Samuel nodded, arms crossed. The air thickened. No one moved.
Then Daniel said it, what they'd all been circling. "Did you push her to the floor?"
A long silence followed.
"I didn't," Samuel said at last, his voice low, strained. His memory flickered, her steps toward him, her voice, her eyes.
David, lounging in a leather chair, scoffed. "You must've enjoyed it."
Samuel froze. The shame was familiar. So was the hunger.
"She's the first person who's made me feel something," he admitted. "She's the only one who ever—"
Daniel cut him off. "Don't say that. You're not a rapist, Samuel. But the things you're saying... they're dangerous."
Samuel exhaled, bitter. "But maybe I am. Just because I'm not in prison doesn't mean I didn't do something wrong."
Clinton chuckled uneasily. "Careful. You never know who's listening. Behind doors. Behind bookshelves."
A few forced grins cracked the tension, but unease lingered.
Trying to shift the mood, Daniel said, "Who's up for lunch after exams?"
Harrison nodded. "Sure."
But Samuel stayed quiet. Lost in thought.
"We came in different cars," Clinton pointed out, still half-elsewhere. His thoughts drifted to Tasha. She hadn't spoken to him since that blow-up. The housekeeper had later said she'd fallen ill, but Clinton hadn't checked on her. He'd assumed she'd show up for exams.
Daniel spoke up. "Easy. Let the drivers go. We'll take my car."
They agreed.
Daniel's phone buzzed. A text from his mother asking what to cook now that she was home. He ignored it, looking at Samuel instead.
"What's going on in your head?"
Samuel folded his arms. "Nothing."
"Don't lie. It's about her, isn't it?"
Samuel hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. I love her."
That silenced them.
Harrison sighed. "She hates you, Samuel. Probably more than anyone on Earth."
Samuel looked away. "Maybe I can make it right."
David raised an eyebrow. "Why her? You could have anyone."
"I don't want anyone else," Samuel said simply.
His mind returned to Anna, her voice, the kiss, the tremble in her fingers. And the guilt.
———-
Outside
They walked to the parking lot, where Daniel's driver handed him the keys. The black car beeped softly as he unlocked it.
Clinton reached for the handle, then froze.
Samuel had turned. He was calling her name.
Anna.
They all turned in alarm. Samuel was striding across the lot toward her.
"Samuel, don't, leave her alone!" Daniel shouted.
But Samuel didn't stop.
Anna saw him coming. Her stomach dropped. She wanted to run, but her legs refused. His scent hit her before he even reached her, the same scent from that night.
Her pulse thundered. Her skin prickled.
People began to whisper. Phones came out. Cameras clicked.
He stopped in front of her. His eyes, sharp as ever, locked onto hers. She looked away, every cell in her body screaming to flee.
She turned to go, then froze.
His hand wrapped around her wrist.
Anna's breath hitched. She stared at his fingers gripping her.
"Leave me alone," she whispered.
"No." His voice was soft, but unshakable.
Tears blurred her eyes. "Let go of me."
"I can't," he said. "Because I love you. I don't know how to be without you."
The world blurred. She searched his face, looking for cruelty, for a lie, but saw only pain.
And still, it made no sense.
How could someone who had hurt her... say he loved her?
The whispers thickened. The cameras kept flashing. But Anna stood frozen in that moment, caught between memory and reality, between fear and fury, between a love that never was and a truth no one believed
***********
Daniel set his fork down with a faint clink against porcelain, his breakfast untouched. He reached for the glass of juice beside him, taking a slow sip as his eyes drifted across the table to the woman speaking in clipped, measured tones.
His mother.
She was discussing the company again, pressing him about the board meeting scheduled for later that morning, the one where his father was waiting. Her voice carried an insistence that tried to sound casual, but he could hear the weight beneath it.
Daniel had visited the company a few days earlier. His father had ushered him through departments, introduced him to eager staff, all of whom seemed delighted to meet him. Daniel, on the other hand, had felt nothing but discomfort. Now, his mother was pushing again, this time over breakfast, in the sitting room bathed in the soft glow of morning light filtering through sheer curtains. She always chose this room when she wanted him to listen.
He didn't want to listen.
He rubbed his forehead and stared at the large painting in the corner, abstract and chaotic, like the thoughts clattering in his mind. He liked the peace here, the sterile beauty of the white furniture and polished floors. But today, even the silence felt rehearsed.
Mrs. Diana Gundi, however, continued, undeterred by his lack of response. She had long accepted that her son was disinterested in the company's affairs, but she never let that stop her. He was the heir. Whether he wanted it or not.
She took a final bite of her salad and set her glass of water down, folding her hands beneath her chin. Her gaze held him there.
"You don't understand," she said, her voice calm but clipped. "Your father, the company, me, we're depending on you. You can't escape that. Not even if you try."
Daniel rolled his eyes, the gesture automatic. His hand slipped into the pocket of his leather jacket, retrieving his phone. The digital clock on the screen caught his attention. It was time. He looked up at his mother, sharp black bob, diamond chain at her neck, posture pristine.
"Can we just go?" he asked, voice flat.
He was dressed for the meeting. His father had reminded him the night before. What more did they want? Wasn't showing up enough?
Diana sighed and studied his face, still boyish, but with the set jaw of someone growing tired of being told who to become. She reached across the table, her hand resting lightly on his. Her fingers brushed the edge of his watch.
"Soon you won't be in school anymore," she said. "Then it's all real. The company becomes your world, like it did for your father. You'll have to find something in it that makes you stay. They say you only give your best when you love what you do." She leaned back, dabbing her lips with a napkin. "Don't wait too long to find what that is."
Daniel said nothing. He stood and headed toward the door. "We can talk in the car."