The morning at the office began unusually calm.
Kael sat in a soft armchair by the panoramic window, letting the first sunlight spill golden patches across the room. He felt a strange lightness — a rare state for him. Yesterday had been long, but instead of the usual fatigue, it left behind an almost imperceptible sensation... of inner warmth.
He knew where it came from.
The morning conversation with Auren — bold, almost mocking, yet somehow filling him from within — lingered vividly in his memory. That woman didn't just play with words — she conducted a duel of glances and nuances, leaving him outplayed and smiling even when he didn't want to.
The air filled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Kael skimmed through his list of meetings and nodded with satisfaction — the day promised to be productive. But just as he opened his laptop, a polite, barely audible knock came at the door.
"Come in," he called, without lifting his eyes from the screen.
A young employee from the analytics department appeared in the doorway. His gaze flitted around the room as if he had forgotten why he'd come.
"Good morning, Director," his voice trembled slightly. "Sorry, may I have a minute?"
Kael straightened in his chair, fixing the young man with a cold, piercing look.
"I'm listening."
"I... wanted to check when we'll receive the updated report from marketing."
Kael frowned.
"You were sent it yesterday."
"Yes, but... I thought maybe you'd want to personally verify the figures."
"Next time — send it by email," he cut him off.
"Of course, Director. Sorry to bother you."
The guy slipped out the door, leaving behind a heavy silence and a slight trace of confusion. Kael stared at the closed door for a long moment.
What was that?
Ten minutes passed before another knock came. Again — nothing urgent. This time — someone from legal. Then — finance. Each visit came with a ridiculous, seemingly made-up reason. Kael felt his irritation slowly but surely build, like a rising tide.
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, allowing himself a brief inhale-exhale, trying to understand what was wrong. But then he heard it — muffled, careless laughter outside his office.
He stood, strode to the door, and opened it. His gaze immediately locked onto a small office across the corridor, where Auren sat. The door was ajar. Two guys from IT stood comfortably by her desk. Their postures relaxed, their eyes too attentive, and their smiles too bold.
Auren responded with the same ease, twirling a pen between her fingers like everything happening was a performance for her amusement.
"So you can optimize both code and the office atmosphere?" one of them said, leaning in closer.
"I can definitely do it better than you," she smirked, her eyes making it clear she wasn't here to play shy.
Kael crossed the corridor in a few sharp steps and entered her office without knocking. His hands slammed down on the smooth surface of her desk, making Auren lean back in surprise, eyes wide.
"You two," he began, his voice icy and clear, "don't you think you have more important things to do than flirt with my secretary?"
The men immediately straightened, as if only just realizing how far they'd gone.
"We... we were just checking how her adaptation is going," one mumbled.
"As you can see, she's managing," Kael snapped coldly. "Or do you doubt her qualifications?"
"N-no, of course not…"
"Then get out. Now."
His words hung in the air like cold steel. The employees quickly left, leaving behind silence and a heavy sense of awkwardness.
Kael turned to Auren. She sat calmly, arms crossed, with the faintest trace of a smile playing on her lips.
"Something wrong, boss?" her voice was soft, mocking, and — damn it — strangely mesmerizing.
"You're here to work, Auren. Not to run a social club," he said, holding her gaze.
"Is conversation a crime now?"
"When it turns into a farce during work hours — yes, it's a violation."
Auren tilted her head slightly, as if pondering his words.
"So… a ban on conversations?"
"A ban on unproductive visits. Everything goes through email. No exceptions."
"Understood, Director," she purred with that same lazy smile.
Kael stared at her for a couple more seconds, then abruptly turned and left. Something sharp churned in his chest — the sense that he had just lost at some invisible game, the rules of which only she knew.
***
Auren's workday had only just begun, but the fatigue already clung to her shoulders like a heavy shadow.
The wave of attention from colleagues, endless questions, the tense exchange with Kael… All of it slowly but surely drained her.
She was finishing up sorting through documents when the soft buzz of her work phone rang. A glance at the screen — a call from the director's office. Her brows knit. Only one person called her like that.
"To my office. Immediately," came Kael's cold, irritated voice. No greeting. No formalities.
She barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. After a deep breath, she smoothed her hair, gathered the papers into a neat stack, and walked toward his door with visible composure.
Kael was already standing by the table, hands braced against it as if preparing for a battle.
When Auren entered, he shot her a piercing glare.
"Close the door."
His voice was steady, but tension rang through it — like a storm barely held at bay.
Auren obeyed, her expression laced with irony.
"I'm listening, boss," she said sweetly, folding her arms across her chest. There was a trace of mockery in her tone.
Kael straightened and slowly walked toward her, step by step narrowing the space between them.
His movements were precise, dangerous — like a predator closing in on its prey.
"Seems like you've got too much free time."
Auren raised an eyebrow, her voice calm.
"What makes you think that?"
Kael smirked — but it was a cold, restrained, scorching smirk.
"Because your office has turned into a lounge. Care to explain why you're hosting social hour?"
"Oh, so you were watching?"
"Don't deflect," he snapped. "You're not sending them away. That means you're encouraging it."
"I'm just being polite. I can't throw people out the way a certain impulsive director does."
Kael clenched his jaw. He stepped forward sharply, and the tension between them thickened like storm-charged air.
"Polite? You call that polite? You're wasting time chatting instead of working. It undermines discipline."
Auren lifted her chin. Her eyes flashed with defiance.
"Maybe you should ask those who keep coming in."
He moved even closer, looming.
"You think this is funny?"
"I think it's strange how angry it makes you," she said coolly, almost lazily.
Kael stared at her like he wanted to break the silence with a shout — but couldn't. He stepped back, grabbed a heavy folder from the table, and slammed it down in front of her.
"Your new project. Three days. If you don't finish — you'll answer to me personally."
Auren flipped through the contents, her eyes widening slightly. It was too much — too complex, too urgent. But she slowly looked up, a small smirk tugging at her lips.
"Usually, an entire team handles this."
"Then you'll be the whole team. Show me what you've got."
She pressed her lips together... and then smiled softly.
"You wouldn't like it if I failed, would you?"
Kael smirked in return, but there was something far more dangerous than irritation burning in his eyes.
"Don't even think about it."
He turned and left, leaving her alone with a stack of tasks and a dizzying mix of emotions.
On the first floor, by the entrance, he stopped and glanced at his phone.
Voices behind him broke into his focus — like someone had thrown open a window into the office rumor mill.
"Fiery with a strong personality, no doubt. Think she's like that in bed too?"
"Yeah, that scene in the office — that was something," another one laughed. "Did you see how she talked back to him? Calm, fearless. She's not just a spark, she's a wildfire," he drawled. "Imagine her in bed… I bet she'd be the one calling the shots there too."
"I agree, girls like her always have a hot temper. Too bad she's just a secretary. Although… maybe not for long? You think the boss liked that?" the first one asked curiously.
"Don't know, but if I were him…" The man chuckled and shook his head. "You'd never get bored with a woman like that."
"Oh, yeah. She's a real firecracker. With that face and that body — she could move up the ladder fast, if she knows how to use her… talents."
They burst into laughter.
Kael's eyes snapped up from the screen, his fingers curling into a fist. Rage boiled inside him.
"They… Seriously? This is what they talk about now in the company?!"
Kael froze. His fists clenched.
"Maybe the boss already knows?" someone laughed.
Enough.
He turned abruptly and strode back upstairs.
The door burst open with a bang, slamming into the wall. Auren flinched, then straightened, meeting his gaze calmly — almost as if she'd been expecting him.
"Did you forget something?"
Kael was silent, his eyes burning with restrained fury.
"Do you even know what they're saying about you?"
"What?" she frowned, not understanding.
"Downstairs. The men. They're talking about you. Every smile. Every word. They think they can fantasize about you without consequence."
She stepped back, bumping into the edge of the desk. There was no space left between them.
"If someone's imagination runs wild — that's not my problem," she said coldly.
"This is about your reputation."
"Or maybe it bothers you that you can't control it?"
Kael froze for a split second, but his face didn't waver.
"I care about order."
"I didn't give them any reason. But if you're afraid someone might dare to talk about me… maybe the issue isn't my politeness — but your reaction?"
Kael stepped back sharply. On the brink.
"Just don't give them a reason," he muttered over his shoulder as he walked out.
"Of course, boss," Auren replied quietly. But her voice carried challenge.
The door slammed shut.
She remained in silence, surrounded by paperwork and charged air thick with unsaid things. Her eyes slowly drifted to the folder. And inside her — something still pulsed with strange heat.
Something between them had cracked.
Or maybe… it had just closed shut.
And Auren couldn't tell what troubled her more — her own reaction… or his eyes.