Leah

From the small glass panel on the restroom door, I watched the board members walk past in ones and twos. Most of them looked pensive. A few fumed past briskly, gesturing to their aides, while others muttered in heated voices about their displeasure.

There must have been an absolute war inside that boardroom. The first person to exit had flung the heavy oak door open so violently it sent a loud bang echoing through the entire hallway. He had stomped out, cursing under his breath. That was why I had slipped into the restroom in the first place. I didn't want to get caught in the crossfire of whatever corporate bloodbath had just occurred.

When the heavy footsteps finally faded and I was certain everyone had left, I stepped out into the corridor and made my way toward the executive conference room to meet Mr. Thorne. I could have waited in his main office, but I had no idea if he had other engagements that would keep him away for the rest of the day. 

Just as I turned the corner, I spotted a man and a woman standing outside the double doors. The man was tall, his broad shoulders hunched slightly as he gently rubbed the arms of the smaller woman. She looked visibly displeased.

I quickly turned around to head back to the safety of the restroom and wait it out.

"Hello?"

I froze.

"Oh shit," I muttered under my breath, then slowly turned to face the two people looking intently at me. "I'm sorry…"

"You?" the woman said, her eyes widening slightly in recognition.

"Good evening, ma'am. Good evening, sir," I said, keeping my hands clasped loosely in front of me.

"Good evening, dear." Her rigid posture melted instantly, and she broke into a warm smile as she made her way toward me, the tall man following in her wake.

She looked incredibly familiar. Him too.

Aha! The woman from the lobby. The supposed owner of the hotel. Wait... is she Damien's mum?

"I know you," she began, breaking into that beautiful smile, one I'd seen before. "I remember this face. The lady who saved me from losing my precious scarf. Julian, come meet her. I almost lost my favorite scarf, the one your father gave me."

​"Hi." The man stepped forward, his lips curving into a smile as he offered a handshake and glanced down at my name tag. "Ms. Carter?"

The smile suddenly vanished when he said my name. His brows creased, as if he'd just realized something.

"This is my son, Julian," she said, straightening her back. She raised her shoulders with an unmistakable air of pride, displaying the man beside her like a prized trophy.

"A pleasure meeting you, Ms. Carter," he said with a lopsided smile.

"Same here, sir."

I reached out and shook his hand.

Before I could pull away, the woman's assistant scurried into the hallway, urgent as usual. Her eyes went straight to Julian's hand, still holding mine. She shot me a dirty look before turning to her boss and whispering something into her ear.

The older woman sighed. "Son, I'll catch up with you later."

With a brief wave, she turned and walked down the hall, her assistant trailing closely behind.

Julian nodded, watching his mother walk away until she disappeared around the corner. Then, he turned his full attention back to me. "Thank you for helping her out. That scarf really does mean the world to her."

"It was a pleasure helping out, sir."

He didn't make any move to leave. Instead, his head tilted slightly, his gaze drifting down to my shoes, then back up to my face. "I can certainly see why you've caught his attention," he murmured.

"Excuse me?"

Yes. I knew exactly where I had met him now. He was the last person I had seen entering Damien's office right before... his episode.

A sudden chill ran down my spine.

Fuck. It was the exact same sensation I’d felt when I ran into him at the door last week.

The hallway suddenly felt smaller, void of any form of life or warmth.

"Maybe I could thank you properly over dinner tonight." 

"Oh! There's absolutely no need for that, sir," I said, forcing a smile.

"Please,” he said, blinking lazily. “I insist. My mother owes you."

I didn't like this. Not one bit. He wasn't doing anything overtly aggressive. He was simply offering me dinner, yet something about him made me uneasy.

The smile slowly left his face as he noticed my hesitation.

"Thank you for the offer, sir, but I can assure you, it really isn't necessary."

He paused, studying me intently.

“Some other night, then?”

"Thank you, sir, but I'll have to decline."

He nodded slowly, the lopsided smile creeping back onto his face. "Well, it's a pleasure meeting you anyway, Ms. Carter." he said, reaching out to take my hand once more.

I slowly extended my hand to take his.

"Ms. Carter?"

We both turned, our hands hanging mid-air.

Damien stood a few feet behind Julian, looking from me to his brother with an intensity that made the hallway feel even smaller.

Despite that, I'd never been this relieved to see anyone in my life. I didn't even realize I'd been clenching my other hand the entire time.

"Mr. Thorne!" I breathed, taking a step back from Julian.

"I believe you came to see me?" He slid his hands into his pockets and sauntered towards us.

"Yes, sir."

I brazened my way past Julian to meet Damien halfway, keeping my hands stiffly at my sides to hide the fact that I was actually disconcerted.

Damien only glanced at me before fixing his gaze back on Julian. But as I stepped up beside him, I felt him subtly shift his weight, placing his broad frame slightly in front of mine, shielding me from his brother's line of sight.

"I see you've met my brother." Damien said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Yes, sir."

Julian turned fully to face him. "Hi, Dammy. Where have you been hiding your cute friend?" That same lopsided smile remained plastered on his face.

"She's a member of my staff. Now if you'll excuse us, we need to get back to work,” Damien said, walking past him toward his office. 

Julian raised his hands in mock surrender, but as I moved to follow Damien, I could still feel Julian's eyes on me.

I didn't need to look back to know that lopsided smile was still on his face.