Perfect. Here's an expanded and emotionally intense Part 8, where secrets stir and chemistry starts slipping through carefully built walls.
Part 8 –
By the next morning, the air between Lila and Ethan had changed again.
It wasn't something you could name. Not with words. But it was there in the way he glanced up from his desk the second she walked in, as if he'd been waiting. In the way her breath caught before she even said good morning.
They spoke less during meetings now.
But they looked more.
That was the danger.
Wolfe Enterprises – Executive Suite
Lila stood with her tablet at the head of the long glass conference table, presenting the revised lighting and stage sequence for the gala.
Ethan sat at the far end, his gaze unreadable. Other executives sat beside him, nodding at her projections and concepts. But her attention kept drifting to him.
Would he look away? Would he challenge her like usual?
He didn't.
Instead, as she spoke about atmospheric transitions and immersive visuals, Ethan leaned forward slightly, folding his hands like a man listening to more than just lighting specs.
When she finished, the room applauded lightly. But it was his quiet nod that mattered most.
She could feel it like heat against her skin.
After the Meeting – His Office
"Close the door," Ethan said, already walking toward the bar cart in the corner.
Lila hesitated. It was just past noon. "Are you drinking?"
He poured two fingers of whiskey into a glass, then stopped. "No. Offering."
He glanced at her. "Want one?"
She arched a brow. "At this hour?"
"You've earned it."
She crossed her arms. "Is this how you reward your team? A midday buzz?"
A rare smile touched his lips. "Just the ones who are driving me mad."
Her breath hitched.
He handed her the glass. She took it, fingers brushing his.
And for a moment, they just stood there close enough to feel the tension pull taut like a string between them.
"I meant what I said last night," Ethan said quietly.
Lila looked at him, uncertain. "Which part?"
"You're unpredictable. Brilliant. And... dangerous to my routine."
"I thought you thrived on chaos."
"I do," he said, eyes locked on hers. "But not the kind that makes me forget I'm supposed to be in control."
Her heart thundered. "Then maybe you should stop texting me."
"Maybe," he said, stepping closer. "But I won't."
The silence buzzed louder than anything else in the room.
She should step away.
She should run.
But instead, she stood her ground.
"You think you scare me," she whispered.
He leaned in, voice low against her ear. "No. I think you like that I do."
Her breath caught sharp and shallow.
But before she could say anything, there was a knock on the door.
Ethan moved instantly, stepping back like nothing had happened. His tone dropped back into something clipped and professional.
"Come in."
One of his assistants entered with a folder, glanced at Lila, then at the glass in her hand, and blinked.
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."
"You didn't," Ethan said smoothly. "What is it?"
Lila set her glass down, pulse still racing. She excused herself, brushing past the assistant and walking out of the office without a word.
That Night – Lila's Apartment
She sat on her bed, legs tucked beneath her, laptop open but untouched.
The gala planning was on track. The designs were approved. She was doing exactly what she'd set out to do.
And yet... none of it felt safe anymore.
Not after that moment.
That voice.
That look.
She opened her phone.
There were no new messages from him.
She hated that she'd noticed.
But what she didn't know… was that Ethan was standing alone in his penthouse, glass in hand, watching the city lights, and doing the one thing he swore he'd never let himself do again.
Feel something real.
And it scared the hell out of him.