13
1630 Words
Aurora gently closed the door behind her.
The soft click echoed through the spacious office.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Cassian walked past her and took his seat behind the large mahogany desk, setting a file down before folding his hands.
His sharp emerald eyes settled on her.
“Sit.”
Aurora nodded politely before taking the chair opposite him.
The silence that followed wasn’t awkward.
It was simply… him.
She had noticed during the interview that Cassian Vaughn wasn’t a man who wasted words.
He spoke when there was something worth saying.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
Finally, he broke the silence.
“I don’t intend to keep you here long.”
Aurora listened quietly.
“I have a board meeting in a few minutes.”
She gave a small nod.
“I understand.”
“This meeting is only to explain your responsibilities.”
He opened a black folder resting on his desk.
“You’ll officially assume your duties tomorrow morning.”
He slid the folder across the desk.
Aurora reached forward and opened it.
Her eyes immediately fell on the title printed across the first page.
Skyline Project
She looked back at him.
“This is…”
“The project you’ll be working on.”
She blinked.
“I’m assigned already?”
“Is that a problem?”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“I just thought I’d be given time to settle in first.”
Cassian leaned back slightly in his chair.
“I didn’t recruit you to settle in.”
“I recruited you to work.”
His tone remained calm.
“If I wanted someone who needed weeks to adjust…”
“I wouldn’t have offered you the position.”
Aurora couldn’t argue with that.
Instead, a small smile found its way onto her lips.
“I’ll do my best.”
“I expect more than your best.”
He held her gaze.
“I expect results.”
Aurora’s smile faded into determination.
“You’ll have them.”
For the first time since she entered the office…
Cassian gave a single nod.
“Good.”
A knock interrupted the conversation.
“Come in.”
The office door opened.
A man dressed in a charcoal suit stepped inside.
“Mr. Vaughn.”
Cassian looked toward him.
“Damien.”
The man stepped forward before turning to Aurora.
“You must be Miss Winters.”
Aurora stood.
“Yes.”
He smiled politely.
“I’m Damien Brooks, Director of Operations.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine.”
Cassian rose from his chair.
“Damien.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Miss Winters will need access to every department relevant to the Skyline Project.”
“Of course.”
“Show her around the building.”
“I want her familiar with the company before tomorrow.”
Damien nodded immediately.
“I’ll take care of it.”
Cassian picked up the folder from his desk before handing it back to Aurora.
“Keep it.”
“You’ll need to review everything before tomorrow morning.”
Aurora accepted it carefully.
“I will.”
He walked toward the office door before pausing beside her.
Without looking directly at her, he said,
“I don’t regret hiring people.”
His words were quiet.
“But I don’t make the same mistake twice.”
Then, without another word, he walked out of the office.
Aurora watched the door close behind him.
Damien chuckled softly.
“He has an interesting way of welcoming people.”
Aurora looked at him and smiled.
“I noticed.”
Damien gestured toward the hallway.
“Shall we?”
Aurora glanced down at the Skyline Project file in her hands.
A small smile spread across her face before she looked back at Damien.
“Lead the way.”
Damien held the elevator open for her.
“After you.”
Aurora stepped inside, clutching the Skyline Project file against her chest.
The elevator doors slid shut, and for a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
“You’ll get used to him.”
Aurora looked over.
“Mr. Vaughn?”
Damien nodded with a faint smile.
“He isn’t exactly… talkative.”
“I noticed.”
“But don’t mistake that for arrogance.”
“He simply values his time.”
Aurora nodded thoughtfully.
“I wasn’t offended.”
“In fact, I prefer people who say what they mean.”
Damien chuckled.
“Then I think you’ll survive here.”
The elevator chimed before the doors opened.
“Welcome to the Architecture Division.”
Aurora stepped out.
Unlike the quiet executive floor, this level buzzed with activity.
Architects stood around drafting tables discussing blueprints while others worked on massive digital displays mounted across the walls.
Models of skyscrapers, luxury villas, hotels and commercial buildings filled glass cases throughout the department.
Aurora couldn’t help slowing her pace.
It was… beautiful.
“I’ve never seen a workplace like this.”
Damien noticed the admiration in her eyes.
“Mr. Vaughn invested heavily in the department.”
“He believes architects should have every resource they need.”
Aurora smiled faintly.
“It shows.”
As they walked farther inside, conversations gradually died down.
Employees looked up from their work.
Some smiled politely.
Others whispered among themselves.
“So that’s her?”
“The architect Mr. Vaughn recruited.”
“I heard she came from Hartwell Designs.”
“And she got assigned to the Skyline Project on her first day.”
“No way.”
“Mr. Vaughn has never done that before.”
Aurora pretended not to hear them.
Damien, however, glanced toward the group.
“Gossip won’t finish those blueprints.”
Almost immediately, everyone returned to work.
Aurora laughed softly.
“They’re scared of you.”
“They’re scared of deadlines.”
He smiled.
“I just happen to remind them.”
They continued walking.
Damien pointed toward a spacious room enclosed by glass walls.
“Our model workshop.”
Inside, several employees carefully assembled miniature versions of future buildings.
“Everything starts with an idea,” Damien explained.
“Then a sketch.”
“A model.”
“And finally…”
He pointed toward the towering scale models displayed near the entrance.
“Reality.”
Aurora stepped closer to one of them.
The craftsmanship was incredible.
Every tree.
Every window.
Every street.
It looked almost alive.
“You can tell the people here love what they do.”
“They do.”
Damien folded his arms.
“Mr. Vaughn only hires the best.”
A small smile appeared on Aurora’s lips.
“I suppose I should take that as a compliment.”
“You should.”
They continued the tour.
He showed her the materials laboratory where different finishes and construction samples were tested.
Then the design library, filled with shelves of architectural books from around the world.
Next came the client presentation hall, equipped with massive interactive screens and virtual reality displays.
Aurora’s eyes widened.
“You even use virtual walkthroughs?”
Damien nodded.
“It helps clients experience a building before it’s constructed.”
“That’s impressive.”
“It saves everyone a lot of expensive mistakes.”
By the time they reached the rooftop terrace, the afternoon sun had begun to soften.
The city stretched endlessly before them.
Aurora rested her hands lightly against the railing.
“The view is amazing.”
“It was Mr. Vaughn’s idea to leave this space open.”
Damien stood beside her.
“He says creativity needs room to breathe.”
Aurora found herself smiling.
For someone so cold…
Cassian certainly understood architects.
“Come on.”
Damien glanced at his watch.
“There’s one last place.”
They returned downstairs before stopping outside a large wooden door.
Damien pushed it open.
“This is your office.”
Aurora stepped inside.
Her footsteps slowed.
The office was enormous.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city skyline.
A spacious drafting table occupied the center of the room.
Shelves filled with design books lined one wall while another displayed samples of stone, wood and glass.
A comfortable sitting area rested beside the window.
It was elegant.
Modern.
Absolutely breathtaking.
Her gaze drifted to the polished nameplate resting neatly on the desk.
Aurora Winters
Senior Architect
For a long moment…
She simply stared.
“It…”
She smiled to herself.
“It’s beautiful.”
Damien leaned against the doorway.
“I had a feeling you’d like it.”
Aurora slowly walked toward the window.
She had worked in respectable firms before.
She’d had her own office.
But nothing…
Nothing compared to this.
It was the largest office she had ever had.
The most beautiful too.
Every detail had been carefully designed.
It felt less like an office…
And more like a place where ideas came to life.
She turned to Damien.
“Please thank whoever prepared it.”
A knowing smile crossed his face.
“I don’t have to.”
Aurora looked puzzled.
“Mr. Vaughn personally instructed Facilities to have everything ready before you arrived.”
She was surprised.
“He did?”
Damien nodded.
“He rarely gets involved in things like office assignments.”
“But he made an exception this time.”
Aurora looked around the room once more.
She couldn’t quite explain why…
But hearing that made her appreciate the space even more.
Damien smiled.
“I’ll leave you to settle in.”
“If you need anything, my office is two floors below.”
“Thank you.”
After he left, Aurora placed her handbag on the desk and gently ran her fingertips across its smooth wooden surface.
A smile tugged at her lips.
Perhaps accepting Cassian Vaughn’s offer…
Had been the right decision after all.
- Writer
