Mornings at Reed Industries were supposed to be quiet, calm, orderly.
Mine was none of those things.
Because the moment I stepped onto the top floor, I was greeted by something far worse than spilled coffee, forgotten passwords, or Alex's judgy eyebrows.
I was greeted by her.
Tall. Gorgeous. Red lipstick sharp enough to stab someone.
And dressed in a corporate outfit that probably cost more than my rent.
"Who are you?" she asked, eyes scanning me from head to toe like I was a clearance sale item.
"Luna Carter," I said politely. "Executive assistant."
Her smirk was instant. "Cute."
I blinked. "Cute?"
She looked me over again, slowly.
"Oh, sweetheart. You must be new."
She stepped closer, flipping her perfect hair.
"I'm Vanessa. Alexander's… friend."
The way she said "friend" carried enough implication to power a whole telenovela.
And then—because the universe hates me—Alex walked out of his office at that exact moment.
He froze.
I froze.
Vanessa smiled like a cat seeing a trapped mouse.
"Alex!" she purred, walking toward him.
She placed a hand on his chest. His chest.
Not that I noticed.
Or cared.
At all.
He looked annoyed, but not surprised. "Vanessa. What are you doing here?"
"I missed you," she said, her voice dripping honey.
I almost gagged.
---
The Jealousy I Absolutely Did NOT Feel
I pretended to be busy arranging the files on my desk.
By arranging, I mean shuffling them around while eavesdropping like my life depended on it.
Vanessa leaned closer to him. "We should talk. Privately."
Alex sighed. "I have work."
She giggled. Giggled.
"You used to make time for me."
My eye twitched.
I told myself:
Luna, you are NOT jealous.
He can talk to whoever he wants.
You have zero feelings.
ZERO.
…Right?
---
A Very Inconvenient Invitation
Alex finally gently removed Vanessa's hand from his suit.
"I'll speak with you later," he said firmly. "I have a meeting."
"With who?" she asked.
His eyes shifted—right to me.
"With my assistant."
Her face twisted ever so slightly.
"Oh. Her."
I smiled sweetly. "Good morning."
She gave me a tight smile back. "For some, maybe."
Ouch.
Alex cleared his throat. "Miss Carter, in my office."
I followed him inside, closing the door behind me.
He rubbed his temples. "Ignore whatever she said."
"I didn't hear anything," I lied.
He gave me a long look.
"You're a terrible liar," he said.
"Thanks, I guess?"
He sighed. "Vanessa and I dated briefly. It wasn't serious."
I shrugged. "You don't have to explain your love life to me."
Was that a bit sharp? Absolutely.
Did I care? Absolutely not.
(Okay, maybe a little.)
He stepped closer, voice low.
"I don't owe you an explanation. But I wanted to give you one."
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Or maybe he just felt closer.
I cleared my throat. "So, um. The meeting?"
He smirked slightly, letting the topic drop.
"Right. Follow me."
---
The Meeting Disaster
The meeting was supposed to be simple.
Supposed to be.
Ten minutes in, Alex asked me to present the revised schedule.
I stood up, confident—until my tablet froze.
Then restarted.
Then died.
Perfect.
Everyone stared at me while I panicked internally.
"I—I can explain—"
Alex stood up beside me, calm and steady.
"We'll present together," he said, taking over half the explanation.
And somehow… it worked.
We finished the presentation flawlessly.
When we sat back down, he whispered,
"See? You don't have to panic."
I whispered back,
"I wasn't panicking."
"You were sweating."
"It's called glowing."
His lips twitched. "Right. You were glowing. Profusely."
I elbowed him.
He chuckled softly.
My heart? Yeah, it betrayed me again.
---
Vanessa Strikes Again
At lunch, I tried to sneak away quietly to avoid seeing Miss Lipstick 2.0.
No luck.
She intercepted me by the elevators.
"So," she said, crossing her arms.
"You and Alex seem… close."
"We work together," I said.
"Mhm."
Her smirk returned.
"You know, he's always had a thing for innocent girls."
I choked. "Excuse me?"
"Oh, don't take it personally," she said sweetly. "He dates them, realizes they can't keep up, and then he moves on."
My blood boiled.
My eye twitched again—dangerously.
But before I could respond, a voice cut through the tension.
"Vanessa."
Alex's tone was sharp enough to slice steel.
She turned, startled.
He stepped beside me, subtly placing himself between us.
"That's enough."
She blinked innocently. "I was just talking to her."
"She's my employee. Not your target."
Target.
Wow.
Vanessa scoffed. "You're defending her?"
He looked straight at me, eyes softening just slightly.
"Yes."
My breath hitched.
Vanessa gaped. "Unbelievable."
She stormed away, heels clicking furiously.
I let out the breath I'd been holding.
"Wow. That was… intense."
Alex looked at me.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I said. "She's just… a lot."
He nodded.
"Stay away from her. She likes creating problems."
"And you don't?" I teased.
He smirked. "Only the interesting ones."
---
The Ride Home I Didn't Expect
By 6 p.m., rain was pouring outside like the universe was having a breakdown.
I stared out the building lobby doors, horrified.
"I did not bring an umbrella."
"Then I'll drive you."
I turned to see Alex standing beside me, keys in hand.
"What? No— it's fine. I'll just… drown."
He sighed. "Luna. Get in the car."
I hesitated.
But he was already walking toward the parking area.
I followed him into the car, trying to pretend like it was no big deal.
Spoiler:
It was a big deal.
The drive was quiet at first, just the sound of rain and soft music.
Then he spoke.
"You know," he said quietly, hands on the wheel,
"I'm glad you came back."
My heart did a triple backflip.
I swallowed. "Why?"
Rain hit the windows harder.
He didn't look at me when he answered.
"Because I missed you."
Everything inside me stopped.
The air.
My thoughts.
My heartbeat.
I stared at him.
Words refusing to form.
He finally glanced my way…
His eyes soft, unsure, almost vulnerable.
And that was the moment I realized:
This job wasn't the only dangerous thing here.
It was him.
And the feelings I thought I buried three years ago…
were starting to surface again.