Claiming The Unreachable Heiress

CHAPTER THIRTEEN — The Silence Between Them

The week after the meeting with Cassian was strange — not for what happened, but for what didn’t.

No messages.

No calls.

No unannounced visits to her office with his teasing smirk and inconvenient charm.

It should have been peaceful. Ava told herself she liked the quiet. Her days fell back into perfect rhythm — work, meetings, gym, wine, sleep.

And yet, there were moments when she’d catch herself glancing at her phone for no reason.

Ridiculous, she scolded herself.

She’d buried herself in work — until Mia walked in midweek, holding a file. “Miss Cole, Mr. Hale’s team sent the final draft for your approval. He asked if you’d review it personally before the next board meeting.”

Ava didn’t look up. “Tell his team I’ll handle it.”

“He also said—” Mia hesitated, clearly amused. “—that he’d like to deliver it himself.”

Ava’s pen froze. “Of course he did.”

“He’s downstairs.”

Ava sighed, leaned back in her chair, and rubbed her temples. “Send him in.”

The click of Cassian’s shoes was the only sound when he entered the office. He looked calm — annoyingly so — in a grey suit that somehow managed to make him look both expensive and casual.

“Miss Cole,” he greeted, voice smooth as ever.

“Mr. Hale,” she replied without looking up. “You didn’t have to come all the way here for a signature.”

“Maybe I wanted to make sure you didn’t throw the document out the window.”

She glanced up sharply, but his smile was polite — too polite. The lack of teasing disarmed her more than any flirtation would have.

“Sit,” she said shortly, flipping through the file.

He obeyed, and for a moment the silence between them felt heavy. Ava could hear the faint hum of the air conditioner, the tick of her pen against the desk, and his steady, infuriatingly calm breathing.

Finally, she looked up. “Everything seems in order.”

“Good,” he said softly. “I’d hate to waste your time.”

Her jaw tightened. “Cassian, if this is about what happened at the event—”

He raised a hand. “Relax, Ava. This is business.”

Something in his tone made her blink. He wasn’t teasing, wasn’t provoking — he was distant. Detached.

And for some reason, it unsettled her more than anything else he’d ever said.

She tried to focus on the paperwork again, but the silence was unbearable. “Is that all?”

“Yes,” he said simply, standing. “You’ll have the signed copy by morning.”

He started for the door.

Ava hesitated, then blurted before she could stop herself, “Cassian.”

He turned, brow raised.

Her mouth opened — then closed again. She didn’t even know why she’d called his name. “Never mind.”

His lips twitched slightly, not quite a smile. “Take care of yourself, Ava.”

And just like that, he was gone.

That night, the city outside her penthouse glowed beneath the rain — gold lights blurred through the glass as she sat by her window with a cup of tea she wasn’t drinking.

She told herself she was only thinking about the project, about deadlines, about efficiency.

But when her reflection flickered in the glass, she didn’t look like a woman thinking about work. She looked… distracted.

Her phone buzzed once on the table.

A new message — from Mia.

> Mia: Mr. Hale confirmed the final meeting next week. He said he’ll bring the file himself.

Ava typed quickly.

> Ava: Tell him I’ll send someone instead.

A pause. Then another message.

> Mia: He said he prefers to handle things personally.

Ava set her phone down, pressing her lips together. She didn’t know whether to be irritated… or secretly relieved.

“Fine,” she muttered to the empty room. “Let him.”

For someone who claimed not to care, Ava found herself planning what to wear the next day. Nothing extravagant — just subtle, polished. The kind of confidence that didn’t need effort.

And when she caught herself checking her reflection twice before leaving, she told herself it was just habit.

Because it couldn’t possibly be about Cassian Hale.

Could it?