The soft morning sunlight spilled gently through the hotel room's wide window, its golden warmth crawling across the sheets. The air was still, peaceful — a quiet that only existed in those few tender moments before the world woke. On the bed, two figures lay close together, their bodies unconsciously entangled in a warmth that neither had intended nor expected. The man's arm was draped securely around the woman's waist, pulling her close, while the woman rested half on top of him, her head nestled against his chest.
Olivia stirred first, her lashes fluttering as the sunlight brushed her cheek. Her mind floated in that hazy space between dreaming and waking. She shifted slightly, frowning.
Why is my pillow so hard? she thought groggily, rubbing her face against it in search of comfort.
The "pillow" beneath her moved slightly, a deep sound rumbling under her ear — a groan. Olivia froze. Her sleepy brain tried to catch up, confusion swirling as she blinked her eyes open. Something heavy pressed around her waist. When she moved, the weight only tightened. Slowly, she tilted her head downward.
Her heart skipped a beat. A strong arm — solid, masculine — was wrapped snugly around her waist, holding her close. The fingers twitched faintly, the heat of his skin seeping through the thin fabric of her shirt. Her gaze traveled upward, and she was met with a half-open shirt collar and the faint view of a broad chest rising and falling beneath her. For a heartbeat, she couldn't move. Her mind short-circuited completely.
At that exact moment, Aiden stirred. His lashes lifted, revealing those familiar steel-grey eyes — hazy at first from sleep, then narrowing in confusion as he felt the warmth pressed against him. He looked down at the top of her head — the soft brown strands spilling over his chest — and blinked once, twice.
Olivia's breath hitched as she looked up at him, their eyes locking. Time seemed to stop. Neither spoke; neither even breathed.
Then, as if jolted by the same invisible spark, they both shot upright, faces flushing scarlet. Turning away from each other, sitting stiffly on opposite sides of the bed, they shared the same chaotic thought—
How in the world did we end up like this?
The question screamed in both their heads.
Olivia's memory replayed the night before — They'd both decided to sleep on the bed ( more like Olivia saying it). She'd taken one side of the bed, Aiden the other. They'd even awkwardly said goodnight. But they both were awake, thinking about the person next to them, and in between all these thoughts and exhaustion from the day, they fell asleep.
Apparently, goodnight turned into good morning in each other's arms.
Aiden cleared his throat, trying to form words that didn't sound like gibberish. "I—I'll, uh… go freshen up," he muttered, voice cracking slightly.
He stood so quickly that his feet tangled in the blanket, and he nearly tripped on his way to the bathroom. His ears were red all the way to his neck.
Olivia peeked through her fingers just in time to see him bolt. Her heart was still hammering in her chest.
"Oh my God," she whispered to herself, burying her face in a pillow. "You absolute idiot, Olivia! What kind of sleeping habits are these? Hugging your boss like a human teddy bear?!"
She muffled a groan and punched the pillow a few times, whisper-scolding herself under her breath.
When Aiden finally emerged, freshly showered and dressed, he paused. Olivia was sitting on the bed, hair a bit messy, eyes wide, cheeks pink. The moment their eyes met, both blushed again — like the awkward teenagers they definitely weren't.
Neither spoke as they prepared to leave. Even brushing shoulders while passing by made them flinch slightly.
The hotel's breakfast room was calm and elegant, but the tension between them could've powered a small city. Every time Aiden looked up from his coffee, Olivia was already looking down at her toast. Every time she risked a glance at him, he was pretending to check his phone.
At one point, they both reached for the butter knife — and froze, hands brushing for half a second.
"Sorry," they said at the same time.
Then both coughed and looked in opposite directions.
If anyone had been watching, they'd think they were guilty of a crime.
After what felt like hours (but was barely fifteen minutes), they finally escaped to the car and drove to the office in absolute silence. The radio stayed off. Even the GPS voice felt too loud for their mutual mortification.
Work was the perfect distraction — at least for Olivia. She buried herself in reports and schedules, forcing her mind away from the morning's mortifying incident. By noon, she had almost convinced herself to forget about it completely.
But her body wasn't cooperating.
She'd been feeling unusually tired since the previous evening, and now, as she stared at her computer screen, her head began to feel heavy. A wave of heat spread through her body, followed by a dull ache behind her eyes. She told herself it was just fatigue — the stress, the sleepless night, the emotional rollercoaster of accidentally cuddling her boss.
She popped a cold medicine and kept working.
Aiden, however, noticed. His sharp eyes caught the subtle paleness of her cheeks, the way her fingers trembled slightly while typing. He frowned. Olivia Bennett never slowed down. For her to look this tired, something was definitely wrong.
By evening, the entire design team from Ephorian Maison and Ashford Co. was present in the meeting room. Olivia was the one from Ashford Co. to give the presentation.
She stood, straightening her blazer. Her posture was perfect, her tone steady — but Aiden saw the faint sway in her stance.
"Good evening, everyone," she began, voice calm but slightly hoarse. "Today, we'll be going over the final layout for the Maison collaboration—"
Halfway through her presentation, she blinked. The words on the screen blurred. Her head throbbed. She blinked again, trying to clear her vision.
"—as you can see, the central theme—" Her voice faltered.
Daejin, sitting in front of her, frowned. "Olivia, are you okay? You look—"
"I'm fine," she said quickly, forcing a smile. But her complexion had gone completely pale. She tried to take a step forward — and the world tilted.
Gasps echoed around the room.
Before she could hit the ground, Aiden was already moving.
One moment, he was sitting; the next, he had crossed the distance and caught her mid-fall. Olivia's head rested against his shoulder, her body limp in his arms. Panic flashed across his usually composed face.
"Olivia!" His voice was sharp, urgent. He tapped her cheek gently. "Hey, can you hear me?"
No response. Only the faint rise and fall of her breathing.
The room buzzed with alarm. Daejin immediately stood. "I'll call a doctor!"
Aiden didn't wait. "Don't just call — get one here now."
He lifted Olivia effortlessly, cradling her as though she were made of glass, and strode out of the meeting room without another word. His jaw was clenched tight, eyes stormy with concern. The usual controlled, corporate CEO expression was gone — replaced by raw fear.