Forbidden Attraction

22. Leaving Me?

Amelia's POV:

So, this morning was... something, to say the least.

I walk into Carson Dexter's office, all confident and ready to present my amazing plan. You know, the usual routine. I push open the door with a little more flair than usual (because why not?) and give him a bright, "Good morning, Mr. Dexter!" like I'm the star of my own personal sitcom.

Now, here's where things get a bit interesting. Without saying a word, I just casually lock the door behind me. Yep, locked it. Why? I don't even know—maybe I thought it would add some suspense to my big presentation. Anyway, I did it, and then I shot a quick glance at him to gauge his reaction.

And what does he do? NOTHING. Not a blink, not a twitch, just that intense, what-are-you-up-to stare. It's like he's carved out of stone. I was expecting at least a raised eyebrow, but nope. The man is the definition of calm. I mean, come on, Carson—give me something here!

But, whatever. I wasn't going to let his lack of reaction throw me off. I sashayed over to his desk like I was about to drop the world's biggest secret, and in the most dramatic way possible, I pulled out the long map I'd been working on for days. With a quick flick of my wrist, I spread it out on his desk, making it all neat and perfect. It was huge, taking up almost the entire surface, and as I leaned forward to smooth it out, we were really close. Like, I could almost feel him breathing over my shoulder.

Don't panic, Amelia. Just stay cool.

I quickly start explaining the plan. "So, here's the deal," I say, pointing to different sections of the map. "We're going to start here and work through these stages." I had everything laid out: diagrams, strategies, the works. My fingers are gliding across the paper, and I'm talking fast because, hello, I'm excited.

And what's Carson doing? Yep, you guessed it—still silent. Just standing there, all composed and focused like a statue. His face is like a wall of calm, while I'm over here pouring my heart into this explanation, pointing to every tiny detail like it's the secret to saving the world. I'm leaning in even closer now, making sure he's following along with every brilliant idea I've got laid out on this map. We're practically shoulder-to-shoulder at this point, and it's kinda hard not to notice how close we are, but I push that thought waaay to the back of my head.

"See, we'll need to get this part done first," I continue, tapping the map enthusiastically, "and once we've got that sorted, we move on to this section, which will be tricky but totally doable if we follow this plan." I paused for effect, like I was expecting fireworks to go off in the background or something.

Still, nothing from him. Just more staring. I honestly don't know how he does it. He's like... a robot? No, more like an enigma. I mean, seriously, how does someone stay this calm while I'm giving a whole TED Talk right in front of them? I start feeling like I'm running a one-woman show here, but hey, I love being the star, so it's fine.

When I finally finished explaining everything—and I mean everything—I took a step back, crossed my arms, and gave him a little nod like, Well? Impressed? I waited for some grand reaction, half-expecting him to clap or at least give me a wow, you're a genius look.

And then, finally, he speaks. "You surprise and amaze me at the same time, Amelia," he says, completely straight-faced.

YES! I KNEW IT! I couldn't help but smile, feeling like I'd just won an Oscar. "How do you like it?" I asked, trying to sound casual, but let's be honest, I was fishing for praise at this point.

"Wonderful," he says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Wonderful, he says. Just wonderful. That's it. I mean, I was kinda hoping for a little more excitement, but fine, I'll take it.