THE WRONG STERLING

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER 3

ELENA’S POV

Luca and I stood at opposite ends of the dining table.

The space between us felt wider than it actually was, like the air itself had thickened just to make sure we didn’t accidentally reach each other. The apartment was quieter now....Serena had stormed out earlier with a sharp look and even sharper silence but somehow, her absence made everything worse.

Because now it was just us.

And the problem was… that didn’t feel comforting anymore.

It felt strained.

Like something that used to fit perfectly had started to c***k in places we were both pretending not to see.

I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to stay calm. I had come here excited. Happy. I had news that should have made him smile, maybe even pull me into one of those warm hugs he used to give without hesitation.

Instead, I felt like I was standing in front of a stranger.

“I don’t get why you don’t want me to take this job so badly,” I finally said, my voice sharper than I intended. I tried to keep it in, but the frustration had been sitting in my chest for too long. “You know how much I’ve wanted this… how much I still want it.”

Luca didn’t respond immediately.

He just looked at me.

Really looked at me.

And for a moment, I saw something in his expression that I couldn’t quite place. Not anger exactly. Not sadness either.

Something… tight.

Contained.

Like he was holding back words that were already halfway out of his mouth.

“I know how badly you want it,” he said finally, slowly, carefully. “And maybe that’s the problem.”

I frowned immediately.

“What does that even mean?”

He leaned slightly forward on the table, resting one hand against the wood like he needed something to ground him.

“It means,” he continued, his tone tightening, “that when you want something that badly and you finally get it, you don’t just do it normally, Elena. You immerse yourself in it. Completely.”

I blinked.

“That’s called passion, Luca.”

“No,” he said quickly, shaking his head. “That’s called losing balance.”

I let out a dry laugh, more out of disbelief than humor.

“You’re talking like I’m unstable.”

“I’m talking like I know you,” he replied, his voice lower now.

That made me pause.

There was something in the way he said it.

Something almost… personal.

Almost like a warning disguised as concern.

I crossed my arms.

“And what exactly am I supposed to be ‘losing balance’ into? My job?”

Luca’s jaw tightened slightly.

“That job,” he said, choosing his words carefully, “is at Sterling Inc.”

“Yes,” I said flatly. “The biggest corporation in Manhattan. That’s literally why I want it.”

He looked away for a second.

Just a second.

But I caught it.

The flicker.

The hesitation.

Then he looked back at me.

“And the CEO is Sebastian Sterling.”

I frowned again.

“Okay… and?”

That seemed to irritate him more than I expected.

He exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair.

“Are you really that unaware of what that means?”

I stared at him.

“Luca, what is your problem?”

Silence stretched between us.

He didn’t answer immediately.

And when he finally did, his voice was quieter.

Colder.

“When you want something that bad and you finally get it,” he repeated, slower this time, “you over-immerse yourself in it. And who knows… maybe you’ll fall in love with Sebastian in the process too.”

The words landed like a slap.

Not loud.

Not dramatic.

Just… precise.

My chest tightened instantly.

For a second, I couldn’t even respond. My brain tried to process what he had just said, but it felt ridiculous. Offensive, even.

I let out a breath, shaking my head slightly.

“That’s what this is about?” I said slowly. “You think I’ll fall in love with my boss?”

Luca didn’t answer.

But his silence was answer enough.

Something in my expression hardened.

I took a step forward.

“We’re getting married in four weeks,” I said firmly. “Four. Weeks. And you’re standing here talking about me falling in love with someone else?”

His eyes flickered.

Just briefly.

Something sharp crossed his face....jealousy, maybe. Or insecurity.

But it disappeared just as quickly as it came.

What remained was something colder.

Angrier.

“Then act like it,” he snapped.

I froze.

That wasn’t what I expected.

Not the words.

Not the tone.

Definitely not the distance behind them.

“Act like what exactly?” I asked quietly, my voice dropping now.

Luca straightened.

“Like someone who remembers what she’s about to do.”

I stared at him.

For a moment, I genuinely didn’t recognize the man standing in front of me.

This wasn’t the Luca I planned a future with.

The Luca who used to hold my hand without hesitation.

The Luca who used to laugh softly at my chaos like it was something he loved about me.

This version of him felt… guarded.

Sharp around the edges.

Like he was constantly holding himself back from saying more.

Or worse, revealing something.

My voice softened, despite the tension.

“What’s really going on with you?”

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he looked at me for a long moment.

Too long.

And then something shifted in his expression.

A slow, tight smile formed on his lips.

It wasn’t warm.

It wasn’t kind.

It was controlled.

Almost knowing.

“Take the job, Elena,” he said finally.

I blinked, thrown off by the sudden change.

“But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

The words hung in the air.

Heavy.

Unfinished.

Before I could respond, before I could even ask what he meant, he grabbed his keys from the counter.

And walked out.

Just like that.

No explanation.

No apology.

Just the sound of the door clicking shut behind him.

Leaving me alone in the apartment.

Still standing.

Still confused.

And suddenly not as certain about anything as I had been when I walked in.

ELENA’S POV

I didn’t know what I was expecting…

But it definitely wasn’t him.

He was sitting behind his desk, yet somehow he didn’t feel contained by it. It was like the entire room existed around him, not the other way around. The kind of presence that made you instinctively straighten your posture without knowing why.

For a moment, I just stood there.

Still.

Because my brain hadn’t fully caught up with my eyes.

He was… intimidating.

Not in the loud, aggressive way. But in the quiet kind of power that didn’t need to prove itself. The kind that made you aware of every breath you took.

I forced myself to move my gaze properly over him.

Tall, even seated, it was obvious. Broad shoulders that filled his suit perfectly, as though it had been made for him alone. His posture was straight, composed, controlled. Everything about him looked deliberate.

Then his face.

Sharp jawline. Defined features. Nothing soft about him, not even the way his expression sat still like it had been carved there.

Dark hair, neatly styled. Not a strand out of place. Like chaos didn’t get permission anywhere near him.

And then his eyes.

Grey, Cold.

Not empty… just unreadable. Like they had seen too much and decided not to react to anything anymore.

They were on me already.

I didn’t even know how long I had been staring until I realized....He was still staring back.

Same intensity.

Same stillness.

Like I was the only thing in the room that had broken his focus.

My breath caught slightly and I looked away too quickly, suddenly very aware of my own heartbeat.

“Take a seat.”

His voice cut through the silence.

Low. Calm. Controlled. The kind of voice that didn’t ask twice.

I nodded immediately and walked forward, sitting down opposite him.

And just like that…The room changed again.

SEBASTIAN’S POV

She stared too much.

Not in a careless way.

In a way that suggested she was trying to read something I had spent years making unreadable.

That alone should’ve irritated me.

But it didn’t.

She looked tense. A little too aware of where she was and who she was sitting in front of.

Good, She should be.

“Take a seat,” I said.

She did.

No hesitation. No unnecessary movement. That was a point in her favour already.

I opened her file again, even though I had already reviewed it before she walked in. It wasn’t about information anymore.

It was observation.

“I understand you applied for this position some time ago,” I said, flipping a page. “You weren’t selected then.”

I paused and looked up at her.

“But you accepted it now. Why?”

Her shoulders tightened slightly at the question.

Not enough to be obvious.

But I noticed.

Of course I did.

She recovered quickly though. Straighter posture. More composed expression. Like she had mentally stepped into a version of herself built for rooms like this.

She answered.

Clear. Structured. No hesitation.

I listened, but not entirely for content.

I was watching her instead.

How she spoke without excess. How she didn’t over-explain. How she didn’t try to impress me with unnecessary words.

That alone told me more than her CV did.

She wasn’t fragile.

Just untested at this level.

“She’s good,” I thought briefly.

Not impressed.

Just aware.

I closed the file slowly and leaned back slightly in my chair.

“Sterling Inc. isn’t a place where people come to test themselves,” I said. “You either perform… or you don’t stay.”

Silence followed immediately.

She didn’t rush to fill it.

Good again.

Most people did.

I watched her carefully.

Still no panic. No defensiveness. Just controlled breathing and steady posture.

Interesting.

“You’ve built a name for yourself,” I continued, tapping the file once. “Interviews. Field reporting. Political coverage. You’ve been consistent.”

I studied her face as I spoke.

She didn’t react much.

But she was listening.

“So tell me, Miss Brooks…”

I leaned forward slightly.

“What makes you think you can handle this level?”

That was the real question.

Not the job.

The pressure that came with it.

Another pause.

Longer this time.

And then she answered.

But something in her tone shifted.

Not louder.

Not bolder.

Just… grounded.

Conviction.

Not performed confidence.

Real one.

I didn’t react outwardly.

I never did.

Instead, I closed the file completely and placed it down.

For someone her age…

She had more control than most I’d seen walk into that office.

“Not bad,” I said finally.

Her eyes flickered slightly at that.

It wasn’t praise.

Not exactly.

But it wasn’t dismissal either.

That alone made it dangerous.

I reached for my phone.

“Mr. Bailey.”

A pause.

“Yes, sir?”

“Show Miss Brooks to her office.”

“Right away, sir.”

I ended the call before he could say anything else.

Then I stood slightly, just enough to signal the end of the meeting.

Her eyes followed me carefully now.

Still alert.

Still trying to understand me.

I ignored that.

Instead, I said simply,

“Welcome to Sterling Inc.”

A beat.

She nodded.

“Thank you.”

And then she left.

But for reasons I didn’t care to name…

I watched her leave a little longer than necessary.

Just once.

Just briefly.

And then I looked away.

Because I didn’t need distractions.

Not again.