"You've missed a button," Dario said quietly, stepping closer.
Before I could react, his hands were at my waist, as he pulled me slowly and gently toward him. He deftly realigned the mismatched buttons of my shirt. The domestic intimacy of the gesture caught me off guard, making my throat tight with emotion I couldn't name. When he finished, his hands lingered at my sides, warm through the thin fabric.
"Belle," he began, then stopped, seeming uncharacteristically at a loss for words. "About last night—"
"It's okay," I interrupted, unable to bear hearing him say it was a mistake, a one time indulgence, or worse, an offer to continue in some clandestine arrangement. "We don't have to make it into something it wasn't."
His eyebrows drew together. "And what do you think it wasn't?"
I looked away, heat climbing my neck. "Important? Meaningful? Something worth complicating both our lives over?"
Gently, he caressed my chin with his finger before gently urging me to look up at him. "Is that what you believe, or what you think I believe?"
"Does it matter?" I asked, hating the vulnerability in my voice.
"Yes." The single word carried weight, forcing me to meet his gaze. “It matters very much.”
What I saw there made my heart stutter. Not calculation or casual interest, but something deeper, more conflicted played across his features. Something that mirrored the chaos in my chest.
"I should go," I repeated, stepping back from his touch. "People will talk if I'm seen leaving your apartment in the morning."
Dario's expression hardened slightly, but he nodded. "I'll take you down."
"No," I said quickly. "I can find my way. Better if we're not seen together."
He looked like he wanted to argue but simply walked to the door instead, opening it for me with formal courtesy that felt like a wall rising between us. I stepped into the hallway, clutching my bag against my chest, already rehearsing how I'd slip back to the staff area unseen.
The elevator chime rang just as Dario opened the door, and we both froze at the sound of approaching footsteps. I had a split second to register Dario's expression shifting from surprise to anger before Valentina rounded the corner, her hand raised as if about to knock. She stopped abruptly, shock on her face before she narrowed her gaze on me. There was no denying the woman’s shark-like beauty. Her make-up was perfectly applied, her business dress crisp and tailored to her form in the most flattering cut. The calculation in her eyes, followed closely by malicious delight as she took in my rumpled appearance and Dario standing in the doorway made me duck my head before I could stop myself.
"Well, well," she said, her voice dripping with venomous sweetness. "Looks like someone's been sampling the boss's private stock."
Humiliation burned through me like acid, scorching away any lingering warmth of Dario's touch. I stood rooted to the spot, unable to form words, acutely aware of how I looked. "I was just—" I began, then stopped, realizing any explanation would only confirm her accusation.
"Leaving? After a hard night'swork?" Valentina's gaze raked over me, her perfect red lips curving into a cruel smile. "I must say, Dario, your taste has certainly... downgraded. From Prada to polyester. How refreshing."
"That's enough, Valentina." Dario's voice cut through the corridor like a blade, cold and quiet.
She turned her attention to him, one perfectly shaped eyebrow arching. "Is it? I wonder what your employees think, seeing you bed the help? Or perhaps that's how she got the job to begin with?" Each word struck like a physical blow, confirming every whispered suspicion I'd heard since starting at The Gray. I wanted the floor to open beneath me, to be anywhere but trapped in this hallway between Dario's fury and Valentina's contempt.
"I said enough." Dario stepped fully into the hallway, positioning himself slightly in front of me in a gesture that seemed instinctively protective. "You're here uninvited and unwelcome, Valentina. Whatever you came to discuss will wait."
"Will it?" She smiled, the expression never reaching her cold eyes. "I rather think the board might be interested in how you're spending your nights these days. Mixing business with pleasure never ends well, darling. You taught me that."
"The board answers to me, not the other way around." His voice dropped lower, taking on an edge that raised the hair on my arms. "And if you ever speak to or about Belle that way again, you'll find yourselfpermanently,”he emphasized the word,“shall we say,unwelcome in any establishment I own. Are we clear?"
The threat hung in the air between them, and I watched something like genuine fear flicker across Valentina's perfect features before she masked it with disdain.
"Crystal," she replied, her gaze sliding to me. "Enjoy your moments, little mouse. They never last long." With a finalwithering look, she turned and walked back toward the elevator, her heels clicking a sharp staccato against the marble floor.
I stood frozen, mortification and anger warring within me. When I finally found my voice, it came out strained and tight. "I need to go." I stepped away from Dario, needing distance, needing air.
"Belle, wait—" He reached for me, but I shook my head.
"Please, Dario." The word was barely audible, choked by the humiliation burning in my throat. "I can't… do this right now. Just… I need to…think."
Something in my face must have convinced him, because he stepped back, his expression clouded with concern and regret. "We'll talk later. I’ll have a car brought around for you. Use it."
It wasn't a question but a statement of fact, as well as a command. I nodded once, not trusting myself to speak again and knowing there was no way in hell I was using that car, and fled toward the service stairs, desperate to escape before the tears threatening behind my eyes could fall.
