CHAPTER 13 — CONFESSION
The office was quiet that evening, bathed in the soft glow of the city lights. The usual clatter of keyboards and chatter of employees had long faded, leaving only the hum of the air conditioner and the faint sound of traffic far below. Aria Sarmiento sat at her desk, her fingers hovering over the keyboard, though she hadn't typed a single word in the past ten minutes.
Her thoughts were elsewhere. They had been elsewhere for weeks, months even and it was becoming impossible to ignore the truth. Every glance from Lucien Velasco, every accidental brush of their hands, every subtle command he issued with his eyes had become a thread pulling her closer into his world.
And she knew, with a mixture of fear and longing, that she was already too far gone.
The office door clicked behind her, and she looked up, heart skipping a beat. Lucien stood there, his gray eyes fixed on her, the usual calm, commanding presence tinged with something she hadn't seen before vulnerability.
"Aria," he said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. His gaze softened as he approached, but the intensity never left his eyes. "We need to talk."
Her chest tightened. Talk? About what? She tried to steady her breathing, reminding herself that this was professional, that boundaries existed for a reason. And yet, the way he was looking at her made her forget every rule she had ever tried to follow.
"Sir… about what?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Lucien stopped a few feet away, studying her as if weighing his next words. "About us," he said finally, the words carrying weight, hesitation, and a truth he had long kept buried.
Aria's stomach twisted. "Us?" she repeated, her voice trembling. She had feared this moment, longed for it, and dreaded it all at once.
"Yes," he said, stepping closer. The air between them felt charged, thick with anticipation and unspoken emotion. "I can't… pretend anymore, Aria. I can't ignore what I feel."
Her breath hitched. "What… what do you feel, sir?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.
Lucien's gaze softened, and for the first time, the wall of ice and control he always maintained seemed to crumble just slightly. "I feel… more than I should," he admitted, voice low, intimate. "I feel something I've never allowed myself to feel for anyone certainly not someone I work with, someone who is… forbidden. And yet… I can't stop thinking about you. About us. About what could be, if rules didn't matter."
Aria's chest ached. Every word he spoke resonated deep inside her, stirring emotions she had been trying to deny for so long. She realized that her own feelings mirrored his intense, forbidden, and impossible to ignore.
"I… I feel the same, sir," she whispered, voice trembling. "I shouldn't. I know I shouldn't. But I can't help it. Every time I see you, every time you… talk to me, it's… it's impossible to ignore."
Lucien's lips curved slightly a ghost of a smile but his eyes remained intense, unwavering. "You know this is dangerous," he said, stepping even closer. "You know the risks. You know the consequences. And yet… here we are."
Aria nodded, her hands trembling in her lap. "I know. But I… I can't stop thinking about you either. Every day, every hour… it's always you."
For a long moment, silence hung between them, heavy with emotion and unsaid words. Then Lucien reached out, slowly, deliberately, and brushed a strand of hair from her face. His fingers lingered, tracing the line of her jaw ever so slightly, a touch both intimate and electric.
"You're impossible," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "Dangerous, tempting, and completely out of reach. And yet… I can't resist you."
Aria's breath caught. The moment was intimate, forbidden, and dangerous, yet she found herself leaning into it, her heart pounding wildly. "I… I don't want to resist," she whispered, barely audible.
Lucien's eyes softened, and for the first time, his walls of control seemed to crack completely. He leaned closer, his forehead brushing hers, his gray eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her heart ache. "Then we are in this together," he said, low and solemn. "Against the rules, against the world… together."
Her chest swelled with emotion. Fear, longing, desire, and something deeper trust flooded her. She realized, in that moment, that their connection was no longer just about attraction. It was about understanding, protection, and a bond neither of them could deny.
Lucien's hand cupped her cheek, thumb brushing gently across her skin. "You are mine, Aria," he said quietly, not possessively, but with a promise, a vow. "And I will protect you, no matter what. No matter who stands in our way."
Tears pricked her eyes, a mixture of relief and longing threatening to spill over. "I… I trust you," she whispered, the words heavy with emotion. "And I… I want this. Us. Even if it's… forbidden."
Lucien's lips hovered near hers, close enough that the tension was unbearable, yet he didn't cross the line at least not yet. "Then we start here," he murmured, his voice low, intimate. "Careful, slow… because this is dangerous, Aria. Forbidden, yes but also real. And I will not risk you being hurt, not by anyone, not by anything."
Her heart raced, and she nodded, feeling the weight and depth of his words. This was more than office tension, more than forbidden attraction. This was a bond that neither rules nor fear could break.
For the first time, she allowed herself to imagine the possibilities not just stolen glances and forbidden touches, but a connection that went deeper, one that could survive the world outside the office walls.
"I… I understand," she whispered, her lips brushing against the air where his had just been. "And I… I feel the same, sir. Completely."
Lucien's gray eyes softened, filled with a rare vulnerability that no one had ever seen. "Then we move forward," he said, voice steady but heavy with emotion. "Together. And we face whatever comes next. No matter the consequences."
Aria felt a shiver run through her. Forbidden, dangerous, intoxicating… yet she knew one truth she could not deny. She was with him now, and nothing could take that away.
As the city lights flickered outside the tall glass windows, Aria and Lucien stood in the quiet office, finally acknowledging what they had both felt for so long. A forbidden love, yes but a love neither could deny.
And for the first time, they allowed themselves to imagine a future where they didn't have to fight their feelings… together, against all odds.