Chapter 4 RULES, BOUNDARIES, SILENCE.

The afternoon sunlight fell across the penthouse floor in soft, golden stripes as Isabella adjusted her notes on the polished dining table. The view of the city beyond the glass made her feel small and inconsequential, but somehow, oddly calm.

Nathaniel stood near the window, arms crossed, watching her move with that same quiet focus he had the first day they met. He didn't speak immediately, he just observed, and Isabella realized she didn't mind it. Somehow, being watched by him didn't feel intrusive.

"I notice you take care in everything," he said finally, voice low but clear. "Even small details."

Isabella blinked, looking up. "I guess I like things organized."

He nodded slightly. "Organization keeps chaos at bay. Sometimes that's all people can control."

There was something in his tone that wasn't a comment, it was... reflective, almost personal. Isabella hesitated, wondering if she should say something. But she decided to keep it neutral.

"I like my chaos," she said softly. "Just... limited chaos."

He smiled faintly. It wasn't a full smile, but enough to make her stomach tighten. "Limited chaos. That sounds manageable."

She returned to her notes, but felt his gaze on her intermittently, soft, curious, patient. She found herself thinking about how he moved, controlled, deliberate, not hasty. There was a confidence in him that didn't demand attention but commanded it effortlessly.

They spoke about the lesson for Elliot, strategies and examples, and Isabella noticed that Nathaniel asked questions, not to challenge her, but to understand. He didn't speak over her, didn't undermine her. He simply listened.

At one point, he leaned closer, just slightly, as if to clarify a point. The closeness startled her. Not because it was inappropriate, it wasn't, but because she realized her chest had tightened when he did it.

They paused when Elliot appeared at the doorway, backpack in hand. He had finished his homework faster than usual and looked at Isabella with a mix of pride and mischief.

"You make it... fun," he said simply.

Isabella laughed softly. "I try."

Nathaniel watched the exchange, quiet and still, then looked at her. "You're good with him."

"Not good," she corrected. "I just... care enough to notice what he needs."

"Caring is rare," he said, voice quiet.

The words lingered longer than she expected. She didn't know if he was speaking about her, about Elliot, or about something else entirely.

After Elliot left, Nathaniel walked her to the door. She realized that the distance between them felt smaller somehow, like the moments they shared were stretching into something else she wasn't ready to define.

"Do you enjoy this work?" he asked quietly.

Isabella hesitated. Her answer had to be measured, careful. "I like it enough. It's honest, and I get to... help someone grow."

He nodded slowly. "I can respect that. Honesty is difficult these days."

She gave him a small smile, unsure why his words resonated. There was a gravity in his tone, a sense that he understood more than he should or perhaps that he observed more than most people noticed.

She stepped outside into the cool air, her bag slung over her shoulder. The city hummed softly around her, indifferent as always. And yet, she felt the faint pull of something she couldn't name the quiet weight of the man who had just sent her home.

Later that evening, Isabella sat at her small desk, reviewing literature notes she had brought home. The apartment was quiet, save for the hum of the heater and the occasional sound of distant traffic.

She tried not to think about Nathaniel. She told herself it was just a job. A client. That was all.

But when she closed her eyes, she saw him in the way he had watched Elliot, the faint curve of his lips when he had listened carefully to her explanation, the almost imperceptible nods he gave as she spoke.

She shook her head. It's nothing. It's work.

Still, she smiled faintly at the memory. Nothing wrong with being professional and... pleasant, she reasoned.

Somewhere across the city, Nathaniel stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows in his penthouse. He wasn't thinking about work not truly.

He was thinking about her.

Not her name. Not her job. Not her family.

Just her.

And that thought unsettled him in a way he hadn't anticipated.

He didn't plan to be affected by Isabella Vale. He reminded himself of that. His life was controlled, calculated, ordered. He didn't have room for distractions, especially not one who had nothing to do with his world.

And yet, the memory of her laughter, the way her brows furrowed when she concentrated, the gentleness in her voice, it lingered.

He hadn't intended to notice.

But some things couldn't be controlled.

The next morning, Isabella arrived at the Blackwood penthouse, her nerves quieter than before but still present. She expected a routine session. A calm afternoon. Normality.

What she didn't expect was how easy it had become to talk to Nathaniel. How natural it felt when he asked her opinion about small things-books, ideas, even trivial details about Elliot's day. How her chest lifted when he complimented her teaching. How her thoughts lingered on him long after she left.

She reminded herself firmly: this was a job. Nothing more.

And yet, deep down, she began to wonder: how many more days before she started caring about the man sitting across from her?