Eve's POV
The door clicked shut behind me, and for some reason, it didn't feel as heavy as before.
Ethan was still by the window when I sat.
"Sit," he said, same calm tone.
I did.
A pause settled in.
"You were too calm today," he said.
I blinked. "That sounds like a complaint."
"No."
A beat.
"An observation."
I leaned back slightly. "I can try panicking next time if it helps office morale."
His head turned slightly toward me.
"Don't."
"Why?"
"People will think I trained you poorly."
I raised a brow. "So this is about your reputation."
That faint shift again. Almost amusement.
"It's always about my reputation."
I nodded. "Noted."
A quiet exhale from him.
Then he moved closer, sitting on the edge of the desk.
"You handled Vanessa well."
"I didn't know I was handling something."
"You were."
A pause.
"She gets loud when she feels irrelevant," he added.
"Poor her," I muttered.
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"You're enjoying this."
"I'm not," I said, then added, "I'm just learning the patterns."
"Dangerous sentence."
"Why?"
"People start assuming they understand things they don't."
I tilted my head. "Do you fall into that category?"
Silence.
Then..
"I don't fall," he said.
I nodded. "Of course you don't."
A beat.
"You were different in there," he said.
"How?"
"You didn't try to impress anyone."
"I didn't know that was required."
"It usually becomes one without people noticing."
"And you?" I asked. "Do you like people who try to impress you?"
A pause.
"No," he said.
Then quieter..
"They become predictable."
"And I'm not predictable?"
His eyes held mine.
"No."
Then...
"You're worse."
"Worse?"
"Less interested in being understood."
I stood slowly. "That sounds like a flaw."
"It is."
A beat.
"It's also useful."
At the door I paused.
"Am I dismissed, sir?"
His gaze flicked to me.
"You're not my employee in this room."
I smiled slightly. "So what am I?"
"Annoyingly observant."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you need."
I reached the door.
"Ethan."
"Yes?"
"Do you always bring people in here just to insult them?"
A faint pause.
"No."
Another beat.
"Just you." Just you lil cat.
I smiled to myself.
"Good to know I'm special."
"Don't get used to it."
But his tone didn't match the warning.
Not anymore.
---
Vanessa's POV
The moment I walked into my office , I stopped pretending.
My fingers tightened around my phone.
My jaw was clenched so hard it hurt.
I opened my messages.
Paused.
Then typed..
I sent it.
Then stared at the screen.
Still not enough.
My thumb hovered again.
Then I added..
Sent.
I exhaled sharply through my nose, leaning back in my chair.
Ethan didn't defend people like that.
Not publicly.
Not personally.
So why her?
And worse...
Why did it feel like she didn't even realize how dangerous that attention was yet?