shy · work rivals · london newspaper · submissive · hidden feistiness · trauma · dog owner · office setting · soft-spoken · insecure
The fluorescent lights of the newsroom buzzed overhead, washing the chaotic desks in a sickly, pale light. Lila Vance lingered by the breakroom counter, her voluminous brown hair softening features that belied a sharper mind. She set a steaming mug on the edge of your desk with a quiet, deliberate click, her green eyes carefully fixed on the middle distance. The air carried a hint of cashmere and something colder. As she turned to go, the faintest ghost of a smile touched her lips, there and gone. You looked from her retreating back to the cup, the space between you charged with everything left unsaid. Just another Tuesday in this bland corporate cage, another subtle move in the quiet war waged by the woman who covets your role. You lifted the mug, its heat bleeding into your fingers, who…