Healing chains (rewriting)

Maniuplation: part 14 (office and trust-2)

As the woman left the cabin, Yaroslav turned to Thea and asked softly, "Do you want to eat something?" Feeling a sudden hunger, Thea nodded, her focus still on her drawing. Without hesitation, Yaroslav ordered food for them both. Thea continued sketching her designs, her hands moving deftly over the paper, lost in the lines and curves of her fashion creations. Yaroslav, on the other hand, watched her intently. His eyes followed every movement, every stroke of her pencil. The need to feel her closer gnawed at him, growing with each passing second.

Unable to resist any longer, Yaroslav stood up silently, not wanting to disturb her concentration. His steps were soft, careful, as he moved closer to her side. Once he was near, he leaned down, eyes closed, and deeply inhaled the delicate fragrance that surrounded her, filling his senses. Lost in her scent, Yaroslav's thoughts wandered, his heart beating erratically, desires swelling.

Thea, feeling his presence looming close, turned her head slightly, and in that moment, their faces were suddenly inches apart. Her cheeks flushed instantly, heat rising to her face as she saw how intensely he was looking at her. His gaze was burning with a mix of emotions: adoration, protectiveness, and what she thought was affection. She couldn't see the dangerous obsession lurking beneath, hidden behind the tender facade he wanted her to see.

Yaroslav, caught in the intensity of the moment, was losing control. His heart pounded faster, his restraint hanging by a thread. He wanted to kiss her right then and there, throw away any pretense and give in to the mounting desire. "To hell with those restraints," he thought. On the other hand, Thea felt a wave of conflicting emotions crashing over her. The sudden closeness was overwhelming, but there was something in the air between them—something that made her heart race.

Ava's teasing words about her developing a crush on Yaroslav echoed in her mind, and though she didn't want to admit it, maybe there was some truth to it. But how could she? This was Yaroslav Zolnerowich, a man so far out of her reach. Why would someone like him want her? Yet, despite her doubts, she couldn't ignore the palpable tension between them, thick and heavy like the air before a storm.

Yaroslav leaned in a little closer, his dark eyes locked on hers, the atmosphere between them growing more intense by the second. Thea's heart pounded, threatening to burst as she gazed back into his eyes. For the briefest moment, she caught a flicker of something dark, something that made her feel both uneasy and excited at the same time, though she couldn't quite understand why. His gaze dropped to her lips for just a second before returning to her eyes, and Thea felt her breath hitch in her throat.

He leaned in further, their faces so close now that she could feel the warmth of his breath. The tension was almost suffocating, thick enough to cut with a knife. Just as it seemed he might close the gap between them, a sudden knock at the door shattered the moment like glass.

Yaroslav's irritation was immediate, his jaw clenching as his rage simmered beneath the surface. The door opened, and in walked the same woman who had left earlier, her audacity clear in the way she entered without permission. Yaroslav's annoyance turned to fury as he saw her intrude on the moment. The woman's eyes quickly flicked to Thea, and her anger was palpable. She had been trying to win Yaroslav over for two long years, always careful not to appear too forward, always waiting for him to notice her. And now, seeing Thea in the position she had dreamed of, jealousy burned through her, fierce and undeniable.

Yaroslav's face darkened, his entire demeanor shifting into something terrifying. The woman paled under his gaze, realizing too late the gravity of her mistake. "Did I ask you to come in?" Yaroslav's voice was low, sharp, and full of menace. His words sent a shiver down Thea's spine, and she flinched slightly in her seat, startled by his sudden shift. The pencil in her hand slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor.