Back to the Grind

Adeline sat at her desk, flipping through the stack of papers Nathan had handed her moments ago. The hum of the office, the steady rhythm of typing and phone calls, was almost soothing—an escape from the chaos she'd just left behind.

"Adeline."

Her muscles tensed, but she didn't look up. "What do you want?"

Luke stood in front of her, arms crossed, his presence as irritating as ever. "I've been calling you. Why are you ignoring me?"

She didn't even blink. "I'm not ignoring you. I'm busy."

"You've been dodging my calls, avoiding me. Are you seriously pretending like everything's fine after what you did?" He took a step closer.

Adeline stood slowly, her eyes fixed on his. "You have no right to dictate what I do. Least of all after everything you've done."

Luke's face turned red. "What I did? You're the one who—"

"The one who what?" she interrupted, voice steady but biting. "The one who stopped pretending everything was fine? The one who refused to be your little plaything anymore?"

Luke inhaled sharply, his face contorting as if he was about to explode. But then his gaze flickered past her, and he instantly softened.

"Mr. Elias," Luke said, his voice syrupy sweet.

Adeline didn't need to look to know Elias was standing there. She could feel his presence.

Elias stood tall behind her, his posture rigid. "Luke," he replied coldly, his voice like steel. "Did I hear you correctly? You're causing a scene in my office?"

Luke stiffened. "No, sir. Just trying to have a conversation with my fiancée."

"I believe she made it very clear she's not interested," Elias said, his tone unyielding, his gaze sharp and unblinking.

Luke opened his mouth to protest, but Elias raised a hand, silencing him. "And let me remind you, this is a place of business, not a playground for your tantrums."

Luke clenched his jaw but didn't argue. "Of course, Mr. Elias."

Adeline turned her head slightly to look at Elias, then quickly averted her gaze. "Thanks."

"No need," Elias said softly, his expression unreadable. "Just doing my job."

Luke shot her one last venomous glare before storming off without another word. Adeline didn't move, her eyes still locked on the papers in front of her.

"Are you okay?" Nathan's voice broke through the silence, full of concern.

Adeline took a slow breath, rubbing her temples. "Just dealing with him."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "I don't know how you do it."

She paused, straightening and picking up her pen again. "One day at a time."

Nathan studied her for a moment, then offered a grin. "Well, if you need anything…"

"I know where to find you," she replied, managing a brief smile.