The next morning was… strange.
Very strange.
Isabella stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection.
Her fingers slowly brushed over her lips.
The memory came rushing back instantly—
The kiss.
Her heart started racing again.
"Get it together, Isabella…" she muttered to herself.
Today, she had to act normal.
Like nothing happened.
At the office—
Alexander Knight was already there.
Of course he was.
Always early.
Always composed.
Always in control.
Except today…
He wasn't.
The moment Isabella walked in, his eyes lifted.
And locked onto hers.
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
"G-good morning, sir," she said, slightly stiff.
"Morning…" he replied.
Too quick.
Too low.
Too different.
That was the first sign.
They were already failing.
Isabella hurried to her desk, pretending to be busy.
Alexander tried to focus on his work.
But neither of them could concentrate.
Because every few seconds—
Their eyes met again.
And every time—
The memory of last night flashed between them.
"Isabella."
Her heart skipped.
"Yes, sir?" she replied, standing up immediately.
"Bring me the financial report."
"You already have it," she said before she could stop herself.
Silence.
Alexander blinked.
She blinked.
Awkward.
"Right…" he cleared his throat. "Then… organize it again."
Isabella stared at him.
"Sir… it's already organized."
Another pause.
Another failure.
"Just… bring it," he muttered.
She walked into his office, holding the same file he didn't need.
As she placed it on his desk—
Their fingers brushed.
Both of them froze.
Instantly.
The contact was small.
But the reaction?
Not small at all.
Isabella quickly pulled her hand back, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"Sorry…"
"It's fine," he said quickly.
Too quickly.
Silence fell again.
But this time—
It felt louder.
"About yesterday…" Isabella started.
"We shouldn't talk about it," Alexander cut in immediately.
She looked up at him.
"Right…"
But neither of them moved.
Neither of them looked away.
Because the truth was—
They didn't want to ignore it.
They just didn't know what to do with it.
Later that afternoon—
It only got worse.
Isabella tried to focus on her work.
Alexander tried to act like nothing had changed.
But everything had changed.
He noticed the way she tucked her hair behind her ear.
She noticed the way his voice softened when he said her name.
He noticed her smile.
She noticed the way he looked at her when she smiled.
And at some point—
They both realized something.
They were terrible at pretending.
As the day came to an end, Isabella gathered her things quickly.
"I'll see you tomorrow, sir," she said, avoiding his gaze.
"Isabella—"
She paused.
But didn't turn around.
A long silence followed.
Then—
"Be careful going home."
Her lips curved slightly.
"You too."
She walked out.
And once again—
He watched her leave.
Inside his office, Alexander leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly.
"This is a problem…"
A very big problem.
Because no matter how hard they tried—
They couldn't go back to how things were before.
And deep down…
Neither of them wanted to.