Monday arrived without warning, as Mondays always did.
Élise felt it the moment she stepped into the office that subtle shift in the air. Nothing obvious. No whispers that stopped abruptly. No dramatic stares. Just the kind of quiet that wasn't peaceful, but watchful.
She dropped her bag at her desk and exhaled slowly.
Zara sat beside her, already scrolling through her system. "You feel it too, right?"
Élise didn't look up. "I was hoping it was just me."
"It's not," Zara muttered. "People are pretending they're not curious. That's worse."
Élise's fingers hovered over her keyboard. Ever since Adriano had called her into his office days ago ever since he had asked that single, disturbing question nothing had been the same. Not the way people looked at her. Not the way silence followed her steps.
She hadn't told Zara everything. Just enough.
"I didn't do anything wrong," Élise said quietly, more to herself than anyone else.
Zara leaned closer. "I know. But offices don't care about facts. They care about stories."
As if summoned by the thought, laughter drifted from across the floor. Élise glanced up just in time to see Pedro walking in, sleeves rolled casually, expression relaxed like he owned the place even though he didn't. Not officially.
His eyes met hers instantly.
His smile widened.
"Morning, trouble," he said, stopping beside her desk.
Zara raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Élise straightened. "Good morning."
Pedro leaned against the desk, completely unbothered by the attention it drew. "It's been a while since we talked properly. Weekend went fast."
"It did," she replied, careful, measured.
"You disappeared," he added lightly. "Thought you were avoiding me."
"I was busy," Élise said.
Pedro chuckled. "That's not a no."
Zara cleared her throat loudly. "We're working."
Pedro glanced at her. "Always so protective."
"Someone has to be," Zara replied.
Pedro's smile didn't fade, but something sharp flickered behind his eyes. "Lunch later?" he asked Élise. "Same place near the office. I'm buying."
Élise hesitated.
She felt it before she saw it the subtle tightening of the room. The invisible attention. The conclusions already forming.
"I'll see," she said finally.
Pedro nodded, satisfied. "I'll take that."
As he walked away, Élise felt it the looks. Not hostile. Curious. Judging.
Zara leaned in. "You see what I mean now?"
"Yes," Élise whispered. "I do."
Across the glass walls of the executive corridor, Adriano Moretti stood still.
He hadn't meant to look. But he had.
From his position, the scene was clear enough Pedro leaning too comfortably, Élise responding too cautiously, the energy unmistakable. Not intimacy. Not indifference. Something suspended in between.
His jaw tightened.
He turned away before anyone could catch him watching.
Back at her desk, Élise tried to focus, but her thoughts wouldn't settle. She kept replaying Adriano's voice in her head calm, unreadable when he had asked her that question.
Do you have a boyfriend?
She hadn't known why it bothered her so much. She only knew it still did.
By lunchtime, the office buzz had grown louder. Not openly. But enough.
Pedro returned, right on time.
"Ready?" he asked.
Élise stood. "We're just eating. Nothing else."
Pedro smiled again. "Of course."
As they walked out together, she didn't see Adriano watching from his office doorway his expression unreadable, his patience thinning.
What Élise didn't know was that this was no longer about curiosity.
It was about control.
And she had just stepped deeper into it.
---
Adriano Moretti did not rush decisions.
He arranged them.
From the glass walls of his office, he watched the city stretch beneath him, Milan sharp and alive, every movement precise. The rumours had reached him without effort. They always did. Not because people spoke loudly, but because people liked to speak when they thought they were being clever.
Pedro thinks he's smart.
Adriano's mouth curved slightly. Not a smile.
Smart men announced themselves. Intelligent ones waited.
He turned back to his desk and tapped once on the intercom. "Schedule."
"Yes, sir?" his assistant replied instantly.
"I want the Florence acquisition finalized this week. I'll be attending in person."
A pause. "You usually delegate that."
"I'm aware."
Another pause, longer this time. "Who will accompany you?"
Adriano didn't answer immediately. He opened the personnel file already on his screen, eyes scanning the familiar name.
"Élise Laurent," he said calmly. "She assisted on the preliminary report. She's coming."
Silence.
Then, carefully, "She's an intern."
"And capable," Adriano replied. "Prepare the documents."
The line went dead.
He leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled, gaze unreadable. Pedro could smile in corridors. Pedro could play the friendly colleague. Pedro could let people talk.
But Adriano moved pieces.
When Élise received the email, she read it three times.
Florence.
Two days.
Direct supervision.
Her heart thudded in a way she didn't like.
Zara leaned over immediately. "Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?"
Élise swallowed. "I'm going on a business trip."
Zara's eyes widened. "Already? As an intern?"
"With him," Élise added quietly.
Zara didn't need clarification. Her mouth fell open. "You're joking."
"I wish."
Zara studied her face, searching. "Did you ask for this?"
"No."
"Did Pedro know?"
Élise shook her head. "No one knows yet."
Zara exhaled slowly. "This is… deliberate."
Élise didn't respond. She didn't trust her voice.
When Adriano summoned her later that afternoon, it wasn't dramatic. No raised voices. No tension on display. Just quiet authority.
"Sit," he said, gesturing to the chair across from him.
She obeyed.
"You've reviewed the itinerary," he said.
"Yes, sir."
"You'll be handling documentation, meeting summaries, and client coordination," he continued. "You'll be present, not silent."
She nodded. "I understand."
He studied her then not openly, but with the kind of focus that made her feel like every breath mattered.
"This trip will be demanding," Adriano said. "If you're uncomfortable, speak now."
Élise lifted her chin. "I can handle it."
Something unreadable flickered in his eyes.
"Good," he said. "We leave Friday morning."
As she stood to leave, his voice stopped her.
"Élise."
She turned.
"Work stays professional," he said evenly. "Ignore distractions."
Her fingers curled slightly at her side. "I already do."
She left before he could respond.
Across the office, Pedro noticed the shift immediately.
He saw the email notifications. The quiet congratulations that didn't quite sound sincere. The way Élise avoided eye contact afterward.
By the time he cornered someone from scheduling, the truth was already sitting heavy in his chest.
Florence.
Adriano.
Together.
Pedro laughed under his breath.
So that's how you want to play it.
Later, as Adriano packed up to leave, he received a message.
Pedro: Florence, huh? Bold move.
Adriano stared at the screen for a moment, then typed calmly.
Adriano: Business requires presence.
Pedro: Of course it does.
Adriano locked his phone, unbothered.
Let Pedro smile.
Let him assume.
If Pedro thought he was clever, then he was already behind.
Because Adriano wasn't chasing attention.
He was positioning himself where Élise would have no choice but to see him clearly not as a rumour, not as a question, but as the man who controlled the room.
And Florence would make sure of that.