Ariana stood in front of the floor to ceiling window staring at the city's horizon beyond the pool. It was giving her a sense of freedom and space. Being down there, in the chaos of it all, it felt like everything was closing in on her. But standing there, being able to see the now shrunken buildings felt like she could finally breathe at how freeing it was.

Ariana felt him before she saw him. Jace walked into the kitchen, his footsteps quiet. His gaze found her immediately as he went to grab a cup of coffee. Jace watched her from where he stood, behind the kitchen island sipping his coffee, in his three-piece suit. The only sign of life was the rise and fall of her shoulders as she breathed. That could also be programmed, you never can tell these days. Ariana turned her head and her gaze to meet his and he almost choked on his coffee.

"Problem?"

Jace cleared his throat and shook his head.
"No."

She couldn't possibly know what he was thinking.

"Breakfast?"

"If you want to have something, I'll wait for you."

"I meant you."

"I had two cups of coffee. I'm good."

Jace's brow lifted without him intending it to.
"You skipped dinner last night. Aren't you hungry?"

"I'll grab an early lunch."

He was quiet for a moment.
"Alright then."

Jace stepped out from behind the kitchen island and made his way towards the living area where she was. Their gazes unwavering as he slowly approached her. She felt her heart skip a beat and clenched down on her jaw, ignoring it. This felt like some kind of test she wasn't made known of before it started.

He stopped a few feet away from her, hand in his pocket as he sipped on his coffee, eyes still on her. Ariana was getting uncomfortable with whatever it was that he was doing and blinked. She was surprised by the smile that lit up his entire face and she almost smiled at how contagious it was but clenched her jaw even harder.

Was he seriously doing a no-blink contest?

Ariana rolled her eyes and walk away.
"Let's go."

Jace almost chuckled at how he'd been able to get yet another reaction out of her. He placed his empty cup on the coffee table and followed her. He stepped outside and shut the door behind him.

"Good morning, Agent Feilman." Marvis greeted as he was about to make his way around the car to open the door for Jace.

"I've got it Marvis." Ariana said, "And please call me Ari."

Jace frowned at that.
How was Marvis allowed to call her by her nickname and he wasn't given that option?

Marvis smiled as Ariana held the door for him.
"Alright, Ari."

Jace had his gaze on her but hers was turned away from him as he reached the car, probably avoiding him and maybe a little grumpy after what happened inside.

"If you're both done flirting, can we go?"

Marvis cleared his throat and got into the car. Jace followed suit and Ariana shut his door and got into the passenger's seat.

There was a little traffic on the way to the company, but Marvis was able to beat it before Jace was supposed to arrive.

Ariana frowned when she saw the commotion in front of the company building as Marvis neared it. Jace's gaze was on his laptop and looked up when Marvis parked.

Ariana was already opening her door.

"That's..." Jace sighed when she shut her door before she could hear him out. "Not necessary."

Marvis looked into the rear-view mirror meeting his gaze.
"Do you need me to help you get into the building, sir?"

"No, that's fine Marvis," Jace said as he tucked his phone into his breast pocket and picked up his laptop and then stepped out of the car while Ariana was trying to get the paparazzi to back away from the entrance.

The second he slammed his door shut, they were on him like eagles attacking their prey.

"Mr Black!"

"Mr Black here!"

Ariana was pissed that he didn't listen to her but she guarded him as they headed inside the company building.

"Mr Black are you and Ms. Hall still together after what happened?"

What happened?

"Mr Black were you aware of Ms. Hall's sexual preferences before you started dating?"

"Why do you have a bodyguard?"

Questions were thrown from different directions.

"Are you dating your bodyguard, Mr. Black?"

Ariana wanted to punch that paparazzo's mouth but just did her job as she guarded Jace safely into the building as he ignored all the questions.

Ariana was about to question him for not listening to her when Jace walked furiously towards the front desk where the receptionist sat.

"Weren't you aware of those wolves outside the building?!" He barked at the lady behind the desk.

She looked scared out of her pants.

"Y-yes, sir. I-I called security t-to get them off the entrance."

"Well fucking call them again and tell them to get those people out of there! This is private property!" Jace walked away heading towards the elevator.

Ariana followed quietly behind, slightly surprised but at the same time not, if that made sense. This was the first time she'd seen him not his calm usual self and that was surprising but after what she just walked through and holding herself back from wanting to punch one of them, she wasn't surprised if he felt the same.

Inside the elevator, Jace was continuously tapping a finger on his leg trying to get his emotion under wraps. Ariana could feel all of it and her anger at him for getting out of the car, even when she told him not to, died down. But if he'd just listened to her, he wouldn't be in his current situation.

As soon as the elevator opened up, Jace was out of it walking furiously towards his office.
"My office now!" He barked at Bridget as he passed her desk.

Bridget glanced at her before scrambling to her feet and going after him, trying to keep up with him. The door shutting slowly and quietly after the both of them was certainly not an introduction to the yelling that followed.

Ariana sat down on the chair outside his office and just stared at her boots.

I hope Bridget is alright. None of this is her fault.
Ariana thought.

The office door opened a moment later and Bridget stepped out looking down. Ariana was off the chair and walking beside she headed to her desk.

"What happened?"

"He fired me."

Ariana frowned.
"What?! He can't do that."

"Well, he can, he's my boss." Bridget started to gather her things from her desk.

"Yes but..."

"It's fine, Ari."

"No, it's not!" Ariana's anger resurfaced.

She turned around and headed towards his office. Barging in his office, she slammed the door behind her and headed towards his desk. Jace whose back was to her, as he gazed out of the floor to ceiling window trying to get back some semblance of calm turned around when he heard his door slam shut.

"You can't fire her."

He would've expected anyone in the entire company to come and defend Bridget but Ariana wasn't one.

"Well, I can and I just did."

"None of this is her fault." Ariana said, "How was she supposed to know about them being out front?"

"No, it's not." Jace agreed, "But she was supposed to know about this issue with Heather and warn me ahead of time before it blew up in my face."

"Whatever that girlfriend of yours did isn't on her. You can't get angry and fire people just like that."

"Really?!" Jace walked towards her and stopped when he was in front of her. "You're fired!"

Silence.

Ariana seemed unfazed and Jace raised a brow in question.

"I'd gladly leave your side if that was the case. But too bad for me, you can't fire me Mr. Black. My boss is my director and not you. So, my advice is that you suck it up and behave professionally because right now you're mixing your personal life with your professional life!" Ariana spat out, "And you're never going to get anyone to replace Bridget!"

Ariana let that sink in for a moment before she turned around and walked out of his office leaving Jace shocked. If he needed more proof that she did have feelings, there it was.

Ariana shut the office door behind her and walked towards Bridget who was still packing her stuff.

"No need for that."

Bridget turned to look at her.
"What did you do?"

Ariana smiled at her certainty that she had done something.

"Please tell me you didn't get yourself fired too."

What is it with everyone thinking I can be fired from an assignment by anyone other than my SAC or director?

"Not exactly. But, can you stop packing for a moment?"

"What for?" She asked, "He'll get angrier if he notices that I haven't left yet."

"Please. Just for a few moments, because you'll just have to take it all out again."

Bridget sighed and glanced at his office door.
"Whatever you think is going happen I don't know. But what have I got to lose? He can't fire me again."

Ariana smiled.
"Thank you."

Bridget sat back down behind her desk and Ariana went to sit near his office and they both waited.