Falling For Mr. Tyson

Congratulations, Ms Murphy

The atmosphere inside our design studio had been tense all morning, and by lunchtime, none of us were doing a particularly good job of pretending otherwise.

The Tyson Luxury Hotels proposal had been submitted three days ago, and ever since then, waiting had become its own full-time job.

Anna, our technical drafter, was seated across from me with a pencil balanced between her fingers while she stared blankly at her monitor. Beside her, Shane, our 3D visualizer, kept swiveling from side to side in his chair as though movement alone could speed up time.

Just then, the front door swung open and Nina, our sourcing lead and my absolute best friend, walked in carrying a tray of coffee.

Nina and I had been inseparable ever since I moved from Georgia to New York. She was the first person who spoke to me on my first day at work, and somehow one conversation turned into two years of friendship. With her curly brown hair, bright hazel eyes, and cheerful personality, arguing with her was usually a losing battle.

"Everyone breathe," Nina said, handing a cup to each of us. "I brought coffee. Whatever the answer is, we accept it. We put everything we had into that proposal."

"Easy for you to say," Anna mumbled, lifting her cup with a shaky hand. "At this point, I'd rather they reject us than keep us hanging."

"You're lying," Shane replied immediately. "If they rejected us, you'd lock yourself in the bathroom and cry."

"Shut up, Shane, you're making me more nervous," Nina teased, throwing a crumpled napkin at him.

"Hey, guys, stop this-"

I couldn't even finish my sentence when the office telephone cut through our chatter with a sharp ring. We all jumped, instantly freezing. My heart leaped into my throat and for a second nobody moved.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward and forced my trembling finger to hit the speaker button.

"ABC Interiors, this is Chloe Murphy speaking," I said, trying to keep my professional voice steady.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Murphy," a polished female voice echoed through the speaker. "This is Julianne Olson calling from the executive offices at Tyson Luxury Hotels. I am calling to inform you that our development board has completed the preliminary review. Out of over forty applicants, ABC Interiors has officially been selected as one of our final three competing firms."

My breath hitched and for a moment I couldn't speak. I looked up and saw Nina already covering her mouth in shock.

"We will be emailing your team the official Design Brief and budget parameters by tomorrow morning," Julianne continued. "We look forward to seeing your live presentation in our corporate boardroom in three weeks. Congratulations, Ms. Murphy."

"Thank you so much, Ms. Olson," I managed to say before the line went dead.

For one second the room was completely silent before the office exploded.

Anna screamed at the top of her lungs, Shane let out a victory yell, and papers flew into the air. Before I could even process the news, Nina threw her arms around my neck, squeezing me so tightly I could barely breathe.

"We did it! I told you! We're in the final three!" Nina shrieked in my ear.

The door to the corner office swung open and our managing director, Mr. Derek Ford, stepped out. He was a man in his late fifties with salt-and-pepper hair, and a rare smile spread across his face as he began to clap.

"Brilliant work, team," Mr. Ford said, beaming with pride. "Tyson Luxury Hotels is the biggest client this city has seen in a decade. You four worked yourselves to the bone for this bid and you earned it. Take the rest of the day off."

"Thank you, Mr. Ford. We won't disappoint you," I said. He flashed me a smile before returning to his office.

"Tonight is on the company!" Nina shouted the moment the door closed, her eyes sparkling. "Squad night out! Shane, you're buying the first round. Anna, no talking about blueprints. We are celebrating until the bars close!"

"I am buying all the rounds!" Shane laughed, high-fiving Anna. "Chloe, let's go! You're leading the pack tonight."

But I smiled and shook my head as a warm image of my fiancé, Dalton Blake, drifted into my mind. We were supposed to get married in a few months, and I wanted nothing more than to share this career-defining milestone with him.

"Count me out tonight, guys," I said, my heart swelling. "Go ahead and party hard. I want to surprise Dalton and celebrate this one with him."

Anna groaned dramatically. "Aww, lover girl. How I wish I had a fiancé too."

"Relax. You'll get a fiancé when hell gets air conditioning," Shane replied, heading for the door.

"What?! You wait for me! I'm going to beat your sorry ass!"

Laughing, Anna took off after him and Nina and I watched their childish antics with amusement. But the moment the door shut behind them, her smile faded.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" I said, packing my laptop and sketches into my tote bag.

"So you're really ditching us for him?" Nina asked, leaning against my desk.

"Mm-hm," I hummed.

Her expression flattened. "I just think your priorities are a bit warped, Murphy. We just landed the Tyson shortlist. That deserves top-shelf tequila with the squad, not a domestic night in with Dalton."

I stopped packing and gave her a pointed look. "Nina, seriously. Dalton is a good person. I really hope your eyes open up and see that one day instead of always looking at him through those negative lenses."

Nina rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. "Well, I don't see it."

I stared at her for a beat, an amused smirk breaking across my face. Every time Dalton came up she turned into a wall of pure hostility, and it always traced back to one single Sunday morning.

"Oh my gosh," I laughed. "Please don't tell me you're still holding a grudge over breakfast."

"It will never be over!" Nina gasped, clutching her chest dramatically. "The man violated the sacred laws of the kitchen, Chloe. He walked into our apartment, saw a fresh steaming stack of chocolate chip pancakes and ate the entire thing without asking. I will never forgive him."

"He genuinely thought I made them for him as a surprise!" I defended, zipping my bag shut.

"He didn't even leave me a single one. Not one. That is the mark of a sociopath."

"You are completely insane," I chuckled, throwing my bag over my shoulder. "You know what your real problem is? You need to get a boyfriend. Maybe then you'd change your mind about romance."

"Are you insulting my single status?!" Nina squawked, eyes widening. "I am happily married to my career, thank you very much."

"See you tomorrow, workaholic!" I yelled, already making a run for the door.

"Chloe Murphy, get back here! I'm not done listing his flaws!" she shouted after me, though her voice was laced with laughter.

"Love you, bye!" I called back, sauntering out.

★★★

The cab ride to Dalton's apartment passed in a joyful blur, my mind racing with visions of our future. Once I arrived I practically ran through the lobby, took the elevator up, and stepped onto his floor. I couldn't wait for him to lift me up, spin me around, kiss me, and tell me how incredibly proud he was of me.

I pulled out the spare key card he'd given me months ago and swiped it against the lock. The door clicked open with a soft beep.

"Babe?" I called out, kicking off my flats. "You will never guess what just happened. Put your phone down, we need to celebrate right-"

The words died on my tongue. I froze in the entryway, my ears straining against a muffled noise echoing from the bedroom down the hall.

My brows furrowed in deep confusion. The apartment was dark, but the sounds filtering through the cracked door were undeniable. It sounded like rhythmic, breathy moans.

Was he watching porn? I wondered, my mind instantly scrambling for a logical explanation. But I had never known Dalton to watch porn, especially not with the volume echoing into the hallway. Maybe it's just a scene from an erotic movie, I thought, forcing myself to take a step forward.

As I walked down the narrow corridor the sounds grew louder, sharper and terrifyingly real.

"Yes! Baby, f**k my brains out," a woman's breathless voice gasped from inside his bedroom.

"Yes, daddy..."

The world beneath my feet tilted. The air turned toxic, burning my throat as I reached the end of the hall. My hand trembled as I wrapped my numb fingers around the cold brass doorknob and pushed it open.

And right there, on the custom silk sheets we had picked out together, I saw the ultimate shock of my life.