he predawn chill. The New York sky was still dark, streaked with the faint glow of city lights, and her breath clouded in the

d of bottled water Lucas preferred-but standing here, about to board a plane

her with a nod. "Morning, Ms. Marquez. Mr. Varnell's

. Twenty minutes to steel herself. She climbed the jet's step

op open, his profile sharp against the dim cabin lights. He didn't acknowledge her entrance, but she felt his presence like a pressure change, the air heavier just b

the Project Alpha brief. "I've uploaded the latest specs to your

fore returning to his screen. "Good. I want the neural net

recedented accuracy. It was also a pressure cooker, with investors breathing down his neck and competitors like Damien Holt circling for any scra

jet's engines as it taxied. She stole a glance at him, noting the faint crease between his brows, the way his jaw tightened as he worked. He was always like this-focused to a

was a risk, prodding him like that. Lucas didn't

s overfitting. Again." His voice was clipped, but there was a

ou try adjusting the regularization parameters? The l

-her job was logistics, not tech-but then he nodded. "I did. It's not enough. The data's

stake." She held his stare, refusing to shrink under the weight of it. "If P

she might've imagined it. "Noted, Ms. Marquez." He t

on her tablet, pulling up the estate's layout to double-check the workspace arrangements. The Aspen property was a fortress-six bedrooms, a state-of-the-art office, and pa

t drifting to Lucas. He'd swapped his laptop for a leather-bound notebook, scribbling equations in precise, angula

oice cut through her thoughts, low and delib

voice steady. "Just curious about the notebo

faster for certain problems. Clears my head." He

unnerving, like he was seeing her for the first time-not just the assistant who antic

expression unreadabl

frowned, thrown

her entire existence as his shadow. "You're overqualified. Yo

her brother's tuition, the weight of being the one who held it all together. But she couldn't say that-not to him, not when h

"Fair enough." He returned to his notebook, but the air felt

ed her, how one question could make her feel exposed. Lucas Varnell was a puzzle, but she wasn't

on the tarmac, and Elena handled the transfer of their luggage while Lucas took a call, his voice sharp as he argued with someone about data

sat in the back with her, his attention on his phone, but she felt his presence like a weight. She focus

o-ceiling windows reflected the mountains, and a wide deck wrapped around the main level, offering views tha

an named Margaret, greeted them with keys and a rundown of amenities. "The office is

space. She needed to set up the office, test the Wi-Fi, and en

ung over one arm. "Elena, I want the team on a video

into the office-a sleek space with monitors, whiteboards, and a view of the mountains-she felt a shift.

lining his broad shoulders. "This project," he said, almost to

vulnerability in his tone.

rs. "Good. Because I don't trust

as a rare gift, one she wasn't sure she wanted. But before she could respon

is trip was already more complicated tha