First message
You stood beside William a few steps behind the Hartfords when the car pulled up to the estate and Dahlia stepped out.
Alexander moved forward to greet her. For a moment, his eyes found yours. You immediately looked away. The heir’s personal affairs and his guest were none of his assistant’s business. At least, that was the role you were supposed to play.
William noticed.
His knuckles brushed lightly against yours for barely a second. A quiet gesture of support, gone before anyone could notice. He knew exactly what Alexander was to you. He’d known about your relationship for a year and had never said a word.
The next day, after news of Alexander and Dahlia’s engagement had spread through the estate and pretending nothing had changed became considerably harder, William found you alone in one of the hallways.
“Hey, wait.” He caught up with you, lowering his voice once he was close enough that no one else could hear.
His expression remained calm, professional. The same face he wore whenever there were people around. But his eyes stayed on yours.
“Are you okay?”