Olivia Hayes was still holding the glass of water in her hands. Her cheeks still held a slight blush, as if eye contact with Adrian Foster had stirred something inside her.
He leaned back in the executive chair in his new office—a spacious, newly redecorated room with a bay window offering a partial view of Manhattan—and calmly asked her:
—Do you need anything else, Olivia?
His tone was light, but the intensity of his gaze made her flinch slightly. Olivia looked down, took another sip, and, after taking a deep breath, decided to speak:
—Yes… I wanted to ask if the company's account balance is sufficient. My team would like to push forward with an aggressive plan: discovering new influencers and recruiting streamers for live broadcasts. The competition is fierce, and many of our top talents have been signed by other companies.
She paused for a moment, almost embarrassed, but continued with conviction:
—The content department has fresh and very compelling ideas… but we lack the faces and voices to bring them to the screen. And without them, our proposals die on desktops.
Adrián didn't interrupt her; on the contrary, he watched her with genuine interest. She wasn't the typical employee who came to ask for favors: Olivia conveyed passion, a hunger to grow, and an energy that was contagious.
"The content department is vital to Coleman Media," he finally replied, smiling confidently. "You're the creative spark. Without new ideas, there's no future… so you'll have my full support. Get ready for additional funding."
Olivia's eyes shone. For a moment, the strong, perfectionist woman looked vulnerable, almost shy.
"Thank you..." he murmured, with a smile that seemed to want to escape his control.
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"Thank you? You work for me, you help my company grow, and you make me money. I'm the one who should be thanking you. Besides," he leaned toward her, "several agencies offered you contracts with very high salaries, and you still decided to stay. Believe me, I appreciate it more than you know."
She opened her mouth in surprise, but he was already getting up.
—Do you want an iced coffee? Or mineral water.
"No, I'm fine," Olivia replied, although her hands were shaking slightly.
The silence lasted for a few seconds, and then she gathered her courage to add:
—Could we also invest in equipment? The cameras and consoles we have are… frankly, obsolete. Compared to what our competitors use, it's like we're filming with toys.
Adrian burst out laughing.
—Perfect, make a list of what you need and I'll approve it.
Olivia's seriousness broke only when he, with a mischievous smile, added:
—By the way… can I ask you a personal question?
She blinked nervously, noticing the intensity in his light eyes.
"Go ahead..." she replied, tucking her hair behind her ear.
-Do you have a boyfriend?
Time stopped. Olivia stood up abruptly, her face burning like fire.
-That?
"If you have a boyfriend," he repeated, quite naturally.
Olivia's heart was pounding so loudly she swore he could hear it. A thousand questions flooded her at once:Why are you asking me? What's your intention? Are you interested? Is this a test?
Adrian noticed her agitation and softened his tone:
—I didn't mean to upset you. I'm asking because you live for your work. If I push you too hard, I'm afraid it will affect your personal life. I don't want to become that boss who ruins your love life.
Olivia looked at him, bewildered. For a moment, she felt foolish. She'd hoped for a more intimate reason… and yet, there he was, smiling at her as if it were all a coincidence.
He took a deep breath and confessed:
-I don't have a boyfriend.
Adrian bowed his head in satisfaction, hiding what he was really thinking. Knowing she was single was, indeed, valuable information.
—Perfect. Then there's no problem.
She nodded goodbye and quickly left, feeling confused. She had barely closed the door when she leaned back against the hallway wall and placed a hand on her chest.Why do I feel like he disarmed me so easily?
Upon returning to her office, her best friend and colleague, Claire (formerly Xiang Jing), looked at her mischievously.
—Why are you so red? You look like a tomato.
"Don't be silly," Olivia huffed, trying to regain her composure.
—Aha! Something happened with the boss. What did he say? What did he do?
—Nothing, we just talked about the team and new talent for the channel.
Claire looked at her with a skeptical smile.
—Yes, of course… sure.
Olivia, annoyed by the interrogation, quickly changed the subject:
—Make a list of everything we need to buy and send it to Adrian. I want that approval as soon as possible.
Claire let her go, but inside she thought:Something definitely happened.
That same afternoon, Adrián decided to take a walk through the company's hallways. His mere presence generated tension: employees lowered their gaze, others pretended to work harder, as if having him around was like having a lion on the prowl.
He had spent a good part of the morning in his office playing video games on his console, and although he lost several games, he didn't seem to care.I am young and rich, he repeated to himself.I can afford to play while others work for me.
At noon, Emily Carter appeared at her door.
"Shall we eat together?" he suggested, holding up a pair of trays.
—Perfect, let's go.
The Coleman Media corporate cafeteria was enormous, with long lines of employees waiting their turn. But Emily led him straight to a private dining room on the second floor, reserved for executives. There, the atmosphere was different: wide tables, china, and a gourmet menu.
While burgers and ordinary pasta were served downstairs, they enjoyed glazed salmon with roasted vegetables and a light wine.
Adrian smiled, pleased by the difference in treatment.
"There are classes everywhere," he said, raising his glass.
"Exactly," Emily laughed. "That's why I wanted to invite you here. Also… I'm curious. Why did you buy Coleman Media?"
Adrian tried a piece of salmon and shrugged:
—I was bored. I had too much money and too much free time. I was tired of playing at home, so I thought: why not buy a company and have fun being a boss?
Emily raised her eyebrows in surprise.
—Really? It's that simple?
—It's that simple.
She watched him closely. He didn't seem arrogant to her, but rather... incredibly self-confident.
"So what do you plan to do with Coleman Media?" he asked, leaning his elbow on the table.
Adrian smiled calmly:
—I don't know yet. What I do know is that I'm not going to go broke with such a small investment. To me, this is a game. And believe me, I know how to play it very well.
Emily shook her head, between amused and incredulous.
—You're 23 years old and you talk as if you've got it all figured out.
"I've got it all figured out," he replied, raising his glass.
There was a brief, knowing silence until Emily playfully added:
—By the way… do you want me to introduce you to someone? I have a perfect candidate: Olivia Hayes.
Adrian almost choked on his wine.
—…
Emily laughed at his reaction.
—I knew it.
Adrian quickly recovered and answered with a wink:
—My personal affairs are not up for discussion. You'd better worry about your husband.
Emily burst out laughing, and the lunch continued with confidences and future plans.
But deep down, Adrian couldn't stop thinking about Olivia.