The building felt different after Ethan was escorted out.
Quieter.
But heavier.
Lillian sat stiffly at her desk, staring at her computer screen without seeing any of it.
Her hands were still trembling slightly.
Chloe appeared beside her desk.
"Lunch," she said firmly.
"I'm not hungry."
"Too bad. You're coming anyway."
Lillian sighed but stood.
She didn't argue.
Not today.
They sat at a small café a few streets away — not the same one as yesterday.
Neither of them mentioned that.
For a moment, they ate in silence.
Then Chloe leaned forward.
"Okay. Talk."
Lillian exhaled sharply. "He fired Ethan."
"I know."
"No, Chloe. He just… called him and fired him. Like it was nothing."
Chloe tilted her head. "Well… Ethan did cheat on you."
"That's not the point."
"Isn't it?"
Lillian ran a hand through her hair. "It wasn't his place."
"Mr. Wolfe owns the company."
"That's not what I mean and you know it."
Chloe leaned back. "Then explain."
"He took something personal and made it professional. He made a decision for me."
Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Or he removed someone who hurt you."
Lillian frowned.
"He doesn't get to decide what hurts me."
"He heard you crying," Chloe said softly.
Lillian stilled.
"That doesn't mean—."
"It means he noticed."
Silence fell between them.
Lillian looked down at her plate.
"He made me say his first name this morning."
Chloe blinked. "He what?"
Lillian groaned. "He ignored me. Completely. Then he asked why I was calling him Mr. Wolfe when I said 'Sebastian' at the café."
Chloe's lips twitched. "Oh."
"Oh?" Lillian snapped. "That's your reaction?"
"That's… interesting."
"He made me apologize using his first name."
Chloe leaned forward, eyes lighting up. "And?"
"And what?"
"What did you do?"
"I said it."
Chloe grinned. "You said Sebastian."
Lillian's cheeks warmed. "I stuttered."
"That's even better."
"It was humiliating!"
"Was it?"
"Yes!"
Chloe studied her carefully. "Or was it… intense?"
Lillian looked away. "He was standing too close."
"Ah."
"That's not the point."
Chloe smirked. "Sure."
Lillian sighed, frustration mixing with something else she didn't want to name.
"I'm angry," she insisted.
"Because he fired Ethan?"
"Yes."
"And because he made you say his name?"
"…Yes."
"And because he listened to you at the café?"
Lillian hesitated.
"…Yes."
Chloe nodded slowly. "Okay. But let's be honest."
"I am being honest."
"No," Chloe said gently. "You're leaving something out."
Lillian frowned. "What?"
"You feel guilty."
The word hit too accurately.
Lillian's fingers tightened around her fork.
"He was trying to help," Chloe continued quietly. "In his own… terrifying way."
"He didn't have to do that."
"But he did."
"He was cruel."
"He's always cruel."
"That doesn't make it right."
Chloe shrugged lightly. "Ethan deserved consequences."
Lillian opened her mouth to argue.
Then paused.
Because part of her agreed.
Ethan had cheated.
He had lied.
He had stayed in the apartment like nothing happened.
He had shown up today shouting her name in a corporate lobby.
Her jaw tightened.
"…He deserved something," she admitted quietly.
Chloe nodded. "Exactly."
"But not like that," Lillian insisted.
"How would you have handled it?"
"I don't know! Maybe not… like a corporate execution."
Chloe laughed softly.
Lillian rubbed her temples.
"I hate that part of me is relieved."
"There it is."
"I shouldn't feel relieved."
"Why not?"
"Because it wasn't my choice."
Chloe leaned forward again.
"Listen to me. Mr. Wolfe doesn't do things halfway. He either ignores something or he handles it completely."
"He shouldn't handle my personal life."
"He didn't," Chloe said calmly. "He handled his employee."
Lillian stared at her.
"And you know what?" Chloe added. "He's never done that for anyone else."
That settled heavily.
Lillian swallowed.
"He's still Mr. Wolfe."
"Is he?"
"Yes."
Chloe raised a brow. "You didn't sound very formal this morning."
Lillian glared at her.
"I still call him Mr. Wolfe."
"And he still calls you Miss Parker?"
"Yes."
Chloe smiled slightly. "That's interesting too."
"What is?"
"It means neither of you are ready to drop the walls."
Lillian looked away.
Maybe that was true.
After lunch, they walked back to Sovereign.
The building felt quieter now.
Stabilized.
Controlled again.
Lillian stepped toward her desk — and paused.
Sebastian's office door was open.
But he wasn't inside.
She blinked.
That was… unusual.
He was always there.
Especially after something dramatic.
She sat down slowly, glancing through the glass wall.
Empty chair.
Computer on.
Jacket gone.
Her chest tightened slightly.
Where is he?
Chloe noticed. "He's not in there?"
"No."
"That's rare."
"Yes."
Lillian tried to focus on her emails.
But her eyes kept drifting toward the empty office.
Why does that bother me?
She straightened in her chair.
It shouldn't bother her.
He was her boss.
Nothing more.
He had overstepped.
He had acted without asking.
He had been cold and controlling.
And yet…
He had stood in front of her when Ethan was shouting.
He had said she was worth protecting.
Her fingers paused over the keyboard.
Stop thinking about that.
She shook her head slightly and resumed typing.
Minutes passed.
Then thirty.
Still no sign of him.
Her curiosity grew against her will.
Finally, she stood.
Walked to his office doorway.
"Mr. Wolfe?" she called lightly.
No answer.
She stepped inside cautiously.
The room felt different without him.
Less intense.
Less charged.
His desk was immaculate as always.
A single file sat open.
His chair slightly pushed back.
She swallowed.
Why does this feel strange?
Footsteps echoed from the hallway.
She stepped out quickly and nearly collided with him.
"Miss Parker."
She straightened instantly.
"Mr. Wolfe."
He looked composed.
As if nothing had happened.
As if the morning confrontation hadn't existed.
"I was reviewing security footage," he said calmly.
"Oh."
"Is there an issue?"
She hesitated.
Then shook her head. "No, Mr. Wolfe."
His gaze lingered on her for half a second longer than usual.
Then he stepped past her into his office.
The air shifted immediately.
Back to normal.
Back to structured.
Back to formal.
She returned to her desk.
Her heartbeat hadn't quite settled.
Inside his office, Sebastian closed the door halfway.
He had noticed her glance earlier.
Noticed her standing in his doorway.
Looking for him.
That awareness settled somewhere deeper than he expected.
Miss Parker.
He would keep calling her that.
For now.
And she would keep calling him Mr. Wolfe.
For now.
Because if either of them dropped that formality completely —
Something would change.
And neither of them were ready for that.
Outside, Lillian stared at her screen again.
Angry.
Relieved.
Guilty.
Confused.
He handled it the wrong way.
He was cruel.
He overstepped.
And yet…
He was trying to help.
Something he never did.
Not for anyone.
She exhaled slowly.
"I don't understand you," she murmured under her breath.
Inside the office, Sebastian's jaw tightened slightly.
As if he could hear it.