The past few weeks had blurred into one long, sleepless stretch of work for Olivia.
Since the day she told Aiden to rest, something had shifted. Much to her surprise—and everyone else's quiet amazement—Aiden started leaving the office at the same time as her. No more staying until ungodly hours with the lights still on in his office. He didn't say anything about it, and Olivia didn't bring it up, but that small change had oddly lightened the tension between them. Even so, the weight of everything else pressing down on their shoulders made it hard to notice.
Three weeks had passed in a blur of emails, late-night files, and back-to-back meetings. Olivia could count the number of nights she got more than five hours of sleep on one hand. And she wouldn't even need all five fingers.
The company was at its busiest—Fashion Week was fast approaching, and for the first time, Ashford Corporation was preparing to walk the runway under its banner. It was a big deal. No longer riding on the coattails of other labels or presenting as guest collaborators, they were finally stepping into the spotlight. The stakes were higher than ever.
To make things more complicated, the company had recently acquired a prime piece of land—one that Olivia and Aiden had negotiated over lunch weeks ago. The land was now being rapidly transformed into Ashford's exclusive venue for their fashion debut. Renovation crews worked around the clock to get the space runway-ready, and the management team had their hands full coordinating with designers, marketing leads, and suppliers.
And in the middle of all of it was her.
Olivia's days were a whirlwind of organizing department meetings, chasing after delayed reports, triple-checking vendor contracts, and somehow managing Aiden's increasingly packed schedule without letting anything slip. Her phone never stopped buzzing, her inbox had turned into a battlefield, and her planner looked like a victim of a caffeine-fueled tornado.
There was barely time to breathe, let alone relax.
Even her beloved weekend rituals—curling up in bed with her favorite anime or doomscrolling through fan art of fictional heartthrobs—had taken a hit. Now, by the time she got home, she barely managed to kick off her shoes and collapse into bed. The only anime she saw these days was the one playing in her dreams... and even those had started looking like spreadsheets and production deadlines.
Still, Olivia pushed on.
Because despite the exhaustion, despite the heavy eyes and sore muscles, there was a strange kind of energy in the air. A buzz. The company was on the edge of something big. She could feel it.
And deep down, even if she wouldn't admit it aloud, she kind of wanted to see how it all turned out.
Just as Olivia was about to sneak in a five-minute break at her desk—one where she could stare blankly at the wall and pretend she wasn't dying inside—her office phone rang.
She groaned quietly before answering. "Olivia Bennett speaking."
"Miss Olivia, we have a problem," came the shaky voice of one of the project coordinators from the renovation site.
Her spine straightened. "What kind of problem?"
"The flooring shipment… It's been delayed. By a week."
"What?" Olivia nearly dropped the phone. "The floors are supposed to be installed tomorrow. The models need the space for the walkthrough next Monday!"
"I know, I know—we're trying to contact the supplier, but apparently, there was a mix-up with the invoices and—"
"I'm on my way," she said, already pulling on her blazer with one hand while shoving her planner into her bag with the other. She clicked off the call and grabbed the tablet with all the contracts and vendor details.
Crisis mode: activated.
—
Two hours later, Olivia returned to the office, windswept, tense, and victorious. She'd personally tracked down the supplier, called in three favors, and threatened legal action so sweetly that the guy apologized three times. The flooring would be delivered tomorrow as planned, and she didn't even have to raise her voice.
As she stepped out of the elevator, her feet were dragging. Her heels felt like medieval torture devices. She just wanted to sink into her chair and maybe cry a little.
I'm so tired.
I just hope this month passes by quickly.
I want to watch my anime. If I remember correctly, I hadn't watched it for a whole month, so the new episodes should be out.
Just as she was lost in thought and didn't even look in front of her, she collided with a hard object. Her nose collided with great force that her eyes turned red because of the pain she quickly cover her nose with her hand.
Why is there a wall in the middle of the hallway?
"Olivia," The wall called out
Huh, wait, since when did the wall start to talk?
In confusion, she looked ahead and saw a chest. Slowly, her eyes move upward, and she sees the face of the wall that she collided with.
Adien, who had just come out of his office, saw his secretary walking toward him. She had her eyes on the floor, lost in thought, and he watched as she collided with him.
When Olivia looks up at him, Adien's heart stirs. Looking at her tear-filled eyes, she has her wide open, and the way she looks at him in confusion looks… cute.
Olivia, who saw that she didn't collide with a wall, but her boss quickly turned red with embarrassment and moved a step back. " I'm sorry, Sir, I wasn't looking."
"It's Okay," Adien said while looking at her. "I heard about the flooring. You handled it?"
"I did." She paused, then added, "I might've threatened to sue. Politely."
Aiden's lips twitched—maybe a smile, maybe just a muscle spasm from too much stress. "Good."
There was a moment of silence. Rare. Still. Comfortable in a strange way.
Olivia took a step closer. "If there's nothing else, then I'll get going."
"Hmm….."
Olivia passed Adien to go to her office; however, she just took two steps when Adien called her," Olivia."
" Yes, Sir." She turned around in confusion.
"Careful where you're walking—if you keep bumping into people like that, someone might get the wrong idea."
After saying that, Adien went to his office without looking at her.
And Olivia, well, she looks like a human tomato.
Wh-Wh-What!!!
What did he mean!!
And why am I blushing?
Why else, it's totally because it's embarrassing, not because of the way he smiles while saying that.
And what did he mean by not colliding with others? It's not like I collide with everyone!!
But his chest muscles are quite tough.
He might even have abs.