“You guys head back,” Reba said, shoving all her feelings aside. Right now, her mind was focused only on the task she’d been assigned. “I’ll spend the night here at the office.”
E wanted to let her go back to rest, but Reba spoke before she did. “We’re here on behalf of Primey Technologies. If we don’t finish what we were tasked with, it’s bound to look bad for thepany.”
“But if you don’t rest, how will you manage work and sses tomorrow?” E asked, concern in her voice.
“I should be done by four or five,” Reba said, checking the time and making a rough calction. “I’ll squeeze in a little sleep.”
E still wanted to say something, but Reba convinced her to leave. ‘No way I’m letting anyone else pay for my mistake,‘ Reba thought, determined to take full responsibility for what had happened.
Ten minutester, Reba was left alone in the office. She shut off all the overhead lights, leaving just a single deskmp casting a gentle glow on her workspace.
Maybe it was the sense of urgency, maybe it was her fear of damaging Primey Technologies‘ reputation, but Reba finally locked away all her emotions and focusedpletely on her task.
At that moment, it hit her–the saying she’d seen somewhere was spot on: office workers barely got a second to feel sad.
At night, they sobbed their heart out, letting all their feelings flood out when they were finally alone. But when the morning came again, they’d wipe away the tears, p on a smile, and drag themselves back to work like nothing ever happened.
For the next few hours, Reba buried herself in the assignment, set on proving she hadn’t snagged her spot at Primey Technologies because of Jeffrey, but because she was truly capable.
Reba wanted to let him know that she could support herself, pay her own way, and live independently. She had what it took to get by.
For every hour Reba kept working, Jeffrey remained upstairs, waiting for her just as long. In the entire building, only the glow from their separate offices cut through the darkness.
At 4:40 in the morning, Reba finally wrapped up her assignment. She saved her work, shut theputer down, grabbed her phone and bag, and set her rm for 8 a.m.
Then she found a couch in the break room, curled up, and tried to get some sleep.
Worn out from the stress and overwork, Reba was out in no time, her breathing soon slow and steady. The room settled into quiet, until the door quietly opened.
Jeffrey stepped inside. He had on a white button–down, but his features was tinged with exhaustion. Feeling the stuffy heat in the break room, Jeffrey turned on the air conditioner, setting it to just the right temperature.
Then he gentlyid his suit jacket over her, so she wouldn’t get cold while she slept.
After settling everything, he took a seat beside her, his gaze drinking in every delicate feature of her sleeping face. He couldn’t figure out why she had to be so stubborn.
If she’d only let him take care of her, she wouldn’t need to work herself to exhaustion. She wouldn’t have to pull all–nighters anymore. She could spend her days doing whatever she loved, without having to wear herself out for just a little cash.
“Why can’t you just make things a little easier for yourself?” Jeffrey murmured, his chest heavy with emotion. “You insist on taking on all this suffering, when you don’t even have to.”
Reba was dead to the world, oblivious to his arrival and everything he said.
At 7:55 in the morning, Jeffrey woke up first. He used her finger to unlock her phone and checked the rm she’d set.
Then he quietly switched off the air conditioner, gently lifted his suit jacket over her, and slipped out of the break room at 7:59, leaving no sign he’d ever been there.
At exactly 8 a.m., Reba’s rm went off. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up on the couch, still groggy.
Just as she was about to head off to freshen up, she suddenly noticed a familiar scent in the air.
She sniffed softly. It was that subtle, refreshing fragrance she always associated with Jeffrey. Before she could dwell on it, her phone rang. It was E. “Where are you? I brought you some breakfast. Come eat,” E said.
“I’ll be right there,” Reba replied, quickly straightening her clothes before heading out.
E passed her the bag of breakfast. Reba thanked her, feeling truly grateful.
“Did you and Mr. Hanson pull an all–nighter togetherst night?” E asked, sounding casual.
Reba was confused. She took a sip of her milk and then asked, “What are you talking about?”
E shrugged, her tone light. “I saw Mr. Hanson leaving when I came in. He was carrying his jacket. His shirt looked <i>a </i>bit rumpled, like he hadn’t changed it yet.”
Reba’s hand hovered mid–air, and all she could think about was that familiar scent that had lingered when she woke up. ‘Wait, did he stay here all night?‘ she thought.
“What’s wrong?” E asked.
“He probably just popped in to check on things,” Reba replied; she couldn’t help feeling a little unsettled. “I didn’t see him at all, neither when I went to sleep nor when I woke up.”
Reba couldn’t help but think Jeffrey was such a contradiction. Outwardly, he was harsh and distant, but behind the scenes, he was always quietly looking out for her.
If he really wants what’s best for me, why can’t he just let me go?‘ Reba thought. ‘Why won’t he let me live the life I want, free and on my own terms?‘
E nodded, letting the matter drop and moving on to what really mattered to her. “Did you finish the
assignment?”
“Yes,” Reba said simply.
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After a brief exchange, they both dug into their breakfast. When they were done, Reba hit the bathroom to freshen up, sshing cold water over her face again and again.
She’d powered through most of the night. Now her head was heavy and she seriously needed to snap
out of it.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey was just as wiped out as Reba, but he could basically force himself to keep grinding at work anyway.
“Should I reschedule your meeting forter this afternoon? Maybe get a bit more sleep?” Gregory asked softly, knowing full well Jeffrey had been up all night.
“No need,” Jeffrey said, cool as ever. He looked as straight–faced and sharp as he always did. “I’ve got stuff going on this afternoon, too.”
Gregory could see there was no changing his mind, so he dropped the subject.
For the whole day, Reba was absorbed in her own projects, while Jeffrey was busy with his duties at thepany. Both of them were exhausted, but neither sent so much as a message or called.
That afternoon, Reba and E managed to clock out early. Exhausted, Reba just wanted to hurry back to the hotel and copse onto her bed. But just her luck, she bumped into Jeffrey in the elevator.
He’d skipped the private VIP elevator just to join them in the crowded one. Reba’s face couldn’t help but turn cold.
After the awkward silence, they arrived on the 18th floor. E headed out first. As Reba started to follow, Jeffrey stepped in front of her, blocking the way.
Reba shot him a look. “What do you want?”
Jeffrey nced at E, who was still holding the elevator doors
open.
E knew what he meant and slowly withdrew her hand. The elevator doors slid shut, and the elevator started moving up to the 19th floor.
Reba broke the silence. “I know you came to the break roomst night. But I’m not changing my mind. Even if you keep doing things for me in secret, I’m still set on walking away from you.”
Jeffrey’s gaze met hers, his facepletely impassive, giving nothing away. Just when Reba thought she’d finally gotten under his skin, he spoke up. “Do you know why I came and left without letting you notice it?”
“Of course I do,” Reba fired back, her words merciless. “You’re trying to soothe your guilty conscience and make up for all the crap you’ve put me through.”
“You’re wrong,” Jeffrey said.
Reba lifted her eyes, locking onto his, confused.
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“Because I knew that if you found out, you’d just say those harsh things, just like now,” Jeffrey said.
He couldn’t help thinking Reba was made of stone. “I just want to be good to you. I don’t want you to make it out to be something it’s not.”
I
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