The rain had finally begun to fall, a steady rhythmic drumming against the windows of Edna's apartment. Inside, the air was warm and smelled of the chamomile tea Edna was sipping to calm her frayed nerves. The "Fallout" at the office had left her exhausted, and the silence of her home felt heavy with the weight of what she had challenged.
A sudden, sharp knock at the door made her jump. It wasn't the cold, calculated rap of Emily Stone. This was urgent. Heavy.
She opened the door to find Scott Stone standing in the dim hallway. He was drenched, his silk tie loosened, his hair matted to his forehead. But his eyes—usually like flint—were burning with a triumphant, manic energy.
"Scott? What are you doing here? It's nearly midnight," Edna whispered, stepping back to let him in.
He didn't wait for an invitation. He stepped into the small living room, his presence instantly making the space feel microscopic. He looked at the torn confetti still sitting in the trash bin, then back at her.
"It's over," he said, his voice raspy. "The board, the merger, my father's threats. It's all gone. I went to my grandfather. I'm the Managing Partner of the Holdings now, Edna. I answer to no one but the man who built this empire."
Edna's breath hitched. "You did that? For... because of what happened?"
"I did it because they thought they could control me by hurting you," Scott said, stepping closer until he was inches from her. He reached out, his hands hovering over her shoulders before he gripped them firmly. "I came here to tell you that you are safe. Your job is secure. Your scholarship is untouched. My family will never step foot in this building again. I have put a security detail on your floor, and I have blocked every legal avenue they have to touch you."
Edna looked up at him, her heart thumping. This was the protection she had never had in her life—a titan standing between her and the storm. "Scott, I don't know what to say. Why go to such lengths?"
Scott's gaze dropped to her lips, then flickered back to her eyes. The air between them was thick enough to choke on. This was the moment for a confession—for the "I love you" that was written in every line of his face.
But the CEO was still a man built of stone. He wasn't ready to surrender his heart entirely.
"Because you're an asset to me," he said, his voice tightening with a forced professionalism. "And I don't like people touching my assets. You're under my protection now, Edna. Don't worry about the Blackwoods or my mother. I am the only person you have to answer to."
He didn't say he loved her. He didn't say he couldn't live without her. He gave her a contract of safety, wrapped in the language of power.
Edna felt a pang of disappointment, but she nodded, her hand resting over his on her shoulder. "Thank you, Scott I am greatful".
He lingered for a moment, his thumb brushing her collarbone, a silent promise of something deeper that he wasn't yet brave enough to name. Then, as quickly as he had arrived, he turned and vanished back into the rainy night.