Chapter 5 The Ice Begins to melt
551 Words
By the end of her first week at Lu Tower, Ivy had learned three things about Rose Lu.
First, the Alpha never repeated an order.
Second, she never praised twice.
And third—beneath the flawless surface, something in her was lonely.
The rhythm of the office became their unspoken language.
Rose dictated numbers, Ivy typed.
Rose entered meetings, Ivy followed with notes.
When Rose lifted her hand, people went silent.
When Ivy spoke, Rose listened
.
It startled Ivy the most—the way Rose actually listened
.
One evening, when most employees had gone home, Ivy found Rose still in her office, the city lights spilling silver across her desk. Reports and contracts were spread everywhere.
“You haven’t eaten,” Ivy said softly, setting a bento box on the corner.
Rose looked up, eyes shadowed with exhaustion. “You think I have time for that?”
“You should,” Ivy answered before she could lose her courage. “Even machines overheat.”
For a heartbeat, the room froze. Then, unexpectedly, Rose laughed—a low, quiet sound that made the glass seem to vibrate. “Is that what you think of me? A machine?”
Ivy’s cheeks warmed. “Sometimes.”
Rose leaned back, studying her. “You’re braver than you look.”
That small moment changed something invisible between them.
The next morning, Rose arrived earlier than usual and handed Ivy a coffee.
“I assumed you’d forget breakfast,” she said, eyes on her phone.
Ivy blinked, surprised. “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing,” Rose murmured, but the faintest smile touched her lips.
Whispers soon spread through the staff floor.
“The boss talks to her assistant?”
“She actually smiled?”
People watched the two women with a mix of curiosity and fear, unsure whether Ivy’s presence softened or endangered the empire’s heir.
Rose ignored them. She had long stopped caring what others thought. Yet at night, she found herself glancing at the spare cup of coffee on her desk, remembering Ivy’s quiet defiance.
One stormy Friday, a power cut left the entire building in darkness.
Ivy, trapped in the archives room, tried to steady her breath until she heard calm footsteps and a flashlight beam slicing through the dark.
“Stay still,” Rose’s voice called. “The backup generator’s on delay.”
Ivy exhaled, relieved. “You came looking for me?”
“You think I’d let my assistant disappear in my own building?” Rose teased, but her tone was soft.
As lightning flashed outside, Ivy could see her for a second—hair slightly damp, jacket half-buttoned, eyes gentler than she’d ever seen them.
The world seemed to shrink to that single patch of light.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Rose said quietly.
“Like what?” Ivy whispered.
“Like I’m human.”
Ivy smiled faintly in the dimness. “Maybe you are.”
When the lights flickered back, Rose turned away quickly, pretending to examine the circuit panel. But the truth was already there, unspoken and dangerous—the ice that kept her safe was cracking, one heartbeat at a time. From that moment moment on ward her feelings for Ivy begin to increase daily. when ever ivy talked she always listen
- Writer
