Chapter 9
1404 Words
Raina’s POV
“I never agreed to protect you.”
The words left my mouth clean. Precise. Surgical.
No cushioning. No diplomacy. No room for misinterpretation.
If my world had already cracked open… then I had no interest in preserving anyone else’s comfort.
For a fraction of a second, Sophie’s expression faltered.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
Like porcelain under pressure… one hairline fracture forming beneath the gloss.
“Miss West…” Her voice dipped, soft and tremulous, the kind of tone that always invited sympathy. “Do you… dislike me?”
Not hate.
She was careful with her wording.
Always was.
I didn’t even blink.
“Not particularly,” I replied, flipping through the file in my hand like she was nothing more than a misplaced document. “Is there anything medically relevant, or are we done here?”
Silence stretched.
Thin.
Taut.
Uncomfortable.
Harrison didn’t look at me immediately.
But I felt it.
That shift in the air… the subtle tightening of his presence.
“How’s your foot?” he asked instead.
Not are you okay.
Not does it hurt.
Just… a question.
Detached.
Late.
Almost like an afterthought.
I let out a soft breath through my nose.
“You don’t need to concern yourself, Mr. Grant,” I said calmly. “Miss Sutton clearly requires your attention more.”
The words didn’t rise.
Didn’t sharpen.
But they landed.
And I saw it.
That flicker.
Dark.
Quick.
Gone just as fast.
“Raina,” he said, his voice dropping a degree colder, “don’t act ungrateful. Last night…”
“Harrison…”
Sophie’s voice slipped in like silk over steel.
“I feel a little dizzy again,” she murmured, leaning slightly toward him. “And there’s still that emergency protocol review later… I’m not confident yet. Could you go over it with me one more time?”
Her timing was flawless.
Always.
I lowered my head, pen moving steadily across the form, pretending I hadn’t heard anything.
Pretending none of this mattered.
Pretending he didn’t matter.
But the silence that followed?
It burned.
Because I knew he was looking at me.
Measuring.
Waiting.
For what?
A reaction?
An objection?
A plea?
Nothing came.
Only the quiet scratch of ink against paper.
“Fine.”
One word.
Decision made.
And just like that… he turned away.
Sophie followed.
Of course she did.
Like gravity.
Like inevitability.
The door closed behind them with a soft click.
And the moment it did…
Everything inside me… dropped.
I leaned back into my chair slowly, eyes closing for a second longer than necessary.
Exhaustion wasn’t physical anymore.
It was… emotional erosion.
Like standing in a storm that never ended.
Should I leave?
The thought came again.
Not new.
Just louder.
More persistent.
Would my old mentor take me back?
Would I even recognize myself… if I left this place behind?
Noon
“Miss West.”
The department head’s voice cut cleanly through the room.
I straightened instantly.
“This is your new assistant. She’ll be working under you moving forward.”
I turned…
And froze.
“Surprise!”
Lily’s grin was wild, unapologetic, completely out of place in this polished corporate cage.
And somehow…
Exactly what I needed.
“You…” I blinked, then laughed softly, something genuine breaking through the heaviness. “You didn’t say a word.”
“Obviously,” she said, stepping forward and pulling me into a hug like nothing had changed. “What’s the point of a surprise if you ruin it early?”
For the first time that day…
My chest felt… lighter.
Just a little.
“You look better,” she added, pulling back and studying me like a detective with emotional authority. “Less like you’ve been emotionally strangled.”
“Charming,” I muttered.
“I’m serious,” she said. “That man nearly drained the life out of you.”
“He’s not worth it,” I replied simply.
And this time…
I meant it.
Noise.
Movement.
Life.
Until…
Silence.
It didn’t fall dramatically.
It just… shifted.
Like air pressure dropping before a storm.
I didn’t need to look up.
But I did anyway.
Harrison.
And Sophie.
Walking in together.
Effortless.
Synchronized.
Like they belonged in the same frame.
Her outfit was carefully chosen.
Elegant.
Strategic.
Loose enough to conceal.
Fitted enough to suggest.
And the way she leaned slightly toward him when she laughed?
Intentional.
Every detail… intentional.
“Tch,” Lily muttered beside me. “The audacity is actually impressive.”
I kept eating.
Slow.
Unbothered.
Or at least…
That’s what it looked like.
Until she sat down.
Right across from us.
“Miss West,” Sophie said brightly, like we were colleagues exchanging pleasantries. “What a coincidence.”
Coincidence.
Right.
Her eyes shifted to Lily.
“You must be the new assistant. I’m Sophie.”
Her hand extended.
Waiting.
Expecting.
Lily didn’t even look at it.
Just turned her head.
Dismissed.
Like she wasn’t worth the effort.
The rejection hung in the air.
Heavy.
Visible.
Harrison’s jaw tightened.
“Raina.”
His voice was low.
Controlled.
Dangerously close to snapping.
“Yes, Mr. Grant?” I replied, barely sparing him a glance.
Something flickered in his eyes.
Something sharp.
Something frustrated.
Good.
Let him feel it.
Even if it was just a fraction of what I had carried for years.
Then…
“Ah!”
Sophie gasped softly, hand flying to her chest.
“There’s shrimp in this,” she said, as if discovering poison. “You know I’m allergic.”
Without hesitation…
She tipped it into his plate.
“Could you finish it for me?” she added lightly. “We shouldn’t waste food.”
The room stilled.
And that was it.
Lily snapped.
Her chair scraped violently against the floor as she stood.
“Oh hell no,” she said. “What exactly are you trying to prove?”
“Lily.”
Harrison’s voice cut through the air like a blade.
“Company policy prohibits discussing personal matters in public. Consider this your only warning.”
Her eyes burned.
“Harrison, are you serious right now? Raina is…”
“Lily.”
I stood.
Gently placed my hand on her wrist.
Not forceful.
Just… final.
“That’s enough,” I said quietly.
Then I turned to Harrison.
Met his gaze.
Fully.
Calmly.
“We don’t waste time on people who aren’t worth it,” I added.
And with that…
I walked away.
Didn’t look back.
Didn’t hesitate.
Didn’t wait.
“Why did you stop me?” Lily demanded, still fuming. “Everyone deserves to know the truth!”
I smiled faintly.
“Truth only matters to people who care,” I said.
“And we’re almost divorced anyway.”
The words landed easily.
Too easily.
Like they no longer belonged to something painful.
Just… factual.
Real.
Harrison’s POV
The office felt… wrong.
Too quiet.
Too still.
Like something had shifted out of place.
I stared at my phone.
Again.
No answer.
My fingers tightened slightly.
Knock.
“My materials, sir,” the assistant said, stepping in carefully. “Also… HR wanted confirmation. The intern this morning… no reversal?”
“No,” I replied flatly. “Follow procedure.”
A pause.
Then…
“Miss West left earlier today.”
That got my attention.
“Left?” I repeated.
“Yes, sir. No rescheduling requested.”
The assistant hesitated.
“Should we assign someone else for your pre-flight clearance?”
No.
The answer came instantly.
Too quickly.
“Dismissed.”
The door closed.
Silence returned.
But it wasn’t empty.
It was… loud.
I walked toward the glass wall overlooking the runway.
Planes lifted.
Landed.
Moved with purpose.
Predictable.
Controlled.
Unlike this.
Unlike her.
Her face in the cafeteria flashed through my mind.
That look.
Not angry.
Not emotional.
Just… detached.
That wasn’t Raina.
Or maybe…
It was.
And I had just never seen it before.
“Soon… I won’t be.”
Her voice from last night echoed.
Low.
Certain.
Final.
My jaw tightened.
No.
This wasn’t real.
It was another phase.
Another reaction.
Another attempt to push me.
She always came back.
Always.
My phone buzzed.
Sophie.
The screen lit up.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
I stared at it.
Didn’t move.
Then…
I declined it.
And dialed another number instead.
Because for the first time in three years…
Something didn’t feel under control anymore.
And I didn’t like it.
Not even a little.
- Writer
