Untitled Episode
1662 Words
“SCARLET’S POV”
People always assume event planning was glamorous.
It wasn’t.
It was a bundle of stress hidden behind expensive fabrics and tied with unrealistic deadlines.
I looked at the dozen of workers in the grand ball room rushing around me with bouquet of flowers and roses. My phone buzzed for what felt like the hundredth time that morning , my coffee had gone cold hours ago.
“Scarlet, the florist is here”.
“Scarlet, the caterers need your approval”.
“ Scarlet, where do you want the seating chart?”
I closed my eyes for a second.
Just one second.
Then I forced a smile
“One problem at a time,people.”
The ballroom looked beautiful.
Crystal Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, with golden lights filling the room. White roses sat beautifully on the tables and the room was filled with great ambiance.
Everything was perfect.
Or so I thought.
My assistant Ava came running towards me wearing a pale face.
That was never a good sign.
“What happened?” I asked
“The west wing”.
My heart dropped to my stomach.
“What about it?”
“The ceiling installation failed inspection.”
“What?”
“The architect is on his way.”
I rubbed my temple, trying to ease the headache building behind my eyes.
Of course he was.
Because apparently the universe had decided I wasn’t stressed enough already.
This gala was the biggest event of my career.
Hundreds of guests were expected.
Important clients.
Dignitaries.
Investors.
Media representatives.
Failure wasn’t an option.
A few minutes later, the ballroom doors opened
And for some reasons, the entire room seemed to shift.
A tall man walked inside.
Dark suit
Sharp jawline
Confident stride.
His poise radiated confidently
The kind of confidence that irritated me instantly.
He looked around calmly while everyone else was panicking.
Then his eyes met mine.
And something about that look made my pulse stumble.
Not because he was attractive.
Absolutely not.
Because he looked entirely comfortable in a situation that was destroying my sanity.
“You must be the architect,” I said as I approached him
His lips curved slightly.
“And you must be Scarlet Bennett.”
“You’re late.”
He glanced at his wrist watch.
“I’m actually three minutes early.”
I already disliked him
A lot.
“I’m Kylan Cyril.”
“Congratulations.”
One eyebrow lifted.
I continued.
“Do you always leave structural problems for other people to discover?”
“And do you always accuse people before believing the facts?”
I blinked.
He blinked.
Neither of us looked away.
This was going to be a long day.
And somehow deep down, I had a feeling it was only the beginning.
He didn’t look away.
Most people did.
Most people became uncomfortable when I stared at them long enough.
Not him.
Instead, he folded his arms across his chest and studied me as though I were the problem he had been called to fix.
That irritated me even more.
“What?” I asked.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Nothing.”
“Then stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you’re analyzing me.”
His smile widened.
“I am analyzing you.”
I scoffed.
“Well, don’t.”
“Too late.”
Ava suddenly appeared beside me.
“Should I call the inspection team back?” she asked nervously.
Before I could answer, Kylan spoke.
“Not yet.”
I turned to him.
“And why not?”
“Because I’d like to see the damage myself before everyone starts panicking.”
“I am not panicking.”
One dark eyebrow rose.
I hated that eyebrow already.
“Of course not.”
I narrowed my eyes.
Ava quickly stepped away before either of us could continue.
Smart woman.
Kylan gestured toward the west wing.
“Shall we?”
For a second, I considered telling him exactly where he could go.
Unfortunately, I needed him.
So I forced a smile that wasn’t really a smile.
“After you.”
As we walked toward the west wing, I couldn’t ignore how calm he seemed.
It was annoying.
People who remained calm during disasters always made the rest of us look unstable.
Yet despite my irritation, I found myself stealing a glance at him.
Just one.
Unfortunately, he caught me.
“You keep looking at me,”He said.
Heat rushed to my cheeks.
“I was not.”
“You were.”
“I was looking at the hallway.”
“The hallway behind me?”
I groaned.
This man was impossible.
And somehow, after only five minutes, he had already become the most frustrating person I had ever met.
The west wing was a walk away.
“The decorative ceiling panel is unstable and could collapse during the gala,” He said.
“Oh no!”
“The guests are expected to pass through the west wing.” I replied.
“What do we do now?”
He remained calm, ignoring me and started giving instructions.
“Clear this section.”
“Get me the site manager.”
“Nobody walks underneath that panel until I say so.”
“He’s not arrogant or anything like that,” I thought.
While Kylan inspected the damage, the doors closed.
“Oops, I must have tamper with the codes while getting in, he said.”
“You don’t say.”
“You did that on purpose.”
“I would have known all this was a plot to get closer to me”. That’s why you refused when Ava suggested we call the inspection team.
Kylan paid no attention to all my rants and complaints and he stood up and walked toward me.
My heart raced as he drew closer.
His eyes were fixed on mine and I could feel his breath on me.
He placed one of his hands slightly beside my shoulder and asked
“What was that you said earlier?”
His eyes squinting and his face looked like he was about to kiss me.
My back leaned to the wall as I forced myself out of his grip.
I was about to run to the door when the ceiling panel fell off and shards of the ceiling panel pierced through my skin.
I was in severe pain and couldn’t walk any further.
He reached out for my hands and gently we sat on the floor.
I stayed still as he loosened his necktie and wrapped it around my injured arm.
His fingers were careful but firm, each knot pulled tighter than the last, like he was trying to hold me together.
The air smelled like dust and cologne.
Shards of the ceiling panel still littered the floor behind us , but his eyes never left the bleeding cut on my arm.
“You’re bleeding profusely,” he said quietly.
“I’m fine,” I lied. My voice shook anyway.
He didn’t answer. He just finished the last knot, then pressed his palm over the makeshift bandage.
Heat from his hand seeped through the silk.
For a second, neither of us breathed.
His face was inches from mine. I could count the flecks of gold in his eyes.
“What was that you said earlier?” he asked again, voice low.
About him planning all this? About wanting him close?
I opened my mouth… but the words died when his thumb brushed my wrist.
His thumb brushed my wrist and my whole body went still.
“What was that you said earlier?” Kylan asked again, voice low.
I had no answer. The ceiling could fall again. My arm was bleeding. And he was looking at me like he already knew what I wanted to say.
The lights flickered once, then died.
Darkness swallowed the west wing.
“Perfect timing,” Kylan muttered. He let go of my wrist, stood, and pulled a small tool from his jacket pocket. “The codes aren’t just tampered with. They’re locked from the inside. Someone wanted us stuck here.”
“Who?”
He didn’t answer. He worked in silence, fingers moving over the panel by the door. Sparks flashed.
After 30 seconds that felt like an hour, the lock clicked. The doors slid open.
Fresh air and music hit me immediately. The gala was still going in the grand ballroom. Nobody knew how close we’d come to disaster.
Kylan shrugged off his blazer and draped it over my shoulders, covering the bloody tie on my arm.
“Can you walk?”
I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure.
We stepped back into the noise, the lights, the lies. The grand ballroom looked untouched. Crystal chandeliers. Champagne towers. Ava pacing by the entrance, phone to her ear.
Her eyes locked on us — on me, limping, in Kylan’s blazer. She ended the call fast.
“Thank God,” she breathed, then straightened into full assistant mode.
Ava didn’t ask if I was okay. She just turned to the mic by the stage, tapped it twice, and smiled.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if I may have your attention.”
The room quieted. Kylan’s hand hovered at my back, not touching, but close.
Ava’s gaze flicked to him, then to me.
“Before we continue tonight’s program, Mr. Kylan has an announcement.” She paused for effect. “Effective immediately, Ms.Scarlet Bennett has been contracted as lead event planner for all Kylan & Co. Architecture Projects for Six months. Exclusive.”
The room broke into polite applause.
My knees almost gave out.
“Six months?”, working with him. Every day.
Kylan didn’t look at me. He just stared at Ava like she’d said exactly what he told her to.
But his fingers brushed mine for half a second as he passed me a glass of water.
- Writer
