BRIANNA

I stormed out of the meeting room, seething. Mr. Adrian always knew exactly how to push my buttons, but I wasn’t about to quit over his ridiculous antics. He needed to learn that he couldn’t treat everyone like they were beneath him.

As I was heading back to my office, someone suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me into a dark corner. I was about to scream when a hand clamped over my mouth. Reflexively, I bit down, but the hand stayed firmly in place.

“Shh, don’t scream! Stop biting my hand—it’s me.” A voice I vaguely recognized whispered, and I instantly knew who it was.

“Fine, I know who you are now. Can you take your hand off me?” I mumbled against his palm, then nudged his hand. He finally let go.

“Phew! Why did you sneak up on me like that, Lewis?” I groaned.

“You know my name? I don’t remember telling you,” he replied, looking genuinely surprised.

“Is that really what you’re focusing on?” I rolled my eyes. “Why did you pull me into a dark corner?”

“Oh, sorry!” He scratched his neck awkwardly. “I just wanted to talk to you privately. That’s why I, uh, did... that.”

“Alright… so, what’s so important that you had to drag me here?” I crossed my arms, both annoyed and curious.

“Well, this might be too forward, but I wanted to see if you’d like to grab lunch with me. Not a date, just, you know, a friendly lunch,” he stammered, scratching his neck nervously. “But if you’re not interested, just say no—”

“Hey, slow down,” I interrupted gently. “I’d be happy to join you, as long as it’s just a friendly lunch. When and where?”

His face relaxed. “Lunch is at noon, and we’ll meet at the company cafeteria downstairs.”

“Alright, I’ll see you there.”

“Thanks! I was afraid you’d say no.” He let out a relieved laugh.

“Your ego’s safe. You haven’t been rejected.” I teased, playfully tapping his chest before catching myself. The moment became suddenly awkward.

“Anyway, I’ll head to my office. See you at lunch,” I said, trying to brush off the weirdness.

“Yeah, see you,” he responded as I left, heading back to my office.

Once there, I got to work responding to emails, finishing up in a matter of minutes. Then, a wave of boredom hit me. At times like this, I missed working at the restaurant. Cherry and I would chat whenever we weren’t busy. Strange as it sounded, I even missed Mrs. Williams and her fiery temper.

With nothing better to do, I decided to make an effort to socialize. Walking down the hallway, I noticed two women from the earlier meeting, one of whom had greeted me on my first day. I decided to approach them.

“Hey, ladies!” I greeted cheerfully. One of them smiled back, while the other gave me a cold once-over and rolled her eyes. Yikes.

“Hi! You’re Brianna, right?” asked the friendlier of the two, her smile warm.

“That’s me. And you are?”

“My name’s Cassandra, but you can call me Cassie,” she replied, grinning. I already liked her; she seemed open and approachable, unlike her friend, who was still glaring at me.

“What do you want?” her friend snapped. “You just interrupted us.”

“I was just hoping we could be friends,” I replied, taken aback but keeping my voice calm.

“Hmm, let me think… No,” the rude one sneered.

“Lauren! That was harsh,” Cassie scolded. “You should really try being friendlier.”

“Unbelievable! Siding with a stranger over me?” Lauren shot back, eyes flashing with anger, before stomping off.

Cassie sighed. “Don’t take it personally, Brianna. Lauren’s just... like that. She’ll come around.”

“No worries,” I said, shrugging it off. “So... does that mean you’re open to being friends?”

Cassie smiled. “Absolutely! I’d better go talk to her, though. See you later?” She gave me a quick hug.

“Of course! By the way, I love your shirt,” I added, hoping to brighten the mood.

“Oh, this old thing? Thanks! Yours looks great too,” she complimented before hurrying off.

I mentally patted myself on the back. Making friends wasn’t so hard after all. Checking my watch, I saw it was almost noon—time for lunch. I headed to the cafeteria, which was in a separate building on the premises.

Inside, I spotted Lewis by the glass wall, engrossed in his phone. I approached and sat down across from him, causing him to look up in surprise.

“Sorry if I kept you waiting,” I said.

“No, you’re right on time. I just got here too,” he replied with a smile.

“Let’s grab some food, then we can chat,” he suggested, and I nodded in agreement.

I headed to the local food section and helped myself to some pulled pork, sweet potato fries, kale salad, and a bottle of apple juice—my favorite. Lewis looked at my tray, eyes wide.

“Are you seriously going to eat all that?” he asked, clearly astonished.

“Yes! I’m starving, and I have a big appetite. Plus, it’s free, so why not?” I laughed.

“Good point,” he chuckled, and we headed back to our table. We ate in companionable silence for a bit before he spoke up.

“So, tell me about yourself,” he said.

“Well, as you know, I’m Brianna, and…” And just like that, we launched into a lively conversation, sharing stories and laughing together.

ADRIAN

From my office, I looked through the glass wall, watching the bustle below. My eyes caught sight of Brianna and Lewis in the cafeteria, laughing and chatting like old friends. I felt a pang of irritation. She’d never looked that relaxed or happy around me. Why was she with him? What could they possibly be talking about that made her laugh like that?

Before I knew it, I was storming out of my office, striding to the cafeteria in a single-minded fury. Heads turned as I entered, probably because they’d never seen me here before.

I walked straight to their table, locking eyes with Brianna. “Miss Jackson, what are you doing here?”

She looked at me, unfazed. “Eating, obviously.”

“You’re here stuffing yourself when you know the brunch meeting is in a few minutes?” I said, grasping for any excuse.

“It’s not like I’m attending the meeting, is it?” she shot back.

“Are you clueless? You’re expected to attend all meetings unless I say otherwise.” I could feel my patience slipping.

“Oh, really? Can’t you do anything on your own?” she retorted.

“Like it or not, Brianna, you’re expected to accompany me everywhere unless I say otherwise.” I folded my arms, smirking as she huffed in frustration.

“Fine. I’ll come. Wouldn’t want to risk my job.” She muttered, throwing me a sour look before following me out.

I turned to leave but paused, looking at Lewis. “Stay away from Brianna. She’s not like the others you’ve toyed with, and I won’t let you mess with her.”

Lewis raised an eyebrow. “Is there something going on between you two?”

“There’s nothing between us. But don’t push your luck,” I warned.

He smirked. “With how protective you’re being, I might just take you up on that challenge.”

I clenched my fists, then forced myself to relax. “Do as you please, but don’t expect an easy time of it.”

Shoving my hands in my pockets, I walked out, leaving him with one last icy glare.