The tension in the air was almost tangible. Eloise typed quickly, finishing the last reports, but her mind was far away from the spreadsheet flickering on her screen. The heat of August Montgomery's presence still lingered around her, even after he had stepped out of his glass office.

She took a deep breath. 'Breathe, Eloise, breathe… He's just your boss. That's it,' she repeated to herself. But it was hard to ignore the look he had given her minutes earlier. A look full of power, control… and something else.

Desire?

August, meanwhile, watched everything from inside his office. Arms crossed, his dress shirt stretched perfectly over his muscles, his jaw tight as if he were fighting something invisible.

She was bold. Provocative. But there was a sincerity in her eyes that he couldn't ignore. Different from the others. She didn't flirt to please him. She challenged him. Faced him head-on without losing her elegance.

And for him, that was dangerously addictive.

Then she knocked softly on the door.

"Mr. Montgomery, here are the reports you requested," she said steadily.

He looked at her for a second too long. Slowly, he took the papers from her hands. Their fingers brushed for a brief moment.

His gaze dropped to her lips.

Those lips…

"Anything else?" she asked, keeping her tone neutral.

He stood.

The shiver that ran down her spine was involuntary. He walked toward her slowly and stopped close enough that she could smell his woody cologne.

"You enjoy provoking me, don't you?"

"I don't understand," she replied, meeting his gaze.

"You like testing me," he said, his voice low, heavy with tension.

She raised one eyebrow.

"I simply like doing my job. You're the one who seems to get distracted too easily."

A crooked smile touched his lips.

"Do you have an answer for everything, Eloise?"

"For almost everything. As for you… I'm still thinking," she said with a teasing smile.

For a moment, the air seemed thicker.

He was so close.

She could feel the warmth of his body. His gaze moved slowly, from her eyes to her lips, from her lips to the curve of her neck. And he looked at her like a man on the edge of breaking every rule he had ever made.

"If you keep this up, I can't promise I'll maintain my professionalism," he murmured, so close that his breath brushed her skin.

A shiver ran through her.

Part of her wanted to see what would happen if he lost control.

But another part…

Her phone vibrated.

She grabbed it immediately. The name on the screen froze her blood. For a second, the world seemed to stop.

"Hello?" she said, snapping out of the trance.

On the other end, a hurried, worried voice spilled out words she could barely process. August frowned when he noticed the sudden change in her expression.

"Okay. I'm on my way," she said, hanging up.

She grabbed her purse quickly. The professional tone she had been wearing all day vanished instantly.

"Did something happen?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"The workday's over. I need to leave. It's urgent," she said, already heading for the door.

"Eloise…"

She turned just enough to say,

"Good night, Mr. Montgomery."

Then she walked out, leaving August standing there, his eyes fixed on the door she had just disappeared through.

That woman… left a trace behind her.

She had walked out without explanations, without flattery, without fear. Exactly as she was.

And that bothered him more than he cared to admit.

He glanced at the clock. It was 6:15 p.m.

But that wasn't what unsettled him.

What unsettled him was the fact that, for the first time in years, he wanted to know and understand. He wanted to go after her.

And that… was dangerous.