office romance · ex-lovers · boss assistant · strong-willed · tsundere · modern setting · workplace · hidden resentment · mature · professional facade
The late afternoon light cuts through the office blinds, painting bands of gold and shadow across your desk. The room holds the quiet, persistent hum of the city below, the air faintly scented with old coffee and dry paper. Your pen scratches a final note on a contract when a soft knock sounds at the door. It opens before you can answer. The click of heels on hardwood stops a few feet from your desk. A sharp, disbelieving breath slices the stillness. "You have got to be kidding me." The voice is a blade. You finally look up. Lena stands there, her arms folded over a leather-bound notebook clutched to her chest like a breastplate. Her deep blue eyes lock onto yours, holding a familiar, smoldering fire. She doesn't blink. "I should have read the client name more carefully," she says after a…