It was still early when Olivia stepped into the office, the morning sun just starting to peek through the tall glass windows. The faint hum of computers and the scent of fresh coffee filled the air. She had barely slept last night, but somehow, she didn't feel tired at all. Excitement kept her awake — the big meeting was today.
She placed her bag on the desk and opened her laptop, reviewing the designs and presentation slides one more time. Her notes were all over the table, pages filled with sketches, color palettes, and keywords. The late-night effort showed in the slight puffiness under her eyes, but her energy didn't waver.
By 8:30 AM, she had finalized everything. With a proud smile, Olivia stacked the selected sketches neatly and headed straight to Aiden's office — again, without knocking.
The door swung open abruptly.
Aiden, who was sipping his morning espresso, nearly spilled it. His sharp eyes darted to her, his expression saying one clear thing: "You're doing it again."
But Olivia ignored that look — again.
She strode right in, her heels clicking confidently on the floor, and spread several design sheets across his desk.
"Mr. Ashford, I've finalized the designs for today's presentation," she announced brightly, leaning forward on his desk.
Aiden blinked once, setting his cup down slowly.
"…You finalized these?" he asked, his tone calm but his brows arching ever so slightly.
"Yes," Olivia said proudly. "I picked the ones that'll make the strongest impression. These three have the perfect blend of Euphoria Maison's clean elegance and our own signature edge."
He glanced at the designs — sharp lines, bold tones, elegant transitions. His cold, observant gaze softened for a moment. They were good. Really good.
Aiden nodded once. "Not bad."
Olivia smiled, pleased. "Oh, and I've also prepared a full presentation draft."
His hand froze mid-turn of a page. "You… prepared what?"
"The presentation." She said it so casually that it almost gave him a heart attack.
"When?"
"Last night."
Aiden's head snapped up, his eyes widening slightly. "You stayed up to make a full presentation after finalizing the designs?"
"Well, yes. I didn't want to show up unprepared," she said, as if it were obvious.
Aiden leaned back in his chair, speechless for a moment. She really hasn't changed at all, he thought. Always overworking herself, always going beyond what was asked.
The rest of the morning went by in a blur of discussion and fine-tuning. Olivia stood by the projector, talking animatedly about each slide, while Aiden silently listened, occasionally nodding or interjecting with quiet but precise advice.
"Should I mention the inspiration behind the designs during the first part," she asked at one point, "or keep it for the end?"
"First part," he replied automatically.
"What if they ask about production capacity?"
"I'll handle that."
"What about the color palette description—"
"Olivia," Aiden cut in, his tone low, patient thinning.
She blinked. "Yes?"
"You've been talking non-stop for two hours."
She smiled sheepishly. "Right. Sorry."
Aiden sighed softly and glanced at his watch. "It's nearly three. We should head out."
"Already? Oh! Wait, let me just—"
Before she could finish, Aiden was already up, collecting his files. "We're leaving. Now," he said, walking briskly to the door.
She pouted, muttering, "You didn't even let me finish my sentence," as she hurried after him.
They reached the restaurant twenty minutes early. The meeting room was elegantly set up, a long table in the center, sunlight streaming through the tall windows.
They sat across from each other in silence for a while — well, Aiden sat in silence. Olivia, on the other hand, started again.
"So, during the opening, I should say—"
"No."
"What do you mean by 'no'? You don't even know what I was going to say!"
"I can guess."
Olivia frowned. "I'm just trying to be prepared."
"You're over-prepared," Aiden said flatly, pouring her a glass of water. "Drink. And stop talking before you give yourself a sore throat."
Olivia glared at him but took the glass anyway. "You're so bossy."
Aiden didn't respond — but there was a small twitch at the corner of his lips, almost like he was holding back a smile.
Before she could say anything more, the door opened and two people entered — a tall man in an immaculate suit, followed by a graceful woman.
"Mr. Ashford," the man greeted warmly, stepping forward. "I'm Han Daejin, CEO of Euphoria Maison. This is my secretary, Sophia."
Aiden shook his hand, his usual calm demeanor returning in full force. "Aiden Ashford, CEO of Ashford Co. This is Olivia Bennett, my executive assistant and lead project coordinator."
Olivia smiled politely, bowing slightly. "It's an honor to meet you."
"The honor is mine," Han Daejin replied. "Your fashion show last month was remarkable. Your brand's innovation caught our attention immediately."
They sat down, and the conversation quickly shifted to business. Olivia presented the designs she'd prepared, explaining each with clarity and passion. Aiden mostly listened, stepping in occasionally with sharp, strategic points.
By the end of the meeting, Han Daejin leaned back, smiling. "I'm impressed. I believe this collaboration will bring great results for both sides. Let's work together for our spring collection."
Aiden extended his hand. "We look forward to it."
After finalizing a few details, they all ordered food, chatting pleasantly about upcoming trends and markets. Even Aiden, usually reserved, seemed at ease. Olivia noticed, quietly smiling to herself.
When they finally stood to leave, Han Daejin said, "Our headquarters will handle the next phase. You should visit us soon — our team will prepare everything for your arrival."
"We'll be there," Aiden promised.
They exchanged farewells, and once Han and Sophia were gone, the restaurant suddenly felt quiet again.
Olivia turned toward Aiden, her face glowing with excitement. "Aiden… we did it!"
Before he could react, she threw her arms around him.
Aiden froze — completely.
Her sudden warmth, her soft scent — it short-circuited every logical thought he had. His brain went blank. His arms stayed stiff at his sides, while his heart started pounding loud enough to deafen him.
"We're going global!" Olivia laughed, hugging him tighter before pulling back. "This is amazing, right?"
Aiden stared at her, his mind struggling to reboot.
"Right," he finally managed to say, voice slightly hoarse.
Oblivious to his flustered state, Olivia grabbed her bag and said cheerfully, "We should head back and start the follow-up tasks. Let's not waste any time!"
She turned and started walking ahead toward the car, still smiling from ear to ear.
Aiden, meanwhile, stood there like a statue for several seconds, his entire face slowly turning red.
She hugged me.
He could still feel the warmth lingering against his suit. It wasn't like the handshake greetings he gave at business events — this was different. Personal. Unexpected.
Olivia's voice called from across the parking lot, snapping him out of his trance. "Aiden! Are you coming or planning to live here?"
Aiden blinked, cleared his throat, and hurried to the car.
When he sat in the driver's seat, Olivia tilted her head and looked at him curiously. "Are you okay? You look red. Are you sick?"
"It's… hot," he muttered, keeping his eyes fixed on the road.
"It is hot today," Olivia agreed, turning on the car's air conditioning. "You should really take care of yourself. What would the company do if our CEO fell sick?"
Aiden glanced at her briefly, her face still glowing with excitement. He quickly looked away again.
"…I'll keep that in mind," he said quietly.
By the time they reached the office, Olivia hopped out first, practically bouncing toward her desk to start arranging the next steps for the collaboration.
Aiden, on the other hand, walked back to his office slowly, still touching his chest — as if to confirm that the hug actually happened.
For someone known as the coldest CEO in the industry, it was quite a problem that his heart had never beaten that fast before.