Chapter 55 Chapter 55
Chapter 55
“I’ll be leaving now. And Ariana, have it in your mind Mr. Castellan and I share nothing. He’s just my boss.” Celine said, pulling her bag over her shoulder.
Ariana raised a brow the way she always did whenever she doubted something. “If you say so. But don’t forget to take your drugs before leaving. You know how your migraines start when you stress yourself too much.”
Celine sighed. “I’m okay. I won’t forget. I’ll see you later.” She forced a smile and walked out.
She didn’t want to think about the weekend. She didn’t want to think about waking up and seeing Ethan staring at her like he wasn’t sure if she was real. She didn’t want to think about the way he raised his head from her lap like he’d been caught doing something wrong.
She didn’t want to think about how she ran out like a thief.
Everything was messy… and embarrassing.
She exhaled sharply and flagged down a bus.
Today, she promised herself, she would act normal. She would be professional. She would pretend nothing happened.
Nothing happened, she reminded herself again.
Even though something did.
\---
“Never had a good sleep again… tch.” Ethan muttered as he leaned back in his office chair, one hand rubbing the middle of his forehead.
He didn’t sleep after she left. He laid awake the rest of the night, staring at the ceiling, replaying the moment over and over again—the warmth, the quiet, the strange peace he hadn’t felt in almost a year.
He didn’t understand her.
He didn’t understand himself either.
He was still thinking when the door opened.
Celine stepped in.
Their eyes almost met before she looked away so fast he wondered if she was training for some Olympic avoidance sport. She dropped a calm “Good morning, sir” and walked straight to her desk at the end of the office.
She didn’t look at him. Not even once.
Ethan kept his eyes on his computer screen but he wasn’t reading anything. He could see her from the corner of his eye the stiff shoulders, the straight back, the way she typed like she was angry at the keyboard.
Tch.
Was she angry at him?
For what?
He didn’t do anything wrong. He only… slept.
On her lap.
He cleared his throat and tried to focus on work, but his mind kept pulling him back to her. He didn’t like this feeling. He didn’t like that he cared she wasn’t looking at him.
He tried to shake it off.
Hours passed.
Celine worked quietly, barely moving from her desk.
Around noon, a message from HR flashed on her phone. She stood up, still not looking his way, and walked out.
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
This girl… what was her problem?
\---
Downstairs, HR handed her a stack of documents and explained a few things. She nodded, took notes, and did her best to keep her head clear.
“You look pale,” HR commented. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, ma. I’m fine,” she answered, even though a small part of her felt a bit off.
She always avoided the elevator. Her fear of heights was embarrassing. So when HR left the office and she picked up her files, she headed straight to the stairs.
Her head throbbed a little.
Probably because she rushed out earlier and forgot her drugs.
She kept walking.
By the fifth step, her vision blurred for a second.
By the tenth, her legs felt light.
She reached the next floor, pushed the door open, and walked into the hallway leading back to Ethan’s office.
She forced herself to keep going.
Just a few more steps…
But everything suddenly spun.
Her fingers loosened around the files and they scattered to the floor. She held her head, trying to steady herself.
“Not now… please,” she whispered.
And then her knees gave out.
The floor met her body, cold and hard.
\---
Ethan was on the phone when he heard the faint thud. A sound so small it could have been ignored. But something in him tightened. He dropped the call instantly and stood.
Something was wrong.
He didn’t wait for logic or permission. He walked out of his office, his steps sharp and quick, and the moment he turned the corner, he saw her on the floor.
Celine.
Collapsed.
His heart jumped into his throat.
“Celine!”
He ran.
Not walked. Not jogged.
He sprinted to her like someone dragged his breath away.
He knelt beside her, panic taking over him before he could stop it. His hands trembled slightly as he lifted her head.
“Celine… hey… look at me.”
Her eyes were half-closed, unfocused.
His chest tightened with something he refused to name.
He cupped her face.
His palms were shaking.
“Celine… talk to me. What happened?”
She tried to breathe, tried to answer, but her voice came out faint. “I… I think it’s my head…”
Her eyes fluttered again.
Ethan swallowed hard, ignoring the strange fear crawling up his spine.
He lifted her gently, supporting her neck and holding her close like she was something breakable.
“Stay with me,” he whispered—not an order, not a command.
A plea.
He didn’t care who walked past or who saw them. He didn’t care that he had never touched anyone like this before.
He only cared that she wasn’t responding properly.
He brushed a soft strand of hair off her face, his thumb brushing her cheek unconsciously.
Her skin was warm. Too warm.
He cursed under his breath and tried to steady his hands.
“Celine, you should have told me you weren’t feeling well,” he said, his voice lower than usual.
She blinked slowly, struggling to keep her eyes open.
“You… you were busy, sir,” she whispered.
Busy?
He almost scoffed.
He’d throw his entire schedule in the trash if she said one word.
He didn’t say it out loud. He couldn’t. But the thought flashed through him uninvited.
He gently tapped her cheek. “Stay awake. You hear me?”
She nodded weakly.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself not to panic, and lifted her fully into his arms. She wasn’t heavy, but for some reason, he held her like she might slip away any second.
He carried her back into the office.
Everyone who saw them froze.
Ethan didn’t bother explaining. He didn’t owe anyone an explanation.
He only cared about the girl in his arms.
\---
He laid her gently on the office couch and placed a cushion under her head. He knelt next to her, brushing hair away from her face again—something he’d never imagine himself doing for anyone.
“Don’t sleep yet,” he said quietly.
She opened her eyes a little. “I’m just… dizzy, sir. I didn’t take my drugs before coming.”
He closed his eyes for a second.
She forgot her drugs. Because of everything that happened.
Because of him.
A strange guilt rose inside him
.
He stood quickly and grabbed a bottle of water from the table. His movements were sharp, restless. He came back and tilted the bottle for her to sip.
“Drink.”
She obeyed quietly.
Her breathing settled a little.
He watched her face the whole time. Every small reaction. Every blink. Every wince.
She felt real in a way that scared him.
When she tried to sit up, he placed a hand on her shoulder.
“No. Rest first.”
“But work—”
“I said rest.”
She went quiet.
He didn’t even raise his voice. But something in his tone made her stop trying.
Celine closed her eyes again, breathing slowly.
Ethan sat on the edge of the table, his arms crossed but his eyes glued to her.
This wasn’t normal.
None of this was normal.
Why did his chest feel tight seeing her fall?
Why did his hands shake holding her?
Why did he care so much?
He didn’t want to think about the answers.
He just watched her.
Minutes passed. Her breathing evened out. The dizziness faded.
She finally whispered, “Thank you, sir.”
He looked at her sharply.
“Don’t scare me like that again.”
The words slipped out before he could catch them.
She blinked, confused.
He cleared his throat and tried to hide the emotions his face almost betrayed.
“You should always take your drugs before coming to work,” he said, voice firm again.
“Okay,” she murmured.
He stood up, trying to gain back his usual cold posture.
But his heart wasn’t cold.
Not anymore.
And he didn’t understand why.
He stared at her for another long second before turning away, pretending he needed to check something on his desk.
But his mind wasn’t on his work.
It was on her.
Lying there.
Breathing slowly.