14. SHIFTING TIDES
1983 Words
By the time Selene stepped onto the executive floor on Monday morning, the calm atmosphere she’d grown accustomed to had vanished.
A few employees hurried from one office to another with files in their arms, while assistants balanced tablets, coffee cups and folders as they rushed to keep pace with their bosses.
Selene’s stepped slowed a bit just outside the elevator.
“What’s going on,” she whispered to herself.
Either the building is on fire, or your favorite boss is being cranky…as usual.
The receptionist looked up from her desk and sighed in relief when she saw Selene.
"Good morning, Miss Hart."
"Morning." Selene adjusted the strap of her handbag. "Why does everyone look like they're preparing for the apocalypse?"
"The Blackwood Charity Gala."
“What about it?”
“The CEO wants the final report of every department before the end of tomorrow,” he receptionist stated.
“Tomorrow?” Selene exclaimed. “Why?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
She hadn’t even reached her desk before an assistant approached her.
“Miss Hart, the floral designer needs approval on the centerpiece arrangements.”
Another assistant appeared almost immediately afterward.
“The hotel manager called. They need confirmation on the seating plan.”
Selene stared at the people surrounding her, her expression showing tiredness already.
“I’ve been at work for… what? Three minutes?” she said internally.
Five. But who’s counting? Nyx replied.
Selene resisted the urge to groan.
An hour later, her desk had disappeared underneath neatly arranged folders, invitation proofs, color samples and handwritten notes.
The annual Blackwood Charity Gala was far more than a fundraising dinner.
It was the company’s biggest event of the year, she had gathered that information from the files she’d been given. Investors flew in from different countries, politicians attended, influential business leaders competed for invitations and every major media outlet would be covering the evening.
One mistake could become tomorrow’s headlines.
Selene rubbed the bridge between her eyes before opening another spreadsheet.
“Transportation…”
Done
“Guest list…”
Done
“Security schedule…”
Done, she said as she marked out the last position to be secured.
She reached for the final folder.
Seating Arrangement.
“Finally.”
The document contained over two hundred names, each needing to be seated according to status, business relationships and company protocol.
It looked less like a dinner plan and more like an elaborate puzzle.
Nyx snickered. One wrong chair and billionaires start World War Three.
“I wish you were joking.”
Selene scanned each name one after the other, making careful adjustments whenever she spotted a possible conflict between business competitors or rival companies.
The work demanded total concentration, so she barely noticed when someone stopped beside her desk.
“Miss Hart.”
She looked up immediately.
“Mr. Blackwood.”
Alaric stood with his usual composed expression, one hand tucked into his trouser pocket.
“I need the preliminary seating arrangement before noon.”
“I’ll have it ready,” she replied.
His eyes drifted across the documents scattered over her desk. “How long have you been here?”
“Around nine.”
“And breakfast?”
Selene hesitated a bit, “…Coffee?”
“Coffee isn’t breakfast,” Alaric replied, one of his perfectly shaped eyebrows raised just a bit.
“It counts on mornings like this, I guess,” she said sheepishly.
“It doesn’t.”
His tone wasn’t harsh.
If anything…he sounded mildly disapproving.
“I’ll eat later,” Selene said, smiling sheepishly.
He studied her for another second before giving a short nod.
“See that you do.”
As he walked back toward his office, Nyx giggled.
Someone’s worried.
“That’s my boss.”
Exactly. Bosses usually worry about deadlines, not whether their assistants remembered to eat cereal.
Selene ignored the comment and returned to work, though she couldn’t deny that the exchange had left an unfamiliar warmth lingering in her chest.
She became so absorbed in organizing the guest list that she completely lost track of time.
Emails came in one after another.
By the time she answered the last email, over two hours had passed.
A soft knock against her desk startled her.
"Miss Hart?" One of the executive assistants stood there holding a small paper bag.
"Yes?"
"Mr. Blackwood asked me to bring this to you."
Before Selene could ask what it was, the woman smiled knowingly and walked away. Confused, Selene opened the bag. Inside was a freshly made croissant, a cup of yogurt, a small fruit salad and a bottle of orange juice.
She stared at the contents.
"...You're kidding."
OH MY GOSH! Nyx squealed.
"He probably ordered extra." Selene said, her cheeks immediately warmed.
Sure. And the food accidentally walked itself to your desk.
"It isn't a big deal."
Then why are you blushing?
"I'm not blushing." Selene countered.
Yes you are.
Trying very hard to ignore the curious glances from nearby employees, Selene quietly placed the breakfast beside her keyboard.
Inside the CEO's office, Flynn watched the entire exchange through the door left ajar. The grin spreading across his face became impossible to hide.
"I have to admit," he said, folding his arms, "this is entertaining."
Alaric didn't bother looking up from the report in front of him, "What is?"
"You."
"Me working is entertaining to you?"
"No." Flynn shook his head. "You're pretending to work while secretly checking whether Selene has started eating."
"I wasn't checking."
"You noticed she skipped breakfast. You arranged food for her without embarrassing her in front of the staff. Then you had someone else deliver it because you knew she'd refuse if you brought it yourself."
Silence.
"That's thoughtful,” Flynn said, pointing towards him. "You care about her."
Alaric didn't answer immediately.
Instead, his gaze drifted outside his office, where Selene had finally taken a bite of the croissant.
Only then did he look back at Flynn.
"...She's my responsibility."
Flynn almost rolled his eyes.
"No, Alaric,” he smiled knowingly. "She's your mate."
The office fell silent. For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Alaric knew Flynn was right. Every instinct inside him urged him to protect Selene, even if it’s something as little as her eating. It wasn't something he had chosen. It simply... existed.
Flynn's phone buzzed in his pocket. The smile disappeared from his face the moment he saw the caller ID.
Corwin. Again.
“You good?” Alaric asked, noticing the sudden quietness from Flynn.
Flynn nodded. Although he wasn’t.
His investigation had not yielded much. None of it made sense yet.
And until it did...
Selene would remain unaware.
Alaric studied him for a moment before nodding once.
He trusted Flynn enough not to press further.
Outside, completely oblivious to the conversation taking place beyond the glass wall, Selene returned to organizing the seating chart.
By early afternoon, Selene finally reached the last section of the seating arrangement.
She leaned back in her chair and stretched her aching shoulders before taking another sip of the now lukewarm coffee sitting beside her keyboard.
"So many important people," she muttered as she scrolled through the remaining names. "How do they expect anyone to remember all of this?"
Easy, Nyx replied. Don't become rich. Problem solved.
Selene laughed softly before returning her attention to the screen.
Most of the names had already been assigned to tables according to rank and business affiliation. Only a handful remained.
One name immediately caught her attention.
Bianca Ashford.
There was no designated seat beside her name. Instead, someone had typed a brief note beneath it. Reserved beside Alpha Family Table.
"That's oddly specific,” Selene frowned thoughtfully.
She opened another document containing the Blackwood family's seating arrangement. Every seat around the head table had already been assigned except for one.
She compared both documents twice before nodding to herself.
Without another thought, she dragged Bianca's name into the empty space, saved the file and sent the finalized arrangement to the event coordinator.
"Done,” She let out a relieved sigh.
Nyx, however, remained unusually quiet.
"...Something wrong?" Selene asked inwardly.
No. I just... have a bad feeling.
Selene frowned, "About Bianca?"
About everything.
Before she could ask what Nyx meant, the elevator doors slid open. Several employees instinctively looked up.
Bianca Ashford stepped out with the effortless confidence of someone who believed she owned the ground she walked on.
"Welcome, Miss Ashford,” The receptionist greeted her politely.
Bianca offered a courteous smile before her gaze drifted across the room. It landed on Selene. For the briefest moment, her smile disappeared.
Selene stood politely.
"Good afternoon, Miss Ashford.” Selene greeted as Bianca walked into the office.
The moment the door closed behind her, Selene slowly exhaled.
"I can't tell if she likes me or not."
Nyx snorted.
Trust me. She doesn't.
Inside the office, Bianca placed the seating arrangement on Alaric's desk.
"I thought you might want to review the final layout before it's sent to the hotel."
Alaric glanced over the document. "It’s already done."
"I know,” Bianca folded her arms. “Your assistant assigned the seating."
"Yes."
"You allowed her to?"
"I trust her judgment."
The answer came so naturally that Bianca wasn't prepared for it.
"That's... unlike you."
"She’s my assistant, it’s her job."
Bianca remained silent for a moment before speaking again.
"I’m leaving.”
Realizing she would get nothing more from him, Bianca picked up her handbag and walked out.
The afternoon passed surprisingly quickly after that. For the first time all day, Selene allowed herself to breathe. She glanced at the clock.
Six o'clock.
"I survived."
Barely. Nyx added.
Several employees were already leaving for the evening when Alaric's office door opened.
"You heading home?" he asked.
"Yes, sir."
"I'll walk out with you."
Together they stepped into the public elevator. For a while, neither of them spoke. The comfortable silence was broken only by the soft hum of the descending lift.
"You're adjusting well,” Alaric finally said.
Selene looked at him in surprise. "I've only been here a few weeks."
"And you've already solved problems other people couldn't."
A shy smile tugged at her lips. "Thank you,” she said.
Just then, the elevator lurched unexpectedly before coming to a sudden stop.
The lights flickered.
Without thinking, Alaric instinctively stepped in front of Selene, placing himself between her and the elevator doors.
The movement happened so naturally that neither of them realized it until several seconds later.
Selene looked up at him.
"…Sir?"
Only then did he notice how close they were standing. He cleared his throat and stepped back.
"My apologies."
The elevator resumed moving almost immediately. Neither of them mentioned what had just happened. But the silence that followed felt different.
More intimate.
When the doors finally opened into the lobby, they walked outside together.
A cool breeze swept across the parking lot.
Selene looked toward the sky. "I think it's going to rain."
"It is."
She searched inside her bag before sighing.
"I forgot my umbrella."
Without hesitation, Alaric removed the umbrella hanging over his arm and held it out to her.
"Take mine."
She stared at it. "I couldn't possibly—"
"You could. I’m driving."
His voice was gentle but firm.
After a brief pause, she accepted it with both hands.
"...Thank you."
Their fingers brushed for the briefest second.
A strange warmth settled between them before Selene quickly stepped back.
Inside a black sedan parked beneath a row of trees, Warrick raised the window of his car.
A slow smile spread across Warrick's face as he reached for his phone.
"Clear my schedule for Saturday," he instructed calmly after the call connected. "I've decided to attend the Blackwood Charity Gala."
He ended the call before looking once more at Selene's retreating figure.
"So," he murmured to himself, "let's finally meet, Miss Hart."
The game had begun.
- Writer
