Dangerous Peace
1235 Words
Three days passed peacefully.
Which, in itself, felt suspicious.
No threats.
No kidnappings.
No mysterious messages from unknown enemies.
For the first time in months, life around Jordan Rodriguez and Maureen Green slowed down enough for silence to settle between them naturally.
Unfortunately—
Peace created different kinds of problems.
Especially feelings neither of them wanted to acknowledge.
—
Monday morning began with chaos inside Vesper Group.
Employees rushed across the office carrying reports while several managers argued nervously near the conference room.
Apparently Jordan had rescheduled three meetings overnight and doubled everybody’s workload.
Again.
Maureen stepped out of the elevator carrying coffee while suppressing a yawn.
She barely slept.
Mostly because she spent half the night reviewing investor files Jordan sent at two in the morning.
Who worked at two in the morning?
Psychopaths.
That was who.
“Morning, Maureen.”
She turned slightly.
One of the younger employees approached carefully.
“You survived the weekend?”
Maureen sighed dramatically.
“Barely.”
The employee lowered her voice nervously.
“Mr. Rodriguez already scared two executives today.”
“…It’s eight thirty.”
“Exactly.”
Maureen almost laughed.
Jordan truly remained terrifyingly efficient.
The moment she reached the executive floor, however, she immediately sensed something strange.
Silence.
Not normal office silence.
Tense silence.
Employees avoided eye contact while secretly glancing toward Jordan’s office every few seconds.
Maureen frowned slightly.
“What happened?”
Jordan’s assistant looked emotionally exhausted already.
“His mood.”
“That bad?”
“He made a senior manager cry.”
“…Before breakfast?”
The assistant nodded weakly.
Maureen sighed softly before knocking once and entering Jordan’s office.
The atmosphere inside immediately felt colder.
Jordan sat behind his desk reviewing documents while several executives stood nearby looking seconds away from cardiac arrest.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Jordan lifted his eyes briefly toward Maureen.
“You’re here.”
One executive almost collapsed from relief.
Apparently her arrival saved them.
Maureen placed coffee near Jordan calmly.
“You called for the quarterly reports.”
Jordan glanced toward the files.
Then toward the trembling executives.
“Get out.”
The men disappeared immediately.
Actually disappeared.
One nearly ran into the door while escaping.
The second the office emptied, Maureen finally looked at Jordan properly.
“You scared them again.”
Jordan continued signing documents calmly.
“They’re incompetent.”
“One of them looked close to tears.”
“They’ll survive.”
Maureen shook her head while organizing paperwork.
“You really don’t realize how terrifying you are.”
Jordan finally looked up slightly.
“You’re not scared of me.”
The quiet statement caught her off guard.
Because it was true.
At least… not anymore.
Maureen avoided his gaze briefly.
“That’s different.”
“How?”
She opened another file quickly.
“You pay my salary.”
Jordan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“I own the company. I pay everybody’s salary.”
“…You know what I mean.”
A faint silence settled afterward.
Then unexpectedly—
Jordan stood and walked toward her slowly.
Maureen immediately became aware of how close he was.
Too close.
Jordan leaned one hand against the desk beside her while looking down calmly.
“No,” he said quietly. “I don’t.”
Her heartbeat betrayed her instantly.
Dangerous.
This was dangerous.
Before Maureen could answer, the office door suddenly burst open dramatically.
Emily Rodriguez entered carrying shopping bags while talking loudly.
“Jordan, you forgot—”
She froze immediately.
Then slowly looked between them.
Silence.
A horrifying smile spread across her face.
“Oh.”
Maureen stepped backward instantly.
Jordan looked completely unbothered.
Emily pointed dramatically.
“I interrupted something.”
“You interrupted work,” Jordan replied coldly.
“That’s not what this looked like.”
Maureen wanted the floor to open and swallow her whole.
Emily walked closer while grinning mischievously.
“You two seriously need help.”
Jordan took the shopping bags from her calmly.
“What are these?”
“My competition outfits.”
Jordan placed them aside.
“You skipped school again.”
“It was rehearsal.”
“You’re seventeen.”
“And turning eighteen soon,” Emily corrected automatically.
Maureen almost smiled.
Somehow Emily always managed bringing life into every room she entered.
Unlike Jordan—
Who brought fear.
Emily suddenly looked toward Maureen excitedly.
“Oh! Adrian asked about you.”
Maureen blinked.
“Why?”
Emily shrugged.
“He said you disappeared.”
Jordan’s expression immediately darkened slightly.
Maureen noticed instantly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Emily noticed too.
And nearly exploded from excitement internally.
“You’re jealous,” she whispered dramatically toward Jordan.
Jordan looked at her like he was reconsidering allowing her adulthood.
“Leave.”
Emily laughed loudly before finally escaping the office.
The room became quiet again afterward.
But the atmosphere had changed completely now.
Jordan loosened his tie slightly before returning toward his desk.
“Adrian talks too much.”
Maureen stared at him.
“…That sounded personal.”
“It wasn’t.”
“Mm.”
Jordan narrowed his eyes slightly.
“You’re smiling again.”
Maureen immediately looked away.
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
Unfortunately—
She actually was.
—
That evening, Jordan unexpectedly arrived at Maureen’s mother’s house carrying grocery bags.
Maureen opened the door in confusion.
“…Why are you here?”
Jordan stepped inside calmly.
“You said there was no food left.”
“I mentioned that yesterday.”
“And?”
“You remembered?”
Jordan looked unimpressed.
“I remember important things.”
Maureen stared at him quietly while he walked toward the kitchen like he belonged there already.
Which was ridiculous.
Yet strangely natural.
Jordan removed ingredients from the bags calmly while Maureen watched in disbelief.
“…You cook?”
“Yes.”
“That feels illegal somehow.”
Jordan ignored the comment entirely.
Twenty minutes later, the kitchen smelled warm and comforting while rain tapped softly against the windows outside.
Maureen leaned against the counter watching him silently.
Jordan Rodriguez cooking dinner felt unreal.
This was the same man who terrified billionaires during meetings.
Yet now he stood calmly making soup while occasionally adjusting his sleeves.
Strange.
Very strange.
“You’re staring again,” Jordan said without looking up.
Maureen blinked.
“You notice too much.”
“You’re obvious.”
She rolled her eyes softly.
“Your ego is unbelievable.”
Jordan finally looked toward her.
His expression remained calm.
But softer than usual.
“Sit down.”
“…Was that a request?”
“No.”
Maureen laughed quietly before sitting anyway.
The sound filled the small kitchen warmly.
Jordan paused briefly after hearing it.
Then continued cooking silently.
Neither noticed how domestic the moment looked.
How comfortable.
How dangerous.
—
Later that night, after dinner ended, the electricity suddenly went out because of the storm outside.
Darkness immediately swallowed the house.
Maureen sighed softly.
“Great.”
Jordan remained calm.
“The candles are in the kitchen drawer.”
“You know where the candles are?”
“I observe things.”
“Again,” she muttered, “slightly terrifying.”
A few minutes later, soft candlelight illuminated the living room while rain continued falling heavily outside.
The atmosphere suddenly felt quieter.
More intimate somehow.
Maureen sat curled beneath a blanket on the couch while Jordan reviewed emails nearby.
Then suddenly—
Thunder crashed loudly outside.
- Writer
