Morning arrived at Sovereign with its usual quiet efficiency.
Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, reflecting off glass walls and polished floors.
Employees moved between desks with tablets and folders, voices low, keyboards clicking in steady rhythm.
Lillian sat at her desk directly outside Sebastian's office, organizing a stack of documents, though her mind wasn't fully on the work.
Every few minutes, her eyes drifted toward the glass walls behind her.
Sebastian was already inside when she arrived earlier that morning.
He had greeted her with a calm, simple nod.
"Good morning, Lillian."
Professional.
Polite.
But… distant.
The warmth from the night before—the quiet intimacy in his lab, the gentle kiss, the way he had held her hands—felt strangely far away now.
She shifted slightly in her chair and glanced at him again.
Sebastian sat behind his desk, shoulders straight, eyes focused on his computer screen.
His fingers moved quickly across the keyboard as he worked through emails.
Nothing seemed unusual.
Still, Lillian couldn't shake the strange tension in her chest.
Maybe she was just overthinking things.
She had done that before.
After all, last night hadn't exactly been a small moment.
She had told him she loved him.
Again.
The second time.
And just like the first time… he hadn't said it back.
He hadn't rejected it either.
But he hadn't said it.
Her cheeks warmed slightly at the memory.
She shook her head and forced her attention back to the paperwork in front of her.
Across the office, phones rang softly and conversations drifted through the air.
Everything was normal.
Until it wasn't.
A sharp email notification sounded from inside Sebastian's office.
Lillian didn't look up immediately.
But a few seconds later, something made her glance toward the glass walls.
Sebastian had stopped typing.
He was staring at the screen.
Completely still.
His expression was unreadable.
Lillian frowned slightly.
That alone wasn't unusual—Sebastian often focused intensely when reading something important.
But the stillness stretched too long.
He leaned closer to the monitor.
His jaw tightened.
The muscles in his neck tensed.
Lillian sat up straighter in her chair.
Something was wrong.
Inside the office, Sebastian read the email again.
Then again.
The silence on the floor seemed to deepen.
And suddenly—
He shot to his feet.
His chair rolled backward with a sharp scrape across the floor.
Several people nearby looked up.
Before anyone could react—
Sebastian slammed his hands onto the desk.
BANG.
The sound echoed through the entire office.
Lillian's heart jumped into her throat.
"Fuck!" he shouted.
The curse was loud enough to silence the entire floor.
Phones stopped mid-conversation.
Keyboards froze.
Dozens of heads turned toward the glass office.
Lillian stared through the wall, stunned.
She had never seen him like this.
Not once.
Sebastian stood rigid behind the desk, breathing hard.
One hand pressed against the surface as if he were trying to steady himself.
His other hand dragged roughly through his hair.
Under his breath he muttered another string of curses.
Then suddenly—
With a violent shove—
He pushed the monitor off the desk.
The computer crashed onto the floor with a loud crack.
Someone across the office gasped.
It wasn't unusual for Sebastian to do this.
Lillian was already standing.
"Sebastian—!"
But before she could reach the door, it swung open.
Sebastian strode out of the office, his expression dark with anger.
The energy coming off him was almost intimidating.
"Sebastian, what's wrong?" Lillian asked quickly, stepping toward him.
For a moment she thought he might stop.
Instead, he walked straight past her.
He didn't answer.
He didn't slow down.
He didn't even look at her.
Lillian froze.
"Sebastian?" she said again, softer this time.
Nothing.
He pressed the elevator button sharply.
The doors opened almost immediately.
Without a word, he stepped inside.
The doors slid shut.
And he was gone.
The office remained silent for several long seconds.
Lillian stared at the closed elevator doors, her chest tight.
She didn't move.
Chloe appeared beside her moments later.
"Okay," Chloe said slowly, looking between the elevator and Sebastian's office, "what the hell just happened?"
Lillian blinked.
"I… I don't know."
Chloe glanced toward the glass office where the broken monitor still lay on the floor.
"Did you see that?" she muttered.
"He just destroyed his own computer. But than again, he has done it before."
Lillian's voice was quiet.
"I asked him what was wrong."
"And?"
"He ignored me."
Chloe looked at her.
"Completely?"
Lillian nodded.
"He didn't even look at me."
Chloe crossed her arms, thinking.
"Well… whatever that email was, it clearly ruined his morning."
Lillian hugged her arms lightly.
"It's just strange," she said.
"He always says something to me. Even when he's busy."
Chloe gave a small shrug.
"Today he looked like he wanted to punch a wall."
Lillian glanced toward the empty elevator again.
A thought crept into her mind.
"What if it's because of last night?"
Chloe raised an eyebrow.
"What about last night?"
Lillian hesitated before answering.
"I told him I love him again."
Chloe tilted her head.
"Again?"
Lillian nodded.
"In the lab before I left."
Chloe studied her for a moment.
"And?"
"And he didn't say it back," Lillian admitted quietly.
Chloe sighed.
"Lil… that man barely says what he's feeling on a normal day. I wouldn't take that personally."
"I'm not," Lillian said quickly.
But the uncertainty in her voice betrayed her.
"I just… don't know what's going on."
Chloe nudged her shoulder lightly.
"Trust me. That meltdown had nothing to do with you."
Lillian tried to believe her.
She really did.
But the way Sebastian had walked past her… like she wasn't even there…
That part still stung.
The office slowly began returning to normal.
Conversations resumed.
Keyboards clicked again.
But whispers spread across the floor.
"Did you see Wolfe lose it?"
"This has happened before but not as badly as this time."
"What happened?"
Lillian returned slowly to her desk.
Her eyes drifted toward Sebastian's empty office.
The broken monitor was still lying on the floor.
Hours passed.
Lunch came and went.
Sebastian never returned.
By mid-afternoon, Lillian checked her phone.
No message.
No call.
By evening, his office lights were still off.
The chair behind his desk sat empty.
Lillian packed her bag slowly as the rest of the floor began to leave for the night.
Before walking away, she looked through the glass walls one last time.
Something was very wrong.
And wherever Sebastian Wolfe had gone that morning—
He hadn't come back.