3:TheSpacesBetweenUs
827 Words
Alessia’s apartment was small, cluttered with blueprints and half-drunk cups of coffee, but it was hers.
After hours of city hearings, legal meetings, and being locked in an elevator with Theo Lennox, she should have been able to shake off the day.
She couldn't.
Even after a long shower, after curling up on her couch with a documentary playing in the background, her mind wouldn’t let go of him.
The problem wasn’t that he was attractive.
The problem was that he knew it.
And worse—he exerted it like a weapon.
Her fingers tapped against her laptop, trying to focus on the document in front of her.
Instead, she found herself searching him up.
Just to confirm what she already knew.
Recognized by Mikipedia. Theo Lennox, 30. Architect, CEO. Son of Julian Lennox, the late real estate mogul who…
She exhaled sharply, closing the tab.
Her chest felt tight.
Not from stress.
Not from anger.
But from something she wouldn’t name. She needed to bury that memory.
A knock at the door startled her.
She got up, crossing the room to open it, only to groan.
Cameron Sinclair.
Her older brother stood there, looking entirely too amused as he leaned against the doorframe.
“I come bearing dinner,” he said, holding up a takeout bag. “And also, mild judgment. Because you look like you’re in work-obsession mode again.”
Alessia rolled her eyes but let him in. “You make it sound like a bad thing.”
“It is a bad thing. Last time you went into this mode, you forgot to sleep for two days and nearly passed out at a meeting.”
Alessia snatched the takeout from his hands. “That was one time.”
Cameron gave her a pointed look. “Uh-huh. So, tell me—who’s occupying your brain this time?”
Her lips pressed together. “No one.”
He smirked. “Liar.”
She didn’t answer.
Because if she did, she might have to admit the truth.
That for the first time in a long time—
Someone was getting under her skin.
And she hated it.
~~~
Theo rarely went home before midnight.
His penthouse was immaculate, minimalist, cold.
It was a place to exist, not to live.
But tonight, he sat in his study, city lights stretching beneath him, drink in hand, mind preoccupied.
Not with blueprints.
Not with profit margins.
But with two things—
A man lurking in his shadow.
And a woman standing in his way.
A soft click of heels on marble made him glance up.
“I let myself in.”
Eveline Vaughn.
She moved through the dim light with the ease of someone who had long since stopped asking for permission. Covered in black, dark hair in a sleek knot, she carried an air of quiet, untouchable danger.
Spy. Hacker. Master manipulator.
And one of the few people Theo trusted.
She poured herself a drink, settling into the chair across from him. “I got your message.”
Theo didn’t respond immediately. He set his glass down, leaning forward. “I need information.”
Eveline smirked. “Don’t you always?”
He exhaled, eyes narrowing. “Two nights ago, a shadow was seen breaking into the building. Security footage caught him in the restricted archives.”
“Clever,” she mused. “Your archives aren’t easy to breach. That means either an inside job… or someone who knows exactly what to look for.”
His jaw tightened. “I want to know who he is. And more importantly—who he’s working for.”
She swirled her drink, gaze sharp. “And here I was thinking you called me for a different reason.”
Theo raised a brow.
She leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. “Your project is making noise, Theo. You’re throwing around a lot of power, and certain people don’t like it.” She studied him. “You don’t usually let opposition bother you. But this time… you look annoyed.”
His grip tightened around the glass.
Eveline tilted her head, watching him like a predator watching a puzzle. “Ah,” she murmured. “So it’s a person.”
He didn’t reply.
Didn’t confirm or deny.
But that, in itself, was enough for Eveline to catch on.
She smirked, slow and knowing. “Whoever they are… they must be interesting.”
Theo exhaled, setting his glass down.
He was thinking of her again.
The fire in her eyes. The way she spoke like she could shake the world.
And for the first time in a long time—
Someone wasn’t just getting in his way.
They were challenging him.
Eveline watched him carefully. Then, after a long pause, she took another sip of her drink and murmured—
“So tell me, Theo…”
Her gaze flickered, assessing.
“Are you planning to destroy them?”
Or something else entirely?
***
- Writer
