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No resistance.
No pointless arguments.
“I don’t think you should leave that there. It could break,” a woman’s voice says somewhere to my right. “Put it back in its box and leave a note saying ‘Fragile’ so everyone knows to handle it carefully.”
I turn in the direction of the sound.
There she is.
She’s wearing a fitted black coverall designed for construction sites, with a black cap pulled low over her forehead. A thick braid slips through the opening at the back, resting between her shoulder blades. Bright orange construction boots stand out against the muted colors surrounding her, and black gloves conceal her hands completely.
She never stops moving.
“It looks good, but I want less material here,” she tells another worker without missing a beat. “The goal is to blend it seamlessly, not to leave excess along the edges.”
The man simply nods and immediately adjusts his work, utterly unfazed by her instructions.
“Let’s take a thirty-minute break,” Selene calls, raising her voice just enough for it to carry across the floor. “And don’t wait for me to tell you when to rest,” she adds, warmth softening her tone. “Take a break whenever you need one. Everyone knows what they have to do. The workload is heavy, but I want you looking after yourselves too.”
There’s no performance in her words.
No need to prove she’s in charge.
Just calm authority.
As soon as she finishes speaking, she turns. Straight into me.
Instinct takes over.
I catch her by the shoulders before she can stumble, my hands closing around her almost automatically.
“Jesus, Zayn…” she breathes, one hand flying to her chest. “You scared me.”
I chuckle softly, loosening my grip, though my hands linger for a brief moment.
Being this close to her, touching her like this, isn’t exactly the smartest decision in the middle of our employees.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” I say, letting my gaze sweep over the floor for a second before returning to her. “It looks like everything’s moving along really well.”
I know the deadline we set, because we agreed on it together.
But I came here today with another one in mind. One that’s considerably tighter.
“Yeah, apparently everything is going according to plan,” she replies.
Her eyes roam over the room, constantly checking details, never settling anywhere for more than a moment.
Then her attention lands on me.
“What brings you here?”
Her voice remains neutral. Measured.
Neither welcoming nor dismissive.
The kind of tone that reveals nothing unless you know exactly what to listen for.
I can’t tell whether she’s annoyed that I’m here, whether she thinks I’m checking up on her because I don’t trust her, or whether she’s simply curious.
