwelcome.I pulled away first.“This is strictly professional,” I said.His expression didn’t change, but his voice softened.“Of course.”But as I walked out, my heart was already doing something dangerous.It was paying attention.