Empire of Lies and Flames (Ruins of Power #1)

Chapter 21

RENéE

If murder was a reasonable response to frustration, my laptop wouldn’t have survived the last hour. I stared at the screen, fighting the urge to hurl it across the room. The final proposal for the mega pop star’s merch deal was almost done, but every word felt like dragging a boulder uphill. My brain was fried, my eyes were heavy, and the clock on my desk, obnoxiously smug at just past 9 PM, seemed to mock me with every tick.

A knock at my office door pulled me from my misery. I glanced up, expecting some intern with a crisis, but my heart tripped over itself when I saw him. Javier. A week since that morning, and four days since I’d seen him. Yet here he was, standing in my doorway like a storm I wasn’t prepared for.

“Hi,” he said, his voice rougher, softer than usual. He looked... exhausted. Drained in a way I’d never seen.

“Hi,” I replied, stiff, guarded. I wanted to ignore him, will him to leave, but he didn’t. He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.

He nodded toward my desk. “What are you doing here this late?”

I gestured to the chaos: papers scattered, notes jotted everywhere, my laptop’s spreadsheet glowing ominously. “Finalizing the proposal. Deadline’s tomorrow, and apparently, sleep isn’t a thing anymore.”

His eyes swept over the mess. “Looks intense.”

“That’s one word for it,” I muttered, slumping back in my chair. “I planned to go home an hour ago, but here I am. Stuck.”

“You could’ve left it and finished in the morning,” he said, tilting his head.

“And miss the chance to stress myself into an early grave? No thanks,” I said dryly, tapping my pen against the desk.

Javier chuckled. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

“And you’re still here,” I shot back, raising a brow.

“Maybe I like impossible,” he said, stepping closer, his voice lighter, calmer than usual. “Need help?”

I hesitated, torn between telling him to leave and wanting... I don’t know what. He didn’t wait for my answer. He pulled out a chair and sat beside me, his fingers already sorting through the paperwork.

We worked in near silence for a while, his calm presence easing the tension in the room. His occasional soft glances, the brief brush of our hands—it was... disarming. I tried to stay focused, but my mind wandered.

I was still hurt from that morning, from the way he left. But what right did I have to be? He didn’t owe me anything. He hadn’t hurt me—I’d hurt myself by letting my thoughts spiral into places they shouldn’t have.

Yet this version of Javier was different. Calm. Unguarded. Almost vulnerable. It felt like if I reached out, I could actually reach him. And I didn’t mind it.

“This is getting ridiculous,” I muttered, glaring at my laptop. I shoved it a few inches away in frustration.

Javier looked up from his notes, his face softened. “Need a break?”

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Yeah, maybe. I’ve been staring at this thing for hours, and I swear it’s multiplying. I finish one thing, and three more pop up.”

He smiled—small but genuine. “Food might help. You up for something?”

I perked up, sitting straighter. “Honestly? I could eat. What are you thinking?”

He pulled out his phone. “Whatever you want. I’ll order.”

“Italian,” I said without hesitation.

“Italian it is,” he nodded, scrolling through the delivery app. “Should be here in twenty minutes.”

We started talking—about anything and everything. No smirks, no sarcastic remarks, just a real, honest conversation. It was... surprisingly easy. For once, it felt like we were just two adults, with no games, and no tension simmering beneath the surface. And somewhere between his quiet laughter and the way his eyes softened when he listened, I realized I was actually enjoying it.

At some point, I even forgot about that morning. Maybe I’d finally moved past it—or maybe I just wanted to.

My phone pinged, and I glanced down, only to see a text from Pearl. “Tired of waiting for you. I’m going over to Luther’s. Don’t work yourself to death.” I snorted.

I slipped the phone back into my pocket, catching Javier mid-sentence about some bizarre coffee-flavored cereal he’d once tried. And then, out of nowhere, his own phone pinged, lighting up his lock screen. My eyes flicked to it instinctively, and I caught a glimpse of the wallpaper that stopped me cold—a picture of him with a woman. She was gorgeous, with long, wavy hair, and this bright, radiant smile. My stomach tightened, and I wasn’t entirely sure why.

Javier noticed me looking and quickly locked the phone, his jaw tightening slightly as he slipped it into his pocket. An awkward silence settled over us, but I couldn’t shake the image from my head. I was... curious. Maybe even a little unsettled.

Trying to sound casual, I cleared my throat. “So... who was that?”

Javier paused, looking down for a second before he met my gaze again, his usual confidence wavering just slightly. “That’s my sister,” he said quietly, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it.

I blinked, caught off guard. “Your sister?”

He nodded, an uncomfortable expression flickering over his face. “Yeah. My younger sister.”

The room went quiet. A sister. I never would’ve guessed. He never shared personal stuff, never let anyone glimpse past that cool, guarded exterior. But now... the way his shoulders slumped just a little, the shift in his expression—it wasn’t just a story. This was something deeper, something raw.

I leaned forward, resting my chin on my hand with a small smile, trying to ease the weight of the moment. “She’s really beautiful. Tell me more about her. Is she as grumpy and cold as you?”

His lips twitched into a faint smile. “No,” he said quietly, shaking his head. “Leila was nothing like me. She... she was the brightest person I’ve ever known. Always smiling, always making people feel lighter.”

There was a softness in his voice I hadn’t heard before. I stayed quiet letting him speak.

“She had this... charm,” he continued, his gaze distant like he was seeing her right there. “No matter how bad things got, she’d show up with this huge smile, like everything was fine. She was always there. Always by my side. She made everything bearable.”

My smile faded. He talked about her like she was still here, but there was this sadness in his voice that made my chest tighten. I hesitated, then asked softly, “You keep saying was . What happened?”

Javier’s eyes dropped to his hands, his jaw clenching. When he spoke, his voice was low, almost flat. “She died. Twelve years ago.” His breath hitched. “Cancer. She fought it for a year before...” He trailed off, the rest of the sentence hanging there.

I swallowed hard. His words were blunt like he’d forced himself to say them so many times they didn’t sting anymore. But I could see the pain, just under the surface. “Javier,” I whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

He nodded, his eyes still far away. “She was all I had left. After my parents... it was just us.”

Before I even thought about it, I stood and closed the space between us, wrapping my arms around him. He stiffened, and for a second, I thought I’d crossed a line. But then, slowly, his arms came around me, holding me close. His breathing steadied, and we stayed like that, wrapped in a silence that said more than words ever could.

When he finally pulled back, his eyes met mine, and I saw something there—a vulnerability I’d never seen before. “It was her death anniversary a few days ago,” he murmured. “That’s why I flew back home. I wanted to see her.”

My throat tightened. “I’m really sorry, Javier,” I said again, and this time, it wasn’t just for his loss. It was for everything—the walls he’d built around himself, the weight he carried alone.

He nodded, his gaze lingering on mine for a beat before shifting away.

Before I could say anything else, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and stood. “Food’s here,” he said as he walked out of the office.

After dinner, we finished up the last bits of work, and Javier stretched, groaning as he leaned back. “Want a ride home?” he offered.

“God, yes,” I said, more exhausted than I’d realized.

The ride back was quiet but comfortable, the kind of silence that didn’t feel awkward. When we pulled up in front of my building, I hesitated. I didn’t want the night to end, but I couldn’t think of a reason to linger. Still, I stayed in the car a little longer, talking about nothing in particular. But then Javier looked at me, and his gaze was different—intense, softer, and something else I couldn’t quite place.

My heart raced, and for a second, I thought he might kiss me. But the moment passed, and I convinced myself it was just my imagination. I bit my lip and smiled awkwardly. “Thanks for the ride. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” he said, his voice low as I stepped out of the car.

I made my way into the building, but I couldn’t resist glancing back. He was still there, watching me. The sight made my chest tighten, and I quickly turned away, stepping into the elevator.