Chapter 29 Watching
Tuesday Morning
Elena was at her desk reviewing contracts when Felicia stepped off the elevator.
Perfectly styled. Designer suit. Confident smile.
Heading straight for Alexander's office.
Elena's chest tightened.
Felicia knocked once, then entered without waiting for a response. Through the glass wall, Elena could see her greeting Alexander, see him stand politely, see them shake hands.
Professional. Appropriate.
It shouldn't hurt. They worked together. This was business.
But watching Felicia's hand linger on Alexander's arm made Elena want to break something.
She forced her eyes back to her computer screen.
Ten minutes later, Victoria emerged from her office. "Elena. Conference room. Now."
Elena grabbed her tablet and followed.
Inside, Alexander and Felicia were already seated. Felicia's smile was pleasant and sharp.
"Ah, Elena. Good." Victoria settled at the head of the table. "Sterling wants a site visit to our new distribution facility. Joint oversight, ensuring our partnership is functioning smoothly. Alexander will represent our interests. Felicia will represent Sterling's."
Elena's stomach dropped. "And you need me to—"
"Take notes. Coordinate logistics. Make sure nothing's missed." Victoria's tone left no room for argument. "The three of you will spend tomorrow touring the facility, reviewing operations, preparing a joint report."
Tomorrow. An entire day. The three of them.
"Understood," Elena managed.
"Excellent." Felicia's smile widened slightly. "I'm looking forward to working closely with you both."
Alexander said nothing, just nodded.
The meeting continued—details, expectations, timelines. Elena took notes mechanically, acutely aware of Felicia sitting across from her, of Alexander carefully not looking in her direction.
When it ended, Felicia stood gracefully. "Alexander, walk me out?"
He hesitated for the briefest moment. Then: "Of course."
They left together, Felicia's hand on his arm again, her laugh carrying back down the hallway.
Elena sat frozen until Victoria cleared her throat.
"The logistics, Elena. I need them finalized by end of day."
"Yes. Sorry. I'll handle it."
She escaped to her desk and tried not to think about Alexander walking Felicia to the elevator, tried not to imagine what they were saying, tried not to care.
Failed spectacularly.
Wednesday Morning
The company car arrived at eight.
Elena slid into the back seat, clutching her tablet like armor. Alexander was already there, looking out the window, expression unreadable.
"Morning," she said quietly.
"Morning."
That was it. No smile. No warmth. Just professional courtesy.
The driver loaded her bag into the trunk just as another car pulled up.
Felicia emerged, looking perfect despite the early hour. She slid in beside Alexander—the middle seat, close enough that their arms touched.
"Good morning!" Her cheerfulness felt weaponized. "Isn't this exciting? Our first joint project."
"Very exciting," Alexander said neutrally.
The drive to the distribution facility was ninety minutes.
Felicia filled the silence with chatter about Sterling's operations, asking Alexander questions that required detailed answers, effectively monopolizing his attention.
Elena stared out her window and took notes when necessary.
Halfway there, Felicia laughed at something Alexander said—the sound bright and performative.
"You're so clever. I can see why Victoria relies on you." Her hand touched his arm. Again. "We should collaborate more often."
"Perhaps."
Noncommittal. But he didn't move his arm away.
Elena's chest ached.
This was what she'd feared. What she'd known would happen.
Alexander moving on, finding someone appropriate, someone without complications.
Felicia was perfect for him. Same world, No secrets, no baggage, no hidden children.
Everything Elena wasn't.
She blinked hard against the burning in her eyes and focused on her notes.
The distribution facility was massive—warehouses stretching across acres, loading docks busy with trucks, workers moving with practiced efficiency.
The site manager greeted them, a jovial man named Patterson who clearly knew Felicia well.
"Ms. Moreno! Pleasure as always. And you must be Mr. Thorne. Welcome, welcome."
They toured the facility, Patterson explaining operations while Felicia asked intelligent questions and Alexander listened intently.
Elena followed three steps behind, tablet in hand, documenting everything.
Invisible. Forgotten. Exactly what she was supposed to be.
In the main warehouse, Felicia and Alexander stood close, reviewing inventory systems on a display screen. Their heads nearly touched, both focused on the same data.
They looked good together. Matched. Like they belonged side by side.
Elena's hand trembled slightly as she typed notes.
She froze watching them.
"And here's our automated sorting system," Patterson was saying. "Cuts processing time by forty percent—"
"Impressive," Felicia said. "Alexander, you should see this. The efficiency gains alone would justify the partnership."
He moved closer, studying the system.
Felicia's hand rested on his back—just lightly, casually, like she had every right.
Elena looked away before she did something pathetic like cry.
At noon, they broke for lunch at a small restaurant near the facility.
The hostess led them to a table. Felicia slid into the booth beside Alexander without hesitation. Elena took the seat across, alone.
Menus appeared. The waitress hovered, pen ready.
"I'll have the Caesar salad," Felicia said. "Dressing on the side."
"Grilled chicken sandwich," Alexander said, then paused. "And the soup of the day. Tomato basil, extra crackers."
The waitress nodded, turned to Elena. "And for you?"
Elena blinked. "The soup is fine. Tomato basil."
"Perfect," the waitress said, collecting menus.
After she left, Felicia touched Alexander's arm. "You're so thoughtful, ordering exactly what I was considering."
"Actually—" Alexander started, then stopped. His eyes flicked to Elena for the first time all day.
The soup. Her favorite. The extra crackers—the way she always ate it at the office.
He'd ordered for her. Without thinking. Muscle memory from all those lunches they'd shared.
Then caught himself too late to change it.
Felicia didn't notice. But Elena did.
Her throat tightened.
"So," Felicia said brightly, turning her attention fully to Alexander. "Tell me about London. I've heard the program you completed was incredibly competitive."
He answered, and they fell into easy conversation about his research, about international markets, about shared connections in their social circles.
Elena sat silent, soup growing cold in front of her, watching them talk like she wasn't even there.
This was her future. Watching from the sidelines while Alexander lived his life with someone suitable. Someone who fit.
Someone who wasn't her.
The meal lasted an hour. Every minute was torture.
Back at the facility, the tour continued.
Patterson showed them the shipping department, the quality control systems, the break room renovations meant to improve worker morale.
Felicia stayed close to Alexander, their conversation easy and professional. He responded politely, asked good questions, maintained appropriate distance.
But he never looked at Elena.
Not once.
At three, they finished the tour and headed back to the car.
Felicia was texting someone as they walked across the parking lot. Alexander walked ahead, hands in his pockets, lost in thought.
Elena trailed behind, exhausted from holding herself together.
At the car, the driver loaded their materials.
Felicia tucked her phone away and turned to Elena with a bright smile. "Elena, could you help me with something?"
"Of course."
They walked a few steps away, ostensibly toward Felicia's dropped pen.
When they were out of earshot, Felicia's smile turned cold.
"Mother told me about Saturday," she said quietly. "The little scene at your house. Very dramatic."
Elena's face heated. "I don't—"
"You thought you could keep it secret. The child." Felicia's eyes glittered with satisfaction. "But secrets always come out, don't they?"
"What do you want?"
"I want you to understand something." She stepped closer, voice dropping to a whisper. "You can't compete with me, Elena. Look at him." She gestured toward Alexander, who was checking his phone by the car. "Look at us together. We match. We make sense. You? You're a complication he doesn't need."
"I'm not trying to compete—"
"Good. Because you'd lose." Felicia's smile returned, saccharine sweet. "Alexander deserves someone from his world. Someone without bastard children and shameful secrets. Someone like me."
"He doesn't want you," Elena said, hating how her voice shook.
"Doesn't he?" Felicia glanced at Alexander again. "He's been perfectly attentive all day. We've laughed, talked, connected. While you—" She looked Elena up and down. "You've been exactly what you are. The help."
The words struck deep.
"Now." Felicia's tone turned businesslike. "We're going to walk back to that car, and you're going to spend the drive home watching me do what you never could. Fit into his life."
She turned and walked away, leaving Elena standing alone in the parking lot.q
The drive back was worse than the morning.
Felicia was energized, talking about expansion plans, about partnership opportunities, about a charity gala next month where she hoped Alexander would be her date.
"You'll come, won't you?" she asked, hand on his arm again. "It's for pediatric cancer research. Very important cause."
"I'll check my calendar."
"Please do. I'd love to have you there." She smiled. "We'd make quite the entrance together."
Elena stared out the window, Felicia's words echoing.
You can't compete with me.
She wasn't trying to compete. That would require being in the same race.
But Felicia was right about one thing. She and Alexander matched. Made sense together.
While Elena was just the assistant. The single mother with secrets. The complication.
She'd been stupid to ever think she could be anything more.
They arrived back at the office at six.
"Thank you for today," Felicia said as they exited the car. "It was incredibly productive. Alexander, I'll email you my notes?"
"Please do."
"Wonderful." She touched his arm one final time. "We make a good team."
Then she left, heels clicking across the parking garage, leaving Elena and Alexander standing by the car.
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, Alexander spoke. "You should go home. It's late."
Not let me drive you. Not wait, we should talk. Just go home.
"Right. Yes." Elena clutched her tablet. "I'll send you the logistics report."
"Fine."
She turned to walk away.
"Elena."
She stopped but didn't turn around. Couldn't face him.
"The soup," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to—I just—"
"I know."
"I'm sorry."
For the soup? For everything? For the fact that this was their reality now?
"Me too," she whispered.
Then she walked away before she broke completely.
Elena's POV - The Night
At home, after Leo was asleep, Elena sat in the shower and cried.
Great, silent sobs that she muffled with her hand, water washing away the tears as fast as they fell.
She'd watched all day. Watched Felicia touch Alexander's arm. Watched them talk easily. Watched what could have been hers slip further away with every smile, every laugh, every moment of natural compatibility.
And the worst part?
She couldn't even blame him.
Felicia was perfect for him. Would fit into his world seamlessly. Never complicate his life with secrets and shame.
Would never break his trust the way Elena had.
The water ran cold. She turned it off and sat shivering on the shower floor, wondering how long she could keep doing this.
Working beside him. Watching him move on. Pretending her heart wasn't shattering more every day.
She didn't have an answer.
Just the knowledge that tomorrow she'd have to do it all over again.
And the day after that.
And the day after that.
For as long as it took for this job to end or for her heart to finally accept what her head already knew.
Alexander Thorne wasn't hers.
Had never really been hers.
And watching from the sidelines was all she had left.