Chapter 265

Serena’s POV The morning flew by in a whirlwind of designs, fabric swatches, and business decisions. By lunchtime, I felt completely immersed in work again, the creative energy revitalizing me in a way nothing else could. My phone buzzed with a text from Ryan: "How's your first day back? Vivian misses you. So do I." A smile spread across my face as I typed back: "Busy in the best way. Miss you both too. See you tonight." I attached a selfie of me surrounded by sketches, my hair slightly disheveled from running my hands through it while concentrating—a habit Ryan always teased me about. His response came quickly: "Beautiful. Even with pencil smudge on your cheek." I touched my face, finding the graphite mark he'd noticed. The fact that he found even my messy work mode endearing made my heart skip. Just as I was about to return to work, my office door opened and Julian stepped in, his familiar silhouette backlit by the hallway lights. "Welcome back," he said softly, his eyes warming at t