An unexpected Visitor
563 Words
Monday morning was unusually quiet.
Too quiet.
Lia had worked at Blackwood Enterprises long enough to know that silence usually meant one thing.
Something was about to happen.
---
She was organizing Ethan's schedule when Sophia entered.
"Mr. Blackwood has an eleven o'clock meeting."
Lia nodded.
"With who?"
Sophia glanced at her tablet.
"Alexander Knight."
Lia frowned.
"I don't think I've heard that name before."
Sophia hesitated.
"You will."
---
At exactly eleven, the doors to the executive floor opened.
A tall man in a charcoal suit walked in with effortless confidence.
Unlike everyone else, he didn't seem intimidated by Blackwood Tower.
He looked... amused.
"Still making people wait, Ethan?" he called as he approached the office.
Lia looked up from her desk.
The man smiled at her.
A warm, easy smile.
"Hello."
She smiled politely.
"Good morning."
"You must be Lia."
Her eyebrows lifted.
"You know my name?"
"I've heard quite a bit about you."
Before she could ask what he meant, Ethan's office door opened.
His expression hardened the instant he saw the man.
"You're early."
Alexander laughed.
"And you're still grumpy."
The two men shook hands.
It looked polite.
It didn't feel friendly.
---
The meeting lasted almost two hours.
When it finally ended, Alexander stepped out first.
He noticed Lia gathering files.
"Working through lunch?"
She nodded.
"Unfortunately."
He smiled.
"Then let me buy you coffee."
Lia blinked.
"That's kind of you, but I should—"
"No."
The single word came from behind them.
Both turned.
Ethan stood in the doorway.
His expression unreadable.
"She already has plans."
Lia frowned.
"I do?"
"You do now."
Alexander looked between them.
Then chuckled.
"I see."
"You see what?" Lia asked.
"Nothing."
He smiled again.
"But I'll ask another time."
---
After Alexander left, the office felt strangely tense.
Lia placed a folder on Ethan's desk.
"You didn't have to answer for me."
"I did."
"No, you didn't."
"I did."
She folded her arms.
"Why?"
Ethan looked up from his laptop.
"He wasn't asking because he wanted coffee."
"And?"
"He was interested."
Lia blinked.
"So?"
"So I declined."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"You declined for me?"
"Yes."
"I'm perfectly capable of saying no myself."
"I know."
"Then why?"
A long silence followed.
Ethan looked down at the papers on his desk before speaking.
"I don't trust him."
"Because he's your competitor?"
"Because I know him."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
The kind of calm that usually meant he wasn't telling the whole story.
---
That afternoon, Lia couldn't stop thinking about Alexander.
Not because she liked him.
She barely knew him.
But because of Ethan's reaction.
It wasn't logical.
It wasn't professional.
It felt...
Personal.
---
As she packed her bag to leave, Ethan appeared beside her desk.
"You're leaving."
"It's six o'clock."
He nodded once.
"I'll have the driver take you home."
"You don't have to."
"I know."
Lia looked at him for a long moment.
Then smiled.
"...Thank you."
For the first time all day, the tension between them eased.
Neither noticed someone watching from the lobby.
Alexander Knight.
He leaned against a pillar, slipping his phone back into his pocket after sending a message.
His smile slowly faded.
"So..." he murmured.
"This is the girl."
His gaze followed the black car carrying Lia away.
Then he looked back toward Blackwood Tower.
"This just became interesting."
- Writer
