Chapter 2
1270 Words
I wake up before my alarm, and for a second I don’t move.
It’s quiet. Too quiet.
Then I remember why.
The job.
And just like that, the calm disappears.
I let out a slow breath and turned onto my back, staring at the ceiling. My chest already feels tight, not panic exactly, just that heavy, pressing feeling that sits there and reminds you something important is coming… and you really don’t want to mess it up.
“Okay,” I murmur softly. “You’ve got this.”
I don’t sound convinced.
---
Getting ready takes longer than it should, not because I don’t know what I’m doing, but because I keep pausing. Small things. Fixing my sleeve. Adjusting my hair. Staring at myself for a second too long.
I look… fine.
Normal.
But it doesn’t feel like enough.
Still, I don’t have time to overthink it forever, so I grab my bag and head out before I can change my mind.
---
The building looks just as intimidating as yesterday.
Maybe more.
Yesterday, I was just trying to get in.
Today, I have to belong here.
That feels … different.
I pause for a second outside the entrance, then shake my head slightly and walk in before I can talk myself out of it.
---
Inside, everything feels the same—quiet, controlled, almost too put together. People move like they know exactly what they’re doing, and no one looks like they has time to hesitate.
“Eliana.”
I look up.
The receptionist barely glances at me. “You’re expected. Twenty-third floor.”
Expected.
That word settles somewhere in my chest.
“Thank you,” I say, even though she’s already looking away.
---
The elevator ride is quiet.
Not peaceful quiet.
Just… still.
No one talks. No one even looks at each other properly, and I find myself staring at the numbers as they climb, like that’s somehow easier than thinking.
“You’re fine,” I whisper under my breath.
A man beside me shifts slightly, like he heard me.
I give a small, awkward smile. “Sorry.”
He nods once and looks away.
That’s fair.
---
When the doors open, the difference hits immediately.
The executive floor feels sharper somehow. Like everything here matters a little more. Even the silence feels intentional.
I slow down without meaning to, taking it in.
“New girl?”
I turn.
A guy leans casually against a desk, watching me with a small, knowing smile.
“Is it that obvious?” I ask.
“A little,” he says. “You’ve got the look.”
“What look?”
He shrugs. “The ‘I’m trying not to look lost’ one.”
I let out a small breath, somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. “Wow. Okay.”
“I’m Leo,” he adds, straightening.
“Eliana.”
“I know.”
Of course he does.
“You’ll get used to it,” he says, nodding toward the hallway.
“I hope so,” I admit, softer this time.
---
The hallway feels quieter than the rest of the floor.
My steps sound louder, even though I’m trying not to think about it. At the end, there’s a closed door, and something about it makes my stomach tighten slightly.
I don’t know why.
I just… feel it.
I knock.
“Come in.”
That voice again.
---
I push the door open, and the moment I step inside, I already know.
It’s him.
The same man from yesterday.
The one I bumped into.
The one who barely reacted like it mattered.
And now he’s here, sitting behind the desk like this is exactly where he belongs.
For a second, I just stood there.
“…you?” slips out before I can stop it.
His gaze lifts to mine, calm and steady. “Me.”
I blinked, trying to catch up. “I didn’t realize you—”
“That I work here?”
“Yes.”
“I do.”
I let out a small breath, more to steady myself than anything else. “Right. Of course you do.”
---
I step closer, placing my file down, but something about the room feels different now. Like I’m suddenly more aware of everything—the space, the silence, him.
“I was told I’d be assisting the executive office,” I say.
“You were.”
It takes a second.
Then it clicks.
And my stomach drops.
“…oh.”
I look at him again, really look this time, and everything just… settles into place in a way I’m not sure I like.
“You’re my boss,” I say quietly.
“Yes.”
There’s no hesitation. No softening.
Just the truth.
I let out a slow breath, nodding a little as I process it. “Okay… yeah. That makes sense.”
Even if I wish it didn’t.
---
“You’re late,” he says.
I glance at the clock.
Two minutes.
“It’s my first day,” I say, a little more gently this time.
“That doesn’t change the time.”
I look back at him, studying his expression.
“You’re very strict, aren’t you?”
“Yes, i am .”
I press my lips together, then nod slightly. “Alright. Good to know.”
---
I sit down, not waiting to be told, but not trying to challenge him either. Just… settling.
“If I mess up, just assume I’m still adjusting,” I say lightly.
“That won’t be necessary.”
“That sounds like pressure.”
“It’s expectation.”
I tilt my head a little. “That’s not better.”
For a second, something shifts in his expression.
Small.
Almost unnoticeable.
But it’s there.
---
“You talk a lot,” he says.
“I'm nervous,” I admit before I can stop myself.
The words hang there for a second.
Then I add, softer, “It sometimes helps.”
He doesn’t respond immediately.
Just watches me.
And for some reason, that makes me feel more aware of myself than anything he’s actually said.
---
“You’ll be assisting me directly,” he says after a moment.
That lands heavier than I expect.
“Directly?” I repeat.
“Yes.”
I nod slowly, trying to adjust to that idea. “Okay… I can do that.”
Even if I’m not entirely sure how yet.
---
I stand after a moment, picking up my file again.
“Anything else?”
“No.”
“Alright.”
I turn toward the door, but something in my chest tightens again—not fear, just that same quiet feeling from earlier, like something shifted and I didn’t fully notice when it happened.
I glance back.
He’s still watching me, not in a way that feels uncomfortable.
Just… paying attention.
And for some reason, that stays with me.
---
“You know,” I say softly, “you’re a little intimidating.”
“Am I?”
“A bit.”
“That wasn’t intentional.”
I smile faintly. “I don’t believe you.”
---
“Get to work, Miss Eliana.”
---
I stepped out of the office and closed the door behind me, letting out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
For a second, I just stood there.
Trying to settle.
Trying to make sense of how something so simple—just a job—suddenly feels like something more.
---
I don’t know why.
I just know it does.
And that feeling doesn’t go away… even as I start walking.
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