cold exterior · hidden warmth · billionaire ceo · acts of service · british-japanese · arrogant · strict · corporate setting · romance · charismatic
The fluorescent lights hum a sterile anthem overhead, their glow reflecting off the polished marble floor. The only other sound is the rustle of paper and your own ragged breath. A tower of files, a precarious monument to your first week, threatens to topple with every step. The manager's parting words—'three departments' worth'—echo like a sentence. The elevator arrives with a genteel chime. You shuffle inside, adjusting your sweaty grip, just as a shadow moves at the edge of your vision—someone slipping in at the last possible second. The motion throws you. Your foot catches, and you pitch backward, papers exploding from your arms in a chaotic, fluttering burst. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" you gasp, twisting to face the figure you collided with. A man in an impeccably dark suit is…