LOGINNathan stood outside Director George’s office for what felt like an eternity, staring at the closed wooden door. His heart beat steadily—not with the old familiar panic, but with a heavy mix of exhaustion and defiance. After the meeting, he knew this confrontation was coming. He took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.Director George was pacing behind his massive desk like a caged animal, his face twisted in raw anger. The moment he saw Nathan, he didn’t even try to hide it.“You son of a bitch!” George snapped, his voice booming through the office. “What the hell have you been doing?!”Nathan closed the door behind him but stayed near it, shoulders squared. “Sir, if this is about the meeting—”“About the meeting?” George cut him off, storming around the desk. “Don’t play dumb with me, Reed. What is your relationship with him? With Hayes?”Nathan’s jaw tightened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”George laughed bitterly, stepping closer. “How the fuck did
Nathan opened his emails and tried to push through the mountain of work piled up on his desk. Files upon files waited for his attention, each one more urgent than the last, but no matter how hard he stared at the screen, his focus refused to stick. His mind kept drifting—back to the tense drive last night, to Noah’s breakdown on the roadside, to that soft smile in the elevator this morning. He rubbed his eyes and forced himself to keep typing, but the words blurred together.Then a new notification popped up at the top of his screen. “DIRECTOR GEORGE.”Nathan let out a deep sigh and slumped back into his chair, the leather creaking under him. Even before opening it, he knew this meant trouble. Director George was always looking for ways to make his life harder, and today Nathan wasn’t mentally prepared for another round of taunting.He clicked anyway, his shoulders tense.MR. REED. TO MY OFFICE.Nathan stared at the short message. For the first time in a long while, his heart didn’t r
NEXT MORNING Nathan kept his gaze fixed straight ahead as he walked briskly toward the building entrance, doing his best to ignore Elle’s persistent teasing. She wasn’t letting up, her hand gripping his shoulder playfully as she tried to pull him back.“Nathan… are you sure you don’t want to tell me about yesterday?” she pressed, her voice light and full of mischief.His brows furrowed, though a storm of thoughts swirled in his head. “I swear, Elle, you’re making this harder for me. It’s all in your head. You’re just imagining things!” He stomped his feet lightly in frustration and picked up his pace, hurrying toward the tall glass doors of the company building.But Elle wasn’t done. She caught up easily, still grinning. “Oh, I know you’re lying. Where were you last night? I waited forever.”Nathan paused for a second. They were getting close to the main lobby now, and he needed her to drop it before anyone else overheard. “His car broke down on the highway,” he lied, trying to sound
Nathan sat in the passenger seat, his brow furrowed with confusion that quickly shifted into genuine worry. The silence in the car felt heavier than before, broken only by the low hum of the engine. “What’s wrong?” he asked softly, turning to look at Noah.Noah didn’t reply. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white as he made a sharp turn, the tires protesting against the road. The car swerved slightly, and Nathan’s heart jumped into his throat.“Noah?” Nathan called again, louder this time. Still nothing. Noah only sniffed, his breathing ragged, and pressed harder on the accelerator. The speed climbed dangerously. “Noah, you’re going to get us killed!”Nathan reached out instinctively, grabbing the side of Noah’s shirt in a tight fist. He wasn’t even wearing his seatbelt properly, and the sudden fear made his pulse race. That seemed to snap something in Noah. He eased off the gas, the car slowing gradually until his breathing evened out, though his ch
Noah kept glancing at his wristwatch, as he stood just outside the front entrance of the building, leaning against his car with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. It was already a few minutes to nine, and Nathan still hadn’t appeared. He had thought about going up to his office to check, but the last thing he wanted was to push too hard and risk setting Nathan off again after the fragile progress of the day. So he stayed put, stamping his feet lightly against the pavement to release some of the nervous energy building inside him.His mind replayed the earlier meeting, the way Nathan had thrown those sharp, calculated reminders of the past like well-aimed darts. Every word had landed, leaving Noah raw and uncertain. Yet here he was, still hoping.Finally, he spotted movement near the doors. Nathan was walking out alongside Elle. Noah immediately straightened his sleeves quickly, smoothing down his shirt as they approached. Before he could say anything, Nathan leaned in and whis
Noah shifted forward on the couch, the weight of his own body suddenly feeling heavier as the leather creaked beneath him. His heart hammered in his chest, nerves twisting tightly in his stomach. “Do… do you want me to start from before?” he asked, his voice unsteady. “Do you want me to begin from back then?” His eyes pleaded openly, searching Nathan’s face for any sign of softening.Nathan shrugged, his posture still guarded and professional. “I don’t know. What do you think?” He paused, then added coolly, “Apologize for the wrongs you think you’ve done to me.”Noah let out a long, weary sigh and rubbed his palms along the back of his neck, trying to ease the tension building there. “Nathan, I… words can’t explain how sorry I actually feel about this. I’m genuinely sorry. For everything.” He paused, studying Nathan’s face carefully, but it remained blank, almost unnervingly emotionless. The lack of reaction made Noah’s chest ache even more.“From high school… I was just dumb back the







