First And Last

Chapter 19. Broken Bridges

~ Author's POV :

Morning arrived too soon, bringing with it the cold light of reality. Azriel awoke to the persistent sound of his alarm, a steady, insistent beep that sliced through the fog of sleep. He turned it off with a sharp jab, lying still for a moment in the quiet that followed. The confrontation with Sara loomed large in his mind, a shadow he couldn't escape.

He dressed with his usual precision, the mechanical routine providing a brief reprieve from the thoughts that swirled in his head. His reflection in the mirror was as composed as ever-hair neatly styled, suit perfectly tailored-but there was a hardness in his eyes, a reminder of the man he had become out of necessity. He wasn't the same person he had been before. The man who once trusted too easily was long gone, replaced by someone who knew the cost of letting people in.

The drive to the office was a blur, the city passing by in a haze of early morning light. By the time he arrived, the building was already humming with activity, the familiar rhythm of the workday beginning to unfold. Azriel walked through the lobby with his usual purposeful stride, every inch the powerful executive, but underneath the polished exterior, a storm brewed.

As he stepped into his office, he noticed the small stack of documents on his desk, neatly arranged. Sara had been here already, her presence lingering in the orderly way she had set things up. He paused, his hand hovering over the papers. There was a part of him that wanted to avoid her, to maintain the distance that had always been there. But another part, the part he rarely listened to, told him that he needed to address what had happened. He couldn't keep running from his past, and he couldn't keep punishing those around him for it.

The morning dragged on, filled with meetings and phone calls, but the tension never eased. He knew that eventually, he would have to face her, and the thought gnawed at him. It wasn't just about the anger-there was something deeper at play, something that made him feel off balance in a way he hadn't felt in years.

It was nearly noon when he finally saw her. Sara walked into his office, a quiet determination in her eyes that hadn't been there before. She was holding another stack of documents, her face composed, but there was a flicker of uncertainty that she couldn't quite hide. Azriel watched her closely, noting the way she moved with deliberate calm, as if she was bracing herself for whatever might come next.

He waited until she had finished placing the documents on his desk before speaking. "Sara," he said, his voice carefully controlled. "About yesterday..."

She looked up at him, her expression unreadable. There was no sign of the hurt she must have felt, only a quiet resilience that surprised him. "Yes, Mr. Martin?"

His title on her lips felt like a barrier, a reminder of the distance between them. He hesitated, searching for the right words, but they didn't come easily. He wasn't used to apologizing, and certainly not to someone who worked for him. But he knew he couldn't leave things as they were.

"I overreacted," he finally said, the words sounding stiff and awkward in the quiet room. "You didn't deserve that."

For a moment, there was silence, the air between them heavy with unspoken thoughts. Then Sara nodded, her expression softening slightly. "I understand," she replied, though Azriel wasn't sure if she truly did. "It won't happen again."

Azriel felt a pang of guilt. She was taking the blame, but the truth was, it wasn't her fault. None of it was. He knew he should say more, should explain, but the words stuck in his throat. He wasn't ready to lay his past bare, not even to himself, let alone to her.

Instead, he nodded curtly, letting the conversation end there. "Good," he said, though the word felt hollow. "We have a busy day ahead."

Sara gave a brief nod, turning to leave. As she walked out of his office, Azriel watched her go, a strange mix of relief and regret settling in his chest. He had done what was necessary, kept things professional, but the feeling of something left unresolved lingered like a bad taste in his mouth.

Sara closed the door to Azriel's office behind her, her heart pounding in her chest. The conversation had been brief, but it had felt like a lifetime. She had been bracing herself for another cold dismissal, for the tension to thicken, but instead, he had surprised her with an apology, however awkward it might have been.

It wasn't much, but it was something.

She made her way back to her desk, her mind racing. Azriel's words had been stiff, his expression unreadable, but there had been a flicker of something else in his eyes. Regret, maybe? Or something deeper, something he was trying to keep hidden. Whatever it was, it left her with more questions than answers.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of paperwork and phone calls, but Sara couldn't shake the lingering tension. She was careful, more so than usual, making sure every detail was perfect, every instruction followed to the letter. She couldn't afford another mistake, not after yesterday. But beneath the surface, a quiet determination began to take root. She was stronger than this, more resilient, and she wouldn't let one bad day define her.

As the afternoon stretched on, she found herself thinking about Azriel more than she should have. He was a difficult man, that much was clear, but there was something else there, something that didn't quite fit with the image he projected. She had seen it in the way he hesitated before speaking to her, the way his gaze softened for just a moment before he regained his composure. It was as if he was fighting a battle she couldn't see, one that had nothing to do with her and everything to do with whatever had happened between him and his previous secretary.

Sara didn't know what that story was, but she knew it was something painful, something that still haunted him. And despite herself, she felt a flicker of empathy. She had her own past, her own scars, and while she didn't know what Azriel was dealing with, she understood what it was like to carry a burden that others couldn't see.

By the time the workday ended, Sara was exhausted, but there was a strange sense of resolve that had settled over her. She wasn't going to let Azriel's coldness push her away, and she wasn't going to let his past dictate her future. She had a job to do, and she would do it to the best of her ability.

As she left the office, the city bathed in the golden light of the setting sun, Sara knew that this was only the beginning. Whatever lay ahead, she would face it head-on. And maybe, just maybe, she would find a way to understand the man behind the mask, the one who seemed so determined to keep the world at arm's length.

But for now, all she could do was take it one day at a time, one step at a time, and hope that eventually, the bridge between them could be rebuilt.

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Well, The Chapter ends here but the twists and turns are on the way!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Do comment and tell me on whose team are you? Sara or Azriel??

And Keep reading and enjoying my dear readers 😊
Will be back soonishhh with a new one!
Stay Tuned >_<