Valentina sat at her desk, her fingers moving across the keyboard with practiced precision as she arranged Yoongi’s meetings for the day. She was efficient, thorough, and professional as always, but her mind was a tangled mess of emotions. No matter how much she tried to focus on work, the thoughts swirling in her head kept dragging her back to the conversation that morning, and more than that, to the feelings she’d been burying deep inside her chest.

Her growing affection for Yoongi was becoming unbearable, and it was clear she couldn’t keep it hidden for much longer. Every glance he gave her, every time his hand brushed against hers, sent her heart into overdrive. She’d always prided herself on her ability to separate business from personal matters, but Yoongi made that impossible. He wasn’t just her boss anymore; he was the man she was falling for.

From across the room, Yoongi was watching her closely. His sharp eyes missed nothing, and though she was doing her job perfectly, he could sense that something was off. It was subtle, but after months of working together, he had learned to read Valentina better than anyone. Her movements were a little too stiff, her smile a little too forced, and there was a distance in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.

Yoongi leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the desk as he considered how to approach the situation. He’d already given her a chance to open up, but she had deflected, choosing to keep whatever was bothering her to herself. He wasn’t sure whether to push her harder or give her space, but something had to give. He hated seeing her like this, especially after all the progress they’d made in building trust and understanding within their arrangement.

On top of all that, there was another issue gnawing at him—a problem from his past that had recently resurfaced.

His phone buzzed again, another text from the one person he wished would stay in the past: his ex-submissive, the woman who had betrayed him in the worst way possible. He had ignored her previous messages, but now, seeing her name flash across his screen again, a wave of irritation swept over him.

**Ex-Submissive:** *I miss you, Yoongi. I know we had our issues, but I want to come back. I can be better. I promise.*

Yoongi clenched his jaw, the familiar sting of betrayal flooding back. She had the audacity to say she wanted to come back after everything she’d done? After breaking the trust they had spent years building? There was no way he would ever let her back into his life, especially not now. Not with Valentina here.

He couldn’t help but compare the two women. His ex had once seemed perfect—submissive, obedient, everything he had wanted. But behind the scenes, she had lied, manipulated, and betrayed him in ways that had shattered his ability to trust anyone for a long time. It had taken him years to recover, to even consider entering into another D/s relationship, and now that he had Valentina, someone who was loyal, genuine, and everything his ex had never been, he wasn’t about to let that go.

Still, the messages from his ex brought back memories Yoongi would rather forget. He remembered how their relationship had started off just like this one, full of excitement and promise, only for it to crumble when he discovered her infidelity. She had broken his trust so completely that for a while, he had sworn off ever getting involved with anyone again.

But Valentina was different. He could see that clearly now. Even with her current hesitations, she had been nothing but honest and transparent with him. The thought of his ex coming back into his life was sickening. He wanted nothing to do with her, and the idea of her trying to insert herself back into his world was infuriating.

Yoongi took a deep breath, his fingers tightening around his phone as he deleted the message without responding. He wouldn’t let the past ruin what he had now. He had worked too hard to rebuild his life and his trust in others to let it all fall apart because of someone who didn’t deserve his attention.

He looked back at Valentina, watching as she meticulously arranged his schedule, her brow furrowed slightly in concentration. Despite her quiet efficiency, he could tell she was struggling. And he knew, just as he had known from the beginning, that he needed to handle this carefully. He couldn’t let her slip away—not like his ex had. But he also couldn’t push too hard, or he risked scaring her off completely.

As the morning wore on, Yoongi tried to focus on his work, but his mind kept drifting back to Valentina. He wanted to take her in his arms, to demand she tell him what was bothering her, but that wasn’t how their dynamic worked. She needed to come to him willingly, to trust him enough to share her thoughts. That was the foundation of their arrangement—trust and communication.

The tension between them was palpable as the hours ticked by. Valentina was doing everything she could to maintain her professional demeanor, but Yoongi could see right through it. He knew something was eating at her, and it was driving him crazy that she wouldn’t just admit it.

Finally, as lunchtime approached, Yoongi decided he couldn’t take it anymore. He stood up from his desk and walked over to Valentina’s, leaning against the edge of her workspace as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“You’re distracted,” he said bluntly, his eyes narrowing as he looked down at her.

Valentina blinked up at him, her fingers pausing on the keyboard. “I’m just focusing on work.”

Yoongi raised an eyebrow. “Don’t lie to me. I can tell when something’s bothering you. We’ve been through this before—if you’re struggling with something, you need to tell me.”

Valentina bit her lip, her hands fidgeting in her lap as she avoided his gaze. She wanted to tell him the truth, but the fear of ruining everything they had built held her back. How could she explain that she was falling for him when that was the one thing their contract had explicitly forbidden?

“I’m fine,” she said quietly, though the words sounded hollow even to her own ears.

Yoongi sighed, his frustration mounting. “Valentina, I won’t ask again. If you’re not going to be honest with me, then this won’t work. I need transparency from you—just like I’ve given you from the start.”

She looked down, her heart pounding in her chest. He was right. She owed him honesty, but how could she risk everything by telling him how she really felt?

Before she could respond, Yoongi’s phone buzzed again, and his face darkened as he glanced at the screen. He didn’t even have to open the message to know it was from his ex. His grip tightened around the device, his jaw clenching as he resisted the urge to throw it across the room.

Valentina noticed the shift in his expression, her curiosity piqued. “Is everything okay?”

Yoongi exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down. “It’s nothing,” he muttered, though the tension in his voice was unmistakable. “Just someone who doesn’t know how to let go of the past.”

Valentina’s brow furrowed in concern. She had never seen Yoongi this agitated before, and it made her wonder who could possibly be causing him so much distress. But before she could ask, Yoongi straightened up, his expression hardening as he slipped his phone into his pocket.

“Finish your work,” he said, his voice colder now. “We’ll talk later.”

As he walked back to his desk, Valentina felt a sinking feeling in her chest. She didn’t know what was going on with Yoongi or who was messaging him, but she could tell it was serious. And for the first time, she wondered if maybe she wasn’t the only one hiding something.