Chapter 5 - THE MIDNIGHT OIL AND UNSTITCHED WALLS
Working late at Sterling Capital was a solitary,
hauntingly beautiful experience.
By 9:00 PM,
the bustling floors below had quieted down into a sterile hush.
Only the soft hum of HVAC systems and the distant glow of city lights broke the silence.
I sat at my desk,
furiously double-checking the currency fluctuation projections for the German market.
My eyes burned from staring at Excel spreadsheets for twelve hours straight.
A soft knock sounded on the connecting door before it pushed open.
Alexander walked in,
carrying two steaming paper cups of artisanal black coffee.
He had discarded his suit jacket hours ago,
his crisp white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar,
revealing the sharp lines of his throat.
“You’re still here,
” he stated,
not as a question,
but as an observation.
“So are you,
” I countered,
rubbing my tired eyes with the back of my hand.
He placed one of the coffee cups gently on the corner of my desk.
“Drink this,
” he ordered softly.
“It’s Colombian dark roast.
It will keep you from falling asleep face-first into your keyboard.
”
I picked up the cup,
feeling the comforting warmth seep into my cold fingers.
“Thank you,
” I murmured,
taking a cautious sip.
“You don't have to stay late just to prove yourself to me,
Eve,
” Alexander said,
pulling up an empty chair and sitting down beside my desk.
“I’m not trying to prove myself to you,
” I sighed,
staring into the dark liquid.
“I’m trying to prove it to myself.
Preston always said I wasn't ambitious enough.
He said my career was just a cute hobby while he built his law firm.
”
The moment the words left my mouth,
I froze.
I had never intended to mention Preston.
The wound was still raw,
hidden beneath layers of corporate armor.
Alexander went completely still.
The air in the small office seemed to grow heavier.
“Preston was a fool,
” Alexander said,
his voice dropping into a low,
dangerous register.
“A blind,
arrogant fool who walked away from an extraordinary woman because he lacked the vision to see what was standing right in front of him.
”
I turned my head slowly,
looking into his piercing gray eyes.
There was no mockery in his gaze.
Only an intense,
burning sincerity that made my heart skip a frantic beat.
“How did you know he was a lawyer?
” I whispered.
“People who leave voice messages like that at airport terminals while discarding three years of a partner's life are invariably arrogant professionals who value control over connection,
” Alexander replied smoothly.
“I know the type.
May you like
I used to be surrounded by them.
”
