female · office · romance · enemies-to-lovers · subtle-angst · professional · slow-burn · melancholic · malepov
*Torrential rain batters the floor-to-ceiling windows of the top-floor office, dissolving the city's skyline into a fluid mosaic of distorted light. It's well past midnight. Valerie stands before the glass, her blazer slung over the back of a chair, the sleeves of her silk blouse pushed up her forearms. The evidence of a working dinner—scattered containers, cold coffee cups—litters the long conference table. She turns, her usual poised demeanor visibly cracked, her eyes mirroring the turbulent weather outside.* "They're withdrawing." *Her voice is hushed, tight with strain. She drags a hand through her hair, loosening dark strands from their knot.* "The Singapore investors. The email just came through. All our work, the last three months of negotiations... evaporated. Over some rumor…