Stolen Kisses And Silent Lies

The elevator hummed softly as it rose to the top floor of Reed Enterprises. Jessica Daniels stood in the mirrored lift, nervously adjusting the strap of her leather bag. Her reflection stared back at her. Calm, polished, and unreadable. But inside, her stomach swirled like a storm preparing to land. "Calm down, Jess," she whispered. "It’s just a business." She told herself it was just a business, but her racing heart disagreed. It had been two years. Two complicated years since she last saw Jaxon Reed. Since that forbidden kiss under fairy lights and champagne-soaked promises at Renee’s wedding of all places. It was just a kiss, meant to be forgotten. But some things leave bruises on the soul long after the lips part. The elevator dinged. She inhaled sharply as the doors slid open, revealing a sleek, modern lobby lined with glass and flooded with sunlight. Jessica stepped out, the sound of her heels echoing on the marble floors. Her heart pounded with every step toward the reception desk. She was no longer the assistant fetching coffee or sketching floor plans in the background. Now, she was the lead designer at Daniels Interiors, her own firm, and her own rules. And this project? It was hers. “Miss Daniels?” A well-dressed assistant greeted her with a rehearsed smile. “Mr. Reed is expecting you. Please follow me.” Jessica nodded, smoothing her white blazer. She could feel the stiffness in her shoulders, the quiet tremble in her hands. It wasn’t just nerves. It was memory and emotion desire she’d never properly buried. As they walked past walls of glass and chrome, Jessica caught glimpses of the company’s buzzing heart.Young professionals typing furiously, boardrooms filled with negotiations, a woman, talking and laughing while making a phone call. But none of it reached her. All she could hear was her own pulse. They stopped in front of a black-glass door. The assistant knocked twice, and a low voice responded from within. “Come in.” Jessica stepped inside. And there he was. Jaxon Reed. Standing behind a desk of dark walnut and steel, dressed in a crisp white shirt with his sleeves rolled casually to his forearms. He wasn’t looking at papers. He wasn’t on a call. He was looking at her. Like time hadn’t passed. Like that night hadn’t broken something in both of them. “Jessica?” His voice held a surprised softness that tugged at something buried deep in her. “Mr. Reed,” she said, keeping her tone steady. “Good morning.” He didn’t speak for a moment. Just watched her as if trying to decide if she was real or a memory stepping out of a dream. Then, finally, he moved slowly, circling the desk, each step deliberate. The scent of cedarwood and clean linen drifted toward her, making it difficult to think. “I wasn’t expecting...” His voice trailed off, eyes scanning her like he didn’t trust them. “You.” Jessica’s lips curved, but not in amusement. “People change positions in two years, Mr. Reed. I’m the lead designer now.” A flicker of something, regre maybe passed through his gaze. “Clearly.” She took a step forward and set her leather folder on the edge of his desk, opening it briskly. “Let’s get to business. You requested a full redesign of your penthouse. Sleek, modern, masculine. I’ve put together a concept that reflects your preferences.” “Straight to the point,” he murmured. “Some things haven’t changed.” “I don’t have time to waste,” she replied, flipping the page. “And I assume neither do you.” He chuckled lightly, but there was no humour in it. “You haven’t lost your fire.” Jessica glanced up, brows arched. “Is that what you called it?” Jaxon didn’t answer. He just took the design samples and sat down, pretending to focus on the mood boards and material suggestions. But she could feel his attention hadn’t left her for a second. “How long have you been with Daniels Interiors?” he asked. She paused. “Since the beginning. I started the firm a year after I left my previous job.” He tilted his head. “So you built it on your own.” “Yes.” “Impressive.” His fingers brushed the edge of one of the boards. “You always did have vision.” Jessica's jaw clenched. Compliments from him felt like tiny cuts, sharp, close, and dangerous. “I remember your sketches,” he continued. “The ones you used to hide in the back of your notebook. You were afraid no one would take them seriously.” “That was a different woman,” she said quietly. “Is it?” he asked with a low voice. She met his eyes. “She doesn’t kiss men who belong to someone else.” That hit him. His expression darkened, his jaw set firmly. “I’m not married, Jessica.” “But you’re engaged.” Her voice was steady, almost cold. “To a politician’s daughter, if the tabloids are right.” His silence confirmed it. “Why?” she asked before she could stop herself. “Why her?” He looked down at the papers on the desk as if the answers might be hiding in the shadows of the floor plans. “It’s complicated.” “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” he said, meeting her gaze. “That night… it wasn’t planned, neither was this.” Jessica exhaled sharply and snapped the folder shut. “We don’t have to revisit that night. It’s irrelevant.” “Not to me.” That stopped her. Just for a second. Then she turned away and walked toward the tall windows overlooking at the skyline. The view was breathtaking, just like the man behind her. She hated that she still noticed. He moved to stand beside her, his reflection joining hers in the glass. “Do you ever think about it?” he asked. “As for me, I do. All the time.” She didn’t say anything. The silence hung heavy between them, like smoke from a fire they hadn’t put out. After a long moment, she finally spoke. “You should’ve told me about your engagement.” “I didn’t know it mattered,” he said, voice raw. “You walked away, Jess. No call. No goodbye.” “You had a fiancée.” She turned to face him, her eyes blazing. “What was I supposed to do? Wait for scraps?” “I wasn’t engaged then.” “But you are now.” He didn’t argue. Didn’t explain. Didn’t apologize. She picked up her bag. “We’ll send the rest of the concepts to your email.” He reached for her arm but stopped short before touching her. “Jessica…” She looked at him for quite some time. And in that moment, she saw the man she had once wanted, and the one she could no longer trust was standing in the same body. “If things were different...” he started. “But they’re not,” she whispered, voice trembling. “And we both know it.” She walked out of the office before he could say another word. Jessica stepped into the elevator, the doors closing behind her with a soft whisper. Her chest rose and fell in sharp breaths. She had kept her composure, delivered her designs, and walked away again. But the fire in her chest hadn’t dimmed. It had grown. The ride down felt longer than it should. When she finally stepped out into the lobby, her phone buzzed. A message. Unknown number. "You think you know why I’m engaged… but you don’t. Meet me tonight. I owe you the truth." She froze, rereading it. Her thumb hovered over the screen, heart racing. Who sent this? She didn’t want to assume, but her gut already knew who It was. Before she could decide what to do, a voice called out behind her. “Jessica?” She turned, and her heart stopped working. It wasn’t Jaxon. It was Lane, her best friend. But the expression on Lane’s face wasn’t warm. It was strained, eyes darting toward the elevator behind Jessica. “What are you doing here?” Jessica asked, confused. Lane hesitated. Then she quietly said, “We need to talk. It’s about Jaxon.” Jessica’s world tilted. “What about him?” Lane didn’t answer. She just held up a small envelope, and Jessica instantly recognized the handwriting on the front. Jaxon’s. Whatever was in that envelope… it wasn’t part of the design deal. Jessica took a step closer, pulse thundering in her ears. “Lane… what’s going on?” Lane lowered her voice. “It wasn’t just a kiss, Jess. There’s more. A lot more.” Jessica blinked, unable to process. The envelope felt like it was burning a hole through the space between them. And suddenly, this project… this reunion… this whole damn building. It felt like a trap. “I don’t understand,” Jessica said slowly. “You came all the way here just to hand me that?” “I didn’t want to believe it at first,” Lane said, lowering her voice. “But when I saw the documents… Jess, he’s hiding something from you. Something huge.” Jessica’s blood ran cold. “What documents?” Lane glanced around, stepping closer. “This envelope has copies of internal memos, personal notes, even an NDA with your name mentioned.” “My name?” Lane nodded gravely. “You need to read this before you agree to another meeting with him.” Jessica’s mind raced. “Why would he…?” “Because he knew you'd be chosen for this job,” Lane said. “Because someone made sure you were.” Jessica’s breath caught. “You think he planned this?” Lane shrugged. “You tell me. One minute he’s engaged to someone else. The next he’s calling you in for the most high-profile project of your firm’s career.” Jessica’s throat tightened. “So, what? You’re saying he set me up?” “I’m saying…” Lane glanced toward the exit doors. “You were never supposed to find out.” Jessica took the envelope with trembling hands, heart pounding as she tucked it deep into her bag. She didn’t even know what was in it yet, but she could feel the weight of its contents pressing down on her like a storm cloud ready to burst. And just then, her phone buzzed again. Another message. Same number. "Come alone. 8PM. The penthouse. You’ll understand everything." Lane saw it flash on her screen and frowned. “Please don’t go.” “I have to.” “No, Jess. This isn’t just about a broken heart or old feelings. There’s something darker underneath all of this.” Jessica looked toward the glass doors, then back up to the towering building she had just left. Jaxon’s office loomed above like a secret waiting to be unwrapped, dangerous, and impossible to ignore. She wasn’t sure what scared her more: the truth… Or how desperately she still wanted it to come from his lips.