Book 2 Chapter 14
The door opened with a soft click, and Ioannis stepped back into his office. The air immediately felt better with him around, he brought with him the fragrance of his comforting cologne. Yalda was seated on the sofa where he had left her, her posture was relaxed, her hands were folded neatly on her lap. She looked different; lighter somehow.
He closed the door behind him.
“How are you feeling, baby?” he asked, his voice low and smooth as he crossed to her. “Did you finish your food?”
Yalda nodded, smiling softly. “Yes, I did. It was good. I’m okay.” she replied. "How was the meeting?"
“Good.” He gave a satisfied hum, slipping his jacket off and draping it over the back of a chair before coming to sit beside her. “The meeting went well, thank you."
“That's great. Time to have breakfast.”
He nodded.
"I will shortly. I just need to tend to a thing or two." He replied. "You're not bored yet, are you?"
A soft smile tugged at her lips. “No, I can stay here all day."
He smirked.
"Of course, you can."
He studied her for a moment. There was something thoughtful in her expression, he could see a glint in her eyes, one which hadn't been there when he left.
"What's on your mind?" He asked her.
She straightened up immediately like she'd been waiting for him to ask.
“I’d like to stay here for a while,” she replied. “I like it here. It reminds me of when times weren't so...hard."
Ioannis nodded but didn’t interrupt. Her voice was calm, not heavy with grief but reflective.
“I miss the structure,” she continued. “The noise, the pace… even the smell of paper and ink. It felt safe in its own way, it was predictable and I liked it. I wasn’t happy all the time, but I had something to do, a reason to get out of bed. I liked that kind of stability.”
He watched her closely, reading the truth in her words. “You want that again,” he said, sensing where this was going.
“Yes.” She replied, her voice dropped. “Being here today… it reminded me of that part of myself. I think I need it.”
Ioannis’s expression softened. He had been waiting for her to show some glimpse of interest in the world again, something beyond loss and quiet survival. And as much as he'd want her to rest and build and regain herself without strain or stress, he couldn't deny her what she wanted.
“Then you should come here whenever you want,” he said. “You don’t have to ask. My office is always open to you.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Really?”
It had been easier than she'd expected. She thought she would have had to spend a while convincing him to let her do this.
“Of course.” He smiled faintly. “If it helps you find your footing again, then yes. Come as often as you like. Sit in meetings, watch me work, steal my coffee, whatever you need.”
She laughed softly at that, a sound that lifted something heavy between them.
“That sounds...good. But if I just sit around every day, I’ll probably start getting bored.” she said. "It wouldn't really do much."
“Bored?” His brow arched. “In my company?”
“Maybe.”
He chuckled under his breath but nodded. “What are you suggesting then?”
She hesitated for a moment, glancing down at her hands.
“Maybe you could give me something to do,” she said at last. “A job, you don't have to pay me.”
Ioannis went silent, weighing the thought. The image of Yalda behind a desk, neatly dressed, quietly efficient, flashed in his mind, and for a second, he could almost see her there doing what she was good at.
“If I give you a job you'll have to answer to Helen,” he said slowly, knowing she was probably more experienced than Helen and it might be a big demeaning to her. “ She runs most of the operations here when I’m not around. You could work with her, help where you can. I’ll make sure she understands that you’re not to be overworked.”
Yalda blinked, slightly surprised. “Helen?”
She hadn't expected that. But then, what had she expected?
He caught the tone in her voice. “You don’t like her?”
“It’s not that,” she said quickly. “I...what if she thinks I'm invading her space?"
“Not at all, she's a professional. She understands how these things work,” Ioannis said. “She won't be a problem at all."
But Yalda wasn't convinced. It had been clear Helen hadn't wanted her around earlier, and how would she react if they had to work together? Nonetheless, she smiled and nodded. He was giving her a chance to do something, she couldn't start complaining so soon.
“Alright then." She replied quietly.
He reached out, gently tilting her chin so she would look at him. “You have nothing to prove to anyone, Yalda. Just do what you can and leave the rest, okay?"
Her heart gave a soft, aching pulse at the warmth in his tone. “Okay,” she said quietly, “Thanks for everything. It means a lot to me, I didn’t expect you to agree.”
“I didn’t expect you to ask,” he countered, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
She smiled despite herself. “So… you’ll tell her soon?”
She couldn't wait to start.
“I will.” His hand slid to the back of her neck, his thumb tracing small, soothing circles. “You’ll start whenever you’re ready. I’ll speak to her today.”
Yalda’s relief was visible, almost tangible. She exhaled slowly, leaning back against the sofa
. “I’m excited,” she confessed, a small glow returning to her expression. “It feels like… a start. Like maybe I can still be useful again.”
Ioannis looked at her for a long moment, his gaze softened with something that went beyond affection. “You’ve always been useful,” he said. “You just forgot how much.”
Her throat tightened. She wanted to answer, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she let out a small, shaky laugh. “You make it sound so simple.”
He smiled faintly. Then, without warning, he leaned in and kissed her slowly, deeply.. His hand stayed at the base of her neck, steady and firm, anchoring her to the moment. The kiss carried warmth, it was reassurancing, a quiet promise that he’d be there as she rebuilt herself piece by fragile piece.
When he finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers. “You’ll be fine,” he murmured. “One day at a time.”
Yalda nodded, her eyes fluttering closed. For the first time in a long while, she believed him.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
