The soft click of her heels echoed in the hallway as Lena made her way to her office. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. Alice, her new assistant, was already at her desk just outside the inner office.
The young woman looked up immediately, offering a bright, cheerful smile.
"Good morning, Ms. Kim," Alice said, standing quickly. "I've prepared today's itinerary for you—there's a management meeting at ten, a client call at noon, and your review session scheduled at three with Calloway Holdings here in the office."
"Thank you, Alice," Lena replied, accepting the neatly organized clipboard with a nod.
As Lena scanned the list, Alice hesitated, then added in a softer voice, "If you don't mind me saying, you seem… different today. Brighter. More refreshed."
Lena blinked, caught off guard by the observation. She hadn't realized the change was so noticeable. Maybe it was the quiet breakfast with Ethan, or the simple kindness of sharing a moment without any hidden expectations. Maybe it was just the first real breath she had taken in months.
Whatever it was, she offered a small smile. "Maybe I am."
Alice beamed, clearly pleased, but her smile faltered slightly as she glanced down at her notes.
"There's something else," Alice said carefully. "Anthony Grayson tried to call several times this morning."
Lena's jaw tightened instinctively. "I blocked his number on my personal phone," she said sharply.
"That's probably why he tried calling the office directly to ask for you. I told him you were unavailable. He didn't leave much of a message, just... insisted he needs to speak with you directly."
Lena set the clipboard down with a sigh. "Did he say what he wanted?"
Alice shifted uncomfortably. "It's about the penthouse. He's refusing to sign the legal documents. Said he won't agree to anything until he speaks to you in person."
Of course he would.
Dragging things out, trying to pull her back into his orbit any way he could.
Lena pinched the bridge of her nose, pushing back the weariness creeping into her bones. She was so close to severing the last ties between them. Before she could respond, her office phone rang sharply, slicing through the air.
Lena exchanged a quick look with Alice, then stepped inside her office and picked up the receiver.
"Kim Lena speaking."
There was a pause, then the voice she least wanted to hear filled her ear.
"Lena, it's me."
She closed her eyes briefly. "What do you want, Anthony?"
"You know what I want," he said, his tone smug, grating. "Why haven't you agreed to meet me?"
"I don't see the need," Lena said flatly. "You can sign the documents and send them through your lawyer like everyone else."
"I want to see you," Anthony insisted, his voice sharpening. "Face-to-face."
"We're talking now," Lena said coolly. "Whatever you have to say, say it."
But Anthony was stubborn, as always. "I'm not signing anything until we meet."
Lena gritted her teeth, knowing that the longer she dragged this out, the harder he would try to twist things.
Fine.
"You want a meeting?" she said, her voice turning brisk. "Come to my office. This afternoon. Two o'clock."
There was a pause on the other end, then a muttered, grudging agreement.
"Two o'clock," he said.
Lena hung up without another word, her fingers tightening briefly around the receiver before she let it go.
ust as Lena set the receiver down and tried to refocus on the stack of paperwork in front of her, her personal phone buzzed quietly against the desk.
She reached for it almost absentmindedly—then froze when she saw the name lighting up the screen. Ethan.
Ethan:Everything okay?
Lena stared at the message for a long moment, something in her chest tightening painfully.
She hadn't told him anything. Hadn't mentioned Anthony's call, or the upcoming meeting, or the weight already starting to coil in her stomach.
She swallowed hard, her fingers hovering over the keyboard, hesitating.
She could lie, say everything was fine and pretend she was as unshakable as she always tried to be.
But for once, she didn't want to pretend.
Lena tapped out her reply carefully:
Lena:A bit of a messy morning. Dealing with something... annoying. But I'm handling it.
Almost immediately, his reply came:
Ethan:You always do. But if you need backup, just say the word.
A small smile escaped her before she could stop it.It was comforting and how effortlessly he made her feel less alone, even through a few lines of text.
She typed back quickly before she could lose her nerve:
Lena:Thanks, Calloway. I'll be fine. :)
She stared at the little smiley face she had added, feeling vaguely embarrassed—but also... lighter. Sliding her phone back to her desk, Lena started her work.
*****
The clock on Lena's wall ticked steadily toward two o'clock, each second sharp and heavy. She sat behind her desk, poised, her expression carefully neutral, though her fingers were loosely curled together in her lap to stop herself from fidgeting.
A soft knock sounded at her door. Alice poked her head in. "Ms. Kim, Mr. Grayson is here."
Lena nodded once. "Send him in."
Anthony entered the office a moment later, wearing his usual designer suit, his hair immaculately styled, a hint of expensive cologne trailing behind him. But none of that polished surface could hide the discomfort in his eyes—the slight sag of his shoulders, the tension in his jaw.
Lena didn't rise to greet him. She simply gestured to the chair across from her desk.
"Have a seat," she said coolly.
Anthony sat, his hands folded tightly in his lap, as if steeling himself.
Lena wasted no time. "Why haven't you signed the papers?"
Anthony let out a slow breath, lifting his gaze to hers, his voice strained.
"Lena... I made a mistake. A stupid, selfish mistake." He swallowed hard, his posture leaning forward, almost pleading. "I can't just throw away eight years. I can't let you go."
Lena's lips pressed into a thin line, anger stirring beneath her calm surface.
"Eight years," she repeated, her voice low and cutting. "And yet, for three of those years, you were sleeping with Madison behind my back."
Anthony flinched, but she wasn't finished.
"This wasn't a one-time drunken mistake, Anthony. It wasn't a lapse in judgment at some corporate event. It was three years of lying. Three years of betrayal. And now, you have the guts to sit here and ask for forgiveness?"
Anthony looked cornered, desperate. "I panicked," he muttered. "My parents—they're waiting for us to get married. They still think we're—" He cut himself off, running a hand through his hair.
Lena leaned back in her chair, a bitter smile curling her lips. "Then marry Madison," she said, her tone dripping with icy sarcasm. "She obviously knows how to satisfy you in bed. Sounds like a perfect match."
Anthony's face flushed with anger and embarrassment. "It's not the same," he snapped before quickly trying to soften his tone.
"Madison... she's not like you. She can't match what you have—the success, the career. She's not someone I can bring to corporate events. She's not... presentable the way you are."
Lena stared at him, her body going cold.
Presentable.That was what he saw when he looked at her now. Not the years they had spent building something together. Not the sacrifices she had made. Not the loyalty she had given him without question.Just a polished, convenient accessory and someone to impress clients and please his parents.
Something in her chest cracked, and she stood slowly, her hands steady even as her heart thundered.
"You don't want me," she said quietly, staring down at him. "You just want a trophy you can parade around at dinners and boardrooms. A polished name on your arm to make you look better."
Anthony opened his mouth, but she cut him off with a sharp, shaking breath.
"I'm not some shiny prize for you to hold up and show off," she said, her voice low but fierce. "And whatever we had? You threw it away the moment you decided to sleep another woman"
Anthony sat frozen, pale, as if her words had finally managed to break through. Lena moved toward the door, her hand firm on the handle as she pulled it open.
"Sign the papers, Anthony," she said without looking back. "And don't come here again."
"This isn't over, Lena," he said before he left.