The days settled into a strange rhythm. Yen Rui rose before dawn, disappeared into meetings, and returned long after nightfall. His presence in the mansion was like a shadow there, yet never lingering long enough to be touched.
Li Na told herself she didn't care. She had set the rules. No intimacy. No expectations. No strings. And yet…
One evening, she sat in the living room, curled on the sofa with a book she wasn't really reading. The rain lashed against the tall windows, thunder shaking the glass. When the door opened, she looked up to see Yen Rui stepping inside, his suit damp at the shoulders, his usually perfect hair slightly mussed.
"Director Yen," she said stiffly. "You're late."
He glanced at the clock. "Am I?" His voice was calm, but his eyes flicked to the untouched dinner tray on the table.
"You missed dinner," she added, a trace of accusation slipping into her tone before she could stop it.
His gaze lingered on her a moment longer than usual. Then, without explanation, he sat across from her. The housekeeper appeared instantly with reheated dishes, and for the first time, they ate together without the barrier of silence pressing so heavily.
"Do you always wait?" he asked suddenly.
She hesitated, then shook her head. "Not for you. For myself."
A faint smirk tugged at his lips, though his eyes remained unreadable. "Good. Waiting is a waste of time."
Yet his chopsticks slowed, and for once, he didn't rush through the meal.
Later, as she gathered her book, her hand brushed against a file he had left on the table. Papers spilled across the floor, filled with charts and handwritten notes. She bent down to gather them, pausing when she saw the exhaustion etched in his pen strokes, notes rewritten, numbers crossed out. It wasn't just business; it was obsession.
When she handed the file back, his fingers brushed hers barely a second, but enough to make her breath catch.
Their eyes met. No words, no promises, just a flicker something raw, dangerous before he looked away, the mask sliding back into place.
That night, as she lay in the vast bed alone, Li Na told herself it was nothing. A coincidence.
But deep down, she knew the strings had begun to pull.
And the more she fought them, the tighter they would bind.