2:The Unfinished Design
809 Words
The worst thing about Theo Lennox?
Alessia couldn't stop thinking about him.
Which was exactly why she was here—standing in front of her boss’s desk the next morning, arms crossed as he tossed a file onto the sleek wooden surface.
“This just came in,” he said, rubbing his temples. “Lennox’s team has filed an appeal against the city’s rejection. They’re pushing for a full review—public hearing, advisory board, everything.”
Alessia’s fingers curled against her arms. “That project is a blatant erasure of historical architecture. The board already made their decision.”
Her boss, Edwin Calloway, sighed. “Lennox is making them reconsider their decision.” He looked at her pointedly. “And he wants you to defend the opposition.”
Of course, he does.
Theo Lennox wasn’t satisfied with just getting what he wanted.
He wanted to watch her lose.
Her jaw tightened. “Fine. I’ll be there.”
But if Theo Lennox thought she’d back down, he was about to learn a very painful lesson.
~~~
Alessia didn’t expect to see him again so soon.
But when she stepped into the elevator of Lennox Industries for the scheduled meeting—
Theo was already inside.
The moment their eyes met, her pulse did something stupid.
She ignored it.
The doors slid shut.
Small space. Too much silence.
Theo’s voice broke it.
“You left so quickly yesterday, I didn’t get a chance to congratulate you.”
Alessia folded her arms. “Congratulate me?”
His lips twitched. “For officially becoming my problem.”
Something dark flickered behind his winter-blue gaze—something Alessia didn’t trust.
He was studying her.
And not in the casual, impersonal way businessmen usually did.
This was sharp. Deliberate. Calculating.
A dissection.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Alessia said, keeping her voice even. “I have bigger things to worry about than you.”
Theo tilted his head slightly. “Do you?”
The way he said it—low, almost amused—made something tighten in her stomach.
She wouldn’t let him get under her skin.
The elevator slowed.
A soft chime.
Theo reached out and—to her absolute surprise—pressed the emergency stop button.
Alessia’s breath caught. What the hell was that for?
A pause. A beat of silence that stretched too long.
Then he turned to her.
And suddenly, he was too close.
Not touching.
But the heat of him was noticeable, like a storm about to break.
"You're making a mistake, Alessia Sinclair," he murmured.
The way he said her name sent a sharp pulse down her spine.
She squared her shoulders. "The only mistake here is your arrogance."
A ghost of a smirk. "You think you know me?"
"I know your kind.” She voiced. And almost immediately, at the mention of those words, some memories resurfaced briefly. Some memories she had thought were successfully buried.
Theo exhaled a quiet chuckle, breaking through her reverie. Then, he shook his head. “You don’t.”
His eyes flickered downward—just for a second. Not in a way that was obvious.
But enough for Alessia to catch it.
Like he was looking for something.
Like he was looking for a weakness.
The elevator suddenly started moving again.
Theo stepped back.
The doors slid open, and Alessia didn’t waste a second stepping out, refusing to glance back.
But she felt his gaze following her.
~~~
The city stretched beneath Theo’s penthouse, a maze of glass and steel glowing under the midnight sky.
But something felt off.
He hadn’t noticed it at first, too consumed by thoughts of Alessia— the project discussion, he meant of course.
But now—
His gaze flicked toward his security panel.
A notification blinked at him.
Motion detected – Private Floor Access Attempted.
Theo’s entire body went still.
His penthouse occupied the top floor of Lennox Tower. The only people with access were his security team—and himself.
And yet, the alert was there.
Unacknowledged.
His fingers moved swiftly across the touchscreen.
Pulling up the security footage.
The grainy black-and-white feed flickered to life.
The hallway outside his private elevator.
Empty.
A frown tugged at his brows.
Then, just as he was about to switch feeds—
The screen glitched.
For half a second, static.
And then—
A figure.
A shadowed silhouette, hood low over their face. Standing right outside his door.
Theo’s pulse slammed once, hard.
A stranger.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then—just as quickly as they appeared—
They were gone.
Vanished.
Theo sat back slowly, fingers steepled beneath his chin.
Not many people were reckless enough to step into his domain uninvited.
Whoever this was—
They either had a death wish.
Or they knew something he didn’t.
And that was a problem.
One he intended to fix.
Fast.
- Writer
