“Any questions?” Piper asks.
“I think I’m good,” I reply.
“Great.” She glances at her watch. “Mr. Rossi should be in around 8:45. He’ll want to meet with you at 9 for introductions. Just be ready.”
She walks away, her heels clicking efficiently on the polished floor.
I sit down in my ergonomic chair and try to take inventory. Computer, check. Phone, check. No nameplate, at least not yet.
My phone buzzes. Sora.How’s it going???
So far so good, I type back.
I grab the temporary password HR emailed to my phone, then set the device down and log into the computer. I familiarize myself with the calendar system. I wander back to the break room and play with the coffee maker, in case I need to make an emergency caffeine run.
I absolutely do not think about Nico. Nor that Friday night. Because I’m never going to see him again. I should’ve probably asked him for his phone number.
Story of my life.
I remind myself that it had to be this way. That I made the right choice.
I dismiss Nico from my thoughts, and instead I think about how I ended up in this office. The interview process three weeks ago had beenstraightforward enough. Two rounds with HR, a panel interview with the Chief of Staff and someone from Communications, the usual skills assessments and reference checks. I’d asked, during the second interview, if I’d be meeting Mr. Rossi himself before a final decision was made.
“Oh, he’s traveling,” the HR director had said with a dismissive wave. “He trusts our judgment on administrative hires. You’ll meet him on your first day. And if he doesn’t like you, you’ll know in the first five minutes when he shows you the door.”
Great.
I glance at my watch. Well, I’ll be meeting the mystery man soon enough.
At 8:47, I hear it. A ripple effect of greetings.
“Good morning, Mr. Rossi.”
“Morning, sir.”
“Good to see you, boss.”
The voices get closer. Louder. Moving in my direction.
My heart starts doing this horrible tap-dancing routine against my ribs.
It’s just first-day nerves. Completely normal and—
I glance up, casually.
And my entire world tilts sideways.
No.
No no no no no.
It can’t be.
It can’t—
But it is.
The man walking directly toward me stops suddenly when he catches my gaze. His eyes widen.
