Chapter 25
Elena's POV
I arrived at the conference hall thirty minutes early, hoping to claim a back-row seat where I could blend into the crowd. The building was nearly empty—just the hum of heating vents and my footsteps echoing in the stairwell.
Then I caught that scent.
I stopped mid-step without meaning to. The air suddenly felt thicker, pulling me forward.
I looked up.
Caleb stood on the landing above, leaning against the railing with an unlit cigarette between his fingers. His eyes locked on mine, and for a second I forgot how to breathe.
"Why are you here?" he said.
"I—" My throat tightened. "I came to check out the career fair. Lila said there'd be recruiters from—"
"Vance Industries," he finished. His tone had gone flat. "I know."
Of course. Of course he was here to recruit. Not because he wanted to see me or—
Stop it, Elena. Just stop.
I opened my mouth to say something—anything—when rapid footsteps echoed from above, and a voice called out, "There you are!"
A guy appeared at the top of the stairs, carrying two paper coffee cups and grinning like he'd just won the lottery. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with messy brown hair and an energy that filled the entire stairwell. "I was gonna get you black coffee, but they didn't have—" He stopped mid-sentence when he spotted me. His grin widened. "Oh. Oh."
Caleb's expression didn't change, but his entire body went rigid.
"Hector," he said, voice edged with warning.
Hector ignored him, bounding toward me with his hand outstretched. "Hi! You must be—"
Caleb moved. One moment he was leaning against the railing. The next he was between us, his body a solid wall blocking Hector's approach. The shift in energy was instant and overwhelming—like the temperature had dropped ten degrees.
Hector stopped short, hands up in surrender, coffee nearly sloshing over the rim. "Whoa. Okay. Message received, boss."
Hector took a step back. But his smile didn't fade. It widened. "Your territory, your rules."
Heat flooded my face. What the hell was happening?
Caleb's shoulders were tense. I'd never seen him like this—protective and possessive in a way that made my pulse spike.
Then Hector glanced at me, winked, and said, "By the way, I'm Hector Brown. Caleb's friend. Also his babysitter when he forgets to eat or sleep."
"Hector." Caleb's voice was low now.
"What? I'm being friendly!" Hector turned back to me, still grinning. "You should add me on Facebook. I post all the embarrassing photos he doesn't want anyone to see."
I couldn't help it. I laughed. It came out as a startled, breathless sound, but it was real. And when I glanced at Caleb, I saw something I'd never seen before: exasperation. His brow furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line, but there was no real anger there. Just—annoyance. Like he was dealing with an overexcited puppy.
He's not always cold, I realized. He just... doesn't let people see this side.
The thought made my chest tighten.
"I should—" I gestured vaguely toward the conference hall. "I should go inside."
Caleb's eyes snapped back to mine, and for a heartbeat I thought he might say something.
But he just nodded. "Right."
I hurried past them, my heart pounding so hard. When I reached the door, I couldn't stop myself from glancing back. Caleb was watching me. His expression was unreadable again, but Hector leaned in close and murmured something I couldn't hear. Whatever it was made Caleb's jaw clench, and he turned away sharply.
---
Inside the hall, Lila had already claimed two seats in the back row. She waved me over, eyes bright with curiosity. "You're here early. What happened to 'I'll probably skip this'?"
"Changed my mind," I said, sliding into the seat beside her.
The conference hall gradually began to fill. I looked down at my phone, trying to calm myself.
"Hey."
A voice came from the side. I looked up to find Hector standing in the aisle, still holding his coffee, looking slightly sheepish.
"Sorry to bother you," he said, nodding at me. "I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I shouldn't have been so forward. The boss—uh, Caleb—said I was being rude."
Lila immediately turned to look at me, her eyes screaming "what's going on."
"It's fine," I said.
Hector relaxed, grinning. "Great. I was worried you'd think I was weird." He glanced at the nearby empty seats. "Mind if I sit here? The front seats are all taken by students, and they'll definitely ask a bunch of technical questions I can't answer."
"Of course," Lila said before I could respond, immediately extending her hand. "I'm Lila, Elena's roommate."
"Hector," he said, shaking her hand and settling into the seat next to us.
"You're from Vance Industries?" Lila asked.
"Yeah." Hector took a sip of his coffee. "Mainly here to recruit. Though honestly, we have a pretty specific target—just one person."
"Who?" Lila asked curiously.
"Ethan Harris," Hector said, his whole face lighting up. "Genius-level. The boss has been trying to recruit him for months."
Lila's eyes went wide. "Wait. Ethan? He's my idol."
They launched into an animated discussion about Ethan's work, but I wasn't listening anymore. My gaze drifted toward the front of the room, searching. Would Caleb give the presentation? Or would he just sit in the background and let someone else talk?
---
The lights dimmed, and the hall went quiet. Caleb walked onto the stage alongside Ethan.
Lila elbowed me. "They're both really hot," she whispered.
I barely heard her. Caleb wore a dark suit today, perfectly tailored, his expression as cold and controlled as ever.
The presentation began. Ethan did most of the talking, his enthusiasm almost infectious as he explained complex algorithms and predictive models. The PowerPoint slides were filled with graphs and equations that might as well have been written in a foreign language.
I tried to follow along. I really did. But every time Caleb spoke—his voice low and precise, cutting through the noise—my focus shattered. I found myself staring at him instead of the screen.
Stop it, Elena.
But I couldn't. At one point, Caleb paused mid-sentence and his gaze swept across the room. It landed on me for just a second—barely long enough to register—but it was enough to make me notice. I looked down quickly, heat flooding my face.
Halfway through the presentation, Lila nudged me again and slid her tablet across the armrest between us. The screen showed her familiar "Folklore Research Notes," but this page was titled: Mate Bonding: The Three Stages of Marking.
My stomach dropped.