~ Evelyn POV ~
At the head of the thirty-foot table, I sat with my fingers steepled beneath my chin.
Three young CEOs from a tech firm were pitching for a Series B investment, their voices rising and falling in a desperate, pleading pitch.
Sweat was beading on their custom-tailored suits.
Usually, I enjoyed these meetings.
I liked finding the weak points in a business model and applying pressure until the whole thing crumbled and they go back to revisit their pitch.
But today, the data on the projector screen felt like a lines of meaningless words.
My mind kept drifting back to two nights ago.
I could still see the way the light had died in Clara’s eyes when I told her my help wasn’t free.
I had meant it as a shield—a way to remind myself that she was an asset, not someone who could affect my pulse.
Instead, it felt like I had reached out and deliberately hurt something delicate.
“Miss Vance?” one of the CEOs ventured, his voice trembling slightly.
“Our projected revenue for Q3 is—”
“Your projections are based on a market that no longer exists,” I interrupted, my voice sounding flat and hollow even to my own ears.
Beside me, Lydia scribbled a note, her pen scratching loudly in the sudden silence.
But the outcome of the pitch was the least of worries.
I wondered how Clara felt eating breakfast and dinner without me or if she was still deliberately avoiding the North Wing hallways just to avoid seeing me.
“We’re done here,” I said, standing abruptly pushing the chair back, its legs scraping silently the on the thick carpet.
“Lydia will send you a detailed list of why this venture is a failure by five PM. And for your own sack you come back with a better pitch.”
I walked out before they could stammer a response, my heels clicking a sharp, impatient sound that echoed the irritation blooming in my chest.
“Lydia, I need the StarCorp merger files on my desk immediately. And the quarterly reports for—”
I cut myself off as I pushed open the heavy double doors of my private office.
I had expected the room to be empty, a quiet space where I could finally breathe.
Instead, the air was thick with the scent of a familiar, expensive perfume Katherine’s signature jasmine scent .
She was sprawled across my velvet sofa, her legs crossed at the ankles, looking entirely too comfortable.
But it wasn’t Katherine who made my breath catch.
Sitting beside her was Clara.
They were deep in conversation, their heads tilted toward each other in a way that suggested intimacy.
For a fleeting second, I saw a look on Clara’s face that I hadn’t seen in days—a softness, a relaxation of her shoulders.
But the moment the door clicked behind me, the transformation on her gave was instantaneous.
The conversation died as if someone had cut a wire.
Clara’s spine snapped into a rigid line, her hands clasping together in that professional, subservient pose that I was beginning to loathe.
The softness vanished, replaced by a mask so cold it rivaled my own.
“Evelyn! Finally you’re back” Katherine chirped, flashing a mischievous smile that told me she was up to something.
She didn’t move from the sofa but her eyes kept shifting between me and Clara.
“Miss Evelyn,” Clara murmured a greeting, her eyes were fixed on a spot just past my shoulder.
The fact that she was deliberately not meeting my gaze gritted on my nerve.
A sharp spike of suspicion hit me.
What had they been talking about?
The Katherine I know don’t bother with “staff” unless she was looking for gossip or trying to cause trouble.
And Clara…
Clara looked like she had just been caught spilling a secret.
“Lydia, give us a moment,” I said.
She nodded and slipped out, but the tension in the room remained.
I walked toward my desk, keeping my eyes on Clara, looking for any crack in her composure.
The air in the room felt incredibly tight.
Clara’s jaw clenched slightly, a subtle sign of defiance that only made my irritation grow.
“Miss Katherine had questions about the upcoming charity gala, and I was providing the guest list she asked for,” Clara said.
Her voice was steady, but there was a sharp edge to it that hadn’t been there before.
Somehow i dont believe that’s the only thing they talked about, and the thought that she might be keeping things from me, annoyed me so much.
“Lydia handles such requests,” I finally said, my voice dropping, low and quiet.
“You have your own tasks. See that you stick to them. Get back to your desk.”
Clara didn’t say another word.
She gave a stiff, formal nod and walked out.
I watched the door click shut, a strange, immediate sense of emptiness settling in the room.
The second the door closed, Katherine came let out a sharp, amused laugh.
“My, my, Eve. You’re practically vibrating. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were marking your territory.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I snapped, sitting behind the desk.
The heavy desk felt like a barrier between me and whatever game Katherine was trying to play.
I was annoyed at Katherine because I already know what she was trying to do, and also at myself for how much Clara’s coldness was actually getting under my skin.
I reached out and pressed the intercom.
“Clara,” I said, my tone flat.
“Bring in some tea and refreshments for Miss Katherine. Immediately.”
I delinrately cut the connection before she could answer.
Leaning back on my chair, I had my eyes fixed on the door, counting the seconds until she walks back into the room.
A few minutes later, there was a soft knock, and Clara entered carrying a silver tray with a level of precision that felt entirely too formal.
I watched her over the rim of my reading glasses, my eyes tracing every movement.
She set the tea service down on the low table in front of Katherine.
Her movements were precise, but her shoulders were rigid, stiffer than they had been two days ago.
“Thank you, Clara. You’re a lifesaver,” Katherine said, her voice warm, too warm, if you asked me.
She reached out, her fingers lightly brushing Clara’s as she took the cup.
I waited for Clara to pull back, expecting the same cold, distant look she had given me for two days now.
Instead, her expression softened just a fraction.
She didn’t pull away.
She just gave Katherine a polite, genuine nod.
Then, she turned to face me.
The brief warmth vanished instantly.
Her eyes dropped to my desk, completely avoiding mine.
“Will there be anything else, Miss Evelyn?”
The coldness stung.
She acting as if i was some cold tyrant boss meanwhile all I did was remind her place and what I expected of her.
Her coldness and distance bothered me more than a multimillion dollar failed merger.
It felt like an itch I couldn’t scratch.
I wanted to stand up, grab her by the shoulders, and demand to know why Katherine got a smile from her while I didn’t even get a glance.
“No,” I said, my voice sharper than I intended.
“That will be all.”
I watched her walk out, her posture perfectly straight.
Meanwhile Katherine let out a low, amused hum, taking a slow sip of her tea as she watched me. Get faster updates on novelping.com.
“She’s quite the find, Eve,” Katherine murmured, her eyes glinting with mischief.
“But be careful with her. A bird that quiet is usually planning her flight any chance it get.”
Katherine finally left an hour later, leaving behind the faint scent of her jasmine perfume and a restless irritation in my chest.
I was staring blankly at a page of documents when the door opened again.
Clara walked in, holding her tablet against her chest like a shield.
She didn’t come near the desk this time; she stopped a respectful distance away.
“I received an invitation, Miss Evelyn,” she said.
Her voice was flat, completely hiding whatever excitement she must have been feeling.
She stepped forward, placed the tablet on my desk, and stepped back.
I looked down at the screen.
It was an invitation from the curator of the Beaumont Gallery, one of the most prestigious exhibition spaces for emerging talent.
They were hosting a showcase for young artists over the weekend.
I already knew about it, of course; I was the one who had quietly sent her portfolio to the curator two weeks ago.
“I would like to request the weekend off to attend,” she said.
I looked up at her.
For a second, the artist I had seen at Miguel’s gallery flashed in her eyes—the woman with a soul full of color.
I wanted to tell her she didn’t need to ask.
I wanted to tell her I was proud of her.
But my pride, still smarting from her coldness and her secret conversation with Katherine, lashed out before I could stop it.
“A weekend off is a luxury, Clara,” I said, leaning back and crossing my arms.
I let my eyes sweep over her, slowly and deliberate.
“You may go, provided your weekly reports are finished and on my desk by five o’clock tomorrow. I won’t have your… hobbies… interfering with the work I actually pay you for.”
Her jaw clenched.
The tiny spark of light in her eyes vanished, replaced by a cold, impenetrable wall.
“Of course, Miss Evelyn,” she said quietly.
She picked up her tablet and left without another word.
A sudden heavy ache settled in my chest and i hated this feelings.
Even though I I to give it a name, I already know what it was I felt and I know there’s no future in it.
The ride home was tense and awkward.
Usually, the quiet hum of the engine and the whizzing down of the passing city lights brought me a sense of peace, but tonight, the silence was suffocating.
I sat in my corner of the leather seat, keeping myself busy with work on my tablet.
Clara sat in hers, staring blankly out the window at the passing skyscrapers.
I couldn’t stop the spiral of my own thoughts.
‘What did Kathy say to her?’ The question kept looping in my head, loud and relentless.
Turning my head slightly, I stole a glance at her.
She looked calm and detached, and her thought seemed to be somewhere else entirely.
‘What are you thinking Clara?’.
When the car pulled into the estate, Clara got out without a word.
I stayed in the backseat for a moment after she went inside, my heart thumping with unease I hadn’t felt before.
After getting this unwelcomed emotions under control I dailed Francis number.
“Yes, Miss Vance?”
“Find out the schedule for the Beaumont exhibition this weekend. And book me a private, reserved space, where i wouldn’t be seen.”
You guys are the absolute best!
Question for you guys: Kathy warned Evelyn that “a bird that quiet is usually planning her flight.” Do you think Clara is already thinking of a way to escape the contract, or is she starting to get attached?
Let’s chat in the comments!