TheNewBoss
1302 Words
Wednesday mornings always buzzed at Reid Holdings, but this one felt different — like the entire building was humming with anticipation. The kind of nervous energy that prickled under Marie’s skin the moment she stepped out of the elevator.
She tried to ignore it. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t think about him. Not the elevator, not the humiliation, and definitely not the way his voice had sounded when he’d said employees who can’t mind their temper.
She was here to work, not replay every mortifying second of yesterday.
Still, the whispers around the office were impossible to ignore.
“He’s back in the country permanently.”
“Apparently, he’s taking over part of the operations team.”
“No one knows why the board agreed to it so suddenly.”
Marie sat at her desk, pretending to focus on her computer screen. The cursor blinked on an empty document. Her inbox, as usual, was flooded with new assignments — budget drafts, performance reports, and meeting memos. But her mind kept circling back to one name.
Alexander Reid.
It had been barely twenty-four hours, yet she could still feel his presence. That quiet command that filled a room without a word.
“Earth to Marie.”
She blinked. Johnny was leaning against her desk, holding a stack of papers. His grin was casual, but his tone held curiosity. “You’ve been staring at the same email for ten minutes. Should I call IT or an exorcist?”
“Very funny,” she muttered, typing aimlessly just to look busy.
Johnny shrugged. “You sure you’re alright? You look like you saw a ghost.”
“Maybe I did,” she murmured.
He frowned. “Still thinking about that lift thing?”
She didn’t answer. Because how did she explain it? The way that short, suffocating ride had burned itself into her memory — his calm when she’d panicked, his indifference when she’d trembled, his voice, deep and unhurried, ordering her to breathe as if he controlled the air itself.
Before she could reply, the intercom buzzed. A female voice rang through the room.
“All staff, please report to the conference hall in five minutes. Mandatory announcement from the executive board.”
Johnny raised a brow. “Uh-oh. Sounds serious.”
Marie sighed, grabbing her notebook. “Let’s go before Mrs. Lopez bites our heads off again.”
The conference hall was already crowded by the time they arrived. Dozens of employees stood in clusters, whispering theories. Marie spotted the managing director, Mr. Harrison, near the front — stiff, smiling too tightly. The room fell silent when he cleared his throat.
“Good morning, everyone,” he began. “I’ll keep this brief. As some of you know, we’ve undergone several structural changes over the past quarter. Today, we’re officially welcoming a new addition to our executive team — someone who will be overseeing the operations department directly.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Marie’s chest tightened. She didn’t like the way his tone sounded — formal, cautious, almost reverent.
Mr. Harrison continued, “He’s someone you’ve likely heard of, and whose vision has shaped much of what this company stands for.”
Johnny leaned toward her and whispered, “I bet it’s another one of those gray-haired consultants from the board.”
Marie forced a small smile. “Probably.”
But then, the door at the side of the room opened.
And he walked in.
Alexander Reid.
The air changed instantly. Conversations died mid-sentence. People straightened their jackets. The hum of the air conditioner was suddenly too loud.
Marie’s stomach dropped.
He looked exactly as she remembered — poised, confident, eyes sharp enough to cut through silence. His suit was darker this time, the same charcoal tone that seemed to belong to him alone.
Mr. Harrison smiled like he’d been holding his breath for hours. “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Alexander Reid, the new Executive Director of Operations.”
Applause followed — hesitant at first, then enthusiastic.
Marie didn’t clap. She couldn’t. Her palms were frozen to her notebook.
Executive Director of Operations.
Her department.
Her new boss.
He took the podium with the ease of someone born to command. “Good morning,” he said simply. His voice rolled through the room — calm, even, dangerously composed.
“I don’t believe in long introductions,” he continued. “What I believe in are results. Efficiency. Accountability. I expect the best from my teams, and I reward excellence the same way I hold people accountable for failure. My goal is simple — to make sure this company runs as sharply as it should.”
His gaze swept across the crowd — deliberate, unhurried. Then it landed on her.
Marie’s breath caught.
For a split second, he held her eyes — long enough for her heart to betray her. There was no warmth there, no acknowledgment. Just that same unreadable expression, calm and piercing.
He looked away first.
The applause resumed, but Marie barely heard it. She felt every beat of her pulse hammering in her ears.
When the meeting ended, people swarmed him again — shaking hands, offering smiles that were a little too eager. Marie tried to blend into the crowd, to vanish before he noticed her again.
“Miss Parker.”
His voice cut clean through the noise.
She froze. Slowly, she turned.
He stood a few feet away, one hand tucked into his pocket, the other holding a folder. His tone was polite — almost too polite. “A word, if you’re done avoiding me.”
A few heads turned curiously, but Marie forced a professional smile and followed him a short distance from the group.
“Yes, sir?” she managed, hating how small her voice sounded.
His eyes flicked down to her ID badge before meeting her gaze again. “You work under the operations team, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” He handed her the folder. “I expect the quarterly logistics report by end of day. Your managing director seems to think you’re one of the few people here who can deliver it properly.”
She blinked, taking the folder. “I—of course. I’ll get it done.”
His lips curved faintly, not in a smile but in something sharper. “I’m sure you will. After all…” He tilted his head slightly. “…you wouldn’t want to give me another reason to think you’re unprofessional, would you?”
Heat flared in her chest — embarrassment, anger, something else she didn’t dare name. “Understood, sir.”
“Good.”
He turned to leave, then paused, his tone dropping lower. “And, Miss Parker?”
“Yes?”
He glanced over his shoulder, eyes cold and steady. “Next time you’re angry at my driver, maybe consider that not every puddle deserves a war.”
Her jaw tightened. “Noted,” she said flatly.
He walked away without another word, leaving her standing there, pulse raging, fingers clutching the folder like it might explode.
Johnny appeared a few moments later, wide-eyed. “Did he just—talk to you?”
“Unfortunately,” she muttered.
“What did he say?”
“Nothing important,” she lied.
Because it wasn’t just what he said it was the way he said it. Calm, measured, certain that she’d remember every word.
Back at her desk, she opened the folder and stared at the endless spreadsheets. But her mind wasn’t on the numbers.
It was on him, the man whose eyes could turn silence into pressure, whose words could slice straight through pride.
Alexander Reid wasn’t just her new boss.
He was a storm disguised in a suit.
And Marie knew, deep down, that surviving him would take more than professionalism.
- Writer
