| SAME DAY, LUNCH TIME |

BRIANNA

After wrapping up a pile of files Mr. Adrian had handed me, a yawn escaped my mouth, and right on cue, my stomach grumbled loudly. I patted it, murmuring with a playful grin, “Don’t worry, dear stomach. Food’s on the way.” The scene must’ve looked ridiculous—me, standing alone in an empty office, talking to my own stomach. I laughed, shaking my head.

“Is it lunchtime yet?” I wondered aloud. Glancing at the wall clock, I saw that I was already five minutes behind.

Gathering up the files, I made my way to Mr. Adrian’s office. I knocked, and he called out for me to come in. He wasn’t at his desk when I entered. Instead, he was standing by one of the massive glass walls, looking down at the city below. Something about the way he stared into the distance made him look pensive, as though the world outside held answers he couldn’t reach.

“I’m here to submit the files you asked for, sir,” I said, breaking the silence.

“You’re done with them?” He sounded almost surprised.

“Yes, sir. All set.”

“Good. You can leave them on my desk,” he replied, waving me off without turning around. I dropped the files as instructed and headed out.

I took the elevator to the ground floor, only to notice that Kristen’s desk was empty. Likely at the cafeteria, I guessed. Entering the bustling space, I picked up a tray and selected my meal. While scanning the room, I spotted Kristen waving me over to a table, where she sat with Cassandra, Lauren, and Lewis.

“Hey, guys!” I greeted them cheerfully.

“Hey, Brianna!” they all chorused back, except Lauren, who wore her usual sneer.

“It’s been a while since we had lunch together,” Cassandra remarked as I took a seat.

“Work’s been keeping me busy—meetings with Mr. Adrian and all,” I replied, just as Lauren scoffed under her breath.

“That’s right, and you’re looking… different today,” Cassandra teased, eyeing my outfit with a chuckle. “Something tells me this look was designed to stir up trouble.”

“Oh, it definitely was,” I laughed. “All for Mr. Adrian’s benefit.”

“Really? What’s the story behind it?” Kristen asked, intrigued.

Before I could explain, Lauren muttered, loud enough for me to hear, “Or maybe she just has terrible fashion sense.”

I raised an eyebrow, turning to her. “Did you say something?”

She met my gaze, defiant. “Yeah. I said you’ve got terrible taste. What are you going to do about it?”

I gave her a mock smile. “Nothing. But it’s painfully obvious who here is the dumb one.”

“Did you just call me dumb?” Her tone grew sharper, angrier.

“Yep. Want to try proving me wrong?” I taunted. She looked ready to pounce, but Lewis quickly put a hand on her arm, calming her down.

“Alright, ladies, enough. No need for a lunchtime brawl,” he intervened, casting a wary look between us.

“Thank you,” I muttered under my breath. “I’m just trying to have a peaceful lunch here.”

“So… back to your reason for dressing up,” Kristen said, eager to diffuse the tension.

I smiled, diving into the story. “Well, it all started with a couple of high-and-mighty clients making rude comments at a meeting. Mr. Adrian thought dressing me down would prevent them from feeling ‘intimidated.’”

“Intimidated? That’s ridiculous,” Cassandra laughed.

“I know! But Mr. Adrian seems to think I’ll scare people away if I don’t tone it down.” I rolled my eyes, but the memory made me chuckle.

“It sounds like you need to keep stirring the pot,” Kristen grinned.

“Or just ignore him and wear whatever you like,” Lewis added, grumbling a bit.

“Lewis, don’t act like you understand women’s fashion,” Cassandra teased. “This is a girls’ territory—you wouldn’t understand the nuances.”

“I know plenty about women’s fashion!” he protested.

“Oh really?” Kristen smirked. “Alright, hotshot. Tell us—what are the types of bras?”

“What?” His face turned beet red. “I thought we were talking about fashion!”

“Bras are fashion,” Kristen grinned mischievously, and we all burst into laughter.

He squirmed in his seat. “Come on. Ask something else.”

“Nope, you’re stuck,” I smirked. “Go on, show off your knowledge.”

“I’m tapping out,” he sighed, looking mortified. Our laughter only seemed to make his cheeks grow redder. Meanwhile, Lauren, who had been silent throughout, suddenly stood, her chair scraping against the floor loudly.

“What’s up with her?” I asked, watching her walk away without so much as a goodbye.

“Who knows,” Cassandra shrugged, unfazed.

“But seriously, back to bras,” Kristen continued, ignoring Lauren. “What kind of material do you prefer?”

Lewis looked like he was about to combust. “Why are we even talking about this?”

“Because you clearly have no idea what you’re talking about, and it’s hilarious,” I grinned, thoroughly enjoying myself.

“Alright, alright, I get it!” he groaned. “You can stop now. I surrender.”

“Yeah, we’ll go easy on you,” Cassandra added with a wink. “For now.”

I took another bite of my food, but before I could say anything, Kristen shot me a look and then turned to Lewis with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Okay, since bras were too hard, how about naming three types of panties?”

“Oh, come on!” He threw his hands up. “Are you serious?”

“Totally serious,” Kristen said, leaning in closer. “Let’s see what you’ve got, Mr. Fashion Expert.”

His face was bright red now, and he seemed genuinely defeated. “I don’t know any! I don’t even know what you’re talking about!”

“Don’t mess with us, Lewis,” I added with a laugh. “Stick to your lane.”

“Yeah, bras and panties are definitely above his paygrade,” Cassandra snickered.

“Okay, fine,” he muttered, sinking back in his chair, utterly defeated. “I give up. Women’s fashion will remain a mystery for me.”

“Don’t worry, Lewis,” Kristen said, patting him on the back, “We’ll let you go this time.”

He gave her a side-eye. “I’m never doing this again. You guys are cruel.”

“We’re just educating you,” I said, still laughing. “You should be grateful.”

After a few more rounds of teasing and joking, we all continued eating and chatting. The tension had dissipated, and the fun returned. But as we went on, I couldn’t help but notice that Lauren was still nowhere to be found.

“Has anyone seen Lauren since she stormed off?” I asked, glancing around the cafeteria.

Cassandra shrugged. “She probably went off to sulk somewhere. You know how she is.”

“Maybe she’s just jealous because you guys know how to make fashion fun,” Kristen said with a wink.

“Or maybe she just doesn’t know how to laugh at herself,” I mused, not feeling the need to dwell on it.

Lewis sighed dramatically, looking much more at ease now. “You guys should be proud. I survived the fashion torture. Barely.”

“You did more than survive, you thrived,” Cassandra teased.

“Yeah, right,” he mumbled, but the hint of a smile tugged at his lips.

We returned to our meal, the conversation flowing easily, but the laughter didn’t stop for the rest of lunch. And for a moment, it felt good to be able to just relax, joke around, and enjoy the moment—without thinking about the office, Mr. Adrian, or anything else that might usually weigh on my mind.