Chapter 15 Conflicted Heart

• Celia stood by the large windows of the mansion, the late afternoon sunlight casting long shadows across the room. She could hear the distant hum of the city beyond, but in the quiet of the estate, everything felt still, almost suspended in time. Her mind, however, was anything but calm.
• The offer from Lucas—so enticing, so carefully crafted—lingered in her thoughts like a shadow she couldn’t escape. He had made it sound so simple: a fresh start, a new career, and the promise of a life that didn’t involve the constant emotional rollercoaster of trying to win Alexander’s heart. Lucas had made her feel important, seen, even desired in a way that Alexander had yet to show her fully.
• But as Celia stood there, staring out the window, the image of Alexander’s brooding face—the soft vulnerability hidden behind his stern exterior—flashed before her eyes. She couldn’t shake the way he had looked at her during their last conversation, when he’d finally cracked open, if only for a brief moment, about his fears and the barriers he had built around his heart. There was so much more to him than the confident, guarded businessman she had first met. She had seen glimpses of the man who might be capable of loving her, even though he was terrified of it.