Page 44 of I See You

"About the shit you said yesterday." His voice was lower now, rougher.

And Sevyn knew. She knew exactly what he was talking about, now. But she wasn’t going to make this easy for him.

"What do you see when you look at me?" Hassan asked again, his voice lower, his patience running thin.

Sevyn stood up, walking around her desk, leaning against it just like the last time he was in her office. She folded her arms, pushing her black clear-framed glasses up the bridge of her nose before meeting his stare again.

"A man who is tired. Angry. Maybe even a little resentful." Her voice was soft, steady, but she didn’t look away. She studied his eyes, but they remained stoic, void of any emotion.

But she felt it.

She didn’t have to see it—his energy spoke louder than words.

Her empathic gift always worked easily with him, igniting effortlessly, like he was an open wound she couldn’t ignore. She didn’t know if it was just her gift or something else, something unspoken between them, but it scared her how much she could feel the things he never said aloud.

"A man who is exhausted. Sad. Maybe even a little softer than the cold man he displays."

Before she could continue, his voice cut through the air. "Stop."

His tone was calm, but cold.

Shecouldfeelthefrustrationradiatingoffofhim,thewayhis body tightened at her words.

"You don’t know me." His voice was sharp, controlled anger laced beneath his words.

"You’re right, I don’t." Sevyn met his gaze, unshaken. "But Hassan, you're standing in my office right now for a reason."

His eyes never wavered. He stood still, his expression unreadable, but she knew she had struck something in him.

"Losing everything hurts, doesn’t it?"

The second the words left her mouth, his entire energy shifted. His blue eyes darkened, turning ice cold. Sevyn felt the temperature drop, felt the shiver crawl up her spine, her body tensing instinctively.

She had tugged at something too deep.

Hassan moved so fast she barely had time to process it.

One second, he was standing still. The next, he was in front of her, too close, his towering height making her feel small beneath him.

Her breath hitched.

"I’m sorry if I overstepped," she whispered quickly, her voice controlled, but her pulse betraying her. She didn’t move, didn’t back away. She wouldn’t run.

Hassan reached toward her, and she flinched slightly, her body tensing, her mind racing. What was he about to do? She really didn’t want to die at twenty-five. She had plans. She had goals. She had shit to do.

But his touch wasn’t rough. It wasn’t threatening. His fingers grazed her chin, tilting it up so her eyes met his. And what she saw stopped her breath entirely. His usual coldness was still there, but underneath it was something else.

Softness. A quiet, unexpected warmth.

"Don’t be afraid of me, Sevyn." His voice was low, but it was a command wrapped in silk—soft, firm, impossible to ignore.

Her body betrayed her instantly, her muscles relaxing, her breath steadying like he had complete control over her nervous system.

Her teeth tugged at her bottom lip, nervous but unable to look away, and his eyes flickered down, catching the movement before his lips curled into a slight smirk.

Then, just as easily as he had touched her, he stepped back, releasing her. But now that he was gone, she craved his touch again. She wouldn’t let it show. Wouldn’t let him know. So she kept her posture calm, her expression poised, even though her body was still burning where his fingers had been.

"I don’t know what you and my cousin tried to do, but that shit didn’t work. I don’t fuck with niggas that think they can try to outplay me orblindside me." Hassan’s tone was cold, cutting, but Sevyn didn’t break. She met his gaze head-on, unfazed by the weight of his presence.

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