Lyan went into his room and shut the door with his shoulder, a habit he barely noticed anymore.The sound of water hitting tiles filled the bathroom as he stepped in and let the warm spray wash over him.
"I like her," he thought, rubbing a hand over his face.
More than like.
He frowned into the water. "What was happening to me?"
Lyan was usually so composed — a man who always kept his emotions under lock and key. Yet tonight, every thought kept circling back to Angela. The sound of her laugh. The softness in her gaze. The way her presence felt like an anchor, tugging him closer when all his life had been spent drifting.
He pressed his forehead against the cold tiles."What is this feeling?" he asked himself, voice low.
He stayed there long enough that the water began to lose its heat, then finally turned off the shower and grabbed a towel. Standing in front of the mirror, hair damp and tousled, he barely recognized his own reflection.
"You?" he murmured to himself. "Falling for someone this fast?"
And yet there was a strange honesty in it."She's different," he said under his breath. "And it feels… real."
He dressed quickly, shrugging into a clean shirt as if trying to pull his thoughts back together.Work. Focus on work.That was what he needed — a distraction.
When he reached his study, Mrs. Jones was already waiting with a steaming mug of coffee."Here you go, sir," she said warmly, setting it on the desk.
Lyan managed a smile."Thanks, Mrs. Jones."His fingers wrapped around the mug, drawing comfort from its warmth.
"You seem a bit tired," she noted gently.
He paused."More like my mind won't give me a break," he replied.
That earned him a sympathetic look."Anything you'd like to talk about?" she offered.
He shook his head, glancing at the spread of papers before him."Nothing you need to worry about," he assured her.
And it was true — what was there to say? That his thoughts were full of Angela? That he felt unsettled in a way he'd never felt before? Mrs. Jones wouldn't understand that, and even if she did, this was something he had to sort out himself.
Still, as Mrs. Jones left and her footsteps faded into the quiet house, he felt the weight settle back over him.Work had always been his escape. Numbers, strategies, negotiations — all things that made sense.But tonight, even those seemed blurred.
He stared at the empty screen of his phone.That was when it vibrated in his pocket.
Tania.
"Of course." He said, his voice full of disgust.
He hesitated, thumb hovering over the green icon before answering."What is it?" he asked flatly.
"Nice to hear you too," Tania replied, that familiar saccharine tone wrapping around her words like a silk ribbon.
Lyan let his eyes close briefly."I'm busy. Get to the point," he said.
"You always are," she shot back.
There was a long pause before Lyan decided to break it. "If you don't say what you want, I will hang up the phone."
"My father says the wedding must happen before the deal is signed."
He could almost see her smug smile on the other end.Lyan felt something cold settle in his stomach."Not happening," he replied, voice quiet but sharp.
"Oh, it is," Tania continued breezily. "He's very serious about this. And frankly, so am I."
He paused for his words to settle into her ears.
"You and your father can be serious all you want," Lyan replied, running a hand back through his hair. "I told you before: I'm not marrying you."
"You say that like you have a choice," she said, voice humming with amusement.
"I do have a choice," he countered.And this time, there was a flash of something fiercer in his voice, something that even made him pause.
"You can fight," Tania replied, "but in the end, you'll come around. Family obligations and all that. You know the rules as well as I do."
"I make my own rules," Lyan snapped.There was a long silence before she answered.
"Mm-hm," she finally murmured, unbothered. "Anyway, I'm coming over tonight. Need to have this talk face to face."
That pulled him upright."You're what?" he asked sharply.
"You heard me," Tania said, utterly unfazed. "My father is pushing this, and frankly, I don't care if you like it or not. Be home."
"I'm not meeting you tonight," Lyan told her, his patience thinning.
"That's fine," she replied. "I'll wait."
And before he could answer, the call cut off.
He stared at the screen, disbelief simmering in his chest."She'd really do it too. Just show up. Make herself at home. And Angela?"
He shoved the phone into his pocket."God, the last thing I need is Angela seeing Tania on the doorstep." He murmured.
He took a deep breath, pacing the study as he tried to clear his thoughts.This was spiraling faster than he could keep up with.And it wasn't just Tania — it was Angela, and the past, and all those secrets closing in like shadows.
He dropped into the chair at his desk and stared blankly at the papers."Work." He murmured.That was what he was supposed to be doing.Instead, he found himself thinking of Angela again.
"She deserves better," he thought aloud, rubbing his hands over his face.Better than me tangled up in this mess.
And yet, even knowing that, he couldn't fight the pull he felt toward her.
The door creaked, pulling him from his thoughts.Mrs. Jones appeared again, worry plain on her face."You're sure you're all right, sir?" she asked.
He forced a tired smile."I will be," he said.But his voice lacked conviction, and they both knew it.
"You ought to rest," Mrs. Jones offered gently. "Nothing good comes from working yourself too hard this late at night."
"Maybe you're right," Lyan murmured.
She paused, as if she wanted to say more, then simply nodded and disappeared into the hall.
The house was so quiet once Mrs. Jones left that the only thing Lyan could hear was the steady tick of the clock on the wall.
"How am I going to fix this? Mr. Bennett is going to make it really hard for me," Lyan muttered into the empty room.