2026-10-25 01:11:40The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but for both of them it felt longer.... The City continued moving around them but they didn't notice because they kept staring at each other....
Perez released her hand. Victoria quickly stepped backwards... Her breathing became uneven... She couldn't believe Perez just kissed her "What... Did you just...." She couldn't finish the sentence. Perez couldn't either because he didn't know what had just happened. One moment, he'd been following her down the sidewalk, the next he'd completely abandoned every promise he'd made to himself. Now standing on the streets after kissing his own journalist. But Victoria only searched his face.... with every step backward.... "Victoria...." Perez stepped forward But she turned and ran away. A few steps became several and several became dozens.... Until she disappeared into the moving crowd... Perez stood motionless. What had he done? He dragged a hand through his hair. He had never acted without thinking. ********** When he got home, he felt uneasy, then also relieved. The moment replayed in his head.... It was unlike the dreams he had in his past, this one was real.... What exactly had they been doing? Ignoring each other? Avoiding each other? Pretending? He exhaled heavily. Isn't this what she wanted? He thought again She'd stayed late. She'd written about him. She'd waited for him. She'd smiled at him. She'd admitted their relationship felt different? But Victoria had never actually asked him for anything. He glanced at his tablet on the table... With her article opened on the screen and the line that got his eyes "Sometimes people don't build walls to keep others out. Sometimes they build them to protect what's left inside" Then he realized that the writer had figured him out before he'd even figured himself. ********* THE APARTMENT Victoria pushed the apartment door open and immediately dropped her bag onto the floor. "Ruby!" Her friend appeared from the kitchen, holding a bowl of cereal in one hand. "Why are you yelling my name like that?" Victoria began pacing. Ruby slowly set the bowl down. "I can't go back to work" Ruby blinked "What happened?" "C'mon sit down" Victoria sat, then stood up again.... "Promise you won't laugh" "I can't make that promise" Ruby giggled Victoria finally collapsed onto the couch again "My boss kissed me" Ruby paused.... "My boss kissed me!" Victoria exclaimed "When?" Ruby's eyes widened "Today!" "How?" "I don't know!" Ruby sat beside her so quickly "Start from the beginning, gist me!" Victoria took a deep breath "We were talking, I asked him what we were doing" Ruby nodded "Reasonable" "He said he didn't know" Ruby nodded again "Less reasonable" "I told him whatever was happening between us should stop" Ruby frowned "Why would you say that?" "Because I panicked Ruby!" "Fair enough" Victoria buried her face in her hands "And then I walked away" "And he followed me...." "Classic Rom-Com" Victoria covered her face again "He stopped me... made me look at him.... and then he kissed me!" "Oh, this is incredible!" Ruby brightened up Victoria groaned "Nooooo....." "It's literally a romance novel. Apparently, you got kissed" "Ruby!" "I'm sorry" Ruby laughed so hard that tears started forming in her eyes "Oh, this is classic" "The emotionally unavailable billionaire finally realizes he's losing the woman he likes" "He chases her down the street" "Ruby!" "And then unknowingly kisses her" "Okay stop talking!" "I can't go back" "Yes, you can" Ruby frowned "How am I supposed to face him tomorrow?" "Uhmmm As an employee?" "No....." "As the woman your he kissed" Victoria swallowed hard.... "I should resign" Ruby almost choked "Are you crazy?" That was the problem. She didn't know what the kiss meant. She didn't know what he was thinking. She didn't know whether he'd regretted it.
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CHAPTER NINETEEN: THE PLACE WHERE IT BEGAN
Victoria's new article had exceeded every expectation, by mid-day everyone inside Aurex seemed to be talking about it.... The media division celebrated another successful publication.... But through all that, Victoria needed a break.So she crossed the street and settled into the small café opposite. The same café she'd visited dozens of times before.... Only this time, her thoughts weren't on deadlines or articles.They were on him.And an hour later, she stepped outside with her notebook tucked beneath her arm as usual, the afternoon breeze went through her hair.... It was quite refreshing and relaxing.... She watched the cars moving through the streets, everyone having their own thing to do.She walked until she stopped on the spot.... A few miles from Lockwood Enterprise. The spot.Where she'd met him.Or rather...Where she'd crashed into him.The scattered notebooks.His annoyed expression.His unexpected apology.Back then, he hadn't been the billionaire everyone recognized. H
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: THE AFTERMATH
Tuesday morning came too quickly, Victoria stood in front of her bedroom mirror for longer than usual. She'd changed her outfit twice, she'd brushed her hair like three times, picked up her bag.... Put it down then picked it up again. Her mind kept replaying the same scene. *********Perez wasn't having a much better morning either, he'd barely slept.... Everytime he closed his eyes he'd remember the look on her face before she ran away. He'd spent half the night questioning himself.*********Victoria stepped out of the elevator and immediately saw him. He saw her too.... Their eyes met for less than three seconds and then they looked away and she continued walking.The morning passed painfully slowly, Victoria buried herself in work or she tried to.... She even became annoyed with herself.... Perez wasn't doing much better, he'd reviewed the same document three times without absorbing a single word, his coffee had gone cold and his tablet remained untouched.He was beginning to ha
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: COLLISION
The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but for both of them it felt longer.... The City continued moving around them but they didn't notice because they kept staring at each other....Perez released her hand. Victoria quickly stepped backwards... Her breathing became uneven... She couldn't believe Perez just kissed her "What... Did you just...."She couldn't finish the sentence.Perez couldn't either because he didn't know what had just happened. One moment, he'd been following her down the sidewalk, the next he'd completely abandoned every promise he'd made to himself. Now standing on the streets after kissing his own journalist.But Victoria only searched his face.... with every step backward...."Victoria...." Perez stepped forwardBut she turned and ran away. A few steps became several and several became dozens.... Until she disappeared into the moving crowd...Perez stood motionless. What had he done? He dragged a hand through his hair. He had never acted without thinking.*********
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
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