Chapter 82
Chapter 82:
“It’s a bestseller,” Leo said, leaning against the edge of the desk. “And let’s be honest, Elias. You have the emotional range of a teaspoon. If you want to pursue Aurora Vance—and don’t give me that look, we both know you do—you need a manual. You’re treating her like a hostile takeover target p>
Elias picked up the book. He used two fingers, pinching the corner of the cover as if it were radioactive waste.
“I do not need a manual for human interaction,” Elias said coldly. “Human behavior is merely a series of biochemical reactions and logical incentives. I can analyze her incentives p>
He stood up, walked to the metal wastebasket in the corner, and dropped the book. It landed with an apathetic flutter of pages.
“Get out,” Elias said.
Leo laughed. He pushed off the desk and headed for the door. “Suit yourself. But incentives don’t explain why she looked at you like you were a puzzling algorithm last time. Just remember, page 42. Active listening. It’s a game-changer p>
The door clicked shut. Silence rushed back into the room, heavy and suffocating.
Elias sat back down. He pulled the keyboard closer. He typed a sentence. Deleted it. Typed it again.
His eyes drifted to the wastebasket.
Ridiculous. He was Elias Thorne. He controlled markets. He predicted trends. He did not read self-help books with pink covers.
He forced his eyes back to the screen. “Market volatility in the Asian sectors suggests p>
His heart was beating an erratic rhythm against his ribs. A strange, itching curiosity that felt like a mosquito bite he couldn’t scratch. Aurora was not a market trend. She was an anomaly. His usual algorithms for prediction were failing.
He stood up abruptly. He paced to the window, looking out at the skyline of Manhattan. The city looked small from up here. Manageable. Aurora Vance did not look small. She looked like a puzzle he didn’t have the pieces for.
Mⱺɍɇ Ʉρȡąţɇş ĩŋ
He turned. He walked to the door and engaged the electronic lock. The red light flickered on. Do Not Disturb.
He walked to the wastebasket. He stared into it. The book lay there, face up, mocking him with its cheerful font.
Elias sighed, a sound of deep, profound defeat. He reached in. He retrieved the book. He dusted off the cover, though the bin was empty and clean. He walked back to his desk and sat down, holding the book like it was a bomb.
He opened it. Chapter One: Understanding Her Needs.
Rule 1: Women are not problems to be solved. They are partners to be heard. When she speaks, do not offer a solution immediately. Validate her emotion.
Elias frowned. He pulled a gold fountain pen from his pocket. He uncapped it and underlined the sentence. Validate emotion. It seemed inefficient. If there was a problem, the logical step was a solution. But Aurora… she had rejected his help before.
Maybe this was why.
He turned the page.
The intercom on his desk buzzed loudly.
Elias jumped. He slammed the book shut and shoved it under a stack of financial reports. His heart hammered in his throat.