“She’s a kid,” Joshua looks amused.“I’m so scared.”
Flora glances at me, and I just stare at the ceiling.“Your funeral, Joshua.Don’t say I didn’t warn you when she makes you cry.”
“Eve is right.”Iris picks up her bag, her eyes on Joshua.“She’s good at her job, and she expects excellence from everyone else as well.There’s a reason why I appointed her to head the division.You all have your tasks.We cannot mess up these two launches so get a grip.”
My jaw tenses at her words, and I see the shadow that falls on everybody’s faces.
We all worked our asses off for the Serasta 70 campaign.Sleepless nights, working around the clock without a break.Steven didn’t even go home to see his kids for three days.I would hear him talking to them on the phone, and he sounded miserable.Everybody knows how much he loves his family.To have all that effort go down the drain still haunts us.
No way was it someone from our team.Not when we were the ones who poured our blood and sweat into this.
As Iris walks away, and everyone hustles to get the day started, Caleb leans towards me.“So you and me, huh?”
I let out a gust of air, trying to remind myself that I like my job, and I’m too pretty for prison orange.
“Don’t get any ideas,” I mutter, pulling up the Serastra files on my screen.“This is strictly professional.You stay on your side of the project, I’ll stay on mine, and we’ll pretend to tolerate each other for the sake of our careers.”
“That’s not how partnerships work, Princess.”
“Stop calling me that.”I start organizing my files, deliberately not looking at him.“And partnerships require mutual respect, which we clearly don’t have.What we have is a mutually beneficial arrangement, which hopefully ends soon.”
The next hour passes in tense silence.I focus on updating the campaign timeline while Caleb works on his laptop, occasionally making notes on a legal pad.When Steven announces he’s going for a coffee run, I jump at the chance to get away from Caleb’s distracting presence.
“Large cappuccino, extra shot,” I tell Steven, grabbing my wallet.
“I’ll come with you,” Joshua says, stretching.“I need to call that reservation place about Le Fount anyway.”
Flora decides to join us, muttering something about needing fresh air after Iris’s intense briefing.The four of us head to the elevator, leaving Caleb alone at our desks.
Twenty minutes later, armed with caffeine and a brief reprieve from my new ‘partner,’ I head straight to the kitchen to grab some napkins.The building’s heating system seems to be fighting a losing battle against the bitter cold outside, and I wrap my hands around the warm cup, grateful for the heat seeping through the ceramic.I find Caleb there, stirring what looks like hot chocolate, marshmallows floating on top like tiny life rafts.
“Hot chocolate?What are you, twelve?”I ask, reaching for the box of napkins.
“It’s comfort food,” he says, not looking embarrassed in the slightest.“Some of us don’t need to mainline caffeine to function like proper adults.By the way, your timeline needs work.”
“How nice for you.”I shove a few napkins in my pocket.“Now, where were we with that timeline?Oh right, you were about to tell me how everything I do is wrong.”
He leans against the counter, taking a sip of his ridiculously sweet drink.The action draws my attention to his mouth, and I quickly look away.“Your event timeline is too aggressive.You’re trying to cram six months of planning into three.”
I pause, stirring my coffee.Damn it.He’s right.“It’s ambitious, not aggressive.Some of us believe in challenging ourselves.”
“It’s unrealistic.You’ll burn out your vendors and compromise quality.”His voice is matter-of-fact, no smugness.Which somehow makes it worse.“Move the launch back a few months.Give yourself breathing room.”
I stare at my coffee, hating that his suggestion makes perfect sense.“Fine.Giving it more time works for me.”The words taste like chalk.“Happy now?”
“See?We can agree on things when you stop being stubborn.”
“Don’t push it.”I head toward our desks, acutely aware of him following behind me.“What about the guest list?We need to focus on the right demographic for this kind of launch.”
“Leave the targeting strategy to me.Focus on the experience itself.”He’s still close enough that I can smell his cologne when I sit down.“The yacht club idea is solid, but the dinner service feels too formal.These people eat at five-star restaurants every night.They want something unique.”
“Like what?A hot dog cart?”
“Like a chef’s table on the deck.Interactive, intimate.Make them feel like they’re part of something exclusive instead of just another boring corporate event.”
I hate that he’s right.Again.“That could work,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Wow, such ringing endorsement.Try not to let your enthusiasm overwhelm you.”
