Chapter 6: Morning After Confusion
690 Words
The morning after the storm felt heavier than the storm itself.
Sienna stared at her reflection in the ladies’ room mirror, adjusting the small gold clip in her hair for the third time. She looked the same. Crisp white blouse, black pencil skirt, simple makeup.
But she wasn’t the same.
Every nerve in her body remembered the feel of Lucien’s mouth on hers, the way his hands had gripped her like he couldn’t bear to let her go. Every cell in her body hummed with it.
And yet... when she stepped out into the corridor and headed for her desk, she found Lucien already in his office, door slightly ajar, barking into his phone as if nothing had happened.
She paused for a heartbeat.
No lingering glances.
No acknowledgment.
Nothing.
Just business as usual.
Sienna inhaled deeply, forcing her shoulders straight as she set down her bag and logged into her system. Fine. If that was how he wanted to play it, she could pretend too.
She drowned herself in emails, calendar updates, document edits. Anything to focus on except the memory of his mouth on hers or the heat of his body pressed against her.
The hours dragged by.
At noon, Lucien emerged from his office, a folder in hand. His gaze barely flicked toward her.
"Conference room three. Bring your tablet."
His voice was smooth, controlled. Professional.
Almost mechanical.
Sienna grabbed her tablet and followed him down the hall without a word.
Inside the conference room, Lucien laid out a stack of proposals on the table and began firing off instructions about edits, talking about investors and deadlines as if yesterday had never happened.
Sienna matched his tone, nodding, typing, never missing a beat.
But inside, it was killing her.
Because every time she glanced up, she caught him looking at her.
Not openly.
Not for long.
But enough.
Enough to know he was pretending just as hard as she was.
At one point, as she passed him a document, their fingers brushed.
A bolt of electricity shot up her arm, sharp and undeniable.
She yanked her hand back too fast. Papers fluttered to the floor.
Lucien bent down to help her at the same time she did, and for a moment, their faces were inches apart. She could smell his cologne, feel the warmth of his skin.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them breathed.
It would have been so easy to fall into him again.
But Lucien was the first to pull away, his jaw tight, his body rigid with restraint.
He gathered the papers and handed them to her without looking.
"Be careful," he said, voice low.
It wasn’t about the papers. It wasn’t about clumsiness.
It was a warning.
Be careful.
Because they were standing on a knife's edge.
One more step, and everything would collapse.
The rest of the day passed in the same painful, aching silence. Polite, professional, distant.
By five o'clock, Sienna was exhausted in a way that had nothing to do with work.
She gathered her things slowly, dreading the moment she would have to pass by his office again.
But when she did, Lucien was already standing by the window, hands in his pockets, looking out at the darkening city.
He didn’t turn.
He didn’t say goodbye.
And Sienna didn't stop.
She walked to the elevator, head held high, fighting the burning sensation behind her eyes.
Inside the elevator, she leaned against the cold metal wall and exhaled shakily.
This was impossible.
She couldn’t keep working like this, pretending nothing had happened when every part of her screamed otherwise.
But what choice did she have?
She needed this job.
She needed to survive.
And surviving meant building walls so high that even the memory of his kiss couldn’t climb over them.
The doors opened onto the lobby.
Sienna stepped out into the cool night air and walked down the empty sidewalk, letting the chill clear her head.
She promised herself two things.
First, she would not quit.
Second, she would not fall for Lucien Vale.
But deep down, where promises didn’t matter, she knew it was already too late.
- Writer
