1

Camille Evans was a master of keeping her feelings in check. It was a necessary skill when your job involved scheduling and rescheduling the endless rotation of dates for the man you secretly admired.

Sebastian Lawrence was charming, successful, and frustratingly oblivious to the effect he had on people—her included. For six months, Camille had worked as his assistant, managing his calendar, handling client meetings, and—her least favorite task—juggling the names and numbers of the numerous women he entertained.

She sat at her desk outside his office, staring at her email, fingers poised over the keyboard but unmoving. She knew she had real work to do, but instead, her mind was stuck on the message she had just received from a woman named Lily—Sebastian’s date for the night.

‘Can you tell Sebastian I have to cancel? Again? Sorry! I’ll make it up to him.’ the text read.

Camille sighed, deleting the message with more force than necessary. Couldn't she send this text directly to him? She’d have to let him know, which meant going into his office, seeing that easy smirk of his, and pretending that her heart didn’t speed up when he looked at her.

With a deep breath, she smoothed down her blouse, grabbed her tablet, and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Sebastian’s voice called.

She pushed the door open and stepped inside. As always, he looked effortlessly put together—dark hair slightly tousled, dress shirt rolled up at the sleeves, expensive watch glinting against his tanned skin. He leaned back in his chair, glancing up from his laptop.

“What’s up, Camille?”

“Lily canceled,” she said, trying to keep her tone professional. “Again.”

Sebastian groaned, dragging a hand through his hair. “That’s the third time. Either she’s really busy or really bad at rejecting people.”

Camille raised an eyebrow. “Or she thinks you don’t mind being strung along.” she couldn't stop herself from saying.

He chuckled. “Maybe. Guess I’ll have to find a backup plan.” He gave her a look that almost felt teasing. “Any ideas?”

She stiffened slightly, knowing he didn’t mean anything by it. When Sebastian made comments like that, she wondered if he did it on purpose. Sometimes he'd wink flirtatiously or send a smile her way that made her forget reality, but he never made a move on her. “I could schedule a meeting for you instead,” she said dryly. “Work is always a safe backup.”

Sebastian smirked. “Yeah. But where’s the fun in that?”

Camille forced a polite smile, ignoring the familiar pang in her chest. This was the reality—she was his assistant, nothing more. And if she ever forgot that, his endless parade of dates was a brutal reminder.

“Anyway,” she said, straightening. “Let me know if you need me to cancel anything else.”

Before he could respond, the office door swung open, and a new presence filled the room.

“Theo,” Sebastian greeted, his tone shifting to something lighter, more casual.

Camille turned—and she was staring at a man she'd only seen in Sebastian’s or the company's pictures once or twice. Sebastian’s older brother, Theo.

Theo Lawrence stood in the doorway, his presence quieter than his brother’s but no less commanding. He was taller, broader, with an air of calm confidence that contrasted sharply with Sebastian’s effortless charm. His gaze flicked to her, lingering for a beat longer than necessary before shifting back to his brother.

Sebastian leaned back in his chair, a slow smirk forming as he gestured toward the man in the doorway. “Camille, meet my older brother, Theo. Theo, this is Miss Camille Evans—my assistant, and the reason my life doesn’t fall apart on a daily basis.”

Camille straightened, adjusting her posture as she took in the man before her. So this was Theo Lawrence in the flesh and blood. His presence filled the room in a way that was different from his brother’s. Where Sebastian’s charm was easygoing and polished, Theo carried himself with quiet authority. His eyes assessed her, sharp but not unkind, as if he was already forming an opinion.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Camille said, extending her hand.

Theo hesitated for half a second before taking it. His grip was firm, warm, and somehow more grounding than she expected.

“Likewise,” he said. His voice was deeper than Sebastian’s, steadier. No trace of the flirtatious energy his brother exuded so effortlessly. He seemed… More mature… Serious, which wasn’t that surprising given that he was five older than Sebastian.

Sebastian glanced between them, his smirk deepening. “Theo’s just back from London. He’s been running things for the company over there for a while, but now he has gotten bored and has finally decided to grace us with his presence once again.”

Theo shot his brother a look, unimpressed by the comment. “I got in this morning. Didn’t realize I needed to report in immediately.”

“You don’t,” Sebastian said easily. “But knowing you, you'd have come in any way, and I figured it’d be good for you to meet Camille since she’s basically my second brain.”

Camille forced a polite smile. Sebastian never failed to hype her up whenever he was introducing her to someone. It could be embarrassing sometimes, and she wasn’t sure why, but something about Theo’s intense gaze unsettled her. Not in a bad way—just… different.

Sebastian turned back to his desk, already moving on. “Anyway, Camille, since my plans are shot for the night, you can head out early if you want.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’ll survive without you for a few hours,” he teased and shot another look at his brother. “Besides, I've got company now,”

Camille hesitated but nodded. “Alright. Have a good evening.”

She turned to leave, offering Theo one last glance. To her surprise, he was still watching her, something unreadable flickering in his expression.

And for the first time in six months, as Camille walked away from Sebastian’s office, she wasn’t thinking about him.

______________

As the door clicked shut behind Camille, Theo turned his attention fully to his younger brother.

“So,” he said, crossing the room with measured steps. “Are we going to talk about the mess you’ve made, or should I just start cleaning it up without you?”

Sebastian sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Good to see you too, Bro. Hope you had a nice flight.”

Theo ignored the sarcasm and dropped a thick folder onto Sebastian’s desk. He'd spent the nine hour flight going through the company reports, and he was unimpressed. “I reviewed the reports on my way here. The company’s risk exposure is higher than it’s ever been. You’ve approved investments with no long-term viability, and now we’re bleeding capital.”