By the time Elena reached her desk, she'd almost managed to convince herself the elevator incident had never happened. Almost.
Unfortunately, the morning meeting wasn't going to let her off that easy.
Half the executive team was already gathered in the boardroom when she walked in with her laptop and notes. Alexander sat at the head of the table, crisp and collected as always. Sophia—because of course she had to be there—sat two seats away, looking like she owned the building.
Elena slipped into the chair beside Alexander, determined to stay invisible.
It lasted three minutes.
"Miss Carter," Alexander said coolly. "The quarterly projections."
She clicked her laptop awake and began projecting the slides. Everything was smooth—until the chart froze. Then flickered. Then the screen went black.
And then, horror of horrors, her personal Spotify playlist started blasting through the speakers.
"I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred.
The entire boardroom went silent.
Elena turned the color of a tomato, slamming her laptop keys in a panic. "Oh my god—oh no—this is not—!"
Across the table, someone choked back a laugh.
Alexander's expression was carved from stone. "Miss Carter."
She looked up, mortified. "I swear this isn't my fault!"
Sophia's smile was lethal. "Charming choice of… motivation music."
The room broke into muffled laughter.
Elena wanted the floor to swallow her whole. "It's—It's my roommate's playlist. She—she must've synced her account—"
"Enough," Alexander cut in, voice icy. He leaned slightly toward her, his words sharp but quiet enough only she could hear. "Fix it."
Her hands shook as she reconnected the projector, cheeks burning. Finally, the charts reappeared. She cleared her throat, praying her voice didn't squeak.
"As I was saying," she managed, "the quarterly projections show a steady increase in—"
But she could feel it—the weight of everyone's amusement. And worse, the unmistakable curve at the corner of Alexander Frost's mouth.
He was laughing. Internally, of course, but still—laughing.
Later, when the meeting ended, Elena practically sprinted out of the room. Alexander caught up with her in the hall, his long strides too fast for her to escape.
"Miss Carter."
She stopped, refusing to look at him. "If you fire me, just know I'm already dead inside."
There was a pause. Then—shockingly—his voice was low, almost amused.
"You're… too sexy?"
Her head whipped around, eyes wide. "That is not funny!"
But he was already walking away, the faintest ghost of a smile on his lips.
Elena groaned, burying her face in her hands.
Somewhere, she knew Sophia was smiling too—but for a very different reason.
Because Sophia wasn't laughing at a playlist. She was already planning her first strike