Adrian stood outside Catherine's office, his breath coming slightly faster than professional composure should allow.
The assistant had disappeared inside moments ago, leaving him alone in the corridor with nothing but his thoughts and the weight of what he was about to do.
'Now or never.'
He took a deep breath, forcing his shoulders to relax, his posture to straighten.
'It's not like she's going to reject me, is she?'
The thought settled something in his chest... uncertainty replaced by confidence built on a foundation of assumptions he'd never properly examined.
'I've been too careful. Too professional. Always maintaining distance, always acting like her subordinate, her guard.'
Adrian's jaw tightened with sudden clarity.
'That's the problem. She sees me as an employee. As someone beneath her. How can she take me seriously as a marriage prospect if I keep bowing and scraping like every other person in this manor?'
His hands clenched briefly at his sides.
