Afternoon in Kane's Office
Elara stood with a folder in her hands. "Mr. Willison, the client meeting is in twenty minutes. The presentation is ready. Should I set it up in the conference room?"
Kane didn't look up from his laptop. "Yes. Make sure everything works smoothly."
"Of course, Mr. Willison."
---
Mr. Rohde walked in with two assistants. Kane rose immediately. "Good afternoon, Mr. Rohde. Thank you for coming."
"Let's see what you've got," Rohde said flatly, settling into his chair.
Elara started the slides. Kane explained, his voice steady, precise.
Halfway through, Rohde raised a hand. "Stop right there."
Elara froze, finger hovering.
"This isn't what I asked for," Rohde said, leaning forward. "Where are the figures? The market breakdown?"
Kane's jaw tightened. "We can adjust—"
"I don't want adjustments. I want results," Rohde snapped. "This is a waste of time. Call me when you're prepared."
He stood, walked out, his assistants trailing. The door slammed behind them.
Elara's voice was barely audible. "Mr. Willison… maybe I could—"
"Don't," Kane interrupted, rubbing his forehead. "We redo everything. Tonight."
She hesitated. "I'll stay with you."
His eyes flicked to her. "Good. Let's get started."
---
As Kane stepped out to grab some documents, Elara quickly dialed Mira.
"Mira, it's me. Can you stay longer tonight with Emily? I'll be late."
"How late?"
"Very late. I'll pay you extra. I just… need you to be with her until I get home."
"Don't worry about money. I'll stay. Emily will be fine."
"Thank you," Elara whispered. "Please tell her I'll kiss her goodnight when I get home."
"I will. Don't stress, Elara. She'll be fine."
The office door opened—Kane returning. She hung up quickly.
"Everything alright?" Kane asked.
"Yes, Mr. Willison," she said, straightening.
---
The office was quiet now, empty except for the hum of computers. Kane sat across from her, tie discarded, sleeves rolled up. Elara typed quickly, her eyes darting between data and the screen.
"Slide three," Kane said, pointing. "Stronger opening. Investors want impact immediately."
She typed. "Like this?"
"No, here—" He leaned closer. His hand brushed hers on the keyboard.
Both froze.
Elara drew back. "Sorry, Mr. Willison."
"Focus," he said, voice lower, softer.
She nodded quickly. "Yes."
Minutes passed. Kane murmured, "Change the chart here. Adjust the table. Add one more statistic on projected growth."
Elara typed, muttering, "Got it, Mr. Willison. Should I move the slide order too?"
"Yes. Swap slides five and six. It flows better."
They worked in silence for a few minutes, hands occasionally brushing over papers or keyboards. Every time it happened, Elara's heart raced, and she quickly moved her hands away.
Finally, Kane leaned back, rubbing his neck. "Better. This will do."
Elara exhaled. "Finally. I was starting to think we'd never finish."
"You did well," Kane said quietly. "Most assistants would've left hours ago."
"I couldn't leave you to do it alone," she admitted.
---
They walked down the empty hallway together.
"I didn't think we'd survive today," Elara said, biting her lip.
"You worked hard," Kane replied. "Most wouldn't stay this late."
"I didn't want to leave you with all the pressure," she said softly.
The elevator doors closed. It hummed, then jolted. Lights flickered.
Elara gasped. "What was that?"
"Relax," Kane said, pressing the emergency button. "It'll restart."
Another jerk. Elara stumbled forward, her hand shooting out—landing on Kane's chest.
A sharp pop. A button clattered to the floor.
Her eyes widened. "Oh no!" She stepped back. "Mr. Willison, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean—"
Kane looked down at the torn shirt, then at her flushed face. "You tore it."
"I lost my balance!" she exclaimed. "I swear!"
He pursed his lips, then chuckled softly. "It's just a shirt."
"I'll buy a new one," she said quickly.
"Forget it," he said, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "Just… don't do that again."
"Mr. Willison!" she hissed, cheeks red.
The elevator jolted again,
suddenly. Both of them stumbled forward, caught off guard. Their bodies collided. Elara's hands shot up instinctively, and before either of them could react, their lips met—accidentally, impossibly.
Elara's eyes flew open. "Mr. Willison!" she gasped, shoving him lightly.
Kane stepped back, equally shocked, running a hand through his hair. "I… uh… that wasn't—"
"I know! I didn't mean—" she stammered, cheeks blazing red.
The elevator hummed back to life, stabilizing. They both froze, glancing at each other, words failing. The space between them crackled with tension.
Kane exhaled slowly. "It's just… a moment. An accident."
"An accident," Elara repeated, muttering under her breath. Her hands twisted nervously.
For a long moment, neither spoke. The city lights outside reflected in the glass panels, but inside, everything felt charged, awkward, and… different.
When the elevator doors opened, Kane walked out first. Elara followed, still flustered, cheeks burning.
She muttered under her breath, "I can't believe that just happened…"
Kane didn't respond but the faint curve of his lips betrayed that he hadn't entirely forgotten it either.
Finally, the doors slid open. And there she was—Isabella.
She paused for a moment, taking in Kane's open shirt, one button clearly torn. Her dark eyes flicked to Elara, a cunning smile tugging at her lips.
"Oh, hey, Kane," Isabella said sweetly, her voice sugar-sweet, almost teasing. She leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on Kane's cheek.
Elara's mouth fell open.
Kane stiffened slightly, glancing at Isabella with an unreadable expression. "Isabella…"
Isabella tilted her head, eyes still glinting as she looked at Elara. "Oh, I didn't know we had company." Her tone was playful, almost taunting.
Elara's face burned crimson. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came. She felt suddenly tiny in the space between Kane and Isabella.
Kane cleared his throat. "Elara… this is Isabella. Elara, meet—"
"I know who she is," Elara muttered, trying to compose herself, her hands twisting nervously.
Isabella chuckled softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I see someone's been busy tonight, Kane. Looks like work isn't the only thing causing sparks."
Elara's jaw dropped, feeling the sting of humiliation. Kane gave a brief, apologetic glance toward her, but Isabella's eyes danced with jealousy.