THE BLEEDING HEART

THE CLUMSINESS

Chapter 4: THE CLUMSINESS

One day, Kenneth found himself watching his new secretary much more than he cared to admit. He began to notice things—little details about Ian that didn't make sense for someone working in a high-stakes corporate environment.

For one, Ian was incredibly, almost comically clumsy.On a Thursday afternoon, Kenneth was reviewing a contract when he heard a loud thud followed by a soft gasp outside his glass door. He looked up to see Ian tangled in the cords of the office projector, a box of paperclips exploding in mid-air and showering the carpet in silver metal.

Ian scrambled to pick them up, his face flushing a bright, rosy pink as he bumped his head against the edge of the desk.Kenneth let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples. "Incompetent," he muttered under his breath, walking out of his office. "Sue, if you break the company equipment, I will deduct it from your salary."

"I-I'm so sorry, Mr. Anthers ! My foot just caught the edge of the rug," Ian stammered, frantically gathering the clips. In his haste, a sharp edge of a metal filing cabinet caught the side of his palm, slicing a thin line across his skin.

Ian winced, a drop of crimson blood welling up on his hand.Kenneth froze. Without thinking, he stepped forward and grabbed Ian’s wrist, pulling his hand up to inspect the cut.

It was in that exact, breathless moment of proximity that Kenneth truly looked at Ian for the first time. Because they were standing so close, the bright fluorescent office lights caught Ian’s face perfectly. Ian’s skin was remarkably fair and smooth, almost translucent. But what completely stopped the air in Kenneth's lungs were Ian's eyes.

They weren't a standard dark shade; they were a striking, brilliant sky-blue—clear, deep, and filled with an innocent, heartbreaking purity.Ian blinked, his long eyelashes fluttering as he looked up at his boss in surprise. The sheer cuteness of Ian's flushed face and wide, watery blue eyes sent an unfamiliar jolt straight through Kenneth’s chest.

Realizing he was staring, Kenneth abruptly dropped Ian's wrist, his expression instantly hardening back into a cold mask. "Go to the clinic and get a bandage. You're bleeding on the floor. And look where you are going next time."

"Thank you, sir," Ian murmured softly, holding his bleeding hand against his chest.

Despite the harsh words, Ian gave Kenneth a tiny, grateful smile before scurrying away.Kenneth stood alone in the hallway, his heart beating abnormally fast. He looked at his own palm, still feeling the lingering warmth of Ian’s skin.

He was fragile, clumsy, and entirely too soft for this world, yet he endured every bit of Kenneth's cruelty with nothing but grace. Kenneth shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, but those sky-blue eyes remained burned into his mind.