Corner Office Romance

Chapter5

The sound hit me before the sight did. And a man's voice boomed through the lobby, loud enough to make papers rustle in my trembling hands. "I want to see Alexander Grant. Now!" The man had said.

I peeked over the edge of my desk, and every single employee froze. Phones also stopped ringing, keyboards stopped tapping, and even the elevator seemed to hold its breath.

The man stormed in like thunder, his face was red, and his suit wrinkled as if he'd been pacing all night. He held a folder so tight the edges were bending. His sharp and wild eyes scanned the room.

"Where is he?" he shouted. "Don't play games with me. I won't be ignored."

No one moved, heads dropped and one receptionist actually ducked behind her monitor.

I then swallowed hard, and my chest tightened. I was supposed to stay quiet, right? This wasn't my fight, but the silence made it worse. He was looking for Alexander, and Alexander wasn't here yet. If no one spoke, this man might tear the place apart.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I stood. My knees shook, but my voice forced itself out.

"Sir, please," I said, in a soft voice. "Can you tell me what the problem is?"

His eyes snapped to me like a whip, and for a second, I wished I'd stayed invisible.

"Who are you?" he barked.

I forced a breath. "I'm Alexander's assistant." The words sounded braver than I felt. "If you tell me what happened, maybe I can help."

He laughed, but it wasn't a nice laugh. More like a warning. "You think an assistant can solve this?"

Around us, whispers buzzed. People were staring, and I clenched my fist and straightened my back. "I think keeping your voice down might be a start. You're disturbing the entire floor."

His brows shot up, because he wasn't expecting me to talk back.

"Disturbing the floor?" he repeated, louder. "Your boss signed a deal that's about to cost my company millions, and you're worried about the floor?" He waved the folder in the air, and l'aorte rattled. "I've been calling him for days, no response. Do you people think I'm a joke?"

I bit my lip, and my heart pounded in my chest. "I'm not saying you're a joke. I'm saying if you let me see the documents, I can make sure Mr. Grant addresses this the seconds he walks in."

He stared at me. And my palms sweated, but I held his gaze .

"Don't try to calm me down," he snapped. "I've dealt with liars before. Your company promised figures, promised stability and instead, I'm staring at losses."

"Then, let's go through it together," I said quickly. My voice cracked, but I kept going. "I don't want you to lose anything. Just... give me five minutes to look at it with you."

For the first time, his tone dipped. And he was just curious and not calm. "Five minutes?"

"Yes." I nodded fast. "Five, that's all I ask. If you're right, I'll walk you to Alexander myself."

The room was dead quiet, and everyone watched like this was a boxing match.

The man's jaw twitched, and he hesitated, gripping the folder tighter. And for a second, I thought he might hand it over.

But instead, he slammed it onto my desk so hard that the pens jumped. Papers spilled out across the wood.

He leaned forward, with his eyes blazing. "Who do you think you are," he growled, "to stand in my way?"

His words hit me like a slap. My legs shook, but I planted my feet firmly on the ground. I couldn't show fear, not now.

"I'm not standing in your way," I said carefully, meeting his gaze. "I'm trying to help you."

He leaned closer, his breath was sharp with anger. "Help? You think you can help me when your boss can't even return a call?"

The lobby was still, and I could feel every pair of eyes on me. My throat was dry, but I forced the words out anyway.

"Look," I said, steadying my voice, "I can't undo the past. But right now, I can't listen. You're angry, and you have every right to be. But if you keep shouting, nothing gets fixed. If you sit down with me, we can find a way forward."

He blinked, just once and enough for me to see the c***k in his armor.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he said, but softer this time.

"Then show me." I slid the papers closer, flipping the top page. "Prove I don't understand, and walk through it."

And for a long second, he didn't move. His fist stayed clenched at his sides. I waited, praying he'd take the bait. Finally, with a heavy sigh, he yanked the chair across from me and dropped into it.

"Fine," he muttered. "You want to play assistant? Let's see how far you get."

My hands shook as I straightened the pages, but I made my voice calm. "Alright, start the. What's the biggest loss you're looking at?"

He jabbed a finger at the numbers. "Right here. Miscalculated costs, and my investors are screaming at me."

I scanned the sheet, and my mind raced. "Okay, but see this?" I pointed at a small note in the margin. "This line shows an adjustment coming in the next quarter, that evens it out."

His brows drew together. "What?"

"Here." I slid the paper back to him. "It's temporary, painful and yes. But not permanent."

He studied it, his lips pressed tight, and for the first time, the red faded from his cheeks.

"So, you're saying..." he began.

"I'm saying don't pull out yet, Mr. Grant will go over this with you himself, but from what I see, the panic isn't necessary."

He let out a long breath, his shoulders sinking. "Maybe... maybe I overreacted."

I smiled, though my heart was still hammering. "You cared enough to fight for my company. That doesn't make you weak. It makes you smart. And smart people wait for the full picture before they make decisions."

The silence that followed wasn't tense anymore. It was heavy, yes, but calmer. He looked at me differently now, not like I was in his way, but like I was someone worth hearing.

He leaned back, finally dropping his first onto his lap. "You've got guts, I'll give you that."

"Thank you," I whispered, more relief than pride.

For the first time since he'd stormed in, I thought maybe, just maybe I'd actually pulled it off. The air felt lighter, the room was a little less suffocating and I almost let myself relax.

And then, the silence shifted again. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled. The client's gaze flicked upward, over my shoulder, and I froze.

I turned slowly and there, in the doorway, stood Alexander. His suit crisp, and his eyes locked directly on me. And I wondered if he had heard every word.