Author's Preface
[Annie]
For the next four days, working on the executive floor becomes unbearable.
Kai is still distant, but his oversight has become relentless.
Every brief I hand in comes back covered in red corrections.
He points out minor formatting errors in press releases, questions my timeline estimates during team stand-ups, and demands revised drafts for campaign strategy reports he usually approves on the first pass.
By Thursday afternoon, my shoulders ache with tension as I type up a third revision of the campaign budget memo.
I type furiously, growing more annoyed with every revision.
Ever since he caught my eye outside L'Amore on Sunday night, he has been acting as though my personal life is somehow his problem.
[ *** ]
"Is it just me, or is Sterlings actually trying to drive you insane this week?" Amanda asks, resting her elbows on the upholstered partition between our desks and holding out an iced coffee.
"He's just being overly precise," I reply, keeping my eyes locked on the glowing monitor screen and taking a quick sip.
"Precise?" Amanda raises an eyebrow. "Annie, he practically cross-examined you during the ten o'clock strategy meeting over a two-percent margin shift. The tension between you two is loud enough to give the entire floor a migraine."
Before I can respond, my phone screen lights up on the desk blotter.
Oliver: Hope your week is going well! Reminding you that it's your turn to pick the location for this Sunday. Let me know what you have in mind.
Amanda instantly leans further over the divider, her eyes narrowing as she reads the preview.
"Wait. Who's Oliver? And what's happening this Sunday? Did you actually go on a date?"
"Keep your voice down," I whisper, reaching for the phone to turn it face down.
"Annie went on a date?"
Chris's head pops up from the adjacent cubicle, a massive grin spreading across his face.
"Hold on. The anti-social workaholic actually went out with a real human being? Spill every detail right now."
"It was just a dinner setup by my mother," I say defensively, pulling the phone into my lap. "It's not a big deal—"
"If it's not a big deal, why are you blushing?" Amanda teases, crossing her arms. "Where is he taking you this time?"
The playful banter at my desk cuts off instantly.
Kai steps out of the corner office, a thick black leather binder tucked under his arm.
His expression is unreadable as his dark eyes sweep over the three of us, his silver-rimmed glasses catching the overhead lights.
Amanda immediately spins back to her workstation, her fingers flying across her keyboard, while Chris suddenly buries his head in an open manila folder.
Kai stops directly in front of my desk.
He sets the binder down on my desk blotter with a heavy thud.
"Review section three of the Project Horizon campaign cross-check," Kai says, his tone clipped, quiet, and strictly professional.
"I need the verified figures logged before they go to the council board."
"I was planning to log those first thing tomorrow morning, Mr. Sterlings," I say, leaning back and looking up at him.
"I need them cross-referenced tonight," he replies without a second of hesitation, his gaze fixed firmly on mine.
He turns on his heel and walks back toward his office without another word, closing the heavy glass door behind him.
I stare at the binder, my jaw clenching in sheer frustration.
Chris gives me a sympathetic wince, grabbing his coat as the rest of the floor begins packing up for the evening.
[ *** ]
By 6:30 PM, the office lights dim to evening mode, and the floor completely empties out, leaving me alone with the hum of the air conditioning and the glow of my desk lamp.
It takes me nearly two hours to verify every line item, checking row after row of marketing figures.
At 8:15 PM, I stack the completed pages into the binder, stand up, and walk down the quiet corridor.
I knock twice on his open glass door.
"The compliance checks are finished, Mr. Sterlings," I say, placing the binder precisely on the edge of his desk. "Everything is verified."
Kai doesn't look up from his laptop right away.
He caps his fountain pen, slides his glasses off, and sets them on his desk before raising his eyes to look at me.
"Good work," he says quietly.
"If that's all, I'll be leaving," I say, reaching into my leather purse for my car keys.
"What are your plans for Sunday?" he asks suddenly.
My fingers freeze over my keychain.
I look at him, surprised by the question.
Before I can answer, Kai continues, his voice calm but firm.
"Whatever plans you have, cancel them," he says, leaning back in his leather chair.
"We have an emergency regional branding conference in Northeast City starting Sunday morning. The registration and travel schedule are already finalized."
I stare at him, taken aback by the change in plans.
"Sunday? Mr. Sterlings, that was never on the department calendar—"
"The council moved the delegates' schedule up this afternoon," Kai cuts in smoothly, his expression completely calm, though his eyes hold a sharp, deliberate focus. "We leave at 7:00 AM."
I clench my jaw.
He's already made up his mind, and I know arguing with him isn't going to get me anywhere.
"Understood," I say stiffly. "Good night, Mr. Sterlings."
I turn around and walk out of his office, pulling my phone from my purse as I head toward the elevators.
I open my messaging app, type out a quick text to Oliver, and hit send.
Annie: Hi Oliver, I'm so sorry, but an urgent work conference just came up for this Sunday that I can't get out of. We'll need to reschedule our date. I'll let you know once my schedule clears up!
[ *** ]
Saturday is a half day, but the floor is bustling with staff wrapping up their weekly logs.
At eleven that morning, the elevator doors slide open and two uniformed catering couriers step out, pushing carts loaded with pastries, fruit tarts, and iced espresso drinks.
"Delivery for the marketing department," one courier announces, setting an elaborate spread across the breakroom table.
A printed card addressed to me sits on top of one of the boxes.
Within seconds, half the department is gathered around the table.
"Wait, who sent all this?" Amanda asks, tearing open an espresso cup and gasping. "Annie, did your date send this?"
"Thanks for the treats, Annie!" one of the junior analysts calls out, holding up a gourmet croissant. "Tell your future husband he has our full support!"
A chorus of laughter and cheerful thanks rings out across the room.
I stand there, staring at the display as heat climbs into my face.
I rush over and snatch the card before anyone else can read it.
Oliver: So sorry about your Sunday conference! Fuel for the hardworking team. Looking forward to our rescheduled date soon.
Chris strolls over, grabs an elaborately decorated muffin, and takes a huge bite. "Okay, I officially approve of Oliver. This guy knows how to make an impression."
"He definitely gets my seal of approval," Amanda agrees, grinning at my flushed cheeks. "A guy who feeds the whole office? Keep him."
"It's really not necessary," I mutter through gritted teeth, trying to smooth down my clothes and hide how uncomfortable the whole thing makes me.
Just as the office chatter begins to settle, a junior clerk walks up to my desk.
"Ms. Annie, Mr. Sterlings wants to see you in his office right now."
I take a deep breath, stuff the card in my drawer, smooth my skirt, and walk down the quiet corridor toward the corner office.
Most of the floor has already cleared out for the weekend, leaving the hallway dead silent.
I step inside Kai's glass-fronted office.
Kai is sitting behind his desk, his dark coat already off, sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
On the front corner of his desk sits one of Oliver's customized pastry boxes and an iced espresso—completely untouched, resting right beside a stack of project briefs.
He raises his eyes to meet mine, his expression cold and composed.
"Are you dating that guy from the restaurant?" Kai asks, his voice entirely flat.
The bluntness of the question catches me off guard.
I cross my arms. "Yes, Mr. Sterlings. I am."
I catch his jaw tense slightly, but his expression barely changes.
He leans back in his leather chair, resting his hands on the armrests.
"If I recall correctly," Kai says, his tone turning dangerously sharp and quiet, "you were the one who explicitly insisted on keeping a strict boundary between your private life and this office. So why are you dragging your personal affairs into a professional setting in front of the entire department by pulling a stunt like this?"
I stare at him, unable to believe what I'm hearing.
Between Oliver's unwanted public spectacle and Kai's relentless, hypocritical hostility all week, whatever patience I have left finally runs out.
I squeeze my hands into tight fists at my sides, fighting to keep my voice steady.
"I apologize, Mr. Sterlings," I say, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice.
"I had no idea Oliver was planning to send anything to the office. I will be careful from now on. I'll inform him not to do it again."
Kai stares at me for a long moment, his eyes fixed on my face as the silence between us grows heavier.
"Are you serious about him?" he asks suddenly.
That's the final straw.
I've had enough of his questions.
"I'm not interested in wasting my time on something temporary, Mr. Sterlings. If Oliver and I work out, then yes, I'd consider a future with him," I say, unable to keep the frustration out of my voice.
I meet his eyes.
"But that really isn't something I need to discuss with you."
The words come out before I can stop them.
The truth is, Oliver isn't my type.
I haven't spent a single second considering a real future with him, and his grand gesture today only proved how out of sync we are.
But looking at Kai, I suddenly want to wipe that look off his face.
He just looks at me, offering no argument or response.
His expression doesn't change, but something in the way he looks at me makes my chest feel heavy.
"You're dismissed," he says quietly, dropping his gaze back down to the papers on his desk.
"Good night, Mr. Sterlings," I say, turning on my heel and walking out of his office before he can say another word.
I grab my purse from my desk and head straight for the elevators, still furious as the doors close behind me.