THE TENSION BETWEEN THEM
The office didn’t feel normal anymore. It wasn’t just the whispers. It wasn’t even the stares.
It was something deeper—something quieter but heavier. Like the air itself had shifted after everything that had happened.
Maya felt it the moment she sat down at her desk.
People were still talking about her. Still wondering why the CEO himself had stepped in for her.
She tried to ignore it. Opened her laptop.
Focused on work.
But then—She felt it. That gaze again.
Daniel.
He didn’t approach immediately. He watched first.
Leaning slightly against a desk not too far away, arms loose, posture relaxed, that usual calm smile on his face.
A few minutes later, he walked over.
Unhurried. Casual. Like this was nothing.
He stopped right beside her desk and leaned bac
