Lexi stood in front of the glass doors of Blackwood Signature Events, took a breath, and pulled them open.
Her heels clicked softly against the marble floor. Everything about the place screamed expensive. The walls gleamed. The lighting was soft, ambient. Employees in sleek businesswear moved with purpose, like the world had no room for hesitation.
Lexi clutched her tote bag like a lifeline.
First day. First impression. Don't mess this up.
"Lexi, right?" a cheerful voice called.
She turned and found a petite girl with curly hair bouncing toward her in kitten heels, holding an iced coffee with whipped cream that was already halfway gone.
"Maya," the girl beamed. "Intern-slash-social-buzz-slash-somehow-still-alive. Welcome to the warzone."
Lexi blinked. "Warzone?"
"Corporate. Just in lip gloss," Maya said, linking arms with her. "Come on, I'll show you the floor before the sharks sniff fresh meat."
They stepped into the open-plan workspace. It was modern, stylish — and utterly intimidating.
Lexi's eyes flicked to the nameplates: Camille Rhodes. Ava Sterling. Maya Thomas.
Her spot? A small desk tucked between Camille's sleek corner and Maya's sticker-decorated station.
"Don't worry," Maya said, whispering now. "Camille is allergic to warmth and fun. And Ava's kind of a mystery, but she's fair."
Just then, Ava Sterling approached — tall, poised, espresso in hand, her dark blazer cut to perfection.
"You're Lexi?" she asked, voice crisp.
"Yes," Lexi managed, straightening.
"You'll be under me. Maya will help you get settled." She paused, then added with faint curiosity, "I heard your pitch made an impression."
Lexi gave a small smile. "Hopefully the right kind."
Ava didn't return it — but something in her eyes glimmered. "We'll see."
Before Lexi could reply, a soft click of heels announced Camille's arrival.
"Ah," Camille said, glancing at Lexi without offering a smile. "The new freelancer."
Lexi nodded politely. "Hi."
Camille gave her a once-over that felt like a measurement. "Welcome. You'll find things move quickly here. We don't have time to babysit."
Maya's eyes narrowed behind Camille's back. Lexi just smiled. "Good. I don't need babysitting."
Camille arched a brow and walked off without another word.
"Did she just—" Lexi started.
"Yep," Maya said, popping the P. "Welcome to high-gloss hell."
Lexi stifled a nervous laugh. She hadn't even opened her laptop and the office tension was already trying to wrap itself around her neck.
But she didn't come here to flinch.
She came to build something.
By noon, she'd barely touched her sandwich. The office buzzed around her — emails flying, clients calling, Camille swanning past like royalty.
She had opened a dozen onboarding files, restructured folders Ava sent over, and updated three templates, all while pretending she wasn't still wondering if Mr. Blackwood remembered the coffee incident.
She hoped he didn't.
Scratch that.
She knew he did.
Maya leaned over during a quiet moment. "How you holding up?"
Lexi exhaled. "Like a duck. Calm on the surface, paddling like crazy underneath."
Maya grinned. "That's the spirit."
Then Ava's voice rang out:
"Team meeting. Brief room. Now."
Maya grabbed her notebook. "Oh, something's brewing."
Lexi followed the small group into a sleek briefing room where a digital board already glowed with the Blackwood logo. She chose a seat near Maya and tried not to look like she didn't belong.
Ava stood at the front, fingers tapping her tablet.
"We've received an internal memo," she said. "The annual Blackwood Foundation Gala has been greenlit for Q3. Theme, location, and concept are to be developed this month."
Everyone froze.
Even Camille.
Lexi blinked. The Blackwood Gala? The one whispered about in industry circles? The one with a seven-figure budget and guests who needed no last names?
Ava continued, unfazed. "It's high pressure. Highly visible. Mr. Blackwood is overseeing approvals personally."
Lexi's stomach flipped.
"Since most of you are buried in client campaigns," Ava went on, "I'll be assigning the preliminary prep to someone new."
Everyone turned slightly.
Lexi froze.
Please no, please yes — she couldn't tell which wish was louder in her head.
"I've chosen Lexi."
The room went still.
Lexi blinked, stunned. "Me?"
Ava didn't flinch. "Yes. I saw potential in your pitch. We need fresh energy. The creative framework will be yours to build over the next three days."
Maya gasped, whisper-shouting, "Girl, that's insane."
Camille's pen stilled against her leather notebook. "She's… new."
"Exactly," Ava said coolly. "No bad habits. Just vision."
Lexi tried to steady her breath. "Thank you. I—I'll do my best."
"You'll need to do more than that," Ava said, tapping her screen. "This is the most prestigious event under our brand."
Camille folded her arms. "Do you really think she's ready?"
Lexi turned slowly to face her. "Maybe not. But I learn fast. And I don't scare easy."
That drew a hum from someone in the back.
Maya gave her a subtle thumbs-up behind her water bottle.
Ava dismissed the room. "We meet Friday for the concept proposal. The final decision-maker will be Mr. Blackwood himself. Don't be late."
Lexi's pulse stopped for half a second.
Mr. Blackwood. Himself?
So not only was she assigned the biggest event of the year — she had to pitch it to the man she'd coffee-attacked and accidentally insulted.
She tried to smile. She really did.
But her stomach twisted into a knot that had nothing to do with nerves — and everything to do with him.
As the team shuffled out, Camille brushed past Lexi, her voice low. "Try not to embarrass us."
Lexi turned to her calmly. "Funny. I was about to say the same thing."
Camille narrowed her eyes, but said nothing.
Maya clutched Lexi's arm the moment Camille was gone. "Okay, if I didn't love you before, I do now."
Lexi sank back into her chair, dazed.
It was her first day.
And she had just been handed the crown jewel of the company's portfolio... and a one-way ticket into the lion's den.
Later that night, back in her apartment, Lexi stood in front of her bathroom mirror, removing her makeup slowly.
The face staring back was still hers — tired eyes, smeared mascara, curls beginning to frizz. But something had shifted beneath the surface. Something sharper. Determined.
Her phone buzzed. A message from her mom: "How did your first day go? Hope you made someone's jaw drop!"
Lexi typed back: "I think I made a few jaws drop... just not sure if it was admiration or fear."
She set her phone down and whispered to her reflection, "You better rise to this, Lex. Because there are people in that office waiting for you to fail."
And somewhere behind one of those mirrored glass walls, he was probably watching.