The city had barely settled into its afternoon rhythm when Victoria decided she had had enough of the internet.
She turned her phone face down on her desk.
The screen went dark, taking with it the endless stream of headlines, comments, photographs, and opinions she had no intention of reading again.
She exhaled quietly and reached for the next file.
She opened the document in front of her and forced her attention to the figures on the page.
Some minutes passed when a soft knock interrupted her concentration.
Victoria glanced toward the door, a soft "Come in" was all she said when her secretary stepped inside.
"Miss Montess, Mr. Hartwell is here."
Her eyes lifted from the document. "Dennis?"
"Yes, ma'am. He said he wants to see you."
Victoria checked the time. It was nearly noon.
"Send him in."
Her secretary nodded and quietly left.
A few moments later, the door opened, Dennis walked in. There was something effortlessly composed about him, as though the chaos of the outside world had never found a way to reach him. His dark suit was perfectly tailored, his movements unhurried, and the calm nobility he carried seemed to settle over the room the moment he entered.
His eyes found Victoria immediately. A small smile touched his lips.
"I see you're busy."
Victoria leaned back in her chair. "Unfortunately."
He glanced at the files scattered across her desk before looking at her again.
"Sorry to interrupt your session."He walked farther into the office. "But it's lunchtime."
Victoria raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"And I figured I'd eat with you." He crossed the room and took a seat on the office couch, settling into it with effortless elegance, one arm resting lazily against the backrest.
Victoria stared at him for a moment. "You came all the way here because it's lunchtime?"
"That sounds much less suspicious when you say it like that."
A faint smile tugged at her lips. "You're suspicious?"
"Very." He smiled.
Victoria shook her head and returned her attention to the document.
Dennis watched her for a moment. "You haven't eaten."
It wasn't a question. She continued reading. "I'll eat later."
"You said that yesterday."
"I was busy yesterday."
"And today?"
"Still busy."
Dennis leaned back. "Interesting."
Victoria looked up. "What?"
"You always seem to have a reason not to eat whenever I ask."
"Maybe you ask too often."
"Maybe." His smile softened.
"But I don't think that's the problem." Victoria held his gaze for a moment.
There was something different about him today, not his usual teasing, not the easy confidence. Something quieter, More attentive.
She lowered her eyes. "Did you come here just to monitor my lunch schedule?"
"Among other things."
Her brows lifted. "Such as?"
Dennis didn't answer immediately, Instead, he looked at her, really looked at her. "You seem tired."
Victoria's fingers stilled over the page. "I'm fine."
"I didn't ask if you were fine."
She looked up again.
He continued calmly. "I said you seem tired."
For a moment, Victoria didn't know what to say.
Dennis didn't push, he simply reached for his phone. "I ordered lunch."
She blinked. "You what?"
"I know you." A small smile appeared on his face. "If I asked whether you'd eaten, you'd say yes."
"I would."
"I know." He slipped his phone back into his pocket. "So I removed the opportunity for you to lie."
Victoria laughed softly despite herself. "You are unbelievable."
"I've been called worse."
Her smile lingered, and for the first time since she'd opened her phone that morning, the weight sitting quietly inside her chest felt a little lighter.
Dennis noticed, he didn't say anything. He simply smiled back.
The room settled into a comfortable silence.
Victoria returned her attention to the documents spread across her desk, though concentrating was slightly harder with Dennis sitting across from her.
She could feel his presence without looking at him.
There was something strangely comforting about having him there.
She didn't understand it, or perhaps she simply didn't want to examine it too closely.
Dennis glanced at the documents in front of her.
"What are you working on?"
Victoria looked up. "A proposed Brand acquisition."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Acquisition?"
She nodded, turning one of the pages toward herself.
"I'm reviewing the preliminary terms before the board meeting next week. It's a Fashion brand we've been considering acquiring for a while."
"Expanding?"
"Diversifying."
Dennis leaned back against the couch. "Sounds like you."
Victoria gave him a small look. "What does that mean?"
"You don't do anything without thinking three steps ahead."
She couldn't help the faint smile that touched her lips. "And you're saying that like it's a bad thing."
"I didn't say that."
"You implied it."
"I wouldn't dare."
She shook her head and returned to the document.
A few minutes passed before Dennis spoke again.
"You're staring at that page like it personally offended you."
Victoria glanced at him. I guess It has."
He smiled. "I see."
She tried to hide her own smile as she looked back down at the papers.
Not long after, there was a knock on the door.
Her secretary entered with their lunch, placing everything neatly on the small table before leaving.
Dennis waited until the door closed. "You're not going to tell me you aren't hungry, are you?"
Victoria glanced at the food. "I didn't say I wasn't hungry."
"You didn't have to."
She gave him a look. "You're becoming very observant."
"I've always been observant."
"Not this much."
A quiet smile touched his lips. "Maybe I've just started paying more attention."
The words caught her off guard. Victoria looked at him for a moment.
Dennis held her gaze calmly, as though he hadn't said anything unusual.
Still, something about the words stayed with her.
She looked away first. "Eat," she said softly.
"I was about to tell you the same thing."They ate without much conversation at first.
It wasn't awkward. If anything, it was strangely easy.
Victoria found herself relaxing little by little, the tension she'd been carrying since seeing the wedding news beginning to disappear.
After a while, Dennis spoke. "I was worried about you."
Her hand paused briefly, she looked at him. "Because of the wedding?"
"Because I know what it meant to you once."
Victoria was quiet for a moment, she considered brushing the question aside. But there was something about the way he said it without judgment, without pushing, that made her reconsider. "I don't think I'm hurt because they're getting married," she said eventually.
Dennis waited.
"I think it's just strange seeing something that once meant so much to me turned into entertainment for everyone else." Her voice remained calm. " People who don't know me are discussing what happened. They're deciding who was right, who was wrong, what I should have done…" She gave a small exhale. "It's strange."
"I can understand that."
Victoria looked down at her plate. " I've moved on, Dennis."
"I know." There was no doubt in his voice. "I just don't want you to think you have to pretend you're completely unaffected around me," he added.
Victoria looked at him again, her expression softened. "I don't."
A brief silence passed between them.
"And I don't feel like I have to," she admitted.
Something quiet passed between them.
Victoria felt it. She didn't look away this time. That was the part that unsettled her. Not Dennis, not his concern, not even the fact that she enjoyed having him around.
It was how natural it was beginning to feel and she wasn't sure she was ready for what that meant. So she simply picked up her fork again.
"Your food is getting cold."
Dennis smiled. "That's your way of changing the subject?"
"It's my way of making sure you eat."
"I'll take it."
Victoria shook her head, but she couldn't stop the small smile that appeared on her lips. For the first time that day, her mind wasn't occupied by Daniel's wedding.
It was occupied by the man sitting across from her and somehow, that was even more confusing.
Before she could say anything else, Dennis's phone began to ring.
He glanced at the screen. Something changed immediately. The warmth that had been in his expression disappeared.
His posture straightened, and whatever lightness had filled the room moments ago vanished.
Victoria noticed. "Is everything okay?"
Dennis didn't answer immediately, he stood. "I have to take this."
He stepped away from the table and answered the call.
"Yes?"
His voice was different now? low, controlled, and unmistakably serious.
Victoria watched him silently. She couldn't hear the person on the other end, but she could see the change in his face.
His jaw tightened. "Where?"
"When?"
"I'll be there." He ended the call and slipped his phone into his pocket.
Victoria stood. "What happened?"
Dennis looked at her. For a second, it seemed like he was deciding how much to tell her.
"Something came up."
Her brows drew together. "Is it serious?"
His expression softened slightly when he looked at her. "I don't know yet."
He reached for his jacket. "I need to go."
Victoria nodded, though she couldn't hide the concern in her eyes. "Alright."
Dennis paused at the door. "I'll call you later."
She gave him a small smile. "You don't have to."
"I know" He opened the door. "I want to, and I will"
Before Victoria could respond, he was gone. She remained standing for a moment, staring at the closed door.
She didn't know what the call had been about.
She didn't know why his entire demeanor had changed so quickly. And, perhaps more unsettlingly, she realized she wanted to know.
Victoria slowly returned to her desk. Her eyes fell on the acquisition documents she'd been reviewing earlier.
For several seconds, she stared at the same page without reading a single word.
Then she sighed softly and leaned back in her chair.
Whatever was happening in Dennis's world had nothing to do with her.
At least, that's what she told herself. For now.