Chapter One: The Beginning of the End

A woman of above average height, pale warm fair skin, and brown honey eyes, stands looking like a deer caught in headlights. Her red and blonde hair moves like a wave as she snaps her head around to realise something. The woman's face falls and she begins to look around worriedly.

To understand what's happening we have to go back to when the woman, broke her own rules as well as a highly strict rule of the major logistics company Levitt's Logistical, the company that she works for.

In the beginning, working for her handsome, exceptionally fair, and strongly attractive boss was easy... she just couldn't look at him for too long or look straight into his soulful soft brown eyes, or look at his tussle worthy soft feathery dark silk black hair, nor could she resist his constantly stable fair and kind personality.

She worked for this man for a year but only worked directly with him after six months. Under the man's tutelage she had managed to keep to herself, almost completely avoiding him.

The Prince of the Sales team, his name is Kieran De Janko he is an even 179 cm taller than her by a full 16 cm but not in a menacing towering way, he has a smile that magically stuns everyone around him and an unmatched charismatic and easygoing personality.

'Why is he so good looking?' She would ask herself while dissolving away from his crowd that akways formed around him. She kept herself out of his path, it was easy to not draw attention to herself. Instead she threw herself into her work.

Then one day Kieran offered to take the team to lunch to thank the team for shaping up his failing department and getting it into the most optimal shape before we returned to Head Quarters.

For her, this began a terrible struggle with the personal rules and that of the rule of her company, Levitt's Logistical.

She agreed to attend the team lunch with him under the impression that the whole team would be present at said team lunch.

She went to the agreed meeting place dressed in her Sunday best. She wore a hi lo dress with a light cherry blossom design with lace notes, the cherry blossom design has notes of blue as shadow and details of a soft lavender as leaves. She paired her dress with heels that had a sharp heel, good for self defense, and didn't add to her height too much.

Her outfit just misses work parameters due to the regality of it, Levitt's dresscode was simple don't be excessively dressed, luckily the team lunch wasn't at the company. The dress is light soft and airy on the body of the refined agent.

When she arrives, she is a few minutes late to the agreed meeting time. At the location she is shocked to only see Kieran, she thinks the other's must've bailed on him or are all already inside.

Upon seeing Kieran by himself, she doesn't bother to ask where everyone else was at and assume they'd gone inside already and wouldn't be waiting. When they enter the restaurant they see one of their co-workers a fellow Junior Agent responsible for the companys representation and distribution logo and member of another team. But when she steps forward to greet him assuming he's there to kick it with them, Kieran takes her hand and says "We can't be seen together like this". She shrugs him off but tgen he leads her to his car and she's confused.

When Kieran thinks that their coworker didn't notice them he turns to her and explains "I paid everyone else to think I last minute canceled the lunch so you would come and it would be just us," She is shocked since she never made herself a part of his fawning crowd and always kept herself as far away from him as possible due to her slight but definitely dangerous attraction.

"Are you serious? Me? Why me?" She asks without hesitation. She begins to think that Kieran must be joking, has other plans, or that he's lost it. He shifts under her sharp and watchful gaze.

"I'm serious," he says meeting her eyes. She stiffens her head screaming that this is wrong and could destroy their careers with their company. Levitt's is prestigious in the multi-intenational market it couple spell career suicide. "You are the most capable woman I've ever met and you always train yourself and get work done then when the days over you make sure everyone else is settled and you take care of your team. You appear cold but I see you smile for the team and ensure that everyone who interacts with you feels seen. You captivated me beyondmy full comprehension and I know. The rules the rules say we shouldn'tbut it's painful to see men come onto you at work and you never maliciously turn them down but it started to make me jealous that complete strangers ask you out and yet I struggle to get the chance to speak with you," Kieran peers at her with a slight apologetic smile. "I never get to talk with you despite spending the last year working with you." He sighs.

In her mind though she can't help but wonder why use their team? If he was going to celebrate the reorganization of the store done by the team wouldn't everyone be a bit suspicious if they got bonuses instead?

"You know this is career suicide, you can't throw away our careers for some surface attraction, I've always just done my job," She counters and hates herself for secretly being a conglomerates daughter and the job was how she was building herself without her family's help. She couldn't give it up until she finished and she didn't know anything about him only his professional attitude is impeccable and his only personal interaction with her has been this night.

"Let's go here and chat properly," he says when she begins to walk away. She isn't sure why she agrees but something in his eyes made her want to know what was going on in that brain of his.

Upon seeing the new restaurant she agrees and leaves. They enter the new restaurant and her thoughts are drowned out by her interest and worry.

They are greeted by one server who takes them to a private banquet hall. For a few moments the doors open and she silently wondered if the Team would be there if they'd be in another room suddenly feeling selfish that it was only themselves.

When they're seated Kieran tells the server, "Serve us the Janko special, please and thank you,".

She observes Kieran while contemplating whether or not she'll survive lunch on a such a private and definitely personal setting. Even the part of her that wants this to be a date, she can't help but question herself due to how much she wants it to be. She is hesitant because it astounds her that she has such a lack of personal control when it comes to him.

Her mind is uncertain of whether or not she would be able to resist his charm with the current situation, and she decides it's much too risky and that she can survive being friends but anything more could put them in a tough spot. As though he had sensed her unease he put his hands flat on the table.

"Humor me, I've never done this nor do I ever want to do it again," he paused and looks at her with a smile "Hello my name is Kieran. I am 30 years old, I have dated three people in my life but I never felt connection nor attraction and I was afraid of being alone for the rest of my life since no one has ever held my interest," he pauses a bit of a blush playing at his face,"that was until I met you, but the rules of the company are clear so I tried to ignore it but you captivated me with your smile it's so genuine and soft and yet you don't smile often you always wear a neutral expression but you have a strong aura and I've seen you take care of your own, you are strong and kind, low key very beautiful and I feel horrible about not making a better attempt to talk to you," he pauses again watching her watch him and he continues "will you like to get to know me?" He finishes looking embarrassed and hopeful.

"You realize you are my boss?" She asks with a straight face.

"Yes I know that but right now I'm just a guy who wants to make you smile," he responds.

She thinks this is crazy but she can't deny she's never had someone who lingered in her mind like he had managed to do. "You know that everything you ask for brings us closer to breaking the rules," She pauses taking a sip of water, "no matter how much I allure you? You want to get to know me?" She chuckles lightly and continues "that's alright, I also want to know you," she says. "Hello Kieran, my name is Atlize Cassiopeia, I am 27 years old," she pauses and wonders where her composure is why she isn't shutting this down.

"I'm accepting the situation may doom us," he chimes in. She meets his eyes and sees his genuine hope plainly sprawled across his face. "I'm afraid if I don't try you'll be swept away by someone else if I continue to hesitate,"

"We can be friends I admit," Atlize interjects, "I don't think we should be anymore than that though," upon seeing Kireans face fall, grimace shadows hisfalls, she feels guilty but she can't let hjm ruin himself for tgey don't know each other.

"I get you, but give me a chance," Kieran pleads, "let me show you who I am,"

"Alright, you can join me on my museum nights, bring your favorite book," Atlize concedes with a smile brightening the mood.