At Her Discretion

CHAPTER EIGHT: CROSSED LINES

The morning started quietly.

After Adrian's unexpected visit the day before, the penthouse almost felt too silent. Naomi had returned to her usual routine, her attention fixed on the files spread across the dining table while Sebastian wandered around the apartment with nothing better to do than disturb her concentration.

"You know," he said, stopping beside the table, "I'm starting to think you actually enjoy paperwork."

"I enjoy finishing my work."

"Same thing."

"It isn't."

Sebastian smiled to himself.

A few days ago, conversations like this would've ended in an argument. Now they ended with Naomi giving him one of her flat looks before returning to whatever she was doing.

It was progress.

At least, that's what he thought.

Around noon, Naomi finally closed the file in front of her. She glanced at her watch before looking up.

"We have a meeting."

Sebastian looked up from the couch.

"With who?"

"Mr. Holloway."

That got his attention.

"My mother's lawyer?"

"And two financial advisers from the trust."

He sighed dramatically.

"I was beginning to enjoy doing absolutely nothing."

"When you should be working? Yes, I noticed."

"You sound disappointed."

"Spare me your fantasies, Mr. Vale."

An hour later, they arrived at the Vale Trust offices.

Unlike the flashy headquarters of Vale Corporation, the trust occupied an older building in the financial district. It wasn't built to impress clients. It was built to protect generations of wealth. The lobby was quiet, the staff moved with practiced efficiency, and everyone seemed to know Naomi by name.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Reed."

"Morning, Ms. Reed."

She greeted each person with a polite nod but never stopped walking.

Sebastian noticed.

"You've been here before."

"Several times."

"So everyone knows you."

"They know my job."

He smiled.

"I was hoping you'd say they like you."

"I didn't."

Mr. Holloway was already waiting when they entered the conference room.

The older man stood to shake Sebastian's hand before greeting Naomi with the same professional courtesy.

"It's good to see you again, Sebastian."

"You too, Mr. Holloway."

The meeting lasted a little over an hour.

Most of it was exactly what Sebastian expected.

Investment reports.

Property updates.

Quarterly returns.

Compliance reviews.

He tried paying attention for the first ten minutes before giving up completely.

Meanwhile, Naomi never seemed to lose focus.

She followed every report carefully, corrected a figure when one of the advisers quoted the wrong number, asked Mr. Holloway to clarify a clause regarding one of the family trusts, then quietly wrote everything down on her tablet.

She never interrupted anyone unnecessarily.

She only spoke when there was something worth saying.

Watching her work was... different.

She wasn't cold because she disliked people.

She was precise because mistakes mattered.

By the time the meeting ended, Sebastian was convinced she'd actually enjoyed it.

"I think I'd rather sit through another charity speech," he muttered as they stepped into the hallway.

Mr. Holloway adjusted his glasses.

"I sincerely hope not. The last one caused enough paperwork."

Sebastian groaned.

"You heard about that too?"

"I represented your mother for twenty-three years, Sebastian."

A faint smile crossed the lawyer's face.

"I heard about everything."

Sebastian shook his head.

"That's terrifying."

"It probably should be," Naomi replied.

After saying goodbye to Mr. Holloway, they made their way toward the lobby.

Before they reached the exit, a woman in an elegant cream suit approached them with an easy smile. Judging from the way several employees greeted her, she was someone important.

"Mr. Vale," she said warmly. "It's been a while."

Sebastian smiled politely.

"Mrs. Whitmore. It's good to see you again."

"I was sorry to hear about your mother."

"Thank you."

Her attention shifted to Naomi.

"And you must be the young woman everyone's been talking about."

Naomi inclined her head politely.

"I'm Naomi Reed."

Mrs. Whitmore smiled knowingly.

"So the rumours are true."

Sebastian let out a quiet laugh.

"I've learned rumours usually travel faster than facts."

"They always do," Mrs. Whitmore replied. "Still, I must admit, the two of you make quite the pair."

Sebastian smiled.

"Thank you."

The conversation lasted less than a minute before Mrs. Whitmore excused herself for another meeting.

The moment she disappeared around the corner, Naomi stopped walking.

"So that's how we're doing this now?"

Sebastian frowned.

"What?"

"You let her believe we're in a relationship."

"It was easier than explaining."

"Easier for who?"

He blinked.

"It wasn't a big deal."

Naomi looked at him for a long moment.

"It was to me."

There was no anger in her voice.

If anything, that made it worse.

Sebastian's smile faded.

"I didn't think..."

"No," Naomi interrupted quietly. "You didn't."

She adjusted the strap of her bag before continuing toward the exit.

Sebastian caught up with her outside.

"Naomi."

She didn't stop.

"It was one conversation."

"And one rumour becomes ten."

"You know none of it's true."

"I know."

She finally looked at him.

"The rest of the world doesn't."

He opened his mouth before closing it again.

She wasn't raising her voice.

She wasn't insulting him.

She was simply stating facts.

"I've spent years building my reputation," she continued. "I don't intend to become another headline because you didn't feel like correcting someone."

Sebastian rubbed the back of his neck.

"I honestly wasn't thinking."

"I know."

That somehow sounded worse than if she'd been angry.

He looked down at the pavement before speaking again.

"You'd be surprised how many stories about me started exactly like that."

Naomi remained quiet.

For just a second, she found herself wondering how many women the tabloids had linked to Sebastian over the years simply because nobody had bothered to correct a rumour before it became tomorrow's headline.

The thought disappeared as quickly as it came.

Whether those stories were true or not wasn't her concern.

They reached the car in silence.

The drive back to the penthouse felt much longer than it actually was.

Naomi spent most of it looking out the window.

Sebastian glanced at her more than once, hoping she'd say something.

She didn't.

When they got home, she headed straight for the dining table and opened her laptop as though nothing had happened.

Sebastian stood there for a moment before walking over.

"Are you really that upset?"

"I'm working, Mr. Vale. I'd rather not be disturbed."

"Naomi."

She looked up.

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry."

"You did."

"...That's it?"

"What exactly are you expecting?"

"I don't know."

She held his gaze for a few seconds before speaking.

"You apologized."

"Yeah."

"I accepted it."

Sebastian frowned.

"It doesn't feel like you did."

"Acceptance and forgetting aren't the same thing, Mr. Vale."

He let out a quiet breath.

"Here I was thinking we were getting along already."

For the first time since they'd returned, something changed in Naomi's expression.

It wasn't softness.

It wasn't a smile.

It was simply a pause.

"We were," she admitted.

The answer surprised him.

"But getting along doesn't mean the rules disappear."

Sebastian nodded slowly.

"I guess I crossed a line."

"Yes."

"And next time..."

"There shouldn't be a next time."

He couldn't even argue with that.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You know, you're really hard to impress."

"I wasn't aware I was interviewing applicants."

That earned a quiet laugh from him.

Naomi lowered her eyes back to the file in front of her.

The conversation was over as far as she was concerned.

Sebastian lingered for another moment before walking away.

As annoying as she could be, one thing had become painfully clear.

Naomi Reed wasn't afraid of his money.

She wasn't impressed by his name.

And she cared far more about protecting hers than borrowing his.

For reasons he still didn't understand, that only made him want to earn her respect even more.