Chapter 53

Aurelia's POV

I got down on my knees and touched the card. There was no sender name.

Of course.

I brought the bouquet into the kitchen and placed it on the counter, trying to determine if I should throw it away or burn it. I pulled out my phone and checked for messages. Nothing new. I flung the phone onto the couch and sat beside it, staring at the flowers until the room felt too confining.

I wanted to call someone, maybe Leo or Audrey, but I didn't want to go into specifics. I took the flowers to the balcony, made tea instead and forced myself to watch a show.

++++++++

Morning came swiftly. I woke up to the smell of roses even though I had taken the bouquet out onto the balcony. I prepared for work and left early, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ethan in the cafeteria again, maybe talk about something random.

The ride on the elevator was taking longer than usual. I went into the cafeteria and it was packed with people but I didn't see him. I stood in line to get coffee, scanning about. No Ethan. Maybe he was on the floor already.

I set my coffee down by our table and checked my phone for a text but there was none. I told myself he was running late.

I sat down and booted up my laptop. There were emails piling up, none of which were from Ethan.

By lunchtime, I was thinking about what had occurred. I decided to check on the afternoon meeting.

The meeting continued. Numbers, charts, and more talk about the new project. I took notes and tried to look serious. After it was finished I headed straight to my boss's office.

"Excuse me," I said, interrupting. "Has Ethan been in today? I didn't see him there."

“Yes," my boss said, looking up from his computer. "We sent him to another branch this morning. One of our investors asked for him personally to review a project there. He's one of our top recommended staff, so we sent him on right away."

I held on to the doorframe. "Which investor?"

He looked at a sheet of paper on his desk. "Killian Moretti. Why?"

I attempted a small smile. "Just curious. Thanks.".

I went back to my desk, my mind reeling. Killian. Of course, it would be him.

Ethan didn't even get a chance to get out of there.

I sat down and stared at my computer screen. Messages appeared on my phone but no Ethan calls. I wanted to call him, but I didn't. What was I going to tell him? Hey, I think some guy you don't know is stringing you along like a puppet because of me?

The idea made my stomach churn.

Hours passed. I kept working but my mind stayed stuck on Killian and wondering why Ethan wouldn't text. I had given him my number the other day and thought he would at least attempt to text.

Was it that he did not want to come off as desperate?

Or could his not texting have something to do with Killian

I sighed and tried to focus even more.

Just how many days into my internship and that idiot was already doing the most.

"Hello, Miss?" An all too familiar voice called out. "What's your name?"

"Stop acting like you don't know," I hissed, glancing up to see Killian. "And can you fuck off?"

"Now miss, that's no way to talk to an investor, is it?" He questioned, lifting his brows.

"Aurelia you dimwit. Stop asking like you don't know my name."

His eyes glanced at the flower vase and smirked. "You even put it in a vase and changed the water huh?"

"Don't think too highly of yourself," I scoffed, giving him a stink eye. "I left it on my table and someone did that."

"You could have trashed it."

"This is the office. We should talk about important stuff. Like why you suddenly have an interest in oil and gas, and construction of pipelines, and why you need to consult with geologists."

"I've always had an interest in that. In fact, I have a pipeline to Uzbekistan."

"Showing off now, are we?" I asked, bitterness etched into my tone.

He gave a quiet laugh and rested a hand on the back of the empty chair across from me. “Not showing off. You study geology, right? That means you should know why Uzbekistan matters.”

I frowned but curiosity slipped in before I could stop it. “Plenty of countries have pipelines. Why there?”

“Because the ground there is tricky,” he said, pulling out the chair and sitting without waiting for an invitation. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “They’ve got long stretches of sandstone and salt layers that shift when the weather changes. Makes drilling a nightmare.”

I raised a brow. “You actually know that?”

He smirked. “I read reports. And I listen when people who know better explain it.”

I crossed my arms. “Then you know salt domes can trap gas pockets and create pressure zones. You can’t just lay a line and hope it stays put.”

He tilted his head. “Exactly. So what would you do?”

I reached for my pen without thinking, drawing a rough shape on the edge of a scrap of paper. “You’d need constant seismic checks, and you’d have to watch the groundwater. The salt can leach out and create sinkholes. It’s not about rushing a pipeline in—it’s about keeping it from collapsing five years later and then causing a hazard to those who live there.”

He watched the pen move. “You sound like someone who’s been doing this for a while, but you're only in college Lia.”

I shrugged. “I study. I read. It’s my job to know.”

“Still,” he said, a small smile forming, “you’re really smart. And that's why I chose you. Not because of any hidden agenda.”

Heat crept up my neck before I could stop it. I cleared my throat and slid the paper aside. “It’s basic geology. Anyone in the field knows that.”