the love chronicles | short stories

business affair

As soon as the clock struck noon, I knew I had a fifteen-minute window to do what I needed to do since this morning.

Abandoning my work desk, I strode as quickly as possible to the elevators in a bid to escape the usual horde of human traffic during lunch hour. Stepping inside a vacant elevator cab, I pressed the button to the top floor with more force than necessary. Then leaned against the handrail, my gaze on the rolling numbers as it travelled its ascent.

The earlier altercation replayed in my head, keying me up further, anger festering inside me. I was determined to be heard today. No matter the consequence.

When the elevator reached the end of its line, I exited into an incredibly grandiose expanse of space. Undeniably masculine and exhibiting great opulence, the smoked-glass doors of the lobby that had MERCER INC emblazoned upon it created an overall intimidating atmosphere.

I barely greeted the young blonde receptionist at the front desk who buzzed me through the security doors. Too busy stomping along the long hallway that led to the executive office which belonged to Roman. My efforts were in vain when I came up short, stopping beside Roman's reception area, where his personal assistant, Navid, manned the desk.

He stood immediately when he saw me, his brown eyes warm. "Good afternoon, Miss Alvarez."

I jerked my chin towards the glass wall—which was usually clear but at the moment opaque—separating Roman's office from the rest of the floor. "Is he busy?"

Navid nodded once, and then reached for the phone on his desk. "He should be finishing up now. I'll let him know you're here."

Because I knew my fiancé well, I shook my head
vehemently. It took many instances until I finally realised that Roman dropped everything on its hat whenever a situation concerned me—regardless of its importance. Despite my current mood, this was no pressing matter to disturb a meeting which quite possibly assisted the operation of a multimillion dollar company.

"No, that's okay, Nav. I'll wait instead."

"Nonsense, Miss Alvarez," he insisted. "I have standing orders from Mr. Mercer. It's literally my job to inform him."

Before he could do just that, the double doors of the glass wall glided open, stealing both of our attention.

"Look at that," Navid quipped, his mouth curving. "Must be some kind of soulmate telepathy." Gesturing a hand towards the door, he said, "Please, Miss Alvarez, if you will."

"Thanks, Nav. Enjoy your lunch." Giving him a kind smile, I waved him goodbye before heading inside.

It was hard not to be impressed by the vast space that was Roman's domain. With panoramic views of Chicago afforded through the floor-to-ceiling windows on two exterior walls, the office sprawled over a corner of the building. Like the city itself, the architectural style of the office was a hybrid of old and new. His monolithic desk was a thick slab of refurbished landmark-protected black marble. The serene white wall to his right created a contrasting effect, and proudly displayed three screen monitors, all of which simultaneously scrolled enough data feed and news channels to scramble my eyesight.

Sitting atop Chicago's skyline in the very building he owned, coupled with his swanky toys surrounding him, Roman looked as if he dominated the world.

While I remained standing just inside his doors, it took me a minute to notice that his general counsel, Arthur Coleman, occupied one of the leather chairs facing Roman's desk. In hushed voices, the two of them perused a fan of documents splayed across the desk.

Allowing him to wrap up his meeting, I stole a moment to admire him. Handsomely cut out in a pristine black suit in which I was the lucky girl who had wrapped him into it this morning, I loved looking at him while he worked. Primarily because he regarded his job with the kind of mad passion he reserved for only one other thing in his life.