A/N: This one-shot takes place in Empire House, when Rikkard is just discovering his feelings for our lovely Lilly. Enjoy!
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She was smiling at him again.

Why does she keep doing that?

Rikkard wondered if it was some kind of disease women had, to smile unnecessarily at everyone all day long. He wouldn't be caught dead doing such a wasteful action. Smiling was a waste of his precious time.

The girl had to be not right in the head, as far as he was concerned. First she had insisted on working for him, then she had to refuse his demands for her resignation, and now this! That damned smile of hers. It was too distracting!

"Here's your file, Sir," she said sweetly, as if expecting some kind of praise for her efforts. He merely took it from her and placed it on his desk, ignoring her presence completely. To spend time replying to his unfortunate private secretary would be a waste of three seconds.

But her smile didn't waver even as he refused to acknowledge her, and she slid out the door cheerfully to return to her own adjoining office. He could see it in his mind's eye: a small mouth, pale pink, with two white rows of teeth spread in a wide grin that only she could pull off. Normal ladies didn't grin the way she always did; they smiled thinly in a demure way that she could never imitate.

Why are you so interested in her smile?

The question appeared in his mind abruptly, without any preamble, making him pause in his work. It was a simple enough question, one he should have had a ready answer for, yet when he searched for a reply to his own thoughts, he suddenly found himself at a loss.

Why was he obsessed with her smile? He'd certainly never given much thought to it before. It was just a smile, always in the subconscious part of his brain, not quite relevant to anything but somehow always there.

He wasn't obsessed with it, he told himself, frowning. Rikkard Ambrose was not obsessed with anything, with the possible exceptions of ensuring he had enough money and his employees were working to his satisfaction. Smiles were not something to obsess over. And he was certainly not obsessed with anything to do with her.

Not in the least.

...Although, now that his mind had brought it up, he had to admit that it was a very nice smile. He wouldn't go so far as to say pretty, but it was nice. Just nice. And slightly alluring. And maybe a little bright.

It was just different than what he was used to, he decided, shaking his head. She didn't smile at him the way other females smiled at him, and that was why he was so interested in it. Nothing more, nothing less.

She just happens to smile when no one else does around here.

It wasn't a shocking revelation of any kind, just a fact that he could state.

My private secretary smiles. So what?

So he should tell her to stop smiling. Smiling wasn't sensible in the workplace. It wasted too much time, as he kept reminding himself. He should definitely tell her to adopt less expressive facial features, to preserve the efficiency and timeliness of the workplace.

In fact, now was the perfect time to tell her, and put her stupid smiles out of his mind once and for all.

Rikkard stood immediately, the frown still on his face, and wrenched open the door to her office.

"Mr Linton!"

She jumped at the desk where she had been writing, and upon seeing him, broke into a wide grin. "Mr Ambrose, sir! To what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected visit?"

She's doing it again.

For a second, he was numb. The sunlight poured in through her window, a stark contrast to the shadowy confines of his dark room, illuminating her face in a warm glow. Her face was lit up by the soft rays, highlighting the pesky strands of her brown hair that stuck out from her top hat and framed her chin, down to where his eyes were drawn.

Her lips were stretched in an inviting way, her teeth a welcoming arrangement to the whole of her face. Something stirred unbidden in the core of his chest, and a feeling came over him that he could not explain.

Her smile made him feel warm; like sitting by a cracking fire on a cold winter day. It was soft yet strong, enveloping him in some kind of foreign embrace that he never wanted to leave. It was like something he'd never felt before. There was something raging in his chest, the desire to do something to prolong this sense of happy discovery, as if he had found exactly what he was looking for and had no intention of letting it get away from him.

She was simply there, smiling like she ways did, perfectly real and tangible in a way she had never been before. He knew what she was now, and the word sprang forth into his mind before he could give it a second thought.

"Beautiful."

"Excuse me?" Why was she frowning at him? Where was the smile? Why had it disappeared, it was just there and now it was gone--

"Sir? Are you alright? Mr Ambrose? Sir! Hello?!"

He blinked. Once, twice. Then a third time. She was talking to him. Snap out of it, Rikkard.

"What?" He hadn't meant for his voice to snap so harshly. The smile was definitely gone now, he noticed, as her lips dipped down into a frown and she crossed her arms over her chest angrily.

"Did you want something? You said something but I didn't hear it, and then you wouldn't talk to me! What the heck do you want?!"

"Show respect, Mr Linton." The reminder was instinctive at this point.

She gave him an exasperated look. "What the heck do you want, Sir?"

He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it as he realized what she had told him.

He'd said she was beautiful out loud.

His finger twitched involuntarily at his side and he mentally cursed himself. Of all the things he could've possibly done! At least she hadn't heard what he'd said. That would've made things entirely worse. Still! His hands curled into fists at his sides.

"Nothing, Mr Linton," he growled in reply. "Don't disturb me anymore." He turned on his heel and went out, leaving his puzzled secretary alone.

Throwing open the door to to his office, Rikkard marched back to his desk and sat ramrod straight in his chair, glaring at the wall.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

He was an idiot, a fool. Only morons would let themselves be stupefied by a mere smile, at a loss for words.

What was he, a love-struck youth that sang songs to pretty maidens and prayed to Cupid every night? He scoffed. Hardly.

He was Rikkard Ambrose. He wasn't supposed to be stunned by a smile, no matter how beautiful it might be or who it was that wore it. He was a financier extraordinaire, cold as ice and hard as stone. Smiles didn't faze him. They weren't supposed to ignite a surge of emotions inside him and make him wish to smile back.

So why did hers?

Maybe...

No.

Could it? Could he really...

Impossible!

But...

No. That can and never will happen. Not now. Not ever.

It just simply wasn't possible.

Rikkard Ambrose didn't do feelings. He had no emotional capacity available for anyone, let alone a private secretary that drove him insane every single day. He did not, under any circumstances whatsoever, like Lillian Linton.

In that way.

She was just good-looking. That was all. Just a deluded female with a nice smile that had somehow ended up as his secretary. Definitely not someone he could have the slightest indication of feelings for.

Her smile was just a sensible thing that made a woman attractive.

And since when have you labeled smiles as being "sensible"?

He stiffened as the answer revealed itself to him.

Ever since she smiled at you.

And then the feeling swelled in his chest once more as he recalled her grinning, beautiful face, and he suddenly had the urge to seize his pen and throw it against the wall.

Damn!

He put his head in his hands.

He liked her.

He liked Lillian Linton.

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A/N: Opinions? I thought it would be fun to examine Rikkard's thought process and when he realizes he isn't as much of an emotionless statue as he thinks he is ;)

QUESTION: Would anyone like to request a one-shot for me to write? I've been thinking it would be fun to explore different situations with Rikkard and Lilly that some of you either dream up or think about on your own but just don't write down. Please keep in mind that I might not write all of the requests I get, simply because I have a life and might not get around to writing them all, or because I'm not sure how to go about writing your idea in the first place.

But if anyone has any requests as of now, just let me know and I'll see what I can do! All I ask is that they are not R-rated scenes, since I feel uncomfortable writing that stuff ;) I write mostly in 3rd person POV but if you feel it has to be 1st person then I'm willing to try it haha.

I will still be writing my own one-shots here even if no one has any requests :D

Please remember to VOTE or COMMENT if you enjoyed this and want to see more!

Thanks for reading! (Sorry for the long author's note lol) ;)