Unwanted attention

The Wall Between Us

Episode 5: Unwanted Attention

The office hadn’t settled since the announcement.

Whispers followed Lucy down every hallway. Glances lingered a second too long. Every move she made was watched, analyzed, judged.

CEO. Wife. Asset.

Lucy ignored all of it.

She walked into her office, placing her bag down with quiet precision.

Focus.

That’s all that mattered.

---

A knock came.

“Come in.”

Jake stepped inside without waiting.

He looked around, then at her.

“So it’s true.”

Lucy didn’t look up from her file.

“You saw the news.”

“I saw my sister getting married without telling me.”

That made her pause.

Lucy sighed softly and leaned back in her chair.

“It wasn’t exactly optional.”

Jake crossed his arms.

“That doesn’t mean you had to go through with it.”

Lucy met his gaze.

“Yes. It does.”

---

Silence hung between them.

Jake’s expression softened slightly.

“Are you okay?”

Lucy gave a small, controlled smile.

“I’m fine.”

Jake didn’t look convinced.

“You don’t look fine.”

Lucy’s tone sharpened slightly.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

Jake raised his hands.

“Alright. Still the same Lucy.”

A pause.

Then—

“Does he treat you right?”

Lucy’s expression flickered for a second.

Then smoothed over.

“It’s not that kind of marriage.”

Jake’s jaw tightened.

“That’s not what I asked.”

Lucy stood up.

“It’s exactly the answer you’re getting.”

---

Jake exhaled slowly.

“Just… don’t let them control you.”

Lucy’s gaze hardened slightly.

“They don’t.”

---

As Jake left, Lucy remained standing.

Still.

Thinking.

Control.

That word again.

---

Later that afternoon—

The tension returned.

But this time—

It wasn’t subtle.

---

Lucy walked into the main office floor and stopped.

People were gathered.

Watching.

And at the center—

Victor.

And Samantha Hale.

---

Lucy’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Samantha stood a little too close.

Smiling a little too easily.

“I didn’t expect you to actually go through with it,” Samantha was saying.

Victor didn’t react.

“It was necessary.”

“Of course it was,” she replied smoothly. “You’ve always been good at making… calculated decisions.”

Her gaze shifted slightly—

Landing on Lucy.

---

The room went quiet.

Lucy stepped forward.

Calm. Composed.

Dangerous.

“Am I interrupting?”

Samantha’s smile widened just slightly.

“Not at all.”

Lucy stopped beside Victor.

Close enough to be intentional.

Far enough to be controlled.

---

Victor glanced at her.

Briefly.

Then back at Samantha.

---

Lucy crossed her arms lightly.

“I assume this isn’t a social visit.”

Samantha tilted her head.

“Can’t I visit an old… acquaintance?”

Lucy’s lips curved faintly.

“You can.”

A beat.

“But not during working hours.”

---

A subtle shift.

Samantha’s smile tightened.

Victor said nothing.

But he didn’t stop Lucy either.

---

“I like her,” Samantha said suddenly, looking at Victor.

“She’s bold.”

Lucy didn’t react.

“I’m also busy,” she replied calmly.

---

A pause.

Then Samantha stepped back slightly.

“Another time, then.”

Her gaze lingered on Victor.

Then Lucy.

Before she turned and walked away.

---

The room slowly came back to life.

But the tension didn’t disappear.

---

Lucy turned to Victor.

“You didn’t tell me she’d be here.”

Victor’s expression remained neutral.

“It wasn’t planned.”

Lucy studied him for a second.

Then—

“She doesn’t seem like someone who does things without a reason.”

Victor didn’t respond.

---

Lucy stepped closer.

Lowering her voice.

“She’s your past, isn’t she?”

A pause.

Victor’s eyes met hers.

Cold.

Controlled.

“Yes.”

---

Lucy felt something twist inside her.

Unexpected.

Annoying.

Irrelevant.

---

“Good to know,” she said lightly, stepping back.

“I’ll make sure she stays there.”

---

Victor watched her carefully.

“Why?”

Lucy paused.

Just for a second.

Then smirked faintly.

“Because I don’t like distractions.”

---

Victor’s gaze darkened slightly.

“Neither do I.”

---

Another pause.

Another moment where neither of them looked away.

---

Then—

“Lucy.”

Her name again.

Softer this time.

---

She didn’t respond immediately.

“Tonight,” Victor continued, “there’s a dinner.”

Lucy raised a brow.

“Another performance?”

“Yes.”

Lucy sighed.

“Of course there is.”

---

Victor stepped closer.

Not too close.

But enough.

“Wear something appropriate.”

Lucy looked at him.

“And what exactly does that mean?”

Victor’s eyes lingered on her for a second.

Longer than necessary.

“You’ll figure it out.”

---

Lucy felt it again.

That subtle shift.

That awareness.

---

She turned away first.

“I always do.”

---

Victor watched her walk away.

His expression unreadable.

But his thoughts—

Not as controlled as before.

---

Tonight wasn’t just a dinner.

It was a stage.

And this time—

Everyone would be watching.

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