Chapter Text
"Ah, another stuffy gala for people to flaunt their tax evasion. Love it." Clea snorts, picking up another flute glass full of champagne from a passing waiter.
"Yep. The peacocking never gets old..." Verso chuckles to Clea. As he's about to open his mouth again to complain about this circlejerk of an event, his voice dies in his throat as he watches you walk in. You. Your dress. You look like a goddess. Like a fading bronze statue in a forgotten civilisation, the material flowing as if you carry the wind with you. And Verso notices it's not just him staring - plenty of other people in the room have their eyes on you too. He feels a small spark of jealousy flaring up within, watching people eye you, not knowing you're taken.
"Wait… Isn't that…?" Clea asks. "She's your date? She could've just come with us." Clea adds, snapping Verso out of his reverie.
"Huh? Oh." Ah shit.
"Verso… If you're seeing her, yet you didn't arrive together and you're not already walking over there to greet her, what does that mean?" Clea narrows her eyes with an accusatory tone, and Verso immediately feels panic set in. He never told Clea you're his employee. Clea's glare is so icy it feels like she's poured a bucket of ice water over his head with just her glare and words alone.
"Um…" Verso briefly looks down at his shoes to find an excuse as Clea downs her flute of champagne in one go, placing it back on a passing waiter's tray as she folds her arms.
"Verso." Her tone of voice was like maman's when she scolds him. It makes Verso inwardly cringe.
"Yes Clea?" Verso purses his lips, unable to meet her eye.
"…You fucking idiot." Clea groans, slapping Verso upside the head, causing Verso to rub the back of his head.
"I didn't mean for it to turn out this way." Verso shoots Clea an annoyed look, but guilt is plastered on his face.
"What the fuck are you thinking?" Clea frowns.
"Uh… I wasn't...?" Verso downs the rest of his drink.
"Moron. Of course you weren't thinking." Clea side-eyes her little brother, looking at the desperation and yearning in his eyes. Not even her chiding was enough to stop him from ogling you.
"This is your mess to clean up. But I hope you realise just how fucking bad it looks when a CEO is sleeping with his employee. Especially a CEO from a high profile family, such as ours." Clea whispers to Verso, his eyes still fixed on you as you line up at the bar.
"Not sleeping with her… It's more than that." Verso whispers back.
"Really? Because as I see it right now, you're just fucking each other. Family isn't introduced and you're probably only spending time together in your office after hours. I actually feel bad for her, you're lucky we're in public otherwise I'd beat your ass." Clea whispers back, her voice laced with venom towards Verso. The venom in her words aren't poisonous, only meant to sting. And man - does it sting like a bitch. The thought of you being seen as a toy to him and nothing more makes him feel a little sick to the stomach.
"No, no. Not just in the office. I'd never do that to her. And I'll handle it, okay? It's not like I'm going to stay CEO at Envisager forever." Verso sighs.
"Yes. But in case you haven't realised, you kind of have no other choice but to handle it. Besides, I think she'll do just fine either way." Clea subtly gestures with a nod of her head in your direction, bringing Verso's attention to the two men speaking to you whilst you wait for your drink. Verso swears he just saw a flicker of an amused smile from Clea as the situation unfolds.
"Oh for fucks sake." Verso groans quietly, striding over towards you without hesitation.
"That's meant to be my line…" Clea sighs. "Waiter!" Clea calls out, flagging down a waiter with a tray of flute glasses filled with champagne, as she grabs another drink.
"Hey." A man greets as your gaze on the bartender making your martini floats to the source of the voice. A handsome man with dark features and skin smiles at you slightly, a glass of whisky in hand. Another man with light brown hair is standing next to Lucien with a small, friendly smile.
"The name's Lucien. From the Council of Paris. You're the one from Envisager I was corresponding with last year for the mural project, right? I could be wrong though, those email icons are pretty small." Lucien smiles.
"O-Oh! Yes, that's me. Wow! Nice to actually meet you in person! You're a lot taller than what I'd have assumed from your email profile picture." You lightheartedly note as you take your drink from the bar counter, craning your neck up to speak to him before taking a small sip.
"Haha, you're a bit shorter than I assumed, funny enough. So, did you just arrive?" Lucien asks.
"Yep, can't see any of my coworkers yet. Thought I'd just kill time getting a drink so I don't stand around awkwardly. And yourself?" You smile.
"I volunteered to assist with the decorating and planning. Don't know why I did that, it was just unpaid labour. But it also meant I was one of the first to get here." Lucien slightly shakes his head with a laugh.
"Really!? You did an amazing job, the function hall has such a striking colour theme, the decorations and everything else blend in beautifully." You compliment Lucien as you take another sip.
"Thank you. I'm glad at least you appreciate my hard work." Lucien thanks you smoothly, and it takes you aback. The phrase was innocent, yet it was something about his tone of voice and the way he's holding himself that made the sentence come off as flirty.
"Haha! Aww no. Surely there are others who have complimented you tonight?" You try to divert the conversation broadly.
"Well, maybe I'm just fishing for a co-"
"Ah, there you are." Verso's voice smoothly cuts in.
God. Even the sound of his voice is enough to ignite a warm and tingling feeling in your gut.
"Oh! Hello Verso." You smile up at him, your heartbeat beginning to race at the sight of him. He looks even more good looking than he usually does, which is downright unfair. Despite his dislike for layers and constraining clothes, he's donned a deep navy suit with a waistcoat and simple bowtie in the same colour. It seems he's tamed his waves a little more for the occasion too. He looks hot - it's a daily occurrence for the man, but the formalwear is really doing it for you. You gulp thickly, hoping nobody else noticed the hungry stare you gave him.
"Ah! You're the current CEO of Envisager, now right? Great to meet you in person. I've gotta go but, I'm sure I'll see you around." Lucien bids you both goodbye, walking off with the other man by his side.
"…He left fast." You note, and Verso gives you an unreadable look. You tilt your head to the side. "Huh? What's that look for?" You ask, your face morphing from an expression of curiosity to playful annoyance since Verso isn't telling you the reason for that look.
"Nothing, nothing. You look beautiful, by the way." He compliments, and your cheeks redden.
"T-Thanks, you too." His readiness to compliment you threw you off beat, and you stumble on your words momentarily.
"I'm beautiful too?" He quirks a brow playfully.
"Yes, actually. You might even be the prettiest girl at the ball." You tease, chuckling into your drink before you take another sip.
"Let's go for some fresh air alone, before more people turn up and others realise I'm missing for too long." Verso smiles softly, and you nod.
Stepping out onto the balcony, the first thing you notice are the red roses blooming against the trellis, the sweet scent permeating your nostrils - a welcome reprieve from the heady designer colognes and perfumes in the functional hall.
"I'm sorry I couldn't bring you as my date." Verso clears his throat, looking off at the city skyline.
"Don't be silly - it wouldn't be sensible for us. It's just nice to see you at this event too." You reassure him, your forearms leaning on the balcony railing.
"Yes but, I'd actually like to be on your arm with events such as these in future. I don't want to hide you." Verso frowns, and you nod, feeling your chest flutter.
"On my arm? Haha. You sound like you want to be my handbag." You joke.
"I'd be anything you want me to, as long as I'm yours. You know that." Verso jests back, and it causes you to stare up at him, cheeks flushed. Even if he was joking, it was something about the way he so readily admits that you have him wrapped around your finger, and the fact that he likes it that way.
"Y-You can't just say those things! Well, I wouldn't turn you into a handbag at the very least." You joke, trying to take the sexually charged connotation out of the conversation.
"Oops." Verso chuckles, looking down at you with a gaze of admiration. You meet his stare, your eyes falling to his lips momentarily before looking back into his pale blue eyes. A small smirk plays on Verso's lips as he notices that particular way you looked at him, a playful expression that says 'caught you', wordlessly communicating that he wants you just as badly as you want him right now. God. You can't have a moment out here when it's so public. You can't. But you want to, achingly so.
"Verso." A woman's voice calls out from the balcony door. You notice her from that evening at the office… It's Julie. You gulp thickly, the sight of her like a ghost haunting the room, but she's here and it's real. Seeing her is like watching a sandcastle crash down from a single tidal wave; a reminder that there's a former flame trying to rekindle with him, and it makes you deeply uncomfortable. Yet you have no grounds to do or say anything since to almost everyone else in the world, you're just an employee. And he's just your boss.
"I'll, uh, give you two some privacy. I've gotta go find Lune and Sciel, they've probably arrived by now." You force a smile, barely maintaining composure as you head back inside. You brush past her politely excusing yourself, and she doesn't even look your way, let alone step aside to give you more space to squeeze by.