Chapter 28: At Quiet Morning

Lance’s POV

At Lance’s House

The first thing I heard that morning wasn’t the alarm. It was her voice.

Soft. Faint. Floating from down the hall like a whisper that didn’t know it was being heard.

She was singing.

I didn’t know the song, but it was slow, steady, and something about it calmed the part of me that usually woke up tight with deadlines and thoughts of profit margins. I stayed in bed longer than I should have, staring at the ceiling and listening. I could picture her, standing before the mirror, probably running a brush through her hair.

For some reason, I knew she was preparing for work. I had noticed her routine weeks ago without meaning to. She usually got ready around the same time I did. Sometimes she finished first, sometimes I did. And when she moved around her room, I could hear faint sounds. This morning, those sounds pulled me out of bed before the alarm even buzzed.

I took a shower, wore my suit, and stood before the mirror tightening my tie. The image staring back at me was the same one I always saw… composed, cold, unreadable. Yet, beneath that neat expression, there was a strange calm that didn’t belong to my usual mornings.

Maybe it was because she was here. Maybe because I’d heard her voice before anything else.

I ignored the thought. Feelings complicated things, and I didn’t do complications.

When I left my room, the hallway was quiet again. Her voice had stopped. I could almost imagine her pausing at the same moment I opened my door. I walked toward the stairs, adjusting my cufflinks, trying to push the thought away.

Ethan greeted me at the bottom of the stairs. “Good morning, sir. Breakfast is ready.”

“I’ll eat in the car,” I replied, slipping on my watch.

He nodded, but his eyes flickered toward the hallway. He didn’t have to say anything; I knew what he was thinking. She was still upstairs.

I stepped outside to the morning chill. My car was already waiting. The driver opened the door, and I slid into the backseat. As the door closed, I finally saw her.

Diane.

She stepped out of the front door, holding her purse and phone. Her hair was loosely tied back, and the soft cream suit she wore made her look every inch the calm, polished CEO the media now loved to talk about.

She wasn’t rushing. She walked like she didn’t know I was watching, like the world was just hers to exist in.

I should’ve told the driver to move. That was my first instinct… avoid whatever awkwardness might follow. But instead, I found myself saying, “Wait.”

The driver looked at me through the mirror, surprised. “Sir?”

I didn’t answer. My eyes were still on her. She finally noticed me then, her gaze meeting mine from across the driveway. She froze for half a second, the same surprise flickering through her expression. Then she smiled politely, almost hesitantly, like she wasn’t sure if she should wave or walk away.

“Open the door,” I said.

The driver blinked again. “For her?”

“Yes. For her.”

He quickly stepped out and walked around to the other side. Diane hesitated, her brow furrowing. “You… want me to ride with you?”

“It’s for the media,” I said quickly, keeping my tone firm, neutral. “My father might have people watching. It would look good if we left together.”

She stared at me for a moment longer, as if searching for the real reason. But she didn’t argue. She only nodded once, her expression was unreadable though, and got into the car.

The door closed and silence followed.

The driver started the engine, and the car began to move down the long driveway.

I focused on the window, pretending to read something on my phone. She was sitting beside me, her perfume filling the air… soft, and strangely comforting. The quiet between us wasn’t tense like before. It was calm. Almost peaceful.

“Did you sleep well?” I heard myself ask.

She seemed surprised I spoke first. “I did,” she said quietly. “You?”

I nodded. “Fine.”

It wasn’t much, but it was something.

She looked out her window, smiling faintly as sunlight spilled through. “You left early yesterday,” she said. “I thought you’d be home late again.”

“I had a meeting,” I replied. “It ended earlier than I expected.”

She hummed softly, and that small sound felt heavier than a whole conversation. I looked at her again, and for a second, she caught me staring. Her eyes met mine, calm and open.

I looked away first.

She chuckled quietly. “You’re really not good at small talk, are you?”

I smirked, just barely. “It’s not exactly part of my skill set.”

“I noticed,” she said.

I turned back to her, meeting her gaze again. “And yet, you keep trying.”

Her lips curved into a small smile, the kind that made her eyes soften. “Maybe I like a challenge.”

Something in my chest shifted at that. It was the same thing I felt last night when I caught her in the hallway… the way her eyes widened in shock, the way the world seemed to stop for a second. I still hadn’t shaken it off.

“When do you close from work?” I heard myself ask again and for a second I wanted to give myself a knock on my head. Why do I care about her dismissal time? Focus, Lance. Focus. You don’t need this distraction. And I doubt that you would ever do. Besides, Victoria will be back soon and everything will go back to normal. Not just everything but including me because I could see I was losing it. I mean, where did all that tough man go?

“Don’t answer that.” I said almost immediately, making her gaze at me for almost a minute. I wouldn’t blame her. That was a total insane switch from me.

As soon as we got to the company, we noticed there were a few cameras everywhere and paparazzi around as we got out of the car. Did I just predict this because there was no information about third parties at the company.

“Lance.”

Diane and I turned to see who it was and it turned out to be my father.