BILLIONAIRE'S SPOILED MRS

Chapter 7: A glitch in the plan

Maeve’s new office was beautiful, but it felt like a trap. The wall facing Cassian’s desk was made entirely of glass. It was meant to be "modern," but to Maeve, it felt like she was a performer on a stage. Every time she reached for a pen or shifted in her chair, she could feel his cold gaze tracking her movement from the other room.

Around noon, Marcus tapped on her door and entered with a thick stack of blue folders. "Miss Williams, these are the final interior design arrangements for the lobby and the penthouse suites. Also, a reminder: you have a formal project update meeting with your father, Mr. Williams, at 4:00 PM in the main boardroom."

Maeve nodded, taking the files. "Thank you, Marcus."

"Oh, and Mr. Blackwood just sent over the digital budget sheets for your review," Marcus added with a sympathetic smile. "He wants them finished by the time the meeting starts."

Maeve opened her laptop, and her inbox dinged. It was an email from Cassian with the subject line: Do not be late with these. She sighed and dove into the numbers. For the next two hours, Maeve ignored the hunger growling in her stomach. She didn't have time for a luxury lunch today. As she scrolled through the hundreds of lines of expenses, her eyes caught something strange. A series of payments to a marble supplier didn't match the price on the original contract.

"Wait a minute," she whispered, her brow furrowed. She did the math twice. There was a $500,000 mistake in the budget.

She looked through the glass wall. Cassian was sitting at his desk, though the curtains covered most of her view, she could still see a glimpse of him. Maeve felt a rush of pride. She had found something his "perfect" team had missed. She grabbed her tablet, straightened her white shirt, and walked toward the connecting door.

She knocked firmly. *One. Two. Three.*

No answer.

Maeve frowned. She knew he was in there; she had just seen him through the glass a moment ago. Maybe he was on a call and didn't hear her? She knocked again, louder this time. Still nothing.

Maeve’s "spoiled" impatience started to flare up. She wasn't used to being ignored, especially when she had important information. She reached for the handle, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

"Cassian, I found a mistake in the budget that you really need to—"

The words died in her throat.

Cassian wasn't alone. Standing close to him—far too close—was a tall woman with sleek blonde hair and a dress that cost more than a small car. She was leaning over his desk, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder. They were speaking in low voices, and for a split second, it looked like they were sharing a private, intimate moment.

Cassian looked up, his blue eyes turning into ice the moment they landed on Maeve. The woman also turned, looking at Maeve like she was a rude interruption.

"Miss Williams," Cassian said, his voice dangerously low. "I don't remember telling you to enter."

Maeve felt a sharp, hot sting of jealousy in her chest, but she covered it with a mask of pure arrogance. She stood tall, clenching her tablet so hard her knuckles turned white.

"The door was unlocked," Maeve snapped, her eyes darting to the woman and then back to Cassian. "And since I’m actually doing the work you assigned me instead of... socializing... I thought you’d want to know your budget is half a million dollars off."

The blonde woman let out a soft, mocking laugh. "Is this the 'Little Miracle' I’ve heard so much about, Cassian? She’s certainly energetic."

Maeve gave the woman a look that could melt steel. "And you are...?"

"This is Elena, the lead architect for the project," Cassian said, standing up. He didn't introduce Maeve to her; he just stared at Maeve with an annoyed expression. "And in this office, we knock and *wait* for an answer. Go back to your desk. I’ll deal with your 'discovery' when I’m ready."

Maeve’s jaw tightened. She wanted to scream, to throw the tablet, and to tell Elena to get her hands off *her* man. But she remembered the "new Maeve" mission.

"Fine," Maeve said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I’ll go back to my desk and continue being the only person in this room actually focused on the project. Don't let me interrupt your... architecture lesson."

She turned around and marched out, slamming the door behind her. As she sat back down in her office, she could see them through the glass again. She hated that glass wall. Most of all, she hated the way her heart hurt seeing him with someone else.

She had a meeting with her father in two hours, and right now, she felt like she was losing her mind.