Chapter 4
1129 Words
Cassie balanced the cardboard tray of coffees like it contained radioactive material. Her arm ached from holding it so tightly, but dropping even a single cup was not an option. Rumor in the office said Adrian Cole once fired an intern for spilling latte foam on his desk.
The elevator slid open onto the 34th floor the heart of Cole Architecture Group. The air here was different: cool, climate controlled, laced with the faint scent of expensive cologne and fresh paper. Phones rang in soft chimes. Designers hunched over sleek desks, sketching on massive tablets. Models of buildings gleamed under spotlights like works of art.
Cassie’s heels clicked against the polished floor as she moved toward the reception desk. She kept her head down, trying to appear like just another new hire.
“Careful,” a smooth voice said.
Cassie looked up in time to see Victoria Gray glide past. Victoria was everything Cassie wasn’t: sleek, polished, and terrifyingly competent. Her black pencil skirt looked custom-made, her silk blouse a shade of cream that would have been a death sentence for Cassie’s clumsy coffee carrying self.
Victoria didn’t slow. “Don’t spill those. Mr. Cole doesn’t tolerate mess.”
Cassie bit back a retort. Does Mr. Cole tolerate oxygen, or is that also regulated?
She reached the corner office door a monolithic slab of frosted glass and knocked lightly.
“Come in.”
The voice was deep, crisp, impatient.
Cassie stepped inside and had to remind herself to breathe. Adrian Cole sat behind a sleek black desk, every inch the myth she’d been warned about. His suit fit like it had been sewn directly onto him, his tie was perfectly knotted, and his hair looked like it had been trained from birth to obey. His steel-gray eyes lifted from a document and locked on her.
“You’re late,” he said.
Cassie glanced at the clock. “It’s 8:29.”
“My definition of late is anything after 8:25.”
She set the tray on his desk.
“Then I guess I’m four minutes late. I’ll put myself in coffee jail.”
For a split second, his gaze sharpened not in anger, but in interest. “Most people in this building avoid sarcasm until at least their second month.”
“Guess I missed that memo.”
One corner of his mouth almost, almost lifted. He reached for a cup, took a sip, and set it down. “This isn’t what I usually order.”
“Maybe it’s what you should usually order,” Cassie said, before common sense could stop her. “Double shot espressos aren’t a personality.”
A dangerous pause followed, his eyes locked on hers, unblinking.
Then, with a slow exhale, he leaned back in his chair. “You’re Cassie.”
“That’s me.”
“You’re working on the Holloway Project today. You’ll be shadowing me in the design review.”
Her fingers tightened on her handbag strap. “Shadowing you?”
“Unless you’d rather spend the day making coffee runs.”
She straightened. “No, I’m good with shadowing.”
“Meeting in twenty minutes. Don’t be late by your definition or mine.”
Cassie left the office with her heart pounding. She had twenty minutes to figure out what the Holloway Project even was.
She dove into her desk chair and pulled up the project files. The Holloway Project was a monster: a luxury urban complex, complete with rooftop gardens, cascading glass facades, and a price tag that could buy a small country.
“Big day?”
She looked up to see Mark, a junior architect, leaning on her desk. His tie was crooked, his hair a little too long for corporate life.
“Apparently, I’m shadowing Mr. Cole.”
Mark’s eyes widened. “You? Already?”
“Why does everyone keep saying it like that?”
“Because he doesn’t let new hires within ten feet of him unless they’ve survived a trial by fire.”
“Trial by fire?”
“You know impossible deadlines, sleepless nights, him breathing down your neck until you either quit or cry. Sometimes both.”
Cassie forced a casual shrug.
“Maybe I’m just lucky.”
Or maybe he already suspected something.
The design review was held in a glass walled meeting room with a panoramic view of the city. Adrian was already there when she arrived, reviewing blueprints as though they were classified intelligence.
He didn’t look up when she entered. “Sit.”
She sat.
The rest of the design team filed in: sharp dressed architects, project managers, a couple of junior designers. Everyone seemed to tense slightly in Adrian’s presence, their voices dropping to a more careful tone.
The meeting began with discussions about budgets, construction timelines, and material sourcing.
Cassie kept quiet, jotting notes, until Adrian slid a blueprint toward her without warning.
“What’s your impression?” he asked.
She blinked. “My… impression?”
“Yes. Don’t overthink it. First thought.”
She studied the drawing a rooftop terrace lined with greenery, connected by a narrow walkway. She pictured one of her father’s endless charity galas: women in sweeping gowns, servers carrying trays, photographers pushing through crowds.
“The terrace design is gorgeous,” she said finally. “But the walkway is too narrow. During events, it’ll bottleneck. People will get stuck. The flow will kill the experience.”
A hush fell over the table.
One of the senior architects cleared his throat.
“We’ve actually flagged that as a potential issue. Good catch.”
Adrian’s gaze lingered on her for a long moment before he turned back to the group.
“Widen the walkway by two feet. Adjust the load-bearing calculations.”
The discussion moved on, but Cassie could feel his attention on her, like he was filing away the fact that she’d seen something others had missed.
When the meeting ended, he gathered his files. “You learn quickly,” he said.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Learning quickly is useless if you can’t keep up.”
“I can keep up,” she replied, holding his gaze.
A flicker of something passed over his face amusement? Challenge? “We’ll see.”
He brushed past her, and the faint, woodsy scent of his cologne lingered.
Back at her desk, Mark was waiting.
“So?” he asked. “How was your first day with the Ice King?”
Cassie smirked. “Barely survived. But I think I made him blink.”
Mark’s jaw dropped. “Impossible.”
She shrugged, though inside she felt a dangerous pull. Because for the first time, she wasn’t just worried about hiding her identity from Adrian Cole.
She was worried about what might happen if she didn’t.
- Writer
