🖤
Cassy didn't expect him to remember. But he did. At least, that's what it felt like.
Because the next morning, there was already a file on her desk labeled:
PRIORITY
No instructions. No note. Just that word.
Cassy stared at it for a moment. "…Of course," she whispered softly. Only Caleb Garcia would turn urgency into silence.
—
"Is that the new expansion file?" Adrian asked, leaning over slightly.
Cassy nodded. "He wants it prioritized."
Adrian whistled. "That's big."
Cassy opened it carefully. "I noticed." Then she paused. "…Did he usually give important projects like this to assistants directly?"
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Not really." That was all he said. But it was enough.
—
Inside his office, Caleb was already working. Or at least pretending to. His screen was open. Documents aligned perfectly. Everything in order. Except his focus. It wasn't there. It kept drifting. To her desk. To the file. To her.
—
He clicked his pen once. Then stopped. "This is unnecessary," he muttered. But he didn't clarify what "this" was.
—
Cassy stayed focused all morning. Until lunchtime. That's when it happened.
—
She was walking back from the pantry when she heard voices near the corner.
"…You know he doesn't usually keep assistants this long," one employee whispered.
"Yeah. They don't last," another replied. "But she's still here."
A pause. Then laughter. Not loud. But enough.
"She's probably just good at pretending."
Cassy stopped walking. Just for a second. Then continued. Like she didn't hear anything.
—
But she did. Of course she did.
—
Back at her desk, she sat down quietly. No smile today. Just work. Just silence.
—
Inside his office, Caleb noticed immediately. Her posture. Her face. The absence of something he couldn't name. He stood up without thinking. And walked out.
—
"Cassy."
She looked up quickly. "Yes, sir?"
Too fast. Too controlled. Too careful.
He noticed. "You finished the analysis?"
She nodded. "Almost."
A pause. Then he stepped closer. Just slightly. "What happened?" he asked.
Cassy blinked. "Nothing." That was a lie. And he knew it.
—
Silence stretched between them. Then Caleb spoke again. "You're different today."
Cassy forced a small smile. "I'm fine."
But it didn't reach her eyes. He frowned slightly. "…Did someone say something to you?"
Her grip tightened on her pen. "No."
Too quick. Too sharp. Too obvious.
—
Caleb's expression darkened slightly. Not anger. Something closer to… awareness. He didn't like that answer. But he didn't push. Not yet.
Instead— "Finish early today," he said.
Cassy blinked. "Sir?"
"That's an order." A pause. Then softer— "Leave on time."
That last part didn't sound like an order anymore. It sounded like something else. Concern.
—
Cassy hesitated. Then nodded. "…Yes, sir."
—
When she turned back to her work, Caleb didn't leave immediately. He stayed there. Watching her. Thinking. Because something about her silence felt wrong.
And worse— Familiar. Like something he had seen before. In people who learned to smile even when they were breaking. And that thought stayed with him longer than he wanted it to.
—
That night, Cassy left on time. For once. But as she walked home under the dim city lights… Her smile didn't come back.
And somewhere behind her— In a high office overlooking the city—Caleb Garcia was still thinking about her silence.
And why it suddenly mattered so much.