Karen had started avoiding the top floor.
She'd learned to time her arrivals, take different elevators, and conveniently miss meetings where Alex might be.
He hadn't spoken to her since that humiliating scene in his office but that didn't stop her from feeling his presence or the sting of it.
He didn't have to speak but he had a way of making you feel small just by standing in the same room.
So when she was pulled back into a last minute presentation support task for Luca, she nearly said no.
Almost.
Because Luca was different, still powerful, still a part of this cold, ruthless empire but warmer.
He cracked jokes, offered coffee, and actually looked her in the eye like she was human.
They'd been working in one of the smaller glass conference rooms when she handed him a corrected chart.
"Are you always this efficient?" Luca asked, raising a brow.
Karen shrugged. "Are you always this smooth?"
He grinned. "I try."
She couldn't help the laugh that slipped out. It felt good to breathe until her gaze caught movement.
She froze.
Alex!!!.
He was outside, across the glass hallway. He wasn't moving, just standing, watching like a shadow that had taken shape and refused to leave.
Luca followed her gaze and sighed under his breath.
"You know he doesn't like people touching his toys."
Karen blinked. "Excuse me?"
Luca smirked. "Nothing. Forget I said that."
But the words stuck.
That evening, she stayed back to fix the last few pages of a presentation. The office was quiet and empty or so she thought.
"Are you enjoying your new assignment?"
The voice startled her. Cold, quiet, sharp.
She turned.
Alex was leaning against the doorframe like a storm waiting to happen.
"I'm doing my job," she said carefully.
"I've seen how closely you're doing it."
Karen stiffened. "If you have a problem with my performance, say it."
"I don't," he said. "My concern is… distraction."
She stepped forward, frustrated. "Are you accusing me of something?"
Alex's eyes met hers.
There was something behind them not fire, but ice.
Controlled, Dangerous.
"Luca likes to flirt. You seem easy to amuse."
She sucked in a breath. "So what, you're warning me?"
He stepped into the room now, slowly, his voice dropping to something dark but measured.
"I'm telling you to remember where you stand."
Karen's heart was racing. But she lifted her chin.
"And where is that exactly?"
He looked at her for a long moment, a bit too long. Then, quietly said
"Too close."
And he walked away, not looking back once.