CHAPTER4
1187 Words
Rowan’s POV
I had Seen it even if no one else did.
That Split-Second c***k in him.
And for reasons I Couldn’t explain, it Stayed in my Chest longer than it Should’ve.
I Stood there for a moment Staring at the empty hallway.
Then I exhaled Slowly.
“Okay,” I whispered to myself. “You’re not here to fix him Rowan. You’re here to Survive.”
But even as I Said it Something inside me didn’t fully agree.
The rest of the week Passed in Controlled repetition.
Cassian avoided direct interaction unless necessary.
Everett Still Shadowed me like a Cautious guard dog who didn’t trust either me or his boss.
And me?
I worked. I Cleaned. I followed rules I didn’t always understand.
I tried not to think about Cassian’s Situation.
Until the real incident happened.
It happened on a Friday.
A Corporate audit day.
PureSpace was hosting executives from another branch and everything had to be “Perfect.”
Cassian had been even more rigid than usual.
No movement outside instruction.
I Should’ve known Something was going to go wrong.
Because Perfection like that never lasts.
I was assigned to Sanitize one of the executive meeting rooms before their arrival.
Everett gave me instructions quickly.
“Ten minutes,” he Said. “No touching the documents. No rearranging anything on the table. Just Clean the Surfaces.”
“Got it,” I Said.
He Studied me for a Second.
Then he Sighed. “Try not to make anything worse.”
I frowned. “That’s not encouraging.”
“It’s realistic.”
The room was Spotless when I entered.
Everything was arranged in Precise Symmetry. Pens aligned. Chairs evenly Spaced. Not a Single visible flaw.
It almost felt Staged.
Like the room itself was afraid of being imperfect.
I Started Carefully by wiping Surfaces.
Avoiding everything Cassian would Probably yell about if he Saw it.
For once nothing went wrong.
Then I heard raised voices outside.
It was Cassian’s and Someone else’s.
I Paused.
That was unusual.
He doesn't raise his voice often.
If he does, it means Something was already broken.
I moved Closer to the door without thinking.
And I heard it Clearly.
“We Cannot Proceed with expansion if your operational Structure remains this unstable,” a man Said Sharply.
Cassian’s reply was Cold. “It is not unstable.”
“It is excessively Controlled.” The Stranger Said.
A Pause.
Then the Stranger added, “Your Condition is affecting Company decisions.”
The kind that made my Skin tighten.
Then Cassian Spoke again.
“It does not affect anything.”
But his voice didn’t Sound Convinced.
Something in my Chest tightened.
I think he has a medical Condition… Something they all knew about him.
Something I didn’t…
Suddenly the door behind me opened.
I jumped Slightly.
Cassian Stood there.
His eyes locked on me instantly.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
I hesitated. “I’m Cleaning the room.”
He Stepped inside quickly Scanning everything like he expected germs itself to appear.
Then his gaze landed on me again.
“Did you hear anything?” he asked Sharply.
I froze.
That was not a Casual question.
That was fear disguised as Control.
“No,” I Said Slowly.
His Shoulders didn’t fully relax.
That told me enough.
The executive meeting went ahead and it went badly.
Everything happened in front of me.
I Continued Cleaning as they discussed.
The visiting executives kept Pushing Cassian. Questioning his Systems. His methods. His “excessive Protocols.”
I watched from the Side as he Stayed Perfectly Composed on the outside…
While Something inside him quietly tightened.
Then it happened.
A document Slid off the table.
Just a Simple Paper but it hit the floor Slightly Crooked.
Cassian froze instantly.
The entire room felt it… Even the executives went quiet.
His breathing Changed Slightly but I noticed.
His fingers Curled at his Side.
His jaw Clenched.
And for the first time Since I met him… He didn’t Correct it immediately.
That was the real warning Sign.
One of the executives Sighed. “See? Even Small disruptions are—”
“Stop!” Cassian Said.
The room went Silent… He Stepped forward Slowly and bent down.
He Picked up the Paper Carefully.
Like his entire Control System depended on it.
Then he Smoothed it out and Placed it Perfectly aligned again.
When he Stood, his eyes were darker than usual.
“You are dismissed,” he Said.
“What?” the man frowned.
Cassian’s voice dropped.
“I Said leave.”
And Something in it made everyone obey.
Even the executives left without another word.
The door Closed and Silence returned.
Cassian Stood in the middle of the room like he had used too much Strength to hold himself together.
He turned Slightly toward the table.
Then Stopped.
His hand reached out but didn’t touch anything.
I Stepped forward instinctively. “Mr. Thorne?”
He didn’t respond.
His eyes were fixed on nothing.
Then he whispered—
“Don’t.”
It wasn’t directed at me… It was directed at himself.
And then it happened.
He Stepped back.
One Step… Then another.
His breathing broke Completely.
“No—” he muttered. “No, no, no—”
His hand went to the edge of the table but didn’t grip it.
Like he was fighting Something invisible.
“Mr. Thorne,” I Said again louder this time. “Hey—look at me.”
His head Snapped toward me.
And for a Second he wasn’t the CEO anymore.
He wasn’t Controlled. He wasn’t anything Polished. Just a man drowning in Something I Couldn’t See.
“I need it Clean!” he said Sharply, voice Shaking now. “I need it Clean right now!”
“It’s alright,” I Said quickly. “It’s fine.”
His breathing hitched.
“It’s not—”
And Suddenly he Stepped back again like the room was attacking him.
I moved Closer before I Could think.
“Mr. Thorne, listen to me,” I Said firmly. “You’re Safe. Nothing is wrong.”
His eyes flickered to mine.
For a Second… recognition Cut through the Panic.
But it didn’t last…
His voice dropped lower.
“You Shouldn’t be here,” he Said.
I Shook my head. “I’m Staying.”
Something broke in his expression at that.
Something Closer to exhaustion.
Then he turned away Sharply and walked out of the room.
Like running from Something he Couldn’t defeat.
I Stood there frozen.
Because I finally understood Something I hadn’t before.
Cassian Thorne wasn’t just Strict. He wasn’t just Controlling.
He was fighting Something inside himself every Second of every day.
I followed him down the Corridor without thinking.
He didn’t notice at first or maybe he did.
But he didn’t Stop me.
Until he Suddenly Stopped walking.
Without turning, he Said quietly—
“Rowan… go back.”
His voice wasn’t Cold this time.
It was tired and broken in a way he Couldn’t hide anymore.
And for the first time…
I didn’t know if I Should obey.
- Writer
