His Silent Possession

The Distance Between Us

The executive conference room was already occupied when Cassian walked in, conversations dying the moment he stepped through the door.

"Good morning, Mr. Vale."

He nodded, acknowledging them before taking his usual seat at the head of the table. An assistant placed a tablet beside him while another handed him the morning reports.

Cassian flipped open the first file. "Let's begin."

The meeting moved quickly. Finance gave their weekly update, operations followed, and legal came next. Cassian listened without interrupting, only asking questions when something needed clarification, and once he got an answer, he moved on.

By the time the final report ended, nearly forty minutes had passed. A man seated near the end of the table looked down at his notes before speaking. "One last update regarding the Sterling launch."

Cassian looked up. "Go ahead."

"Our project coordinator at Vellum sent in this morning's report. The preparations are still on schedule, and there haven’t been any delays since yesterday's meeting."

Cassian nodded. "Anything that requires my attention?"

"There was one development this morning."

"What?"

"Mr. Sterling had flowers delivered to Mrs. Vale."

The room became noticeably quieter, though Cassian's expression didn't change. "Did it affect the project?"

"No, Mr. Vale. The team continued working as scheduled."

Cassian closed the file in front of him. "Then why mention it?"

The coordinator chose his words carefully. "The atmosphere at Vellum seemed different this morning."

Cassian looked at him. "In what sense?"

"Mrs. Vale appeared to be in good spirits." After a while, he added, "So did the rest of her team."

Silence settled over the room as Cassian tapped a finger lightly against the table. "Has anything changed regarding the launch?"

"No. The preparations are continuing exactly as planned."

Cassian nodded again."Good."

As the coordinator sat back down, the assistant near the screen picked up the remote. "The next item—"

"That's enough," Cassian interrupted, closing the folder in front of him. "We'll continue the remaining reports through email."

Several executives looked up in surprise, as Cassian never ended meetings early. He stood and buttoned his suit jacket. "If anything affects the launch, inform me immediately."

"Yes, Mr. Vale."

Without another word, he walked out, leaving the conference room silent until the door closed behind him. Only then did someone quietly release the breath they had been holding.

Cassian stepped out of the conference room, adjusting the cuff of his suit as he walked down the corridor. His assistant fell into step beside him. "Mr. Vale, your ten-thirty with the China investors begins in fifteen minutes."

"Move it," Cassian said, without stopping.

The assistant blinked. "Sir?"

"Reschedule it for this afternoon."

"Yes, sir," he said, quickly making a note on his tablet. "Your lunch with the architecture division is at one."

"Cancel it."

"The entire meeting?"

"I'll review the proposal later," Cassian replied.

When they reached his office, the assistant pushed the door open while remaining outside. "I'll let the departments know."

Something about the morning meeting refused to leave his mind. It wasn’t the flowers, or Daniel Sterling, but one single sentence: Mrs. Vale appeared happier than she had been recently.

Five years…. she had spent five years in the same house as him. And now, less than a week after meeting Daniel Sterling, she was happier. The thought irritated him more than it should have.

A knock sounded on the door. "Come in."

Victoria stepped inside carrying a blue folder. "I've brought the final media schedule for the gala. The invitations have all been confirmed, press access has also been finalized, and security will receive the guest list tomorrow." She placed it on his desk, but as Cassian flipped through the pages without really reading them, she noticed. "You've read the same page three times."

He looked up. "I know."

With a sigh, Cassian closed the folder. "Clear my afternoon."

Victoria frowned slightly. "You have four meetings."

"They can wait."

She studied him for a moment. "Is there somewhere you need to be?"

He picked up his car keys. "Yes, Vellum."

Victoria looked genuinely surprised. "I'll let your wife know you're coming."

"No," he said, walking past her. "Don't tell anyone."

The office door closed behind him, while Victoria remained where she was, staring at the door for several seconds, then down at the untouched folder on Cassian's desk. In all the years she had worked for him, he had never left the office in the middle of the day to personally check on a project.

~~•~~

By noon, Vellum was louder than usual. Someone was arguing over color samples near the printers, while another team crowded around a large display board covered with layouts for the gallery launch.

Selene stood in the middle of them, marker in hand. "No, move the interview backdrop further left," she said, pointing at the board. "If the photographers stand here, they'll block the gallery entrance."

One of the designers nodded and quickly made the adjustment, while another asked, "What about the sponsor wall?"

"Keep it where it is. The guests should see the artwork before they see the logos."

Hannah looked up from her tablet and smiled. "I knew you'd say that."

Selene laughed softly. "Right.”

A few people around them chuckled before getting back to work. When her phone buzzed on the table beside her showing Noa's name, Selene glanced at the screen before pressing decline.

"I'm working," she muttered.

"I'll tell her you said that," Hannah teased.

"Please don't."

“She wouldn’t have believed me anyways.”

Selene shook her head, smiling and returned her attention to the layout. "One more thing. I want the press interviews shortened."

"Again?" Hannah asked.

"Yes. I don't want Mr Sterling standing in front of microphones all evening. People came for the exhibition, not endless interviews."

"I'll inform the media team."

"Thank you."

Before Hannah could walk away, the receptionist appeared from the front desk. "Mrs. Vale?"

Selene looked over. "Someone from Vale Meridian is here."

Hannah frowned. "Another one?"

The receptionist nodded. "He said he's here to deliver the updated security schedule for the gala."

Selene exchanged a quick glance with Hannah before answering. "Send him in."

A few moments later, a man in a dark suit stepped into the office carrying a sealed envelope. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Vale."

"Good afternoon."

"These are the revised security arrangements approved this morning," he said, handing the envelope over. "The guest entry points have been adjusted, but the event schedule remains unchanged."

Selene accepted it. "Thank you. I'll review it."

"That's all I came for." He said before turning back toward reception.

The office slowly became busy again. Hannah watched the door close before looking at Selene. "They're checking in a lot lately."

Selene slipped the envelope into her laptop bag without opening it. "They invested a lot of money in the launch."

"I know," Hannah said, studying her for a second. "You don't sound annoyed."

Selene smiled faintly. "I've decided to save my energy for things that actually matter."

Hannah laughed. "I'll believe that when I see it."

Selene laughed too, picking up the marker again to turn back to the display board. "Alright, everyone. Back to work."

Outside the building, a familiar black sedan rolled into the parking lot, and stopped.