The tension did not arrive suddenly. It crept in quietly, settling between Belonia and Elina like something neither of them invited but neither of them could ignore.
After the conversation in his office the day before, things had shifted again.
Not dramatically, not in a way others could easily notice, but for the two of them the difference was impossible to miss. Every glance lasted a little too long. Every conversation felt heavier than it should have. Even silence between them seemed to carry its own meaning now.
Elina felt it the moment she stepped into the office that morning.
She had slept very little.
Not because of regret, but because her mind kept returning to the same moment. The way Belonia had asked her to dinner, the seriousness in his voice when he said it wasn't about work, and the quiet tension that filled the room when she reminded him about Clara.
She had done the right thing.
She knew she had.
Still, knowing something is right does not always make it easier.
As she sat at her desk organizing the morning schedule, she tried to focus on the tasks in front of her. Numbers, meetings, emails, timelines. Things that were clear and predictable.
Things that did not involve feelings.
But even as she worked, she could feel his presence behind the glass wall of his office.
Belonia had arrived earlier than usual.
He had barely spoken since.
And yet somehow his silence felt louder than words.
Several employees passed by Elina's desk throughout the morning, asking questions, dropping files, confirming appointments, but through it all she remained calm and composed, responding with the same quiet professionalism she always had.
Still, there was a heaviness in the air that hadn't existed before.
It was Victor who broke the pattern.
Late that morning he walked into the office with the same relaxed confidence he always carried, greeting a few people as he passed before stopping by Elina's desk.
"Good morning," he said with a warm smile.
Elina looked up from her laptop and returned the greeting. "Good morning, Victor."
"You look like someone who hasn't slept much," he said lightly, studying her face.
She gave a small amused breath. "Work has been busy."
Victor leaned slightly against the edge of her desk, lowering his voice just a little. "Work isn't the only thing on your mind."
Elina didn't answer that.
Instead she focused on closing a document on her screen, but the small silence between them spoke clearly enough.
Victor watched her for a moment before speaking again.
"You know," he said gently, "you don't always have to carry everything alone."
His tone wasn't intrusive or demanding, just quietly supportive.
And for a brief moment, Elina felt the weight she had been holding ease slightly.
She gave him a small appreciative smile.
"Thank you."
Across the office, Belonia saw it.
He had been trying to focus on the meeting notes in front of him, but the moment Victor approached Elina's desk his attention shifted without his permission.
He watched the way Victor spoke to her, the ease between them, the way Elina's expression softened in a way it hadn't when she spoke to him lately.
Something inside him tightened.
He told himself it shouldn't matter.
But it did.
More than he liked to admit.
After a few more minutes Victor straightened and said something that Belonia could not hear, but whatever it was made Elina pause.
Her eyes lifted to meet Victor's again.
Victor smiled slightly. "Dinner tonight."
Belonia's grip tightened slightly on the pen in his hand.
Elina hesitated.
Victor must have noticed the hesitation because he added softly, "Just dinner. No pressure."
There was something sincere in his tone.
Something patient.
And after a moment Elina nodded.
"Alright."
Victor's smile widened slightly, satisfied but not overly triumphant.
"Good. I'll pick you up at seven."
He gave her a quick nod before walking away down the hallway.
Elina watched him leave for a moment before slowly returning her attention to the work on her desk.
But she did not realize that someone else had heard everything.
Belonia stepped out of his office.
The movement was sudden enough that several employees nearby looked up briefly before returning to their work.
He walked directly toward Elina's desk.
His expression was calm, but there was something tight beneath the surface.
"Elina," he said.
She looked up.
"Yes?"
"Come to my office."
It wasn't a request.
She stood immediately and followed him inside.
The moment the door closed, the quiet tension between them returned stronger than before.
Belonia turned to face her.
"You're having dinner with him."
It wasn't a question.
Elina folded her hands lightly in front of her.
"Yes."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "You agreed very quickly."
She held his gaze calmly.
"You asked me to dinner yesterday."
"And you said no."
"Yes."
Belonia stepped a little closer.
"But you said yes to him."
Elina could feel her heartbeat pick up slightly, but she refused to let it show.
"You know why."
His jaw tightened.
"Because of Clara."
She nodded.
"You're still with her."
Belonia looked away briefly, as if the truth irritated him.
"And if I wasn't?"
The question came out quieter than before.
Elina's breath caught slightly, but she steadied herself.
"That's not the situation we're in."
He looked back at her then, his gaze more intense than she had seen in a long time.
"You're avoiding the question."
"And you're avoiding the reality," she replied softly.
For a moment neither of them moved.
The tension between them felt almost physical now.
Belonia studied her face as if trying to read something deeper there.
"Do you like him?" he asked finally.
Elina did not answer immediately.
Not because she didn't know, but because the real answer felt too complicated.
"Victor is kind," she said carefully.
"That's not what I asked."
Their eyes locked.
Elina inhaled slowly.
"I'm trying to move forward."
The words landed heavily between them.
Belonia felt something twist sharply in his chest.
Forward.
Away from him.
The realization settled in slowly.
And he didn't like it.
Not at all.
For a long moment he simply looked at her, his thoughts moving faster than he could control.
Then he said something that surprised even himself.
"If I end things with Clara…"
Elina's eyes widened slightly.
"…will you still have dinner with him tonight?"
The question hung in the air between them.
And suddenly the tension between them felt deeper than either of them had expected.
Because for the first time, Belonia sounded like a man who was dangerously close to making a decision.
And Elina wasn't sure she was ready for what that decision might bring.