Manon

I rose to my feet, spine stiff, voice clipped. “No.”

That single word was my line in the sand. He no longer had access to me, to my words, to my time. All of that was a luxury, and Harry had lost the right to it.

“Manon,” he whispered, his voice breaking as though even saying my name cost him. His features twisted with unease. “I really need to talk to you. What you said earlier… it’s driving me insane.”

“Good,” I said flatly. “Let it eat you alive. Guilt should rot you from the inside until there’s nothing left.”

He flinched, but pressed on. “I didn’t know. I swear if I had, I would never have—”

“Never have what?” I cut him off, my voice rising. “Run away? Then tell me, Harry, why did you run away?”

He reached for my hand, but I pulled back before he could touch me. His eyes broke at the rejection, his whole body sagging.

“Manon,” he begged, his voice low, frantic. “Please. Let me fix this. I’ll do anything, just name it. I want to make it right. I want to please you. I want your forgiveness.”

“You already have it,” I said, but there was no warmth in the words. “Not because you deserve it, but because I need to move on. You don’t need to please me. You don’t need to try. Just leave me alone.”

A voice sliced through the tension. “What are you two talking about?”

We both turned. Elysia stood behind us, arms crossed, a polite smile curving her lips. But it wasn’t kindness; it was sharp, calculated, probing.

The last thing I wanted was to be dragged into their drama.

“Nothing,” I said smoothly. “Harry was just offering to help me if I needed anything.”

Harry hesitated, just a beat too long, but then nodded, backing my story.

Elysia’s shoulders eased, the sharp edge of her smile softening into something genuine. For now.

“Oh, great, I’m going to need to steal Harry for a while. I saved a document and now I can’t find it on my computer. Guess working at a tech company doesn’t make you tech savvy.” She laughed, resting a hand on his shoulder.

My eyes caught the flash of her engagement ring under the light. The perfect reminder. That rock must have cost a fortune. Elysia noticed me looking and smiled wider. Don’t worry, Ely. I got the message. Loud and clear.

“That’s fine. I’ve got my own assignment to work on anyway,” I said.

“Alright.” She nodded, looping her arm through Harry’s as she pulled him away. He was still looking at me.

I slumped back into my chair with a sigh. Finally. Now I could actually get some work done.

“You know,” a voice drawled behind me, “if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were in love with Harry.”

I turned to see Kyren sliding into the seat beside me.

I scrunched my nose. “Ugh. You stink.”

“Of success, I know. Breathe it in.” He grinned.

“No.” I shook my head. “Of cigarettes and coffee.”

“Pretty sure that’s the name of some band.”

“You mean Cigarettes After Sex, you dingdong.” I shot back. “And you’re wrong. I don’t have a thing for Harry.”

“Hmm. Potato, potahto.” Kyren shrugged.

A burst of laughter came from Elysia’s table. My head snapped toward it before I could stop myself. Damn it.

“See? Even Jenna from Accounting can tell,” Kyren murmured in my ear.

I blinked. “There’s a Jenna from Accounting here?”

“There’s always a Jenna from Accounting.” His smirk widened. “And my point still stands. You like Harry.”

“No, I don’t. You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

He pointed at me like he’d won the lottery. “Instant defense. Flaring up. Classic case of guilty.”

“You’re wrong. Why would I like Mr. Harry?”

“Oh, so it’s Mr. Harry now?” He leaned back, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. “You’re never beating this allegation.”

“And you would know because… what, you’re a psychologist?” I shot back.

“I’m a playboy.” He spread his hands like it was a holy title.

I snorted. “Tragic.”

“And I’m always right.” His voice lowered, silkier now. “I saw the way you looked at him. Not just attention. It was in your eyes. Trust me, I’ve seen that look before. Yearning. Love. The kind that sticks.”

My chest tightened. No. He was wrong. He had to be. I don't love Harry!

“Well, if you had put that much effort into our assignment, we’d have a product name by now. Deadline’s tomorrow, genius.” I stood, shoving my chair back.

“Where are you going?”

“Fresh air. You reek. Ever heard of perfume? Or do rich boys think deodorant is beneath them?” I fired back, stalking off.

Kyren’s laugh chased me down the hall, low and amused.

Me? In love with Harry? That has got to be the most absurdly insane thing I’ve ever heard. Kyren wouldn’t know the truth even if it slapped him across the face. And why should I listen to a guy who doesn’t even know how to say sorry—or use deodorant?

Playboy? Yeah, right.

I stormed down the hallway, not caring where my legs carried me. My head was buzzing, part fury, part panic. I wasn’t supposed to be thinking about Harry at all, and now Kyren’s stupid words had lodged themselves in my brain.

Just think of a product title. Focus.

Fifteen minutes later, inspiration finally struck. I rushed back to my unit, heart thumping with relief, only to find Kyren gone. Good. Maybe lunch had stolen him away. The less I saw of him, the better.

I opened my draft, fingers flying, only to freeze at the words on my screen: This product is useful because it’ll help you fall in love with Harry.

I groaned, smacking the delete key like it had personally betrayed me. Great. First day on the job and I was already destined for an all-nighter.

I leaned back into my seat and looked around. The office was quiet, almost eerily so. Everyone had gone to lunch except for Tobi, who pushed back his chair and stood.

“Hey, you heading out too?”

I blinked at him, grateful for the interruption. “Yeah. Food might actually save me.”

“Can’t wait for our ID cards tomorrow,” he said as we walked out together. “Finally makes us official interns.”

“And gives us exactly twenty points to prove we deserve to stay.”

“Which,” he groaned, “is going to be brutal.”

I stopped in my tracks. “I feel like I’m going to fail,” I whispered, the words unraveling from me. “You all seem to have everything figured out, and I’m paired with the most shitty person ever. I’m just… confused. I don’t know what I’m doing.” My voice trembled.

“Hey, hey, hey—breathe,” Tobi said gently, and I followed his rhythm. “Look, none of us have it figured out, okay? Jasmine and I have already gone through a few product ideas, and none of them stuck. It takes a whole lot of courage and stubborn determination to create something from nothing. And even if we do fail, remember this—we were the top six out of two hundred. That has to mean something. We’re destined for greatness.”

A shaky smile tugged at my lips as I sniffed, wiping the tears at the corner of my eyes. “Top six,” I said with a weak laugh.

“Top six,” Tobi echoed, grinning wide.

We laughed together, and he gave my shoulders a reassuring squeeze before we headed toward the cafeteria. For the first time all day, the tension in my chest loosened. Lunch wasn’t just food—it was proof I wasn’t completely alone here. I have a friend now.

After a good lunch and hours of scribbling down notes, I finally had something workable. A glance at the clock told me it was already 8:30 p.m. The office was deserted—quiet enough to hear the hum of the vents. Even Kyren, who had promised to stick around, had wandered off.

I finished my last sentence with a period and leaned back, rereading it. “Okay, that’ll do. I really need to pee,” I muttered, stretching as I stood.

The hallway was dim as I turned the corner toward the bathroom—only to freeze.

No. My eyes had to be lying. I blinked once, twice, but the sight didn’t change.

Kyren and Az. Making out!

For someone hailed as “young and talented,” Az sure moaned like his career depended on it.

Kyren had Az pinned against the wall, hand tight around his neck, while Az’s fingers tangled in his hair. Their kisses were hot, desperate. Shameless.

My hand moved before my brain caught up. Out came my phone. Cracked screen or not, it recorded just fine. Clicks of photos. Two minutes recording. Evidence.

A shocked gasp slipped out before I could stop it.

Kyren. Is. Gay.

And just like that, New York had gotten even crazier.