8. UNWELCOME SURPRISE
1704 Words
A sleek black car rolled to a smooth stop in front of the towering Blackwood Corporation building.
The chauffeur stepped out first, taking hurried steps towards the rear door just as it swung open.
The sharp click of a stiletto heel met the pavement.
Then another.
Long, elegant legs emerged from the vehicle, followed by the figure of a woman dressed in a red colored dress that was tailored to perfection. Every movement was effortless, unhurried, as though the world had learned to wait for her.
She straightened, tugging gently at each side of her dress.
Large designer sunglasses concealed most of her face.
With practiced grace, she slid them off.
Dark eyes, striking and calm, swept over the familiar building before her.
A faint smile curved her lips.
Three weeks.
Three whole weeks since she'd last seen Alaric.
Typical.
When work demanded his attention, everything else ceased to exist.
Well...
Not today.
Bianca Ashford handed her sunglasses to the chauffeur without sparing him another glance.
Today, she was going to drag him out of that office.
Whether Alaric Blackwood liked it or not.
One graceful step after another, she proceeded to the doors of the corporation.
“Miss Ashford,” one security guard greeted her, opening the doors for her after.
Her heels clanked loudly in the large reception. Every head turned. Recognition was evident in each and every face.
“Good morning ma’am,” the receptionist said.
“Welcome, Miss Ashford.”
Everyone greeted one after the other as she moved towards the private elevator, responding with a curt nod to everyone possible.
The elevator comes to a stop with a simple ding.
Bianca walked confidently along the executive floor.
No one stopped her.
Nobody questioned her.
She stopped in front of a desk. Strange. Alaric hired someone new?
“Is Alaric in?” She asked calmly, her voice not giving away her current surprise.
“Yes ma’am,” the lady replied, about to pick up the phone to inform him of her presence.
“There’s no need for that,” Bianca said, making her way for the door.
“You’re the new assistant, right?” She paused to ask.
She hadn’t known Alaric hired someone new, but the lady didn't have to know that anyway.
“Yes,” the lady replied.
“I’m Bianca Ashford.”
He door shut behind Bianca as she entered Alaric’s office.
“Surprise!” she said, excitement evident in her tone.
“Bianca! What are you doing here?” Alaric said in surprise.
Flynn leaned back against the cabinet, folding his arms with the look of a man who had just bought front-row tickets to a disaster.
“This should be good,” he muttered under his breath.
Bianca ignored him.
“Really? Not even a hi?” she said.
“Anyway, I came to rescue you from your mountain of paperwork,” Bianca said with a smile.
Alaric’s attention remained on the document in front of him, “I’m busy,” he said.
“You’re always busy. Feels like you’ve been avoiding me lately.” She crossed the room and settled into one of the chairs opposite his desk without waiting to be invited. “Come on. It’s just lunch.”
“I can’t.”
“Well, I wasn’t asking.”
She had known Alaric long enough to know his habits. If work was the excuse, persistence was the solution, “And I have already made reservations.”
A smile tugged at Flynn’s lips.
“Fancy place?” he asked.
Bianca glanced over her shoulder. “Naturally.”
“I don’t mind tagging along,” Flynn joked.
“I do,” Bianca replied.
“Well, that hurts,” Flynn said, pressing a hand dramatically against his chest.
“You’ll survive,” Bianca laughed softly before returning her attention to Alaric.
“So?”
“No.”
The smile on her lips faltered.
“Why?”
“Because I said so!” Alaric insisted.
Silence.
The office suddenly felt much quieter than it had a moment ago.
Flynn’s back automatically straightened. Even he hadn’t expected Alaric to refuse so bluntly.
Bianca studied his face, waiting for the familiar hint of amusement that usually followed his dry responses.
Nothing.
His expression remained unreadable as he signed another document and kept it aside.
She let out an awkward laugh.
“Since when do I need an appointment to have lunch with you?”
“You don’t.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I have work.”
“You always have work, it has never been a problem.”
“Today’s different. I have a lot to do.”
“You’ve been avoiding me for weeks,” Bianca scoffed, her arms folded across her chest.
“I’ve been busy,” Alaric defended.
“No, you’ve been avoiding me.”
Finally, Alaric looked up.
“I’m avoiding everyone.”
Flynn raised a finger.
“I can confirm that.”
Neither of them acknowledged him.
Bianca searched Alaric’s eyes for something—anything that resembled the man she’d known for years. She found only exhaustion.
Dark circles lingered beneath his eyes.
His tie had been loosened.
The sleeves of his shirt were rolled onto his forearms.
Several empty coffee cups sat on one corner of the desk.
He really had been working.
Still… That didn’t erase the strange feeling settling in her chest.
“You should take a break.” Bianca sighed.
“I will when I’m done.”
“You always say that, and you never do.”
“And I’ve survived.”
“Barely,” Flynn muttered.
Alaric shot him a look.
Flynn lifted both hands in mock surrender.
Bianca sighed. Again.
“You know, your father has been asking a lot of questions. And mine too.”
That got Alaric’s attention.
“Ignore them.”
“He asked when we’d finally announce a wedding date.”
Flynn suddenly found the ceiling incredibly fascinating.
Alaric’s expression barely changed.
“We’ve discussed this.”
“No,” Bianca corrected gently. “You voiced your opinions over mine.”
He leaned back in his chair, “I’m not having this conversation at work.”
“Then when?”
“When I’m free.”
“And when exactly will that be?”
He didn’t answer. She already knew why.
Because there wasn’t one.
The office fell silent once again.
After a few seconds, Bianca smiled.
It was small, barely noticeable. Controlled.
“Fine,” she said as she stood up from the chair.
“I won’t keep you.”
Flynn frowned.
That was… easier than expected.
Bianca picked up one of the paperweights from Alaric's desk, turning it over in her hands and examining it with idle curiosity before setting it back exactly where she'd found it.
Her gaze wandered around the office, fingers trailing over every surface she passed — the shelves, the edge of his desk, the back of his chair.
Nothing had changed. Almost everything looked the same: the same furniture, the same shelves, the same minimalist décor that could have belonged to a museum as easily as an office.
Then something caught her eye.
A white ceramic mug sat near Alaric’s laptop. Not unusual, on its own — except Alaric never drank coffee from mugs. He preferred his coffee black and in disposable cups, always claiming that washing dishes was a waste of time better spent elsewhere. This mug wasn’t his.
Her gaze slid to the neatly arranged tray beside it. Two cups. One empty. One untouched.
She looked back at him. “You’ve changed.”
“I haven’t,” he said, not looking up from his screen.
“Hm.” She didn’t argue. Instead, she turned toward the door, but just before reaching it, she paused.
“Lest I forget.” She glanced over her shoulder, then turned fully around.
“The desk outside your door — you hired someone new?”
Alaric looked up at that. “My new assistant. Selene Hart.”
Bianca’s brows creased. She’d already suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed from his own mouth was still, somehow, surprising.
“She’s human. You never hire human assistants.”
“She’s competent. That’s all that matters.” Nothing more. Nothing less.
But something about the speed of his answer made her pause. Competent.
That wasn’t a word Alaric threw around. He either approved of someone’s work, or he didn’t — there was rarely any room for praise in between.
Interesting.
“She seems nice,” Bianca offered.
“Hmm,” Alaric said, already uninterested in continuing the conversation.
Bianca took the hint and nodded once. She let herself out, stepping into the hallway just as Selene rose from her desk.
“Leaving already, Miss Ashford?”
Bianca offered a polite smile. “Unfortunately.”
“I hope you have a wonderful day.”
“Thank you.”
With a final nod, Bianca walked away, the steady rhythm of her heels echoing down the quiet hallway until she disappeared into the private elevator.
The doors slid shut. Only then did the smile on her face soften.
She let herself rest against the mirrored wall as the elevator descended, turning the strange, restless feeling over in her mind.
She couldn’t quite explain it. Nothing unusual had happened — Alaric had been busy before. He’d canceled plans before. He’d buried himself at work more times than she could count.
So why did today feel… different?
The doors opened onto the lobby, and she stepped out, crossing the marble floor as employees greeted her in passing. She smiled and answered each one, never letting the unease beneath the surface show.
Outside, the chauffeur was already holding the car door open. She slid into the back seat.
“Home, Miss Ashford?” The chauffeur’s eyes found hers in the rearview mirror.
She looked back through the tinted window at Blackwood Corporation, its glass front catching the light. For a long moment, she said nothing.
A slow smile returned to Bianca’s lips. Then quietly she said, “Take me home, I need to see my father.”
If Alaric couldn’t make time for her, then perhaps it was time to find out exactly what was going on.
- Writer
