Maya POV
Noah didn’t say anything.
For a second, after I asked him why he treated me like I was the problem, I thought he might open up. Thought maybe, just maybe, we’d cracked something between us.
But nope.
His face shut down again like a slammed door, and his voice came out as flat and cold as usual.
“All right,” he said, turning back to his screen. “Back to work.”
Just like that. No room for softness. No space for truth. Just… work. And because I’m a professional,I didn’t push.
“Fine,” I said, dragging my chair back over. “Let’s talk about slide seven.”
He didn’t even look up. “Still too wordy.”
I huffed. “You told me to include the full quote.”
“Then summarize it.”
“You want a quote summarized?” I asked, incredulous. “Do you even hear yourself?”
“It’s called being efficient,” he shot back.
“No, it’s called making no sense,” I replied, crossing my arms. “First you want data, then feelings, then graphs that breathe. Do you want me to write your life story too?”
He finally looked at me, his expression unreadable. “Only if you include a section about my endless patience.”
“Oh, I’ll include something,” I muttered.
We were locked in another typical back-and-forth, my blood pressure climbing, when the door suddenly opened behind us.
“Knock, knock,” came Alex’s voice, smooth and light.
Noah stiffened instantly. His entire body language changed—like a machine snapping into defense mode.
Alex walked in, confident as ever, holding a coffee in one hand and that signature charming smirk on his face.
“Hi, Maya,” he said warmly, his eyes scanning the room. “What are you doing here? Is he bothering you again?”
I glanced at Noah, who was now glaring daggers at his half-brother, and then looked back at Alex.
“Well,” I said with a wry smile, “your brother is… a very hard person to please.”
Alex chuckled. “Glad you noticed. You should get a badge for surviving him this long.”
Noah’s voice cut through like a knife. “What are you doing here, Alex?”
He didn’t even try to hide the annoyance in his tone.
Alex shrugged casually. “Just came to grab the forecast documents for the Duxford merger.”
Noah opened a drawer with unnecessary force, pulled out a folder, and handed it to Alex with a clipped motion.
“Here,” he muttered. “Now you can leave.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “Really? Are you actually shooing your own brother away?”
Noah’s lips twitched. “I have a brother?”
Alex smirked. “Cute.”
Noah didn’t respond. Instead, he said, “Maya and I have a lot of work to do. We don’t need distractions.”
Alex turned to me and grinned. “Well, if my brother becomes unbearable, just let me know, Maya. I’ll get rid of him for you.”
I gave a small, awkward smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Noah’s jaw ticked. “Get rid of who? You’re not even in charge here.”
Alex shot him a look. “Not yet. Don’t forget—we’re both running for VP.”
He winked at me before exiting the office, the door clicking shut behind him.
The moment he was gone, the air changed again. Heavy. Tense. Noah looked pissed. And not just annoyed—rattled.
“You all right?” I asked carefully, watching his expression.
“I’m fine,” he said quickly, already turning back to his laptop. “Let’s get back to the slides.”
So we did. But the bickering didn’t stop. “No, move that chart to the left,” he said. “It’s already aligned.”
“Not enough.”
“If I move it one more pixel, it’ll fall off the screen.”
“That’s dramatic.”
“You’re dramatic.”
He leaned over my shoulder, reaching past me to adjust something. His chest brushed my back and I flinched slightly.
He didn’t move back.
He was so close I could feel his breath near my cheek, the heat of his body, the faint scent of cedar and something expensive. His hand rested on the desk, right next to mine. Our shoulders touched.
I turned my head—just slightly—and froze. Our lips were inches apart. My heart jumped into my throat. He didn’t move. Neither did I.
“Whoa,” he said quietly.
I blinked. “What?”
“You’re staring.”
I quickly pulled back, cheeks flushed. “Because you’re all up in my personal space!”
He tilted his head, a hint of a smirk threatening to rise. “You don’t have personal space with me.”
And just like that, something sharp and hot lodged in my chest.
That voice. That tone. That look. Every time he got close to me—physically close—it was like my whole body went haywire. Like my brain didn’t know whether to scream, run, or lean in.
I didn’t like him. I didn’t even trust him. But there was something. Something I didn’t have a name for.
Something that scared me.