Where did we go wrong?

Part 32

Before his trip to France, Magnus was organizing everything when he recalled that he had the customary Lightwood meeting scheduled for later that day. This time, Magnus volunteered to visit the Lightwoods at their office, especially since, with Alec and Jace taking over the workload, Magnus wanted to make things less busy for Jace. It would have been simple for them to cancel the meeting, but both Magnus and the Lightwoods were aware that these meetings were more beneficial and productive than they cared to admit. This was where the actual business was conducted, where crucial decisions were made and where compromises were reached.

"Imasu." Magnus pressed the intercom as he draped his jacket over his shoulder.

"Yes?"

"I am planning to head home after I finish the meeting at Lightwoods. Do you think it would be possible for us to complete the Power proposal by this afternoon so that we are all prepared for tomorrow?"
"From what I know, it's halfway through."

Magnus blinked a couple of times as he tried to understand if he heard right.
"Halfway? Didn't I ask you and the team to try to get the proposal ready by this evening at the latest? You know this project with Powers plays a major role, and the meeting is first thing tomorrow morning!" Magnus was trying his best to calm down.

He repeatedly communicated to Imasu and the team that he required additional attention to be paid to this project. As he dislikes micromanaging, he granted Imasu complete responsibility, but now he was reconsidering his decision. This was the third time within the last two weeks that Imasu had made significant errors. Imasu used to be meticulous when it came to work, but in the past two weeks, Imasu has been paying progressively less attention to their work. Every time, Magnus could not help but sigh as he reviewed Imasu's mistakes at work, but he had a sneaking suspicion that this change in behaviour might be related to their dating life.

Nothing was definite between them. They had gone on two dates within the two weeks, but they were certainly not an exclusive couple. However, Magnus also realized that almost everyone in the office was aware that he had been on two dates with Imasu. One of the employees from finance, Sebastian, congratulated him on the new relationship. Magnus did not correct him when Sebastian mentioned that Imasu had shared the news with him. Things were progressing too quickly for Magnus's liking. Instead, he smiled at his soft-spoken British friend.

"You know what, send me what you have so far and all the go-by materials by 6 p.m. I will sort out the rest myself." Magnus sighed. He really needed to have a conversation later with Imasu about this.

"If you want to, okay!" Imasu replied..

"Good. Also, I need to have a chat with all of you tomorrow regarding this lack of respect toward deadlines. Set up a meeting right after the meeting with Powers. Cancel it if I have anything else on the schedule." Magnus's voice came out a bit courtly, but he couldn't care less. He was nowhere near being done with the proposal to his liking, and he hated when work was left to the last minute. He sighed as he prepared himself for the fact that he would have to pull an all-nighter.

Magnus finished the conversation with Imasu and looked at his watch. 4:30 p.m. The meeting at Lightwood was scheduled for 5 p.m. and was expected to end around 6 p.m., and he could probably give himself a two-hour break before he dive into work again. Magnus sighed once more before he left his office. He wondered if he should stop by the café from last time, as he was really craving something sweet before the long day he had ahead of him.

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"Mr. Bane, how are you?Lily Chen, Alec's secretary, spoke in her professional tone. Magnus became acquainted with her through Robert, as she previously worked for him. Lily's sharp wit and humorous retorts fostered a close friendship between Magnus and Lily before they fully realized it.