Close to the edge

Vanta & Co. was the kind of place that demanded everything. Long hours, constant pressure, and no space for mistakes. People came in thinking they could handle it, but not everyone stayed.
Ethan Cole did not expect to get distracted. He joined to work, to focus, to keep things simple. But that became difficult the moment he started working with Elena Blake. Elena was controlled, distant, and impossible to read. She spoke less, but when she did, people listened. There was something about her that drew attention without trying, something that made it hard to look away. What started as nothing more than work slowly turned into something else. Conversations lingered longer than they should have. Silences felt heavier. The space between them began to feel smaller. It was not clear, not defined. But it was there. And once Ethan noticed it, he could not ignore it.