Elena didn't remember driving back.
One moment she was standing in Adrian's office, watching him brush off something that should have mattered, and the next, she was back in hers.
Alone.
Lights dim.
City glowing faintly beyond the glass.
She dropped her bag onto the desk harder than necessary, running a hand through her hair.
"Unbelievable."
The word came out sharper than she intended.
Not because of the leak.
Not entirely.
But because of him.
"I'm aware."
That was all he'd said.
No urgency. No reaction. No concern.
Just that calm, controlled tone like everything was already handled.
Like it didn't matter.
Her jaw tightened.
"That's not how this works," she muttered.
Not at this level.
Not with this kind of risk.
You don't stay calm when something like that is happening.
You act. You dig. You fix it.
Elena exhaled slowly, forcing herself to sit.
Think. Focus.
Her laptop blinked awake under her touch, files reopening, numbers staring back at her.
But for once, they didn't settle her.
Something about this felt off.
Not just the leak.
Not just Adrian.
Everything.
Her phone buzzed.
She ignored it at first.
Then it buzzed again.
And again.
Persistent. Annoying. Familiar.
She picked it up.
"You disappeared."
A small breath left her.
Right.
Him.
She leaned back in her chair, staring at the message for a second longer than necessary.
Then typed.
"Long day."
Simple. Safe. Not a lie.
The reply came after a short pause.
"Bad long or just exhausting long?"
Elena let out a quiet huff.
That was new.
Not pushing.
Not digging.
Just…asking.
She hesitated.
Then replied,
"Let's say you're dealing with a problem."
Her fingers slowed slightly.
Careful now.
"Not yours exactly."
"But close enough that it becomes yours anyway."
She paused.
Reading it over. Making sure it gave nothing away.
"And the person responsible for fixing it…"
"doesn't seem to care."
She hit send before she could rethink it.
Across the city, Adrian read the message slowly.
Not because it was complicated.
But because, it felt real.
"Maybe they do care."
He typed.
"They just don't show it the way you expect."
Elena frowned slightly at the screen.
"Or maybe they're just arrogant."
A beat.
"That's always an option."
Her lips twitched despite herself.
"So what would you do?"
This time, Adrian didn't answer immediately.
He leaned back, considering it.
Not as a game.
Not as a conversation.
But as, a problem.
"Depends."
He finally sent.
"Can you control it?"
Elena glanced at her screen.
At the files.
At the mess she hadn't solved yet.
"Not entirely."
"Then focus on what you can."
She stilled slightly.
"And the rest?"
A pause.
Then, the reply came,
"You wait."
Elena leaned back, staring at the message.
Waiting.
She hated waiting.
"That sounds inefficient."
Adrian let out a quiet breath.
"It is."
"But forcing something before you understand it usually makes it worse."
That…that landed.
More than she expected.
She didn't reply immediately.
Her gaze drifted slightly.
Unfocused.
And without meaning to, her mind flicked back.
Adrian's office.
The tension.
The silence.
And then, His phone.
The screen lighting up.
A name she thought felt oddly familiar but was too occupied to think about.
Nova.
Her eyes narrowed slightly at the memory.
Brief. Faint. Unimportant.
Probably nothing.
Just another contact.
Another distraction.
Another example of why....
She exhaled softly, shaking her head.
"Not relevant," she murmured.
Because it wasn't.
It couldn't be.
Adrian Cole wasn't the kind of man who….
No.
She wasn't even finishing that thought.
Her attention snapped back to her phone.
To the conversation.
To something that felt, strangely easier.
"You're quiet."
She blinked.
Then typed,
"Thinking."
"Dangerous habit."
A faint smile.
"Necessary one."
A pause.
Then another reply came,
"You'll figure it out."
Elena stared at that message.
Longer than she should have.
"You sound very sure."
"You don't seem like someone who leaves things unfinished."
That…that almost made her laugh.
"You don't know me that well."
"I know enough."
She shook her head slightly, setting the phone down.
"Not even close," she muttered.
But for the first time that night, the tension in her chest eased.
Just slightly.
Outside, the city carried on. Unaware. Unbothered.
And somewhere between what was seen and what was missed, between what mattered and what didn't, a single detail had already been dismissed.
Forgotten.
Left behind.
The kind that usually came back later.
At the worst possible time.