Chapter 26 Chapter 26
Chapter 26
She had caught a cold because of the rain yesterday.
Her nose was slightly red, and her voice came out a little rough when she spoke that morning. Still, she managed to get dressed, wrapping a big cream-colored cardigan over her white shirt before heading to work.
Celine had that calm charm that made everyone at Castellan Enterprise like her. She didn’t talk much, but her warmth drew people in. Every morning she walked through the office doors with that gentle smile, and everyone noticed it.
“Good morning,” she said softly as she passed the front desks.
“Morning, Miss Celine,” one of the interns greeted.
“She’s so beautiful,” another whispered.
“I swear, she looks like she walked out of a movie,” the other replied, and they both chuckled quietly.
Celine smiled faintly. Compliments didn’t move her much, but they did make her feel seen — even if she was just another assistant in a tall glass building filled with people who worked for the Castellans.
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The elevator ride up was always her least favorite part of the day. She hated the glass walls — how she could see everything below, the people, the streets, the cars, all moving like dots. It made her dizzy. She faced the wall instead and held her bag tight until the elevator stopped at the last floor.
She was late — an hour late.
Her heart pounded when she saw the time on her wristwatch. “Oh no,” she muttered, stepping out quickly.
As she opened the door to the CEO’s office, she froze. Ethan Castellan was already seated behind his desk. His laptop was open, papers scattered around, his expression cold and unreadable as always.
He didn’t even lift his eyes at first. Then, without warning, his voice cut the air.
“Why are you late?”
Celine stopped at the door. “I ”
He looked up slowly, his eyes sharp. “I remember saying I needed those files ready yesterday evening because I needed them this morning. Am I wrong?”
Her fingers trembled around her bag strap. “No, sir… you’re not wrong. I’m sorry, Mr. Castellan. I wasn’t feeling ”
“I didn’t ask for an excuse,” he said flatly, closing his laptop. “You’re here to work, not to test how patient I can be.”
His words hit her hard. She lowered her gaze. “I understand, sir.”
“Then get to work,” he said coldly, turning back to his laptop.
Celine’s throat tightened, but she just nodded and quietly walked to her desk.
\---
The rest of the morning dragged. She barely spoke. Her head was still aching from the cold, but she forced herself to type, to arrange, to finish what was pending. She hated disappointing anyone — and today, she had disappointed the one man everyone feared disappointing.
Around noon, she finished the files she had left undone yesterday. She walked quietly to Ethan’s desk, holding them in both hands.
“Here, sir,” she said, her voice small, eyes on the floor.
Ethan glanced at her, collected the files without a word, and began flipping through. He didn’t find any error. Everything was done perfectly, neat as always.
He gave a short nod. “You can go.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said softly and turned to leave.
She walked back to her desk and sat down quietly. She didn’t feel like herself today.
Normally she’d hum softly while working, maybe take a break to get her usual cup of coffee. But today she just stared at her laptop, working in silence.
\---
Across the room, Ethan looked up briefly. He noticed it — the quietness.
Celine wasn’t the type to talk unnecessarily, but there was something different today. She was pale, slow, and her usual small energy seemed gone.
Normally she’d get her coffee before lunch, always with that same calm smile. But she hadn’t moved from her seat in hours.
He brushed it off at first. It wasn’t his business.
Still, for a brief second, his eyes stayed on her — the way she rubbed her hands together, maybe from the cold, and how she coughed lightly once in a while.
He turned his gaze back to his screen. How does that concern me? he thought.
He wasn’t the type to care.
Celine finished packing her desk slowly, her movements small and tired. She looked pale, her nose still red from the cold she caught the day before.
She had been quiet all day no soft humming, no small jokes to the other clerks, nothing.
As she reached for her bag, she stopped for a moment and turned to him. Ethan was seated, focused on the screen like always, his face unreadable. She hesitated, her lips parting slightly as if deciding whether to say something or not.
Then she spoke softly.
“Goodnight, Mr. Castellan.”
Her voice wasn’t cheerful it carried a calm politeness, gentle and respectful, almost as if she wanted to leave the day behind without bitterness.
Ethan froze for a moment. He hadn’t expected her to say anything to him.
Most people he’d worked with before would’ve stayed angry or distant after being scolded. He thought she would too walk straight past him without a word, maybe throw him a cold glance to prove a point.
But no. She still greeted him, the same way she always did, even after the way he had spoken to her that morning.
He turned his head slightly, just enough to see her heading toward the door. Her steps were small and quiet, her cardigan hanging loosely over her shoulders.
For a brief second, his mind drifted where it shouldn’t.
That gentle tone of hers, the way she tried to stay kind even when hurt it reminded him of her.
Isabelle.
He pushed his chair back and stood up. For a moment, his gaze fell on her empty desk the mug she always used, the little paper note stuck beside
her monitor, the neatly arranged pens. Everything about it was tidy, just like her.
With a low sigh, he turned off the lights and walked out. The office door closed behind him, leaving the room in quiet darkness.