Page 55 of Silver Fox's Christmas Scandal
We weren't super close, but she knew me well enough to be able to read me. "You sure you're all right? You seem… different lately."
"Different how?"
"I don't know. You've been in a lot more meetings, traveling with Cross. It's great to see you getting recognized for your abilities." She paused, and as she did her eyes dropped so she wasn't looking at me anymore. "Must be nice to have such a supportive boss."
There it was again—that particular emphasis that suggested something inappropriate was going on. And this time, it was coming from a friend.
My cheeks burned but I had no desire to turn this into a debate where I had to defend my position, which was clearly a lie. I was sleeping with him and it appeared I had a giant sign on my forehead that said as much.
"Mr. Cross recognizes competence when he sees it," I said, picking up my fork. I had recited that line a dozen times this morning already, but now it tasted like bile.
"Of course he does. And you're definitely competent." Jamie's smile was warm but knowing. And her expression beyond that felt sympathetic, like she was hearing the samerumors and giving me a warning. "I'm just saying, not everyone gets the kind of opportunities you've been getting lately. Personal attention from the CEO isn't exactly standard career development."
I almost started to cry because she was too close to the truth I couldn't admit.
Shame made a knot tighten in my gut and I changed the subject to her dating life, desperate to steer the conversation away from my increasingly complicated professional situation.
She let me guide the conversation to safer ground, but I was unnerved by that point. I didn't remember a thing she said because my mind was being swarmed by angry and fearful thoughts.
When I returned to the office, Lucian was back from a lunch meeting with Elena—his second one in as many weeks.
The moment I saw him, I knew something had gone wrong. His usual composed demeanor had been replaced by guarded tension, his jaw set. He walked past my desk without his customary greeting, disappearing into his office and closing the door a little too loudly.
I waited fifteen minutes before knocking, and even still, I felt nervous to do so.
I opened it when he called for me to come in, but he looked visibly frustrated, hunched over his desk with his tie loosened uncharacteristically.
"Mr. Cross? Your two o'clock appointment with the pension fund representatives is confirmed. Do you need me to prepare anything specific?"
"Cancel it," he said without looking up from his desk. "Cancel everything for this afternoon. I'm working from home."
The abrupt change in schedule was unusual enough, but his tone alarmed me more.
Lucian never cancelled client meetings without compelling reasons, and he certainly never fled the office in the middle of a workday.
"Is everything all right?" I asked, stepping into his office despite the clear dismissal in his posture. I shut the door behind me because something told me this was going to turn personal, and after the day I'd been having, I didn't want anyone to overhear any of it.
He finally looked at me, and I saw exhaustion in his gray eyes. "Family issues. Nothing that concerns the office."
"Lucian—"
"I need you to reschedule the meetings and handle any urgent calls. Send everything else to Daniel." He was already gathering papers from his desk, clearly preparing to leave. "I'll be reachable by phone if there are emergencies."
The wall between us felt impenetrable, professional distance reasserting itself after the intimacy we'd shared in Miami.
I wanted to ask what Elena had said and offer comfort or support, but his body language made it clear that he'd retreated into the role of CEO and expected me to remain in my position as assistant.
"Of course," I said quietly. "I'll take care of everything."
He nodded curtly and left without another word, leaving me standing in his empty office with a growing sense of dread.
Whatever Elena had discussed with him during lunch had shaken him badly enough to abandon his usual ironclad self-control.
The afternoon crawled by and I rescheduled his meetings, fielded calls from clients, and managed the usual crises that arose when the CEO was unexpectedly unavailable.
But my mind kept circling back to the morning's overheard conversations and Lucian's sudden departure.
The gossip I'd heard, Elena's mysterious request for a family meeting, Lucian's obvious distress—the pieces formed a picture I didn't want to see.
