Chapter 55 Fifty Five

Chapter 55 Fifty Five
LUCAS

Work resumed as usual, and Valerie had left before me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d missed something important.

The unanswered questions, the look in her eyes when she said good night; it felt like she was already letting something go.

I spent most of the night replaying everything, searching for the moment things had shifted.

Her refusal to speak, the smile she wore like a shield, the distance she put between us. Whatever was happening, she wasn’t ready to tell me.

And for the first time, I realized I might already be losing ground.

“Mr. Castillo.”

I blinked at Collins, tense at the end of the table, tablet in hand. Logan sat across from him, clearly aware my mind wasn’t in the room.

“Sir… if you have any questions regarding the projections—”

I glanced at the screen behind him, then back at Collins. Truth was, I hadn’t caught every detail. But Collins was solid. Precise.

One of the few people in this company who never wasted my time.

I straightened in my chair, tugged my suit jacket into place, and rested my hands on the desk.

“The numbers are clean,” I said evenly.

“Your risk assessment is conservative but smart. The rollout timeline is realistic, and the contingency buffer is fine. Proceed with phase two as outlined. Loop legal in before final execution. Good work.”

For a second, he just stared at me, then let out a relieved laugh.

“Thank you, sir. I genuinely appreciate it.”

I gave him a curt nod. “You’re dismissed.”

“Yes, sir.”

When the door clicked shut, silence returned. I leaned back, closing my eyes. Valerie’s face surfaced again. Too calm, too distant. Like she was already gone.

“You didn’t hear a word of that presentation, did you?” Logan asked.

“I heard enough,” I said flatly.

“What is going on? Have you told her?”

I related everything that happened yesterday to him.

“She’s… tired.”

That hit harder than I expected. I dragged a hand down my face. “I tried to talk to her last night. She wouldn’t let me.”

“Because she’s already decided something,” Logan said.

“About what?”

“About leaving.”

I looked away, standing. The chair screeched softly. I grabbed my phone and walked out. Logan followed.

“How sure are you?” I asked.

“Seriously, Lucas? You of all people should know,” he scoffed.

I stopped. “Know what?”

“The number of times you’ve pushed her away. The ways you’ve hurt her—even unknowingly. Of course she’d want to leave, especially now.”

I remembered this morning. I wanted us to leave together. She shook her head. “I’ll go separately.” She had said.

Calm. Reasonable. And she was right but it still hurt.

“She’s slipping out of my hands,” I muttered.

“Because she’s already halfway gone,” Logan said softly.

“She won’t even tell me what’s wrong. How do I fix something when I don't know where it went wrong?”

“I know that pretending that nothing is wrong will definitely not fix anything,” Logan said quietly.

I exhaled sharply. “Then what am I supposed to do?”

“You realize you’ve been waiting for Vanessa, right?”

I tensed. “And you don’t want her back in your life. Not like that.”

“This isn’t losing control at work,” Logan said firmly. “You’re losing Valerie. And if you don’t make it right now, you’re going to lose her for real.”

My gaze lifted to her office door. I moved without thinking, past Logan, steps quickening.

“Lucas,” he called, but I didn’t stop.

“Where are you headed?”

“I need to speak with Valerie,” I said.

“I’ll be right back,” I cut him off, twisting the doorknob without knocking.

She was seated behind her desk, shoulders squared, posture too composed.

A few loose strands of hair fell across her face. She didn’t look up.

I shut the door behind me, knowing she had registered my presence. She always did but she just refused to acknowledge it.

Her pen moved steadily, even as I stopped in front of her desk.

“You’re really not going to look at me?” I asked.

She kept writing.

“We need to talk, Valerie.”

“Do you need a report?” she asked quietly.

She finally raised her eyes. The hurt hit me immediately—sharp, undeniable.

“Is this what we are now? Just business?”

“I’m tired,” she said honestly. “Please don’t push me.”

I placed my hands on either side of her desk, needing grounding, needing to be closer even if she wouldn’t let me in.

“I get it that you want to avoid questions. But what happened to us coming in together? Letting me handle it?”

“I didn’t want people asking questions.”

“I would’ve handled it.”

“I don’t need handling,” she replied. “I just need peace.”

“And shutting me out gives you that?”

She didn’t answer.

“You’ve been distant,” I said softly.

Her shoulders stiffened.

“You cried last night. You won’t tell me why.”

Her pen stilled. Slowly, she lifted her head. Our eyes met and held.

For a second, everything else faded. Raw. Restrained. Trembling beneath the surface. She looked fragile. Something breaking.

My chest tightened painfully. I saw the tears she was holding back, the strain in her jaw, the shallow breaths she forced.

“Valerie,” I said quietly.

She looked away first.

“I already said enough. Please… just leave.”

The words landed hard. Silence followed.

When she looked back, I knew she saw it—the hurt I couldn’t hide. The frustration snapped back into place like armor. Staying longer would break us both.

“Fine,” I said.

Even as I said it, I knew this wasn’t distance anymore. It was goodbye, inching closer.

I dragged a hand down my face, jaw tight.

Why couldn’t she just let me in?

How was I supposed to make things right when she wouldn’t speak?

No matter what—no matter what Vanessa tried—if the world found out, it wouldn’t matter. It had never been Vanessa I wanted. Only Valerie.

I stepped past her office door, determined to try again later.

Then a loud squeal cut through the hall. My body stiffened mid-step.

I recognized the voice…

It couldn’t be… could it?

I turned slowly. A pair of arms closed around me before I could react. I nearly lost my balance. Her perfume hit me first—familiar, intoxicating. My mouth fell open.

“Oh, Lucas baby,” she cooed. “How much I’ve missed you.”

The words shattered me. My eyes darted instinctively—and froze.

Not at Vanessa. Not at anyone else.

But at Valerie.

Her eyes flicked between me and Vanessa, wide and unguarded. Something inside her had broken—raw and fragile.

Shock held me frozen in place, every nerve screaming, every heartbeat louder than the last.