The days she would remember fondly always passed so quickly.
In Jonas's office at the Alt Conglomerate, Iris sat across from him, holding a thick book in both hands and reading intently. Every so often, she turned a page as though searching for a particular chapter, her brows tightly furrowed, though she was actually sneaking glances at Jonas out of the corner of her eye.
People generally used information services to find the books they wanted to read these days, but that did not mean paper books had disappeared. They had simply become much more expensive.
Iris wore a look of focused concentration, but inside, her emotions were a swirling mess. She tried hard to look absorbed in the pages, yet her heart would not stop pounding. Every time she glanced up at Jonas, it raced as though it might leap out of her chest.
Her fingers gripped the edges of the pages tightly, her palms slightly damp with nerves. Whenever her gaze met one of Jonas's casual glances, a strange panic swept through her, and she hurriedly lowered her head, pretending to turn a page for fear he would notice her staring. A faint blush spread across her cheeks, as though spring cherry blossoms had lent them their color.
Iris tried to steady her breathing so her racing heart would not be too obvious. Her brows drew together slightly as she tried to act more naturally, but her feelings for Jonas made every movement a little clumsy and awkward.
In that quiet office, Iris felt as though time had frozen, leaving only the echoes of her own heart. She waited for some miracle, perhaps a word, a gesture, or a meeting of their eyes that could break the suffocating silence.
Until another voice sounded in her mind.
*"Want Mr.