In His Sheet

Episode 010

By eight, I was already in front of Clara’s office building, Allegra Group, sweaty palms, thrift-store blouse, and all.

Sarah, the assistant with the sharp bob and sharper attitude, escorted me into a glass-walled conference room. A few staff members were already seated, murmuring over schedules and event plans.

Clara walked in last, confident as always, clipboard under her arm, red lipstick perfectly in place.

She stopped at the front, scanned the room, and smiled.

“Well,” she began, “before we start, we have something important to do.” Her gaze found me. “We’d like to officially welcome Mara Collins to Allegra Group.”

My heart flipped.

Everyone clapped with genuine warmth, others with that corporate curiosity:

Who is she, and why is she here?

I stood awkwardly, offering a small wave. “Hi… um, thank you.”

Clara nodded. “Mara showed excellent initiative, attention to detail, and calm under pressure at our last event. She’ll be joining us as an assistant to me.”

Clara gave me a reassuring smile before turning back to the room. “Alright, people. Let’s get to work.”

Papers shuffled around as everyone took their seats. I pressed my folder to my chest to stop my face from grinning too hard.

How easy it is to fake it till you make it.

I sat near the end of the table, smoothing the invisible wrinkle on my skirt. The air in the room was relaxed, but somehow I felt the exact opposite.

A young girl walked in, wheeling a cart full of water, a few minutes after the meeting had begun. She passed each person a bottle while maintaining a sweet smile. Some of the women murmured a polite 'thank you'; others completely ignored her.

Clara stood at the head of the table, clicking through the slides on the projector screen. Venue charts, budgets, client reports, color palettes, things I’d only ever seen on magazine pages while daydreaming about a life I had no access to.

But here I was. Sitting among them

.

“Alright,” Clara said, flipping to the next slide, “before we move on to the vendor updates, there’s one major announcement.”

The room quieted immediately.

Even the interns stopped typing.

Clara’s tone shifted into something sharper, more formal. “At the end of this month, Allegra Group will be hosting a performance and partnership review.”

A few nods went around.

“Which means,” she continued, “all departments need to be prepared, organized, and ready to present.”

She paused...then looked at Sarah.

Sarah stood, clearing her throat. “This isn’t going to be our usual internal update. The board stated that our biggest partner will be physically present for the review.”

At the word physically, the energy in the room changed.

Someone exhaled quietly, “Oh d*mn.”

Sarah clasped her hands. “Mr. Holt will be attending.”

That did it.

Whispers broke out instantly.

“He never comes in person.”

“He sends representatives.”

“This must be huge.”

“Does Clara know what he’s going to ask for?”

Clara raised a hand, and the room fell silent again. “Yes. Adrian Holt will be here,” she confirmed. “His team reached out this morning. He wants an overview of our annual projections, expansion plans, and the adjustments to our new luxury division.”

Clara continued, steady and serious.

“This means the office needs to be spotless, our files need to be airtight, and our presentations need to be perfect. Adrian expects efficiency. He does not tolerate disorganization.”

Sarah nodded in agreement, adding, “He’ll also want to meet department assistants. So for those of you who’ve recently joined us…” Her eyes flicked briefly toward me. “Be prepared.”

I forced my expression to stay neutral even as the weight of the moment pressed onto my shoulders. Not fear. Not quite excitement. Something in the middle...something dangerously close to both.

Clara closed her folder. “The meeting will be held next Friday at nine sharp. Everyone is expected to contribute. I don’t want last-minute scrambling.”

Someone in the back groaned quietly, already stressed.

Clara ignored it. “This is a significant moment for Allegra Group. Let’s show our best.”

With that, she dismissed everyone.

Chairs scraped back. Papers shuffled. People immediately started discussing tasks in urgent tones before they’d even reached the door.

I collected my notebook slowly, leaving the room empty before I stood.

Adrian Holt.

The man the cameras worshiped. The man people whispered about like he was some untouchable myth. And now he was coming here.

To this building.

To this room.

To this world I’d only just stepped into.

My hands tightened around my notebook, not in fear this time, but something closer to anticipation. Not because I wanted him. But because I could feel it, this is actually working, and nobody has caught on with the lies, and I'm still in disbelief.

I stepped into the hallway, still trying to catch up with Sarah. Even if she clearly didn’t want me here, she was the only familiar face in this entire building, and I desperately needed to understand how this place worked.

I hurried after her, weaving through the polished corridor, hoping I could catch her before she disappeared around the corner, when a voice sliced through the quiet.

“Elizabeth! Hi, Elizabeth, wait!”

I froze.

Who the hell shouted like that in a place this sophisticated? And why wasn’t the Elizabeth answering?

I sighed and turned toward the staircase, ready to leave the awkwardness behind, when a smaller yet unexpectedly firm hand caught my shoulder and spun me around.

"Hey!"

I turned ready to lash out, when the last person I was expecting was standing right in front of me,

“Elise! Hi, I didn’t expect to see you here today,” I blurted out—half shock, half disbelief.

“Hiii! Oh my God, Elizabeth, I thought I wouldn’t see you again today.” She was slightly out of breath, cheeks flushed from speed-walking just to reach me.

Sh*t.

I was Elizabeth—and I had already forgotten the d*mn alias I fed her two nights ago.

“What brings you here?” I asked quickly, pulling her aside so no one would overhear.

“Well,” she began, “I realized after I got home that night that we hadn’t exchanged contact. I thought maybe I’d never see you again. Then I remembered that I could just ask your aunt for your number, so I did.”

“My… aunt?” My stomach dropped.

“Mrs. Clara, silly!” she giggled. “But I’m glad I ran into you instead. Do you want to grab coffee? There’s a really cute place just down the street.”

My aunt. Of course, Clara was my aunt and should have my number. Sh*t. My head spun. The room spun. Everything spun.

She had almost blown my cover. If Clara found out I lied, if anyone did, I would lose my job… and my only chance at this double life I was building.

Holy sh*t. This was too close.

“Come on!” she chirped, sliding her hand into mine before I could protest. “It’ll be quick. I promise.”

Before I could gather my thoughts, she was tugging me down the hallway, half-dragging me past the reception desk and straight toward the glass doors.

I tried to slow her pace. “Wait—we can’t just—”

But she was already pushing the door open, sunlight spilling in as she pulled me outside. “Trust me, Elizabeth,” she teased over her shoulder, “You look like you need coffee.”

The coffee shop was small but charming, and the coffee tasted better than any I've had before.

"So before I forget again," Elise said, bringing out her phone, "put your number in, so we can get to hang out this weekend."

I smiled, taking the phone from her.