2026-10-23 16:24:06The days that followed became strangely familiar. Victoria would walk into Aurex and Perez would already be there. Well of course, but then she would turn a cand he'd be walking out of an elevator or she would be reviewing notes in the lounge, and he'd appear beside the coffee machine. It was almost ridiculous and yet neither of them ever mentioned it.
They simply exchanged glances, a nod, a greeting, then continued with their day.... Professional and controlled, atleast that's what Perez was telling himself.... Because Victoria was becoming a distraction, a dangerous one. Because unlike Natasha and Amara, she wasn't demanding anything from him, neither was she chasing nor trying to pull him into a complicated situation. She was simply there. ******* That evening, Perez walked out of his office with a file tucked beneath his arms, most of the building was empty as the cleaning staff started moving through the hallways..... The lights were switched off in most of the offices then he noticed one still on... He frowned. Heading toward the glass doors, he immediately spotted Victoria... her head rested against one hand while the other moved quickly across her keyboard. He glanced at his watch, almost nine.... Again "What are you still doing here?" Victoria gasped... "Oh Gosh you got me startled" "You should be home Victoria" Perez sighed, here they went again "Go home...." Victoria closed her laptop "Seriously. Go home" She stared at him for a few seconds "I actually waited for you" Perez' brows lifted.... That came out unexpectedly. He didn't know what to say "You... waited for me?" She looked away "No..." "No?" She groaned "That's not what I meant" She pointed toward her laptop "I was just working" "And I thought maybe..." She stopped. He waited again. Victoria shook her head "Forget it" He should have let it go, he should've just walked away.... But Perez surprised himself "Would you like dinner?" Victoria gulped "What?" He immediately regretted it "It's late" he diverted She continued staring at him. He looked away "As colleagues" Victoria scratched her head.... "Uhm okay...." Perez nodded. ********* THE RESTAURANT The restaurant was quiet, nothing too much, just a small spot in the city, ten minutes past and they barely spoke... Victoria stirred her drink, Perez looked out the window... The silence wasn't uncomfortable it was just unfamiliar. "So..." He finally looked at her She laughed "You're making me do all the work" he said "I thought writers enjoyed talking" "We also enjoy listening...." He shook his head "That's dangerous" She smiled "You hired me" "A decision I'm beginning to question" She laughed again And now, the conversation became easier. They talked about books. Writing. University. The City Then she asked this question "So why are you always so focused?" Perez looked up. "Yeah you always seem so... strategic" He immediately reached for his glass. Deflection. His favorite technique. But she was waiting anyway. Perez chuckled and sighed "Well once there was someone" Someone. "I thought that person would make things better.... and they did" "But they wanted something" Victoria suddenly felt something twist inside her chest because she knew he wasn't really talking about business. He was talking about people, expectations, disappointment and then she wondered Was that what she was doing? Was she expecting something from him? He looked up immediately and noticed the change in her expression "Forget I said that" "What?" "Overlook it" She stared at him then nodded "I shouldn't have brought it up, I understand" At least, she thought she did. The conversation slowed after that, the laughter disappeared, not because anything was wrong, something shifted A boundary had appeared. ********** PEREZ' PENTHOUSE Perez loosened his tie and tossed his keys onto the kitchen counter before walking towards the windows overlooking San Cordova. His thoughts never slept, not after his past, not after the dinner... What had possessed him to invite her to dinner? Better yet, what had possessed him to open up? He never talked about those things. Not anymore. Not necessarily. He rubbed his hand across his face "Victoria...." He whispered, the woman who kept finding her way into his thoughts. What exactly did she want from him? His eyes wandered towards the room.... Success had changed everything, everyone had wanted something. Attention. Opportunity. Access. Affection. Partnership. Recognition. Something. There was always something. His jaw tightened. Now Victoria. Of course she was writing about him, she was a writer, that was her job... And maybe that was all this was.... A story. An interesting billionaire. An article and another successful chapter in her career. Right. He stood and headed to the room.... He wasn't doing this again. He wouldn't allow himself to become vulnerable again. His empire was stable. Future was stable. His heart? That was another matter entirely. Complicated women, emotional games, unnecessary drama.... He just wanted peace. He wanted his work. He wanted money. He wanted a normal life. Now had he become the villain in his own story? Because of deprivation? Or he was just protecting himself.
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CHAPTER SIXTEEN: DISTANCE IS THE BARRIER
The change was subtle, it wasn't obvious to the people inside Aurex.... But it was to Victoria, Perez no longer stopped by her desk, their conversations after meetings had become shorter, their casual exchange that had somehow become part of her routine vanished... He made it seem completely natural."Miss Carter, Mr. Perez would like you to review these documents"A messenger. Again. Victoria accepted the folder and thanked the assistant.Two weeks ago, he would've brought it himself.Two weeks ago, he would've asked for her opinion.Two weeks ago, he might have stayed for a conversation.She glanced towards the executive floor. His office door was closed, she lowered her eyes and returned to her work.... If that was how he wanted things to be, she could play that game, too.************The following day wasn't much different. One- word answers: "Good morning""Morning""The article has been approved""Okay""Did you receive the updated report?""Yes"And by the end of the week, sh
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: UNSCRIPTED
The days that followed became strangely familiar. Victoria would walk into Aurex and Perez would already be there. Well of course, but then she would turn a cand he'd be walking out of an elevator or she would be reviewing notes in the lounge, and he'd appear beside the coffee machine. It was almost ridiculous and yet neither of them ever mentioned it.They simply exchanged glances, a nod, a greeting, then continued with their day.... Professional and controlled, atleast that's what Perez was telling himself.... Because Victoria was becoming a distraction, a dangerous one. Because unlike Natasha and Amara, she wasn't demanding anything from him, neither was she chasing nor trying to pull him into a complicated situation. She was simply there.*******That evening, Perez walked out of his office with a file tucked beneath his arms, most of the building was empty as the cleaning staff started moving through the hallways..... The lights were switched off in most of the offices then he no
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: BETWEEN THE LINES
The article was finally finished or at least, Victoria had finally convinced herself to stop rewriting it, thanks to Ruby. It took three days, seven drafts and countless edits.... Plus an unhealthy amount of coffee. She finally sat at her desk staring at the final version of the article, her finger hovered over the mouseSubmit.Her eyes scanned the first few lines one last time, finally she inhaled deeply and then clicked the button. The article was officially published and there was no taking it back*********Response was immediate, employees started discussing about it, most praised it and the media team circulated it..... People started sharing it, this should've made Victoria happy but it left her nervous instead because one person hadn't read it. Few hours later, her phone vibrated.... 'Mr. Perez would like to see you in his office'Victoria's heart skipped..... She quickly stood up and headed right away. Before she reached she had already imagined at least twenty different wa
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE QUIET EXPLORER
One afternoon, Victoria sat alone in a small café a few blocks away from Aurex' headquarters. Her laptop was open and her notebook laid beside it, several pages were scattered across the table; each filled with crossed-out words, written ideas, unfinished sentences. The article was slowly taking shape, she tapped her pen against the table then began typing again...."Success changes people or perhaps it simply reveals who they were all along"She stopped, no, deleted it.... "Behind every growing empire is a person learning how to carry the weight of becoming visible"She paused, better but still not on point.... She leaned back in her chair and sighed.Why was this so difficult? She had written dozens of articles before yet this one felt strangely personal.The TV screen lit up and caught her attention, it displayed the past clips on Perez' wonder works at Lockwood.... There was always someone standing beside him in most pictures, her name was boldly casted on the screen, Amara Vale.
CHAPTER TWELVE: LIES OF THE HEART
PRESENT DAYVictoria’s article had spread faster than she expected. Virally, within days, Aurex Systems was no longer just another rising tech name in San Cordova, it had become the name people associated with the City’s newest wave of powera and attached to it Alejandro Perez. By this time Natasha and Amara had become history enough to make him put on layers by layers.The invitation came directly from Aurex Media Division, it was access to Aurex itself.... Victoria stepped inside following the staff towards the interview room.... Where Perez himself sat with fellow broadcasters. When she stepped in their eyes met briefly.... Briefly not noticeable, not even enough to recognize.... “Miss Carter” someone from the media team said, gesturing for her to sit.She did, across from Perez..... And the interview began.... Victoria spoke clearly about her writing, her perspective, how she found stories in patterns people ignored and how she found a voice in Aurex systems itself....Perez lean
CHAPTER ELEVEN: ECHOES OF ATTRACTION
There's always a time when everything should be put to a stop.... Every desire, temptation, history, and conflict. Perez couldn't let his guard down by falling for any of it, despite the dreams he had. He had to put a stop to its matters.FLASHBACK CONT'DIt just took a notification to make him realize what would have thrown him off guard if it were months ago.... A message from his unfinished past, the heiress.... He stared at his phone screen which glowed with a message from Alex.... Natasha's driver "She wants to speak with you? Mr Perez""Time to put an end to this for good" Perez whispered to himself *********An hour later, he was sitting across from her in a quiet lounge. Natasha hadn't changed... She still remained the smug, seductive and irresistible young lady who could pull the strings of any young man she wanted."You've done well for yourself...." she saidPerez almost smiled, he leaned back in his chair "what made you reach out? Is it because you've probably seen me on
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